Oooo, for better, definitely. I like Pop-Tarts. I was in college when they came out. But the only ones I ever liked were/are the unfrosted ones. You toast them until the edges are just getting a deep brown then break each one into nine pieces to let them cool. (OCD much? ) Only the strawberry ones are now unfrosted, but once in a big grocery store I found boxes of unfrosted QUINCE Pop-Tarts. I bought them and liked them. I’ll never see those babies again.
Oddly, the Pop-Tart box gives nutritional info/carb count/calories for one PT, which is considered ONE serving… yet there are TWO in each foil envelope. Are they messing with us, or what? Does anyone just take and eat ONE at a time?
A question: a girlfriend of mine does this from her childhood home-- empty a can of hominy into a bowl, cover with grated yellow cheese, and microwave. I’ve never tried it. Anyone else hear of this or do this?
In addition to being rather plain, commercial taco seasoning is loaded with salt and sugar. To improve the chili flavor, all you really need to do is add some ground cumin, and maybe some granulated garlic and dried oregano.
Second the Crystal hot sauce.
I don’t get why eating baked goods soaked in milk is so unusual. I used to love making a PBJ on white bread, stuffing it into a glass, and then dousing it with milk and eating it with a spoon.
I admittedly haven’t done this in ages, but I do look back on it with fond memories!
The “baked goods soaked in milk” wouldn’t work for me. The texture of soggy pastry trips my gag reflex. Yes, I know I’m weird :).
Made chili mac again last night, with taco seasoning (had it on hand, hadn’t seen your post at the time, will try your version) and added a can of corn (drained). Much better than attempt 1.
Reading all this made me feel nostalgic for something I haven’t seen mentioned, scrambled eggs with cottage cheese. So we had that last night with buttered toast, pretty good but awfully salty! I imagine this could be dressed up in various ways.
We used to get milktoast for dinner when we were sick. Mom would toast a slice of bread, then cut it up and put it in a cereal bowl and pour milk over it.
When I started cooking for myself, I discovered a highfalutin’ way of making the same thing. I would make Bisquik shortcake (as in strawberry shortcake) and cover with half-and-half. No strawberries needed. It was pretty nummy. I might just have to do the same thing with my gluten-free baking mix. It’s got almond flour in it and would be delicious served this way.
Some of you have mentioned this. The tradition from my house is cinnamon toast. You butter the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then toast under the broiler. The sugar carmelizes into a crispy crust. So much better than applying the sugar and cinnamon after making the toast (which I’ve done, too).
I can’t imagine mixing peanut butter and jelly with meat, cheese, and mayonnaise. shudder
My mom used to do something similar. She’d toast about half a loaf of bread, butter it, tear it up in a bowl and pour warmed up, home canned tomatoes over the top for a side dish. IIRC, wasn’t bad.
My FIL does something I’ve never seen anyone else do. If he has a slice of cake, he’ll put it in a bowl, pour milk over it, and eat it with a spoon. It sounds similar to those who mentioned cornbread in milk - I wonder if it’s a depression-era practice, or we just have weird older relatives.
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My late Uncle Roy was the master at this. He preferred beginning with a cake that had fallen so there was more icing in the center. Then, a good pour of milk. Like cereal, you could alternately add cake and milk until one or the other was gone. I never thought of this necessarily as a depression era thing, although you could well be right. My father’s people didn’t have much spending money, but they did live on a farm, so stuff like milk was always available.
This might be too close to a “real” recipe for this thread, but one of my mom’s specialties has continued to be a huge hit at any sort of potluck.
Mom’s Potato Cassarole:
1 bag of frozen potato cubes (“country style hash browns”)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small tub of sour cream
mix together in a a greased cassarole dish, top with
1 bag of shredded chedder cheese.
Bake until the cheese on top is starts to brown.
It tastes like a hug.
I’ve had other potato cassaroles, but the balance of flavors in this one is simply perfect. The sour cream seems to be the secret ingredient.
This sounds a lot like julienne, a dish native to Russia and other parts of East Europe. Basically chopped mushrooms baked in a sour cream sauce and topped with melted cheese. Heavenly!
I almost broke out laughing once when a bunch of Americans dining in a Latvian restaurant ordered julienne, expecting a finely chopped salad. I kept them from sending it back by explaining they got exactly what they had ordered, and persuaded them to give it a try.
The best party food of all time is one big jar of grape jelly + 2 jars of chili sauce + a couple bags of frozen meatballs, in a crockpot. Put out toothpicks and watch people go mad dog crazy to eat all of them.
Indeed. I had a coworker who made these at every work potluck and closely guarded the recipe. One day, she revealed her top secret recipe as if she were doing me a special favor. Months later, when I finally went to get the ingredients and make the dish, I pick up a bag of Armor frozen meatballs, and wouldn’t you know, the recipe is on the back of the darned bag!!
Ok, I finally went back and read all of these. This is officially my favorite thread right now. I don’t know how odd my oddities are, but here we go:
-My mom did the PB and lettuce thing too, and I loved an iceberg lettuce and honey sandwich as a kid.
-My middle brother ate mayonnaise and butter sandwiches.
-Another brother was a master of all things bread. Among his greatest triumphs were margarine and powdered sugar on hamburger buns, then warmed and crisped(is that a word?) in the toaster oven. Delicious. Like a broke folks beignet. He also makes fried rolls- from our local grocery store bakery, sometimes you can find these teeny little rolls. He pan fries these in butter with garlic salt and occasionally italian seasoning. Parmesan cheese optional.
-I’ve seen it mentioned already, but we also do leftover rice with milk, cinnamon, and sugar for breakfast.
-My son frequently requests “eggsalty sandwiches” (his term). This is a sliced boiled egg on bread, with a little salt and pepper. Nothing else.
-“Lemony salad”, also as coined by my son. This is just about the only type of salad we eat at my house. It’s greens only, with S&P, parmesan, and olive oil drizzled on, then a lemon squeezed over the top. We inhale this.
Dice an onion & cook with some beef mince. Add one tin each of: kidney beans, lentils, chick peas, diced tomatos. Mix with a few spoons of whatever Indian curry paste is available (Madras, Vindaloo etc). Optional - frozen corn kernals or sliced green beans.
Dubbed ‘slop-pot’ by my wife. The kids love it.
Our version of bangers & mash:
Cut onion into rings & fry. Microwave some thin beef or pork sausages until they are about 3/4 cooked, chop into 1/2 inch lenghts and throw in pan with onions. Mix up some instant gravy. Add gravy to pan once sausages are cooked and stir for a little while. Serve over mashed spuds. Awesome. Our family comfort food.
She was missing out. Half the fun is telling people what’s in the sauce and watching them sort of get grossed out while they are, at the same time, trying to stuff more in their mouths.
Also:
Yes, it’s like a sweet bbq sauce. I add red pepper flakes because, well, you’ve got to have some spice.
) Only the strawberry ones are now unfrosted, but once in a big grocery store I found boxes of unfrosted QUINCE Pop-Tarts. I bought them and liked them. I’ll never see those babies again.
I never thought of this necessarily as a depression era thing, although you could well be right. My father’s people didn’t have much spending money, but they did live on a farm, so stuff like milk was always available.