I try not to play these tribal games: I much prefer my banal and ecstatic mixed...

Stouffers features regularly in my pantheon of banality:

spaghetti and meatballs

they used to offer an awesome swedish meatballs back when it was two packs and not the woebegone contemporary experimentation with but one

the occasional mushroom turkey noodle cream whatever

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I worship Jay's cheeze straws(and jalapeno chips...yes...the buyout ones)

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Campbell's chicken noodlo's...nuff said

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Maruchan "cream of chicken" ramen....o' great ecstatic wounding!...even better gilded with nam prik

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Jack's supreme pizza(I've developed an entire repetoire revolving around elevating this mere platform to heights of deliciousness)

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okay...the odd small can of spaghetti o's mit meatballs...I can sometimes get past the vomit smell

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Kraft mac n cheese(if you gotta beef with the great blue box...paging Hanoi Jane)

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Taco Bell...yes!

yet I long for the good ol' days wrapped in monopoly money 500 dollar bill orange

Yeah -- Stouffer's. I still (though it's been a couple of years now) go for their spinach souffle. I also have always loved their creamed chipped beef. Actually, I don't know that I've ever had a creamed chipped beef I didn't like.

HI,

Long ago, the Chicago Tribune food section had an article taking commercial products and comingling them into something even better. I remember only the two I did try:

1. Using cream corn with Jiffy Corn Meal mix to make moister, cornier cornbread.

2. A deep dish pizza where the filling was two defrosted packages of Stouffer's spinach soufle with maybe a pound of grated mozzarella folded in. Poured into a pan lined with pizza crust and baked. I did this several times and really liked it.

This article is something I want to dig up again to see what else they proposed.

Regards,

I can't resist a Hostess Honey Bun, with that thick, white icing on top. So bad for you, yet so tasty. . .

My other weakness is for Cheese Waffies. Old English used to make them, but now we can only find the Jay's version. They taste exactly the same.

Nothing beats a Cheese Waffie. My husband and I buy them for each other occasionally as a symbol of our love for one another. Really.

Suzy

sdritz wrote:I can't resist a Hostess Honey Bun, with that thick, white icing on top. So bad for you, yet so tasty. . .

THIS is the true meaning of ambrosia. Why was I cursed with the predisposition to LOVE these things???

Although it's probably been four or five years, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the can (with the little cannister of icing inside).

Olde School wrote:Fried bologna



(Related: Sara Lee Pound Cake, toasted, with pat of butter)

Oh man - My mom would give me a small piece of Sara Lee Pound Cake in my brown bag lunch for what seemed like entire 5 years of elementary school. I probably haven't had a piece in 10 years. I'm gonna have to buy a box.

The common theme of Mac n Cheese is great - I always keep a box on hand. Gotta add a slice of american cheese to it and tons of pepper. Some days, that's what is a perfect dinner. I even like how it makes my forehead sweat because of the massive amounts of sodium.

American cheese in general really - no matter how sophisticated my taste for cheese gets, I love American cheese. I eat it out of the wrapper, I can put it on nearly any leftover (had it on leftover chapli kabobs from Khan's the other night) - I even like the crappy low-fat/low-sodium varieties.

Funyons - gas station heaven

Buddig Corned beef sandwiches (of course, with american cheese), on wheat, grilled in butter.

Although it's probably been four or five years, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the can (with the little cannister of icing inside).

Oh My God. This thread is not doing me any favors because I had managed, after maybe 15 or 20 years, to FORGET about the Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls from the can...and now....i'm condemned to immediately go buy some RIGHT NOW.

How can I read the new Harry Potter without that fine fake cinnamon goodness?

OH curse all of you!!! Curse you all!!!!!

shannon

No disrespect intended--either to anyone else or to me, for that matter--but is there such a thing as a junk food that people would be surprised LTHForum members liked?

earthlydesire wrote:

Although it's probably been four or five years, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the can (with the little cannister of icing inside).

Oh My God. This thread is not doing me any favors because I had managed, after maybe 15 or 20 years, to FORGET about the Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls from the can...and now....i'm condemned to immediately go buy some RIGHT NOW.

How can I read the new Harry Potter without that fine fake cinnamon goodness?

OH curse all of you!!! Curse you all!!!!!

shannon

yes...but, here's the rub: some stores only carry the newfangled cream cheese icing variety(c.c. icing is fine, but when it edges out ersatz perfection i.e. original Pillsbury cinnamon rolls...fie!)

aschie30 wrote:This is what I mean about the strange, processed cravings. Last summer, I had this strange craving for canned Chef Boyardee ravioli. It sucks, it's not good, authentic ravioli and it comes from a can dammit. But nothing else would do. And as I was "preparing" it, I remembered that I ate that crap almost daily during the summer for lunch as a latchkey kid. (What kid can't open a can of Chef Boyardee and warm it up in a pan?) I think that sometimes these cravings are triggered by some weird group of brain cells in the back of your head -- the ones that lay dormant for months or even years, and then awaken to remind you of the things you'd eat as a kid.

On the nosey. My need for Taco Bell has followed the same pattern for the past 15 years. I suddenly crave it, and it's all I want to eat for a week, usually meaning 4-5 visits. Then the craving goes back into hibernation -- it isn't that I get sick of the stuff, I'm just sated -- and I don't touch it again for another 2-3 years. It's like the switch goes on, I'm totally insatiable, and then a few days later the switch goes off again.

And I'm right with you on the Chef Boyardee beef ravioli. It's like I have to tap that can every once in a while to restore karmic balance for all of the fresh pasta I make. And I think that's about the correct ratio, too... the good in a year's worth of cooking fresh pasta once a week is the equivalent of the evil contained in just one can of Chef Boyardee

Occasionally, I prefer the parmesan in the green can on my spaghetti over the freshly grated, imported stuff. Don't tell anybody.

-ramon

I like the parmesan in the green can simply because you can do "hits" when you need a cheese fix -- just spin that lid and pour in a tasty, salty mouthful of not great but okay cheese.

Cynthia wrote:I like the parmesan in the green can simply because you can do "hits" when you need a cheese fix -- just spin that lid and pour in a tasty, salty mouthful of not great but okay cheese.

You mean you freebase the stuff straight from can to mouth?

I have to admit, reluctantly, that I keep Dream Whip in my pantry and like it. It's not a substitute for whipped cream, it does it's own thing - but there are some applications where the plastic-y marshmallow-y fluffiness seems more appropriate - plus a packet is easy to store for the rare occasions when I need whipped topping.

Magic Shell, preferably chocolate or chocolate fudge

And

I just did the worst thing, I went to Dairy Queen and ordered three slushies, lemon lime, blue rasberry and cherry. This is something that I crave sometimes and I cant get them out of my mind.

Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn.

How it's smart, I have no idea...but it's pretty damn tasty. I tend to eat an entire bag in one sitting if I'm not paying attention.

Oh, and Quaker Snack Mix, cheese flavored with the little oatmeal squares. Mmm...

Oh, well if we can make it ourselves, tuna noodle casserole - 2 cans of chunk light tuna in water, drained, one can of campbell's mushroom soup, 1/2 can milk, some garlic powder, frozen peas, noodles, and crushed ritz crackers on top.

I don't eat much junk food, but when I do:

- Frozen pizza

- E Weidel cookies, they are so good! Tiny sponge cakes topped with jam topped with dark chocolate.

- McD fries.

Fluffernutters!!! On white toasted bread. Buttered of course.

Beverator wrote:Fluffernutters!!! On white toasted bread. Buttered of course.

On the menu at Sloppy Jo's in Highland Park!

Regards,

Jay's BBQ pork rinds.
Oke-Doke hot stuff popcorn.
Grape Nehi.
Jack in th Box super tacos.
Smokie links.

I'm not sure anyone who knows me would be surprised by these:

Slim Jims (I don't really like any other meat sticks or even jerky)
Jelly Bellies
Almost all varieties of kettle chips, but especially spicy thai and salt and pepper
Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

gleam wrote:I'm not sure anyone who knows me would be surprised by these:

Slim Jims (I don't really like any other meat sticks or even jerky)
Jelly Bellies
Almost all varieties of kettle chips, but especially spicy thai and salt and pepper
Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

If junky candies are allowed I'd like to add:
Neco Wafers
Chick-o-stix
Chuckles (esp. black)
Circus peanuts

I confess that when I'm in a grocery store and see 2 for 1 Lay Potato Chips two bags, Barbecue and Sour Cream & Onion, end up in my cart. I sneak them into my pantry, avoid them for a while, but then end up watching a late, late movie and consuming a bag.

Peace
David

As a kid, we weren't allowed to have any junk food unless we were going on a long car trip, or on vacation to the beach. So my guilty pleasures bring back fond memories, even if they are a little carsick or sunburned.
Here's my list:
-Snoballs (those filled chocolate cakes coated in spongy marshmallow with pink coconut all over them)
-Munchos chips
-Aoulette (spelling?) cheese spread, especially ON the Munchos
-Doritos
-Lucky Charms cereal
The cereal is especially important, as this was the only time of the year we could have something with candy as a main ingredient for breakfast. It sure was a big deal, as the rest of the year we could not have any kind of food that had sugar listed as an ingredient at all! (This is not to say we didn't eat dessert, it just had to be homemade. Now, I realize how lucky I was, although the torture at the time was terrible )

I haven't had a Snoball in a long time, I may have to try one again soon. That, and a Zinger. Anyone remember those? Sponge cake with some sort of fake raspberry and coconut coating. What was it about flaming pink and coconut that I loved so much??

Chicago's much maligned and often ignored contribution to the alimentary universe, the Pizza Puff.

Cynthia wrote:I like the parmesan in the green can simply because you can do "hits" when you need a cheese fix -- just spin that lid and pour in a tasty, salty mouthful of not great but okay cheese.

I used to love doing this! Now we use Trader Joe's grated parmesan which tastes better and can be eaten by the spoonful.

Cathy2 wrote:

Beverator wrote:Fluffernutters!!! On white toasted bread. Buttered of course.

On the menu at Sloppy Jo's in Highland Park!

Regards,

kuhdo wrote:Circus peanuts

Served club sandwich style, garnished with circus peanuts (unfortunately not toasted)

Sloppy Jo's Fluffernutter

d4v3 wrote:Chicago's much maligned and often ignored contribution to the alimentary universe, the Pizza Puff.

Sweet nectar!

Hi,

I've never had a pizza puff. I had visions of molten contents burning my tongue. I know, I should probably just wait.

Regards,