Baloney Cake, Tuna Jello,to Livermush - Coach Mikki and Mel - S6E5

Baloney cake sounds like a joke until you hear what the “icing” is. Mel joins me for a laugh-filled trip through the world of vintage recipes, retro desserts, and those classic mid-century food trends that leaned hard on gelatin molds, convenience ingredients, and pure confidence. We get into the unforgettable lineup: baloney cake layered like a real cake, hot dogs suspended in lemon-lime Jell-O, and a tuna mousse that dares you to look at mayonnaise the same way again. 


Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves weird food history, and leave a review if you want more conversations like this. Then tell us in the comments: what food do you miss from growing up, or what’s the grossest recipe you’ve actually eaten?

Transcript

Welcome Back With Mel

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, I'm Coach Mickey, and you were here on Coach Mickey and Friends. And if this is your first time joining us, come on in and make yourself comfortable. And for those of you that join us on a regular basis, we are so glad that you do. And we are always excited to hear your comments, your questions, and your suggestions of what you would like to hear on our podcast. And uh uh Mel is with us today. Hello. So we are so excited, and I want to thank you guys. I know you have left a lot of comments about Mel being back on, and I am so happy that she is too. And I know you guys uh really enjoy when we're together and our conversations. So uh I'm excited. So we're gonna have Mel said she could be with us at least one time out of the month. So I'm excited, Mel, that we can actually get back on air together.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

I know I miss you, I miss everybody, and I miss the good laughter too.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Me too. So today is gonna be fun, and we were talking on off air, and uh, I'm sorry, we were already laughing before we even could even log on. So, one of the things we're gonna talk about today is some of the desserts or recipes that were made that are no longer made, and when we tell you what's in some of these, there's not gonna be a surprise. Why? No. So, Mel, I'm gonna let you kick it off. What was one of the ones that you found?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Okay, one of the ones I found. Now, I have to admit, this is actually the the main ingredient in this one, is uh almost a staple

Baloney Cake With Ranch Icing

SPEAKER_00 1:30

here in the south. I mean, it was one of those things my dad would eat, but I've never seen this, I don't want to try it. And I say big no. It was a baloney cake. Yes, baloney. No, so basically, oh gosh, I don't even know, I don't even know if I can handle it, but um, it's just like bologna layered with oh my gosh, I can only like do this. Cake mix. It's just like a cake, and it has layers of bolony. Now, if you don't know what bologna is, it's a processed meat that's flat and round. And I couldn't tell you what's in it except it's a processed meat, and we use the fry it up and put it on sandwiches. Um, but I have never eaten it in a cake, and I don't think I want to try it.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Oh, you know, I remember as a kid, um, we did the same thing. We did bologna. And and bologna was like, uh, it is, it's you find it like in the deli section, and it's like flat and it's round, and I have no idea what it was made of. I know a lot of people said it was made of what was ever left over from I think it's pork, isn't it? I don't I don't even know what the meaning is.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Yeah, I think it's some type of pork, but I mean I think what makes it worse is like what I understand is that they use cream cheese and ranch dressing as the icing.

unknown 3:03

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

I just can't. Wait, wait, wait. This is the cake? Wait, ranch dressing?

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Cream cheese and ranch dressing, and then you you ice the baloney.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

I just can't. Wait, wait, so you ice the baloney and then and you make this into a cake?

SPEAKER_00 3:31

Yeah, it's what is it's like you make you says that um you layer the baloney, but instead of the icing, you mix cream cheese with ranch dressing, and then you ice it up like you want a cake. And I'm like, oh my god. Oh, okay, all right, yeah. That's over the top for me.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

And you know what? And then this is things that people actually ate, and I guess it's because of they were trying to be creative. So oh my gosh. Okay, so I remember baloney, like you said, as a kid, and we had it, and you're right, and we used my dad would fry it up, and I'd be like, Dad, it doesn't matter if you fry it, it's still bologna. We ate it, was so it's like, and to this day as an adult, I'm like, I can't even look at it. I'm like, no, and I refuse to ever give it to my kids. But I'm sure people like it, sort of like spam. You know, spam is like a staple for a lot of people, and they like it. You know, and and that's really good, but there's certain foods and certain things I think when you eat as a kid so much, you're like, uh no, I I am not gonna do that again.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Absolutely. And I just don't know if putting it in a cake format is very appetizing to me. Yeah, I'll keep it on the I'll keep it on a sandwich, but I think I'll not make a cake with it.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Okay, here's one I found. Okay, this is I have no idea. This is really gross. It is hot dogs suspended in lemon and lime jello.

Hot Dogs In Jello Madness

SPEAKER_01 5:04

So I guess I know. Oh my gosh. So I guess you take hot dogs and you put them in a jello, you cut them up and you do lemon and lime jello, and then you put it in a mold and you just mix them in and then let it set. So it's hot dogs inside. So, and there was one other one they were showing here that had shrimp. It was shrimp that was inside. I was like, I don't know. I just don't, it's look the looks of it, and I'll have to try to post a picture, but the looks of it is so disgusting to see little shrimp pieces in lemon jelly clear on a mole.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Oh my gosh, that is well, there. I mean, it seems that there's a lot of recipes on here that I've I've heard that like the lemon or the the lime jellos that they seem to have suspended a lot. Like cabbage.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

I don't know. I guess well, Jell-O, I know was a big deal. Jell-O was like everybody like in the 50s and stuff did these jello. But I couldn't even imagine. And there was another one here that was uh tuna fish, tuna fish jello salad, and you dissolve the this is the recipe. It said uh it's called tuna mousse. Tuna mousse. Oh, oh I guess, I guess if you're a dessert fan, too, chocolate mousse has got nothing on this.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Oh no, no, I mean, we used to eat like tuna casserole, you know, like as a kid, it put it in the one dish, the one skillet thing, and the tuna casserole. Yeah, having one in forever.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

I can't even smell mayonnaise or tuna fish without gagging because I had a really bad incident with tuna uh casserole. It was in the summer, so that tells you something. And we were outside and I was forced to eat it. Um, yeah, use your imagination two hours later. No, a tuna fish in mayonnaise can't do it, just cannot do it. Um actually mayonnaise on anything, even to this day. I cannot eat mayonnaise. Just can't really.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

I guess it's I guess it does. I guess if you do eat some things, um I was trying to think I had a oh like well I know some people that have eaten something and they got sick one time and they've never ever tried it again. So I can I guess I can kind of understand that, kind of just recall that memory when you smell it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, yeah. Well, this so this tuna mousse uh is made by dissolving lime or lemon gelatin in hot water, adding mayonnaise, vinegar, and seasoning, then cooling until it's syrupy. Then you take the tuna fish, the flaked tuna, celery onions, and olives or the pimentoes, which is the red piece that's actually inside an olive, and you fold it into the gelatin, and then you put it into the gelatin mold and then put it in the refrigerator until it gets solid.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

I just can't. Oh my gosh. No, no.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

I'm glad I don't have the visual. Hey, next time we get together and you guys come over for wine and our charcuterie board. I'm gonna serve this.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

No. Well, I'll bring I'll bring this dessert. I'll bring prune whip. My grandma would have loved that because my grandma was all about prune juice for everything, you know. As a kid, we just hated it.

Tuna Mousse And Prune Whip

SPEAKER_00 8:45

So I'm sure it somewhere along the line, she probably served prune whip. Us you're telling us it was a type of mousse. She just added the prunes to it.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

What is it? Is it like is it prunes like put into heavy cream?

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah, it was like uh from my understanding, it's like you you of course they're cooked, so they're tender, and then they blend them up, make a puree, and then they take the egg whites. It kind of like to me, it's like a dessert. So it's like, oh here, kids. You know, because we didn't ever like taking prune juice or eating a prune as kids, but I'm sure there's probably a way she might have slipped that to us saying it was a dessert. But the they're trying to make it sound appetizing, a prune whip. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

Well, you know, and so some of the stuff that we like when I traveled, there was um, oh my gosh, what's the uh their sausages that they do in England? What are they called? Um, and they're made out of oh my gosh, and some anybody who's listening that's in Europe, I know you guys know what it is, and England you're probably shouting it out. And England they serve it at breakfast, and they're like they're meat patties, but they're I for and I tried it blood something, and I forgot Oh yeah. Oh shit. I can't think of it. I'll think of it probably before the end of the episode. But you had me try something when you and I were traveling and we drove out to South Carolina. You said, Okay, you've got to try this. It's some kind of breakfast mushy thing or mushy thing or what liver mush. Liver mush.

Liver Mush And Southern Staples

SPEAKER_00 10:25

I know I like my liver mush now. I eat that almost every other day.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Okay, so so share with the people that have no idea what liver mush is.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Well, liver mush is one of those things that um I always grew up eating. It's it's uh like a little brick and it's made up of stuff. It's it's kind of pork, but it's made up of stuff that I don't know and I don't want to know because if I know, my grandma always said if Melissa ever found out, she'd never eat it again. So I have selected within my life, since I enjoyed it so much, that I do not know what's in it, other than it's it's pork and stuff and spices, and that's all I need to know. So nobody tell me because I love it too much.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

That's awesome.

unknown 11:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Well, I you know what, I have to admit, when I was uh when I came out there and I tried it with you, I even bought some and brought it back. And you're right, if you don't know what it is, I guess it's no different than knowing what's in a hot dog, you know what I mean? Because most people are like, I don't want to know what's in a hot dog, I don't want to know what's in baloney, you know, and so it's the same thing. If it tastes good, why why no? But there's some people that like you know specific dishes, like especially in other countries that we look at that we're like, I there's no way in heck I would ever make that here because like everybody would turn their nose up to it. Like when I was in China, the we um they served us chickens fee, and I know that's a delicacy, you know, some people eat it here, you can buy it at the store. Um, but I it's just I think we are so caught up on what it looks like compared to putting it in our mouth.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Exactly. And here's what's funny is that um, well, in San Diego, there were you know a lot of variety of different restaurants, and we went to a Georgian um Russian restaurant, and I the food was uh something I'd never even tried before, never. So it was always it was just something new. And I remember the person with us, um, she ordered this dish and she told me what it was, and I said, you know what? I said, I will take a bite, and I was I've like I'm had to brace myself, but it turned out she had the tongue, like the cow's tongue. Oh wow and I thought, okay, I'm I'm just gonna try it. And I did, and I was surprised that it actually tasted like baloney or hot dog.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Really?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yes, it did. If she had not told me what it was, I probably would have guessed that. And I said I was surprised. I didn't eat it all, I just took the bite and said, okay, I've done it. But that that was a venture out for me. I didn't expect that. But uh yeah, maybe that's it.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Maybe that's the secret ingredient to belong to the hot dogs. Maybe it is. I don't know. Oh, that is so funny. Well, yeah, a lot of this stuff, like I said, oh I've seen it. Like, well, I saw oxtail. Um, I went out with some friends and we were at uh it's not what is it? It's not um V is Vietnamese. Is Oxtail is a Vietnamese dish? Is that what oxtail is? I I don't remember.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

I think I also know that they have like oxtail soup.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Yeah, that was it.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Yeah, okay. Usually they'll serve that at like um Oktoberfest and stuff like that, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:52

I you know what I don't know because for me, um I guess like I said, I I had never had it. I just we were at a place that we were at, and I was like, okay, I'll try it. But it had, you know, it had the tail and it had like this long area, and I was like, but you know, I've eaten things that were off the rails, like when I traveled, when I again again I was in China and they served us scorpions, and they they were farmed, and you know, of course they weren't stickers, but they were deep fried, and of course, everybody I was with, because we were traveling, we were out there uh to uh uh train with the monks, so we were out like in a real rural area

Travel Foods And Culture Shock

SPEAKER_01 14:30

of uh China, and um when they served it, and of course, you know, you're trying to be polite, but they're bringing their food, and you're like, you're trying to be kind because you know where you are, right? And a lot of people just couldn't do it. They've they pushed it away, and I was like, it's fried. And I'm like, this is probably the first thing I can eat that I know I'm not gonna get sick. Because you have to go to other countries, and if you have anything water-based or whatever, you know, it doesn't really it's not we're not used to that in our system. So I was like, Well, it's fried, I know I can't get sick, and I you know, and to be not to be cliche, but it just tasted like fried chicken. Fried chicken. So I was like, I'll have it. And I ate the other people's. I was like, because I was hungry, because like for three days I was living on protein bars because everybody around me was getting sick. All right, this is fried, I can eat this. But I and but it was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe you're gonna eat that. I'm like, you never know until you try something exactly different, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Exactly. Because I know, like, even here in the south, um, you have a lot of family members that would hunt, and they would hunt, you know, things that were different, you know, squirrel and and rabbit and things like that. And so, you know, you would partake of that, and you know, and like you said, to me, they almost all tasted like chickens. So the only thing I do want to try though, um, haggis.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yeah, I now okay, so um, do you know what's in haggis? No, but should I? Uh well, I don't know. Do you want to know?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

No, I just want to go imply and like no, go ahead and tell me.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

I think it has a I think I know what it has to do with, but okay, so it is a traditional Scottish pudding that's made from uh sheep's uh heart, liver, lungs, known as the pluck. And uh it's minced with onions, oatmeal, and fat and spices like nutmeg, mace, and mace, and black pepper and salt, and then they're actually encased into an animal's stomach and cook that way. So you actually so you cut the stomach, and I guess, and then everything else comes out. But the way it's cooked, um I'm sure that with the spices, I mean, you put spices on anything, and I guess you could make it taste halfway decent. And if you, like you said, if you don't know what it is, and it must be something amazing because I mean it's a delicacy, you know, in Scotland. But again, we look at it because these are not things that we eat, but then there's other countries that think it's disgusting that we eat cow. Yeah. So, so you know, I guess it's all depends on your culture and where you're brought up.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Yeah, that's true. I mean, and that's why that's why when even when I travel, I try to experience a little bit of the local culture and and you know, what they eat and things like that. It was funny, um, long, long time ago when I traveled to Europe, um, we we were like way off the beaten path and just trying to find, you know, just trying to find we found lots of local cuisine, but there's a point then it's like, okay, now I just need a good old solid hamburg. You know? And you would see, you'd see like kids walking by with like, you know, fast food chain. Um, I won't mention their names, as like their bag. It's like, where did you get that bag? Because I want that food, you know. And we'd literally have to walk miles and miles to the local, you know, fast food joint to to find just a just a regular French fry or something like that. But it's actually it's actually interesting because even in other countries, places like you know, McDonald's and stuff like that, they would um they serve the cuisine that was typical to that region. So it was it was very fascinating to try the the local, you go into McDonald's and you would see what they had there. And it was it was very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Yeah, yeah, because they'll they'll serve different foods. Are you right for that that local region? By the way, I remember the name of that uh that sausage. It's called Black Pudding. Black Pudding. That was it. It's called Black Pudding. It's it's an actual breakfast sausage that's uh in the UK and Ireland. And uh like I said, when I was over there, I just couldn't remember the name of it. Um, I knew it would come to me. I'm glad it was before the end of the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Somebody's shouting at you in the comments.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Yeah, I know. I would have been spammed. Black pudding!

unknown 18:59

Black pudding.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

Well, that's interesting because like I said, when I was traveling too, we got to a point where it was like, I just want, I just want a hamburger. And the weird thing was a lot of the countries that I went to, it always seemed there was always a hard rock cafe. You could we were in Shanghai, there's a hard rock cafe. Yes. And I'm like, and we we would all navigate there. I mean, it was great being part of the culture, but I think there's a part of wanting that little piece of home, you know, probably no different here when somebody, like maybe from the UK, that says, where can I go and get uh you know black pudding or where can I get traditional fish and chips, you know, because they're you they want to feel at home with their main dishes. And um, I think it's interesting, but I even noticed that being here in the United States, there's so many different different recipes and uh foods that dictate the regions

Chasing Familiar Food Away From Home

SPEAKER_01 19:55

that we're in. Like your southern food is a lot different than the food that I grew up with in New York. Even out here in California.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

So oh yeah, because I, you know, when we were talking about liver mush, I think that I was told that uh up north they call something very similar, scrapple. Yeah, yeah. So it's very similar, but yeah, there's a there's a definitely a difference in the cuisine. And when you were talking about the the hard rocks, um when I was in Italy, we had had pasta so much that we were literally craving, you know, something. And we found we found a hard rock. And uh what was so fascinating about the hard rock is it didn't matter like whether it was in Venice or Rome or Florence or wherever, they had a signature uh burger that was for that region. Like I think in Venice, I think it was like almost like a Caprici. It had a tomato and a basil, it had something on it. And then Florence had a different type of regional type of burger. It was actually very fascinating. I've not tried one in other places to see what maybe their signature um type of sandwich. It's like they had the same burgers, but then they had a signature burger burger that was specific to the region. So I that's that was kind of interesting to me. I loved that.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

Yeah, it is. And it's like it's like mixing in the two cultures. Yeah, exactly. But it's also too, I noticed like even here in the United States and probably like every other country, the region that you're in, you're gonna get different stuff. Like for me, I mean, again, being from New York, I cannot get good New York pizza. Now, I've gotten pizza that's really good. Now, I found a place here out in Fullerton that uh brought in an actual stove that is, or I should say, oven that is actually stone that they brought from Italy. And they make all their own dough and they and they uh make all their own ricotta cheese and their own mozzarella, and which is amazing. But and they they they're the closest I've ever had for. Italy, you know, Italian food that had it from Italy. But New York pizza is just odd. I cannot, you can't get anything comparable. I think it's got to be because of the region. They always say it's the water. I don't know if that's true or not. But even going down south, when you go other places, or even how you're in California, did you find that there were things you just couldn't get? Like you're not going to get black-eyed peas and collard greens out here in California. It's not what I have found in a restaurant.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Well, I think one of the biggest defining things when I first moved is that, you know, down here, even babies drink sweet tea. I mean, sweet tea is the main. So when you go to a restaurant here and you order tea, it's going to come out sweet unless you say, I want unsweetened tea or just plain iced tea. But when I first went to California, it's the opposite. They don't have sweet tea. You have to sweeten your own tea. It's all all tea is unsweetened. And uh only a few places, you know, when you ordered it, you would always talk, you know, fast food place or whatever. Sometimes they had it. But it was completely opposite. So I had to get used to either sweetening my tea out there in California because it's just it's like opposite. You order tea here, it's sweet. You order tea out there, it's unsweet. So that was a that was a big change for me. But food, um, yeah, I mean, there's differences in style. There were there were not a lot of southern style food, I would call it, like home cooked meals. Um, a couple of a couple of restaurants, I think, used to do it, and then you know, they're they're no longer in existence. But um, those were hard to find.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Well, you've got some great stuff. Like I like Peach Cobbler, and okay, now here's another one. When I lived in Florida, my favorite my favorite thing, my go-to in Florida is a rum runner, which you have to be over 21 if you're gonna order that. And uh just to let you know, for those that are listening, and but key lime pie and grouper. I mean, when as soon as I hit as soon as I'm in Florida, those are my go-to every single time. And you can't get it here, like you can get it, but it's not the same. I don't know. Every state's got something that just has its best of the best. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

What do you feel is um is the best in California?

SPEAKER_01 24:18

Uh well, this is just so weird because we get avocados so easy. Like you said, we were talking earlier. I said today's national avocado, uh, yeah, avocado day.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

Yeah. And you said to me, well, I like well, like out here, we um right now I think there's a time out here we don't even get avocados or artichokes or anything. Um, you just it there's just not grown here and they have to be, you know, brought in from other places. So I do miss that. I do miss that because I know people who had avocado

Sweet Tea Seasonal Fruit And Food Nostalgia

SPEAKER_00 24:55

groves. It's just like there, it's there there every day. You could eat it every day and not so much around here. Um, but those types of things I do miss a lot. Um, because we have the weather and so a lot of the food is seasonal unless it's you know grown and shipped in from hot houses or something. But yeah, other than that, that's the one good thing about Florida and California is they had a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables year-round to me.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Yeah, that was one that was one of the weird things I found too when I came out here because you're right, being from New York, we didn't get watermelon in the winter or peaches or uh, you know, any of the summer fruits, you know, berries, there's no way. And you they used to say, oh, sorry, it's not in season. Yes. And I don't think anybody even knows what that means anymore. It's not in season because now the world's gotten so much smaller. Like you said, we can get produce from other countries, and it's usually stocked. It's probably a lot more expensive if it's not in season, like mangoes, you know, or something like that. But I remember that as a kid, you know, with my grandmother, she would buy a mango. And I said, This is actually funny. So as kids, my grandmother loved mangoes, and my Nana was hilarious, she was funny. That's another podcast, and we can share stories about that because she even to this day she makes me laugh, and she's been gone a long time. But she would get a mango because they were in season, but they were expensive, and so she would have like she'd eat the mango, but a mango has got a big pit in it, and the only thing she would give to me and my sister was the pit. We can never buy the mango, we get the pit. But then when we got older, my sister and I still laugh about it. And I said, I go, My gosh, I'm having a mango, it feels weird to eat the whole thing.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Oh my gosh, that's like me and pomegranates. I love pomegranates. And they're the only thing I can get here is in a cup. That's about it. And it's like certain times of year I can get a pomegranate. Like a real pomegranate that I can, you know, get the seeds out myself. Oh my god. Or whatever they're called.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

But um I'm gonna have to send you one because my neighbor has got a pomegranate and an apple tree. And she said, whatever hangs over your side of the fence is yours. And every year I get pomegranates and I got apples. So what I'll do is I'll I'll have to box up some insane. Maybe I shouldn't say that. I might be maybe I can't do that.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

I love, I love pomegranates, and I have to get them in the little cup now because they're they're I guess after I guess after a fall or something, they don't they don't sell them here. So I just I have to wait. So it gives me something to look forward to, I guess. I guess that's the purpose.

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Well, Mel, this has been so much fun, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. And uh I'm gonna I'm gonna ask for you guys to put in the comments what is uh here's two things. What is one food that you miss from growing up that you you can't get where you live

Listener Prompts And Sign Off

SPEAKER_01 27:59

now, or what is a gross recipe that you've actually consumed or you've had that you remember? And uh it'd be interesting to see what you guys have, and then we'll uh we'll give a shout out to it next time we're on the air of what you guys uh put in the comments. So, but Mel, thank you so much. This was so much fun. I love being with you.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Uh, me too.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

So all right, you guys, until then. Remember the most courageous thing you can do is be yourself, and uh we will see you next time. Until then, see ya. Bye y'all.