Isn't there a long standing recipe for faux apple pie using Ritz crackers? Although, maybe that is even too decadent for this theme.

My mom grew up during the depression too and she always used to tell me about making onion sandwiches for lunch, because they didn't have any meat. I think that she made them with raw onions, but cooked onions would be nice.

My favorite appetizer is:
a cracker(Ritz?)
dollop of guacamole
boiled shrimp
Cocktail sauce
drop of Cholula sauce

Red and Green are so pretty also

Love the Ritz cracker fact! If you want to lean into that authentic 30s "ladies who lunch" vibe, you can't go wrong with cucumber or pimento cheese finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off, it feels very period-appropriate without being too heavy. I hosted a vintage-themed tea last year and did a "ribbon loaf," which is basically layers of different sandwich fillings frosted with cream cheese; it looks impressive and is a total conversation starter. For something sweet, maybe a simple pineapple upside-down cake or some Jell-O molds with fruit? They were huge back then and actually look pretty cool on a glass pedestal dish. Good luck with the hosting!

ooooooh you just brought back a memory .... in the 70s I was at a bridal shower, where this was served for lunch. Some of us bit into it, thinking, oh how fancy-schmancy to have this delectable fancy cake served!!! ......and then we all pretty much spit it out when we discovered the different flavours than we expected!!! :)

I make "Wacky Cake" frequently and think it might have been a depression-era recipe: https://vintagerecipeproject.com/wac...ecipe-vrp-145/ This website seems to be a good one for finding other recipes from that era.