A camper full of pineapple and bacon

I've already shared my favorite recipes from my imaginary '70s vacation with a copy of Gayle and Robert Fletcher Allen's The Complete Recreational Vehicle Cookbook for Campers, Vans, RVs and Motor Homes (1977). My copy came with a special bonus, though, so I can share with you some of the favorite recipes of whoever owned it before I did!

So what did this family like? Well, the first thing I noticed is that they must really have liked pineapple. The "Sizz Pineapple" is an appetizer right above the Pink Crackers that I shared earlier.

It's a simple combo of pineapple wrapped in bacon, skewered, and cooked over coals (or sterno!) until the bacon is crisp and "The juice of the pineapple drips through and the aroma is magnificent."

For the really pineapple-forward family, the appetizer can be followed by one of two pineapplicious main dishes. For a simple, informal affair, it might be Pineapple Burgers.

This is a great treat for anyone who has ever wished to bite into what looks like a normal hamburger and discover that it's actually a barely-seasoned meatloaf wrapped around a slice of canned pineapple.

For a more formal occasion, there's a Samoan Pineapple Roast.

Can it really be considered formal if the roast is canned ham slices sewn in layers with canned pineapple slices by a coat hanger wire "needle"? Sure! That's fancy if you're camping, and the cutting of the twine and removal of the buttons might even be reminiscent of a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony. I always admire a recipe that's as much craft project as cooking instruction.

The family clearly liked hot breakfasts, too. The Fried Breakfast on the list is toast fried with a bacon and egg mixture. More interesting to me was the Creamed Eggs on Toast.

I mostly just wondered if canned white sauce was even a thing anymore. Not so much, from the looks of it, but you can still get it if you're willing to buy at least a six pack on Amazon or industrial amounts straight from Campbell's. I have to say that it's probably now more practical to make your own white sauce than to try to store cases of it in a camper...

The Bacon Skillet Bread seems a lot more in line with modern cooking:

Bacon! A beginner-level baking project that can be cooked right in the skillet! (Okay, those are the only two things that come to mind, and anything is likely to look modern compared to canned white sauce, but the point stands.)

And finally, dipping into nostalgia again, a little dessert.

Stacked Chocolate Creams is part of a category I don't see often now-- an icebox cake. I never know quite what to think of them, as the point is to stack a snack that's usually crispy with a cream that will soften it during refrigeration into ... I'm not sure what. Something almost cake-like? Something mushy and/or grainy? I don't know, but if it's an excuse to eat a mound of chocolate-flavored sour cream, it can't be all bad! My list writer seemed to like it, but then again, they liked pineapple-stuffed burgers. I'm not sure what to make of the choices, but I do love the chance to be a bit of a recipe voyeur and imagine someone else's canned white sauce and pineapple-soaked vacation!