Here are two of the menus in the March 24, 1944 issue of The Family Circle. At the time, The Family Circle was a free weekly publication distributed at Piggly-Wiggly supermarkets. The magazine was short. This particular issue was 31 pages. In addition to numerous ads for grocery store products, it included advice for home makers, entertainment roundups, serious news articles, and lots of recipes.
Most of the recipes were for hearty, simple, easy-to-cook fare. Notice today’s recipes are meat balls and chili beans and stuffed hot dogs. Other recipes in the magazine include a torn lettuce and hard-cooked egg salad, meat loaf with rice topping, and a vegetable chowder. Julia Lee Wright was a prominent home economist and author who worked with both Safeway and Piggly-Wiggly.
In case you are curious, The Family Circle became a freestanding woman’s magazine in 1946. If you haven’t seen Family Circle in a while, it’s because the final issue was published in December 2019. Scroll down for a closer look at the menus and recipes.
History in the Kitchen 