The evolution of Mac & Cheese and How it explains where we are in America

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

***edit early 2023***
Some fellow @Colt250 reacted to this so it was on my radar. Wow. What a great read. I decided to bump it because the thread took a turn and became “now here’s how us poors made food” thread. With financial instability in full swing and many of us making different choices at the register these days I decided to bump this gold mine of information so the “new poors” can have a head start at their new life.

So enjoy the many ways to eat like a poor


———————————————————
(Original post begins here)

So I was reading another forum and someone posted up about Mac N Cheese. For some reason I really feel strongly about this dish and I figured I’d rant on the internet on a firearms forum.


I think Mac n Cheese is great. I’m a big supporter. However I’ve noticed some things about Mac N Cheese and while my experiences don’t speak for everyone, I’ll just share and you can read it and say “yeah that’s my observations” or you can tell me I’m some kind of racist fuck. Either way I’m prob more handsome than you and really don’t care what you think unless you agree w me cause.....internet.

Oh also 243Win>6CM

So back to Mac N Cheese.

When I was a little and @TheGerman would ride his bike past my house and yell “hey you poors, what’s for dinner” we would yell back “Poor people food”

We were on the gov’ment doll, cause my parents like to fuck and had some kids but dad wasn’t successful. He was in college and we were trying or something. Idk. I was a little poor. But what I remember is we had a block of gov’ment cheese-ish stuff. It was present day Velveeta cheese that’s shelf stable. There is a whole documentary about “gov’ment cheese” and it makes a lot of sense for those involved. ANYNNNNNYYway, the mom unit would boil posts shells that came in a different container, she would add the gov’ment cheese and some spices and I gotta tell you, it was the BEST thing on my plate. There would be a vegetable, usually some canned green beans and some protein, usually chicken cause....poor. Mom unit want a nutritionist so there would be mashed potatoes (flakes and water) and possibly gravy.....maybe from a can. Idk.

Later in life after the dad unit had finished college and was making a little money we lost our gov’ment cheese and while the parental units were proud of this and they mentioned it often......our food still was similar but Man N Cheese had changed. Now the non unit bought Kraft, all that stuff came in 1 box but the cheese was powdered and it tasted strange. It was no longer the BEST item on the plate, the home made mashed potatoes had taken its place. Oh and we upgraded to Kool Aid from Flavor Aid.

Later in life after the dad unit was REALLY making some money we would drive our new car past @TheGerman and waive hello. We were no longer The Poors, later dad unit would explain “son, you are poor, when you move out that will explain itself” he was right and when I was sitting in bootcamp it all made sense. Ehhhh whatever, so I was living w the parental units eating like a king now. The Mac N Cheese was now made with 3 kinds of cheese. The mom unit cooked it in a HUGE new kitchen. The pots were an item of discussion for the other housewives that came over to literally relax in the dad units house. The mom unit would cook with joy now. Her Mac N Cheese got complex. It had steps. Nothing came together and she had to put in effort to shred, blend, blah blah blah. Food went from a pot, to a strainer, to a pot, to a ceramic dish (never had those before) them she sprinkled stuff on top and put it in the oven. It took sooo much LONGER. The vegetables now came from The same area of the store as apples. The mom unit would steam them. Took longer. Tasted way better. The potatoes were still fresh but now they were different colors, it was amazing. The chicken had been replaced with ribeyes, the dad unit was proud. I think we drank Iced Tea.

EVERYTHING award better. Even the table was better. The plates matched. We had cloth napkins. Life was good.

Later I moved out. I realized I was a poor. @TheGerman would drive his G wagon past my house, I was in gov’ment housing.....enlisted. The Mac N Cheese came from The blue box again, the potatoes powdered, the protein chicken. No flavor Aid cause....sugar.

My Mac n Cheese followed the same route. When my wife unit makes it, it’s complicated. She uses too many pots and stuff. She uses one of her ovens and it’s served on a beautiful cherry table that cost me WAY too much money.

Here’s the thing.


Mac N Cheese is something we have all had. I sincerely believe it. My experience with it, like many things has been, you budget and make choices. We didn’t have much and it was apparent with the meals we ate, the cars I rode in, the clothes I wore and the bike I rode.

I’ll never eat box Mac N Cheese.


Well the other day I came across some bullshit Cheetos Mac n cheese. It was near the other shit in a box. $6! WTF?!

So this HAS to be what rich people eat. Right? Well I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner at an extended family members house. They had this fancy box stuff. I was excited. Till I wasn’t. It’s gross. Oh and it’s the ONLY THING ON THE PLATE.


Made a few observations that night.


Poor people don’t eat poor people food. I wanted to ask if they used a credit card but that’s not polite.

Here’s the WORST part......in case you missed it. We ate a bowl of Mac n Cheese. No sides, no balanced meal. Zero effort was put forth. If a microwave could have been used it would have.

Idk what any of this means. But I didn’t like the situation. Here I was, drinking a soda and eating a $6 version of what used to be free and my favorite side dish. Now its all I had in front of me and it was sad.

I ate my meal and was greatful, prob more greatful than ANY meal I’ve ever eaten. Not because it was good, but because it was HORRIBLE.

When the parental units were poor, we ate accordingly....maybe. When the parental units got wealth we ate accordingly, same w me.

Gratification was delayed while there was much work to be done.

Now it’s all cheap shit on credit.

So if you read this long ass rant....there’s really only One question:

Why do some people think Man N Cheese is a meal while others know it’s a side dish? White people, im Really just asking you

 

[Threadcutter308]

So I was reading another forum and someone posted up about Mac N Cheese. For some reason I really feel strongly about this dish and I figured I’d rant on the internet on a firearms forum.


I think Mac n Cheese is great. I’m a big supporter. However I’ve noticed some things about Mac N Cheese and while my experiences don’t speak for everyone, I’ll just share and you can read it and say “yeah that’s my observations” or you can tell me I’m some kind of racist fuck. Either way I’m prob more handsome than you and really don’t care what you think unless you agree w me cause.....internet.

Oh also 243Win>6CM

So back to Mac N Cheese.

When I was a little and @TheGerman would ride his bike past my house and yell “hey you poors, what’s for dinner” we would yell back “Poor people food”

We were on the gov’ment doll, cause my parents like to fuck and had some kids but dad wasn’t successful. He was in college and we were trying or something. Idk. I was a little poor. But what I remember is we had a block of gov’ment cheese-ish stuff. It was present day Velveeta cheese that’s shelf stable. There is a whole documentary about “gov’ment cheese” and it makes a lot of sense for those involved. ANYNNNNNYYway, the mom unit would boil posts shells that came in a different container, she would add the gov’ment cheese and some spices and I gotta tell you, it was the BEST thing on my plate. There would be a vegetable, usually some canned green beans and some protein, usually chicken cause....poor. Mom unit want a nutritionist so there would be mashed potatoes (flakes and water) and possibly gravy.....maybe from a can. Idk.

Later in life after the dad unit had finished college and was making a little money we lost our gov’ment cheese and while the parental units were proud of this and they mentioned it often......our food still was similar but Man N Cheese had changed. Now the non unit bought Kraft, all that stuff came in 1 box but the cheese was powdered and it tasted strange. It was no longer the BEST item on the plate, the home made mashed potatoes had taken its place. Oh and we upgraded to Kool Aid from Flavor Aid.

Later in life after the dad unit was REALLY making some money we would drive our new car past @TheGerman and waive hello. We were no longer The Poors, later dad unit would explain “son, you are poor, when you move out that will explain itself” he was right and when I was sitting in bootcamp it all made sense. Ehhhh whatever, so I was living w the parental units eating like a king now. The Mac N Cheese was now made with 3 kinds of cheese. The mom unit cooked it in a HUGE new kitchen. The pots were an item of discussion for the other housewives that came over to literally relax in the dad units house. The mom unit would cook with joy now. Her Mac N Cheese got complex. It had steps. Nothing came together and she had to put in effort to shred, blend, blah blah blah. Food went from a pot, to a strainer, to a pot, to a ceramic dish (never had those before) them she sprinkled stuff on top and put it in the oven. It took sooo much LONGER. The vegetables now came from The same area of the store as apples. The mom unit would steam them. Took longer. Tasted way better. The potatoes were still fresh but now they were different colors, it was amazing. The chicken had been replaced with ribeyes, the dad unit was proud. I think we drank Iced Tea.

EVERYTHING award better. Even the table was better. The plates matched. We had cloth napkins. Life was good.

Later I moved out. I realized I was a poor. @TheGerman would drive his G wagon past my house, I was in gov’ment housing.....enlisted. The Mac N Cheese came from The blue box again, the potatoes powdered, the protein chicken. No flavor Aid cause....sugar.

My Mac n Cheese followed the same route. When my wife unit makes it, it’s complicated. She uses too many pots and stuff. She uses one of her ovens and it’s served on a beautiful cherry table that cost me WAY too much money.

Here’s the thing.


Mac N Cheese is something we have all had. I sincerely believe it. My experience with it, like many things has been, you budget and make choices. We didn’t have much and it was apparent with the meals we ate, the cars I rode in, the clothes I wore and the bike I rode.

I’ll never eat box Mac N Cheese.


Well the other day I came across some bullshit Cheetos Mac n cheese. It was near the other shit in a box. $6! WTF?!

So this HAS to be what rich people eat. Right? Well I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner at an extended family members house. They had this fancy box stuff. I was excited. Till I wasn’t. It’s gross. Oh and it’s the ONLY THING ON THE PLATE.


Made a few observations that night.


Poor people don’t eat poor people food. I wanted to ask if they used a credit card but that’s not polite.

Here’s the WORST part......in case you missed it. We ate a bowl of Mac n Cheese. No sides, no balanced meal. Zero effort was put forth. If a microwave could have been used it would have.

Idk what any of this means. But I didn’t like the situation. Here I was, drinking a soda and eating a $6 version of what used to be free and my favorite side dish. Now its all I had in front of me and it was sad.

I ate my meal and was greatful, prob more greatful than ANY meal I’ve ever eaten. Not because it was good, but because it was HORRIBLE.

When the parental units were poor, we ate accordingly....maybe. When the parental units got wealth we ate accordingly, same w me.

Gratification was delayed while there was much work to be done.

Now it’s all cheap shit on credit.

So if you read this long ass rant....there’s really only One question:

Why do some people think Man N Cheese is a meal while others know it’s a side dish? White people, im Really just asking you

tl;dr. ........Ever had Hamburger Helper Stroganoff ? Oh My God. Heavenly !!!

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

tl;dr. ........Ever had Hamburger Helper Stroganoff ? Oh My God. Heavenly !!!

I’ll admit I still eat hamburger helper. Made it w elk last time. The Mac n cheese kind. Cause I’m a horrible person.

 

[MrMcCrackin]

 

[Charger442]

I’ll admit I still eat hamburger helper. Made it w elk last time. The Mac n cheese kind. Cause I’m a horrible person.

There were times when we were pretty poor, my mother died and we lived off her social security checks ( when a parent dies, the minor children collect the social security the deceased parent earned during their working years. At 18 years old, that stops) and it wasnt much. I seem to remember it being $380 a month?

Anyway, my dad did a lot of hamburger helper and it was so good he was telling other family " this stuff has gotten way better since the 70s and 80s"

The stroganoff is just wonderful.

 

[Mister Ridge]

Depends on what's in it and what meal it's for. I'm trying to avoid cheese heavy foods though.

 

[MrMcCrackin]

 

[10ring'r]

Mom did the Mac & Cheese thing also. But, when Banquet TV dinners came out (60's time frame), that was heaven. Lots of fried chicken, turkey and enchilada dinners. Both parents worked, so mom cooked the 3-4 course meals on the weekends. Wasn't really a "poor" until the family moved to Oregon in 69'.
Then it was working the garden or whatever we got from doing farm work during the summers and deer/elk meat. Yeah, we had a couple of tough years, when we got Gov. cheese, mainly during the winter months though. Mac

 

[The D]

Everyone eats Mac n cheese. The snooty knobs just say it with an Italian accent, fettuccine alfredo. And they also wave their hands a lot when they say it

 

[lariat]

I don’t eat that Mac and Cheese stuff, but I get what you are saying. For me it was beans and cornbread. Now people pay stupid money for gourmet beans they could have made for themselves in quantity with a crock pot and a ham hock. I paid a pittance for a 10lb sack back in the day and learned to sort out the rocks and dirt clods from my mother. Kept me alive for a week at a time. Meat came from my rifle or bow.

I don’t know man. Times have changed. Lessons learned are being forgotten. So is gratitude.

Too many stories to trade on this topic.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Back in 64 we moved into a house on my Grandfather's property. It was $24 per month rent and it was supposed to be for just a couple of months. I was 2 at the time.
That couple of months turned into 9 years.

During that period, I learned about sand spurs, and how to remove them.
I also learned how to pull the plant out of the yard after a fresh rain to get most, if not all of the root.
My parents planted a garden in the area that would later become our home baseball field.
Learned how to hoe out weeds, chop oak into firewood, burn trash, ride a bike, swim, climb trees, build really shitty bows and arrows. I made slingshots out of wood and inner tubes. I learned that the sharp knife cut better and was less likely to cut me from pushing/ pulling too hard.
I learned that rattlesnakes could kill your old blood hound and that city fucks would dump dogs off in the country if they didn't want them.
I caught and ate my first fish and frogs and killed my first squirrel.
I learned that Dad meant it when he said not to kill stuff with my BB gun.

I learned that big gators love to eat ducks and even though they were protected back then, your neighbors would help you SSS a big old male gator.

I learned that if you helped in the kitchen that mom thought it okay to cook while alone in the house at 8yrs old.

I learned that Dad didn't like to wake up from sleep, and he liked even less, having a cap gun put next to his ear as assistance to said waking.
I learned that Dad actually could get out of bed very quickly...

Dad worked for Turner's dairy when I was little. I learned that cows are stupid enough to get under trees during horrendous thunder storms.
I also learned that there was lots of free eatings from those cows if you were willing to butcher their lightning struck carcasses.

My parents weren't educated, but they were/ are smart as hell.
I learned so much from them that wasn't in the academic sense, even though I could read long before 1st grade.

My Mom could stretch the living shit out of a dollar. We didn't eat fancy, but it was always home cooked and as healthy as we knew.

Unfortunately, mac n cheese wasn't on the menu because Dad could no longer stomach it.
Too many years growing up post WW-2 and his widowed mom trying to make ends meet with 4 brats.

My Mom has made some pretty good Mac n cheese over the years since her and dad parted ways, however, Rebecca makes the best that I've ever had.

It doesn't fit into the Po-Folk category at all.
It usually has about $40 worth of mixed cheeses in it and it weighs a ton.

We grew up poor financially, but the riches I had and still have are the teachings, the lessons and the love that my family has for each other.

But I do like me some Hamburger Helper now and then.

 

[TheHorta]

Chef Boyardee.

/thread

 

[SanPatHogger]

Oh also 243Win>6CM

Love my 243

 

[Jscb1b]

Pepper Jack.

 

[Rthur]

Velvetta/elbows FTW.
Shit in the box is a communist plot.

R

 

[theLBC]

as a self professed although not entirely poor, i still eat mac and cheese and i prefer the blue box.
i even prefer it over the "deluxe" or "cheesier" version they have or had sold in a similar box.

why?
it reminds me of where i came from, and it tastes the same as it did years ago when i was a kid (or close enough).
i used to even buy kraft margarine to make it (and whole milk), because i am pretty sure we used margarine when i was a kid.
i suppose that is why i make ground beef tacos at home sometimes, and use little cubes of potato to stretch it out to make more.

some things can't be "improved". they are part of us as they were. jmho.

 

[P-Squared]

I miss Mac N Cheese. Not the foo foo trendy shit they serve now. I really miss the stuff they served a school. You could turn your plate over and it wouldn't fall off.

Some days I wish I was a kid again to relive all that stuff, but then I remind myself that somehow (for the grace of God) I made it out alive. Statistically, I cound not do that again twice in a row.

 

[sgtsmmiii]

Never liked it - still don't - won't eat the stuff.

But, I survived in college on Hamburger Helper and Soy-Pro ground "beef". I could still eat it if necessary.

 

[Maggot]

When I stayed with my grandparents we had a lot of pinto beans and either Martha White biscuits or corn bread. On a good week the corn bread had buttermilk.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

We grew up with 'shells and cheese'... which was medium pasta shells, boiled up and with a few slices of American Cheese melted on top.

I have since evolved to LOVE Mac and Cheese in every format (except Kraft powdered stuff....) It's the All American Food.

But I still make Shells and Cheese. Now I slater it with crushed red pepper and Sr. Lechuga Hot Sauce. But Shells and Cheese. That was growing up food. With Short Ribs. Or Potroast.

Short Ribs. The best cut of beef on the planet.

Screw all that spendy stuff. Short ribs, baby!

Sirhr

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Oh yeah... when growing up, the rich people ate Stouffers Mac and Cheese.

I bought some once when grocery shopping as a teenager and got bitched out for it. The ONLY Stouffers thing allowed in our house was Corn Souflee... and that was like an Easter or Christmas treat. I specifically got told "Stouffers Mac and Cheese is a waste of money."

Honestly, I eat it now. It rocks!

But still nothing touches Shells and Cheese!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[Thorny]

Add some frozen sweet corn, towards the end of boiling the shells.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Big chunks of ham added to the govt cheese mac and cheese then the garden veggies and a protein, usually chicken or a soup.

 

[theLBC]

Never liked it - still don't - won't eat the stuff.

But, I survived in college on Hamburger Helper and Soy-Pro ground "beef". I could still eat it if necessary.

i ate a lot of top ramen or cup o soup along with pot pies and rice (pot pies cost $0.25 back then).

now lots of kids in college get loans and drink coffee from starbucks and eat at the campus panera bread.
and they want me to pay back those loans?
fuck you!

 

[10ring'r]

When I stayed with my grandparents we had a lot of pinto beans and either Martha White biscuits or corn bread. On a good week the corn bread had buttermilk.

Those pinto beans with ham, sure made some goooooood eat'n when I was growing up. Throw a pan of corn bread with it and you had a meal. Now that buttermilk crap, you can have that. Could'nt stomach it as a kid. Mac

 

[Maggot]

Those pinto beans with ham, sure made some goooooood eat'n when I was growing up. Throw a pan of corn bread with it and you had a meal. Now that buttermilk crap, you can have that. Could stomach it as a kid. Mac

Didnt care for the buttermilk by itself but it made the cornbread a bit more moist. Yum.

 

[Ravenworks]

How about a cheese sandwich does that count?

 

[Threadcutter308]

Back in 64 we moved into a house on my Grandfather's property. It was $24 per month rent and it was supposed to be for just a couple of months. I was 2 at the time.
That couple of months turned into 9 years.

During that period, I learned about sand spurs, and how to remove them.
I also learned how to pull the plant out of the yard after a fresh rain to get most, if not all of the root.
My parents planted a garden in the area that would later become our home baseball field.
Learned how to hoe out weeds, chop oak into firewood, burn trash, ride a bike, swim, climb trees, build really shitty bows and arrows. I made slingshots out of wood and inner tubes. I learned that the sharp knife cut better and was less likely to cut me from pushing/ pulling too hard.
I learned that rattlesnakes could kill your old blood hound and that city fucks would dump dogs off in the country if they didn't want them.
I caught and ate my first fish and frogs and killed my first squirrel.
I learned that Dad meant it when he said not to kill stuff with my BB gun.

I learned that big gators love to eat ducks and even though they were protected back then, your neighbors would help you SSS a big old male gator.

I learned that if you helped in the kitchen that mom thought it okay to cook while alone in the house at 8yrs old.

I learned that Dad didn't like to wake up from sleep, and he liked even less, having a cap gun put next to his ear as assistance to said waking.
I learned that Dad actually could get out of bed very quickly...

Dad worked for Turner's dairy when I was little. I learned that cows are stupid enough to get under trees during horrendous thunder storms.
I also learned that there was lots of free eatings from those cows if you were willing to butcher their lightning struck carcasses.

My parents weren't educated, but they were/ are smart as hell.
I learned so much from them that wasn't in the academic sense, even though I could read long before 1st grade.

My Mom could stretch the living shit out of a dollar. We didn't eat fancy, but it was always home cooked and as healthy as we knew.

Unfortunately, mac n cheese wasn't on the menu because Dad could no longer stomach it.
Too many years growing up post WW-2 and his widowed mom trying to make ends meet with 4 brats.

My Mom has made some pretty good Mac n cheese over the years since her and dad parted ways, however, Rebecca makes the best that I've ever had.

It doesn't fit into the Po-Folk category at all.
It usually has about $40 worth of mixed cheeses in it and it weighs a ton.

We grew up poor financially, but the riches I had and still have are the teachings, the lessons and the love that my family has for each other.

But I do like me some Hamburger Helper now and then.

Nice Mike, Thanks Very Much !!!

 

[Ruger1300]

We may have been poor but we were poor Italians and I grew up on home made pasta, home made spaghetti sauce from tomatoes in our garden, and meatballs the size of your fist. I didn't have mac and cheese until much later in life and it was as said as olive garden to a real Italian.

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

Macaroni Cheese, with diced ham or bacon strips.

 

[Jscb1b]

My mom made mac and cheese with tuna fish and peas in it. Poor but something to eat.

 

[ICU22250]

Guess I got left behind cause I still like Mac n cheese and ill have a bowl of brown beans(pintos) and cornbread every now and then.. oh and can't forget the fried taters... The mom unit used to make the same things when I was a kid, guess some things never change. Lol..

 

[Stevo86]

We grew up with 'shells and cheese'... which was medium pasta shells, boiled up and with a few slices of American Cheese melted on top.

I have since evolved to LOVE Mac and Cheese in every format (except Kraft powdered stuff....) It's the All American Food.

But I still make Shells and Cheese. Now I slater it with crushed red pepper and Sr. Lechuga Hot Sauce. But Shells and Cheese. That was growing up food. With Short Ribs. Or Potroast.

Short Ribs. The best cut of beef on the planet.

Screw all that spendy stuff. Short ribs, baby!

Sirhr

Mexican meat market next town over has the best marinated short ribs. Your posting this reminded me. I’m going there tomorrow to get a few lbs!

 

[accurate obsession]

I could eat Chef Boyardee and be ok with it until one of my kids had it for dinner and blew chunks like the Exorcist and I had to clean that shit up. Can't even look at that stuff anymore.

 

[accurate obsession]

tl;dr. ........Ever had Hamburger Helper Stroganoff ? Oh My God. Heavenly !!!

Hamburger helper, remember it well.
TUNA helper on the other hand, some things just ain't meant to be.

 

[Strykervet]

tl;dr. ........Ever had Hamburger Helper Stroganoff ? Oh My God. Heavenly !!!

Yuck. This will probably ruin it for you, but it tastes just like reconstituted vomit.

Some things I can eat and be okay with, but then out of the blue I'll taste something specific about it that just ruins it. Stroganoff hamburger helper tastes like vomit (it's not even close to what the real stuff is either, my friend makes it with mostly onions and steak) and cheezit crackers taste just like plain white crackers with fake cheeto dust.

I also grew up on the govt. cheese, I missed it when it went away. Dad was an engineer with money but Granny was way cooler.

Funny, I like Cheetos so my buddy got me a box of that same stuff! I hope you didn't ruin that one for me. His ex wife likes it? That doesn't say much though, ex wives and all. He only got it because of the Cheetos though.

AND we (my buddies and I) make a KILLER mac and cheese and THAT'S actually what's in the oven right now! We make three big dishes of it and freeze two. It's a huge hit, three guys polish a huge dish off right away. Tillamook 2 year cheddar, a whole fucking block of it (the big loaf size block that is) and a French white sauce (I forget what you call it, rue?). Alton Brown on "Good Eats" (the show is probably fifteen years old now!) is another awesome recipe but the onions ruined it for me.

A really, really good frozen one from the store would be "Beecher's" if you can find it. They make it in Seattle, if you're not gonna make it yourself it's the next best thing.

BUT it CAN be a main dish... We put peas and ham in it, that's all you need, right?

 

[kenny1773]

I make electric pressure cooker mac-n-cheese (google it) use the most basic recipe, have gourmet mac and cheese for cheap and in 15 minutes.

If I want to make it a meal, I fry up some ground beef and pour sloppy joe sauce over it, then pour that sloppy joe beef over the mac-n-cheese. I will call that a meal

 

[Mike Casselton]

How many of you guys cut up hot dogs and add them to the noodles a couple of minutes before they are done?
Add that powdered cheese and whoopee

 

[sirhrmechanic]

How about a cheese sandwich does that count?

Only if on Wonder bread and made with Kraft singles.... and served with canned tomato soup. Still a staple here on cold snowy nights. I have a special cast iron cheese sandwich cooker...

I LOVE grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Sirhr

 

[lariat]

Cheese sandwiches are great. Fright bologna, now that’s the shit. Another childhood make-do gourmet meal.

 

[theLBC]

Yuck. This will probably ruin it for you, but it tastes just like reconstituted vomit.

Some things I can eat and be okay with, but then out of the blue I'll taste something specific about it that just ruins it. Stroganoff hamburger helper tastes like vomit (it's not even close to what the real stuff is either, my friend makes it with mostly onions and steak) and cheezit crackers taste just like plain white crackers with fake cheeto dust.

I also grew up on the govt. cheese, I missed it when it went away. Dad was an engineer with money but Granny was way cooler.

Funny, I like Cheetos so my buddy got me a box of that same stuff! I hope you didn't ruin that one for me. His ex wife likes it? That doesn't say much though, ex wives and all. He only got it because of the Cheetos though.

AND we (my buddies and I) make a KILLER mac and cheese and THAT'S actually what's in the oven right now! We make three big dishes of it and freeze two. It's a huge hit, three guys polish a huge dish off right away. Tillamook 2 year cheddar, a whole fucking block of it (the big loaf size block that is) and a French white sauce (I forget what you call it, rue?). Alton Brown on "Good Eats" (the show is probably fifteen years old now!) is another awesome recipe but the onions ruined it for me.

A really, really good frozen one from the store would be "Beecher's" if you can find it. They make it in Seattle, if you're not gonna make it yourself it's the next best thing.

BUT it CAN be a main dish... We put peas and ham in it, that's all you need, right?

bechamel

 

[Davo308]

Some poors mods to mac and chee.

Boil in milk.
Add a spoon of sour cream.
Same with peanut butter.

Tillamook sharp cheddar is where its at.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Yuck. This will probably ruin it for you, but it tastes just like reconstituted vomit.

Some things I can eat and be okay with, but then out of the blue I'll taste something specific about it that just ruins it. Stroganoff hamburger helper tastes like vomit (it's not even close to what the real stuff is either, my friend makes it with mostly onions and steak) and cheezit crackers taste just like plain white crackers with fake cheeto dust.

I also grew up on the govt. cheese, I missed it when it went away. Dad was an engineer with money but Granny was way cooler.

Funny, I like Cheetos so my buddy got me a box of that same stuff! I hope you didn't ruin that one for me. His ex wife likes it? That doesn't say much though, ex wives and all. He only got it because of the Cheetos though.

AND we (my buddies and I) make a KILLER mac and cheese and THAT'S actually what's in the oven right now! We make three big dishes of it and freeze two. It's a huge hit, three guys polish a huge dish off right away. Tillamook 2 year cheddar, a whole fucking block of it (the big loaf size block that is) and a French white sauce (I forget what you call it, rue?). Alton Brown on "Good Eats" (the show is probably fifteen years old now!) is another awesome recipe but the onions ruined it for me.

A really, really good frozen one from the store would be "Beecher's" if you can find it. They make it in Seattle, if you're not gonna make it yourself it's the next best thing.

BUT it CAN be a main dish... We put peas and ham in it, that's all you need, right?

Oh D, and here I’ve been trying to pimp your case lube wherever possible. Now, you go trashing my Culinary tastes......
Gawd, what am I gonna do ?
I still stand by my statement about H/H Stroganoff. Do we need to have a duel to settle this ?
Fuk it, you’d just show up with Ma Duece and splatter me all over the back wall.

To hell with it......H/H Stroganoff Rocks, take your best shot

 

[theLBC]

stroganoff or cheeseburger macaroni flavors are ok, some of the others are awful.
i've had cold hamburger helper sammich on cheap white bread to make it last even more.

 

[kenny1773]

Cheap noodle and meat recipe for you all

wide egg noodles (16 oz) boil until ready to eat in pot
separately in a skillet brown 1 lb of ground meat (beef, Trunkey chicken, deer etc) add some seasoning while you brown (whatever you like can be just salt and pepper)
after browning add to skillet
4oz of sour cream
2oz of cream cheese
fresh parmesan/romano cheese to taste (2 to 4 oz)
large can of condensed (don't add water) cream of mushroom soup
sliced whole fresh or can of sliced mushrooms (no juice)
mix and fry

then
drain water off noodles, put back in pot, add browned meat mushroom soup mix into noodles in pot
stir until mixed thoroughly

let stand a minute or two (may need salt and pepper to tastte)
delicious meal for cheap :_

 

[Ravenworks]

Only if on Wonder bread and made with Kraft singles.... and served with canned tomato soup. Still a staple here on cold snowy nights. I have a special cast iron cheese sandwich cooker...

I LOVE grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Sirhr

Velveeta cheese or fried bologna (blackened) sliced 3/8" thick with MUSTARD only

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Hamburger helper, remember it well.
TUNA helper on the other hand, some things just ain't meant to be.

I love hamburger helper, and still get the wife to fix it about once a week. Tuna helper is the devil!

My mother had some kind of mission to one day get us to like tuna helper... ???

She didn't cook much because she worked nearly 7 days a week, and honestly, she isn't very good at cooking. She would continually fix tuna helper and each and every time tell my brother and I "you like tuna helper"... I'm not sure why it was so important to her that we like tuna helper, but it must have been. She fixed it about every month or two, and every time she'd tell us " you like tuna helper", as we are mumbling how "we don't like tuna helper" .... Not to mention it smells awful too. That stuff should be banned. Of course, every time. "We didn't like tuna helper" , but we damn sure ate it, because "it's what we are having" . That's how it worked in my house, and I suspect many others too.

 

[demolitionman]

I’m never serving a plate of mac’n cheese to my children again....at least not without a couple side dishes.
*im feeling attacked after reading this

 

[Mike Casselton]

I love hamburger helper, and still get the wife to fix it about once a week. Tuna helper is the devil!

My mother had some kind of mission to one day get us to like tuna helper... ???

She didn't cook much because she worked nearly 7 days a week, and honestly, she isn't very good at cooking. She would continually fix tuna helper and each and every time tell my brother and I "you like tuna helper"... I'm not sure why it was so important to her that we like tuna helper, but it must have been. She fixed it about every month or two, and every time she'd tell us " you like tuna helper", as we are mumbling how "we don't like tuna helper" .... Not to mention it smells awful too. That stuff should be banned. Of course, every time. "We didn't like tuna helper" , but we damn sure ate it, because "it's what we are having" . That's how it worked in my house, and I suspect many others too.

I dated a woman that didn't do much cooking.
She loved tuna sandwiches. Many times she offered one to me but I let her know that canned tuna was not on my list of things to eat.

I'll eat sashimi and other sushi type tuna, and I love grilled FRESH tuna.
She was meah about it.

Anyway, the one and only time she ever "cooked" for me she made tuna helper. WTF??

 

[1moaoff]

Ramen noodles.
Cook them in the water. Drain the water. Then add flavor packet. SO MUCH BETTER!!

my mom used to make spaghetti then put whatever butter substance was in the fridge on it.