Depression Era Dinner I Hamburger Gravy with Mashed Potatoes I Poor Man's Salad

Drepression Era Dinner

Hamburger Gravy

1# hamburger
1 medium onion diced
3 cups of beef stock
1/4 cup flour
S & P

Brown the hamburger about halfway in a hot pan, you want to develop brown bits. Add the onions and continue to cook. Once the meat and onion mixture is cooked at the flour and mix thoroughly until you can’t see the flour anymore. Then add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a couple of minutes stirring frequently to help cook the flour. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Poor Man’s Salad

1 sleeve salted crackers
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 bunch of green onions chopped fine
3 hard boiled eggs chopped
¾ cup mayonnaise
S & P

Into a medium bowl add the broken salted crackers along with the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately.

Drinking Coffee and Reading Book Concept. Stock Videos by Vecteezy
Music Credit: Green Green Garden by Chris Haugen

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Colleen Palumbo
#25 – 1410 11th Ave North
Golden, BC Canada
V0A 1H2

All video and photographic rights belong to Colleen Palumbo unless otherwise stated.

[gaylenemandelka]

My Grandmother raised her children through the depression. She spoke of it often and still made the food from that era in the 70s. She had cookies and cakes that had no eggs. She always had a garden and always made everything from scatch. And would never eat in a restaurant. I never received a Christmas gift that wasn't handmade and she gave me $1 for my birthday every year until I turned 25. If people would look to the past there are ways to get through tough times.

[rosesperfumelace]

My parents lived through the depression and also WWII. During the war, food was rationed. They became frugal and saved things. Not just food. That mindset lasts a lifetime. My mother made dinners such as this. It was so good. Miss them so much. 😢

[sandraskalnik]

Growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s we didn’t have salad dressing so we put mayonnaise on our salad. All that we had to put in one in the winter was lettuce, tomato and onion. In the summer we had fresh vegetables like green onions, fresh tomatoes p, cucumbers, bell peppers and lettuce but still mayonnaise for the dressing. I still like to make a simple salad with mayonnaise on it. I also make the hamburger with gravy and onions. My dad would kill and dress up to 100 meat birds every spring and in the fall he would slaughter 2 hogs. He had a smoke house where he cured the bacon and the hams and folks said that he was the best around when it came to smoking meat. Oh my goodness the smell of biscuits, bacon and eggs filled the house every morning and made you want to get up. My daddy never took sandwich bread in his lunch, he wanted biscuits with fried bologna or bacon and egg sandwiches with cheese on them. I remember when I got old enough to help mother, I would make his lunch and I took such care with making it. He would take four sandwiches and two or three pieces of cake. How I would love to go back to the good old days.

[marydenney]

My dad always said “it’s my birthday” when mom made hamburger gravy. His favorite meal ever

[JeanHudson]

I am the 13th child by a minute and we grew up on hamburger gravy and potatoes and venison gravy and potatoes. But never heard of a poor man's salad. Thanks for sharing

[dianenordstrom]

My Mother made this, but didn't use broth. She added water to the pan, brought to a boil, then gradually stirred in a flour thickening. She stirred in Kitchen Bouquet, a small amount at a time. It was excellent. She served it over boiled crushed potatoes and leftovers were served over bread. Yum. I still make it today.

[janetworrell]

The lunch ladies fixed this dish for us during the 50s. We all loved it.

[denisesw]

Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes was one of my favorite meals growing up. I’ll have to make it one day soon! Prayers that fire is under control and no one gets hurt ❤ Thanks for sharing

[cathyloiacono]

At one point last year, scallions/green onions were $2 a bunch. I bought myself a window box that could sit on a window sill in the house in cold weather and put outside when its warm. I filled it with soil, cut off the white bulb of the scallions and plunked them into the soil about half inch apart. Within a few days, they started sprouting. They grow very quickly and you will have a continuous supply.

[cathynevius]

Just love the aroma of onions and beef cooking on the stove!

[larkmilisits]

This made my heart smile!! My grandmother OFTEN made this dinner when we visited. At 71, it is still one of my comfort foods, and I think of Grandma every time I make it!

[nancylowry]

They served the hamburger gravy my high school cafeteria 50 plus years ago and I loved it!

[galebrown]

In my Scottish mother's home we called this mince and gravy, and I still make it today at 74 yrs of age. She would add flour to the leftover mashed potatoes, roll it out and create triangles then were fried in a little butter---called them "tatie scones". Thanks for reminding me of such lovely times.

[elizabethpitt]

The hamburger and gravy was something my mother made for us often and I loved it. True comfort food.

[maryyoung]

Colleen, thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us.
My mother, whom I miss so much, moved with her family in 1935 from Hays, Kansas.
I am 71 now and loved this recipe as a child. I live in Portland, Or.
She prepared this for us, and all of our family loved it.
You were so easy to follow and listen to during this preparation.
My Mom also used an electric skillet just like yours.
I felt the childhood nostagia as you were preparing this delicious meal.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Praying to Saint Joseph to protect your home during this fire season.❤

[cynrest]

Well, the hamburger gravy sure took me back many many years. In fact, we still have it occasionally to this day. We really like it. Continued prayers that you will be safe from the fires. Sending you love and hugs, Colleen.

[PsalmS-vizl]

Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes was my favorite meal growing up. ❤

[lindamcdermott]

I grew up on mashed potatoes and gravy, I raised my children and still make mashed potatoes and gravy. I never heard of poor man’s salad, but my mother made tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches. Good memories shared. Thank you.

[lisapop]

Oh I hate fire season. It scarred our daughter, probably forever. When my husband was in the military, we spent several years in southern California. We woke up one Sunday morning and you could see the flames from the upstairs window. The kids were 8 & 4. We came down the hill and there was only one direction that we could go in because the fire had jumped 12 lanes of the freeway interchange. We were evacuated for days not knowing anything. Our daughter slept in a sleeping bag for years with her treasures in the bottom just in case. Even when we transferred to another base, October would come back. One year, we were triangulated by separate fires. Whoo, memories

[bettygossell]

My mom's version was hamburger patties covered with cr of mushroom soup, served over boiled potatoes. We lived on a farm so had our own beef and potatoes. We would have a veggie or two from the garden as well.