Food has always been one of the most meaningful ways to connect with the past. Every loaf of bread, hearty stew, simple cake or treasured family recipe tells a story about the people who came before us, the ingredients they had available, the traditions they carried with them, and the love they shared around their tables.

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, dinner was much the same in households across America. My mother, like many stay-at-home moms of the era, prepared a full meal every evening. There was usually a meat, a vegetable, and a stack of soft white bread waiting on the table with a tub of margarine nearby. It wasn’t fancy, but it was comforting, and it was simply what families did.

One of my favorite meals was Hamburger Pie. The recipe came from a subscription set of recipe cards that arrived in the mail every few weeks. They were neatly filed in an avocado-green plastic recipe box that sat on our kitchen counter – a fixture I can still picture all these years later. Beyond the recipe itself, each card included serving suggestions, housekeeping tips, and even a timeline to help the busy homemaker get dinner on the table.

When I found this recipe as an adult, I couldn’t resist making it in my own kitchen. One bite, and I was transported right back to my childhood dinner table.