Thanksgiving is full of treats, traditions and turkey. In the 80s, it was much the same. The best start to the Thanksgiving holiday is watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
This classic 80s movie is set a couple of days before Thanksgiving and follows two lovable men on through the travels and tribulations of trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving dinner still centers around the turkey and typically includes sides like potatoes and green bean casserole. Though pumpkin pie occasionally corners the market for dessert, the table sometimes boasts other sweets like cranberries and Ambrosia, which was popular at the 80s holiday tables.
One of the funniest scenes in the movie depicts Neal after walking through an underpass and across a runway to get back to the car rental company. He rented a car that wasn’t in the slot and had no bus to get him back to the rental company. At the start of the scene, the rental girl is on the phone briefly discussing dinner plans with a family member and says, “Dad wants Ambrosia, so I guess we’re going to have to get those miniature marshmallows, and I’ll do the crescent rolls and you can do the cranberries. You know I can’t cook!”
While cooking a large feast for an even larger audience can sometimes feel daunting, don’t let that keep you from trying something new. Include this easy to make dish from the 80s, with a modern twist, seen below:
80s in the Kitchen: Ambrosia
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 oz Greek yogurt
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup, (6 clementines) segmented
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped
Beat together cream and honey until whipped. From there, fold in the Greek yogurt. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Refrigerate before serving at least 1 hour.
