The 90s: What a time to have lived through. If it wasn't the chic 90s fashion or the music that brought grunge to life, it was the foods that every 90s kid craved. It might feel as though it was just yesterday but in all reality, the last year of the 1990s was 11 years ago now... Feel old yet?
In fact, the 90s was so long ago that not only is the music of the early part of the decade considered classic rock now, but many of its recipes and most well-known dishes are being called 'vintage.' If there's anything that the US does well, it's hanging onto retro recipes, if only for the fun of re-experiencing the same thrill and excitement of when people tried them for the first time. If you grew up in the 90s, there's a chance you may have tried one (if not all) of these, and this is your chance to reminisce and bring them back.
Asian Chicken Salad
One of the most popular salads of the 90s was the Asian chicken salad, also known as Oriental chicken salad in some restaurants. It was an almost instant hint simply because of the fact that it took an international twist on what would otherwise be a normal salad, and turned it into something exotic, full of flavor, and unique. With an Asian-inspired dressing, tangerine or orange slices, grilled and seasoned chicken, chopped peanuts, and crunchy wonton strips, there was seemingly no mood this salad couldn't brighten.
Pizza Rolls
Sure, pizza bagels were all the rage during the 90s but there was one more pizza-themed snack food that took the cake... or, in this case, the cheese. Homemade pizza rolls using wonton wrappers were something that people couldn't get enough of, and they were super easy to make. These could be fried or baked and were far less of a mess (and often cheaper) than getting or making a whole pizza.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Speaking of pizza, there's no denying that it was all the rage during the 90s. It seemed that nearly every kid was obsessed with it and every home was filled to the brim with whatever frozen pizza snacks could fit in the freezer. With that being said, when it came to ordering a fresh pizza, BBQ chicken finally got its moment of fame with a zippy BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce and sliced or chopped chicken rather than pepperoni, sausage, or meatball.
Chocolate Lava Cake
It might seem strange to think of chocolate lava (or molten) cake as a recipe or dish that's considered vintage now, but many would also consider it to be timeless. This dessert still appears on many menus and is just as delicious as it was over a decade ago, and even more so now with many modern tweaks. Back in the 90s, it was such a thrill to cut into the center of one of these and watch a delicious cascade of lava-like chocolate come spilling out.
Steak Fajitas
Nowadays, Tex-Mex cuisine is so much more than just tacos, fajitas, and burritos. However, that doesn't mean that they haven't stuck around for good - especially now that food experimentation and flavor play is such a welcome culinary method. Steak fajitas, in particular, got praise during the 90s for their elevated and seemingly fancy nature, with steak as opposed to chicken or even shrimp.
S'Mookies
If you don't remember s'mookies, then we'd advise whipping some up right now. Rather than using graham crackers as you would with normal s'mores, s'mookies made proper use of chocolate chip cookies to create that same squished, melted dessert sandwich that everyone knows and loves. S'mookies pushed the limit of what traditional s'mores could be and showed the world that change was a good thing.
Chicken Caesar Salad
You might be wondering how this recipe is vintage when it's still so popular (okay, maybe not as popular) to this day but during the 90s, this salad was on everyone's menu. Everyone seemed to have the same fascination with ordering this and it was the tang of the dressing, the heartiness of the cheese and chicken, and the crunch of the croutons that really brought this powerful salad home. It was full of flavor and didn't leave much to be desired, and it was also a crowd-pleaser and made great use of romaine lettuce, which was definitely a step up from the traditional iceberg. Nowadays, the emphasis is more on lighter caesar salads and making this salad with homemade dressing.