Culinary standards
 

So I was talking to my dad on the phone while cooking dinner for the kiddos tonight, and I mentioned that we were having Cheeseburger Macaroni (Hamburger Helper (TM)) for dinner.

He chastized me, saying first of course that box meals were "ugly," which is a sentiment I've always known he had--but here's the thing: he insisted that I should instead be making it "from scratch"--i.e. brown the meat, boil the macaroni, and mix in some Velveeta.

What? Don't you mean I should be cooking a healthy, tasty, seasoned and complete meal instead of the box crap? No, the meal was fine, I should just be using Velveeta instead. Apparently it's important to make my own crap from scratch instead of buying it together in one box.

So how often does your family eat the cheap fast box meals--not just Hamburger Helper, I mean any kind of quick cop-out meal?

Not as much as we used to, but here and there. We have a Stouffer's Chicken Cordon Bleu pasta deal sitting in the fridge that I'll make over the weekend.

we either eat out or order in 9 nights out of 10.

And on the 10th night it's beer and nachos

-sm

Packaged stuff works fine when you don't have timeto/don't feel like cooking stuff from scratch. On the whole it tastes fine anyway. And besides, Velveeta makes easy macaroni meals too!

I actually ask my wife for Annie Chung's, which are lo mein meals in boxes. She adds chicken and vegetables and stir frys it. I have no complaints.

These days about the only boxed meals I make are frozen lasagne and the occasional frozen pizza, and even those I prefer to make from scratch. I think for me it's more that I prefer to know exactly what's going into my food. That's not to say boxed meals are full of bad stuff, but that I don't know that they *aren't*.

The kids and I don't eat dairy, so most packaged meal things aren't an option (unless they are the way too expensive vegan whole foods mart variety). We do eat quick cop out meals a lot , more often than not I think. PB&J is big hit around here. And pasta. I do open a seperate jar of sauce though, it's not in the same box.

I rarely make box stuff. Even when I make Mac 'n Cheese for the younguns, I use wheat pasta and use organic cheese.

I have slowly gravitated away from anything prepared to the point where I hardly ever use any anymore. I read all labels and have a lot of concerns about the stuff in them.

It took a while but I can make scratch in the same time it takes for most box stuff (b/w 10 and 25 minutes) so that stopped being a reason to use it.

The only box meal that I don't mind too much is Goya beans and rice mixes. There's a bunch of them and they all seem ok (the mix is mostly spice).

It's hard for me to imagine "put Velveeta in it" EVER being sound advice.

The Annie's line of mac-and-cheese products isn't bad at all.

My wife and I eat out more than we should (phrasing that carefully), probably a couple of nights a week. When she worked night shift, I cooked almost every night, as I had several hours to play with in the kitchen before she'd get home. Nowadays, we both get home about 5:30; I'll either stop on the way home and get something that's quick to make or say "screw it, let's go out."

Tonight for dinner: Tower Isles Jamaican Beef Patties

Leftover cold pepperoni pizza that had been purchased for a training earlier today.

I reminisced about college. The only thing missing was the big pile of weed.

I miss the college days.

Tend to get takeaway/eat out most nights but it's usually fairly healthy stuff (freshly made noodle box, curry).

Left to my own devices i've been known to live on hummus, rice crackers, cereal and coffee for days or weeks.

My husband, who normally knows better, absolutely loves Hamburger Helper. We call it White Trash Dinner Night at our house. We eat quite a bit of frozen stuff (I am partial to Boca frozen pizzas myself), but usually not many of the boxed dinners, unless you count the mac & cheese with the foil pouch of cheez goo.

As for Velveeta, IMO it's not "cheese" in the strictest sense of the word, but it's good for making my mom's famous puke dip:

1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
1 pound very lean ground beef, preferably sirloin
1 packet taco seasoning mix

Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning mix. If you got the right kind of ground beef, there won't be anything to drain. Dump all ingredients in a big microwavable bowl and zap until cheese is melted. Stir around until it looks like barf. Serve with tortilla chips, chopped green onion, and sour cream.

And hey, it's fat free! ;)

Puke dip... thanks for the image... I'm off to have dinner now!!! :cool: