As a promotional vehicle, the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company sent recipes to customers. Along with your monthly bill, you’d get a new recipe from the Home Services Department. In November 1954 you received recipes for your Thanksgiving.
This week, check back each day as I share the recipes for Thanksgiving, 1954 from Michigan Consolidated Gas Company:
- Roast Turkey with Almond Celery Stuffing
- Turkey Pompons
- Spicy Applesauce Mold
- Green Vegetable Trio
- Pumpkin Mince Pie
- Apple Torte
- Chocolate Delicacy
The recipes arrived with your monthly bill. They were printed on paper that folded out to reveal all of the recipes for that month. Most of the time, you would keep one or two recipes and throw the rest away. Because of that it’s not easy to find all of the recipes for one particular month.
I was lucky to find the November 1954 recipes in tact.

Burpee Cat Grass seed packet for size comparison.
And here’s the other side:
Let’s start out with the Roast Turkey:
Roast Turkey with Almond Celery Stuffing
No. 1596 from Michigan Consolidated Gas Company.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 6 cups bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup almonds toasted and chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- few grains pepper
- 1/4 cup wine or water
- 1 10-11 pound turkey
Instructions
Prepare the Stuffing
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Bread crumbs should be 2-3 days old or slightly toasted.
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Melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Add onion and celery; cover, and cook over low flame 10 minutes.
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Combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Add celery-onion mixture and wine. Toss lightly.
Prepare the Turkey
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Clean bird thoroughly, being sure oil sac on top of tail is removed.
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Rub cavity of bird with salt (about 1/8 teaspoon per pound of bird.)
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Put enough stuffing in neck to fill it out and fasten skin to back with skewer.
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Stuff cavity well but do not pack tightly; lace closed.
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Truss bird by typing feet to tail and tucking wings under.
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Grease skin thoroughly with melted or softened cooking fat.
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Place on rack in shallow pan. (Breast side down on V rack if available. When using flat rack, tip bird so one side of breast rests on rack. Turn so other sides touch rack and bird cooks evenly.)
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Cover top and sides of bird with fat moistened cheese-cloth or thin cloth.
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Roast uncovered at 300 for length of time required (about 4 hours.)
Recipe Notes
If desired, turkey may be roasted in foil. Place bird lengthwise on 18" wide heavy foil. For larger birds use two pieces together with a double fold. Bring foil up over turkey and seal edges tightly. Place on rack in shallow open roasting pan. Roast in 450 oven for following times:
- 6-9 pounds: 16 minutes per pound.
- 10-14 pounds: 14 minutes per pound.
- 15-18 pounds: 10 minutes per pound.
- 19-24 pounds: 9 minutes per pound.
About 15 minutes before roasting time is up, fold back foil. Let juices run down into pan to brown. Cut trussing strings between legs so inside skin can brown.
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