What foods you don't ever want to see on your plate?

[Aunt Bea]

i've only had cold elbow macaroni and tuna twice in my life and liked it both times.

one was on a skiing trip, the other time backpacking. both times i was so hungry that i would have eaten a shoe, so the tuna mac was delicious.

is the tuna noodle casserole that we're talking about the same thing? is it served hot or cold?

At my house cold elbow macaroni and tuna fish is called macaroni salad.

TNC is egg noodles, tuna, cream of mushroom soup mixed and topped with stale potato chip crumbs then baked.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I understand completely; me too. I will make an exception for stuff like Worcestershire sauce. It was one of the reasons I have made ketchup. Oh my, homemade ketchup is sooooo much better than the store bought stuff.

Just to make it clear, some of my recipes, even some of my favorites use branded ingredients, like for example Wright's Liquid Smoke. My favorite BBQ sauce recipe uses that. It's a family recipe. I'm not about to spend hours making my own liquid smoke. But I never feel that I entirely own a recipe until it looks like something that could found be in Joy of Cooking or Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Sorry, I think I've taken things way off topic.

I wouldn't mind seeing Campbell GBC on my plate.

 

[Dawgluver]

i've only had cold elbow macaroni and tuna twice in my life and liked it both times.

one was on a skiing trip, the other time backpacking. both times i was so hungry that i would have eaten a shoe, so the tuna mac was delicious.

is the tuna noodle casserole that we're talking about the same thing? is it served hot or cold?

Hot. Cooked egg noodles (thick or thin, I like thin, DH prefers thick), tuna, celery, onion, cream of something soup, bit of mayo, dash of Worcerster, dash soy sauce, frozen baby peas, maybe some mushrooms and peppers, a few dashes hot sauce, ground black pepper, and (ta-dah!) small chunks of Velveeta!

Bake or nuke. Yummmm.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

GBC, TNC, CBHC, it's all good. I wasn't that picky eater in the grade, or high school cafeteria. I liked the fish sticks, the wierd pizza made with unseasoned tomato sauce, ground beef, and lots of cheese. I liked the comod's cheese, and the tuna casserole, and everything else they served. It was all made fresh and served hot. The bread was made fresh, on site, every day. The food was good. The milk was cheap.

That being said, I've seen what they put on the kids' plates in school cafeteria's now. It's all made in a central location and transported to the schools. My children ate far less apetizing food in their cafeterias than did I. Who can forget pigs-in-a-blanket, with freshly made bread dough wrapped aroudn a good hot dog, sealed at both ends, and baked to a perfect golden brown? Often, other kids would give me the food from their trays that they didn't like.

And in case you don't know what CBHC is, it's Corned Beef Hash Caserole. It's just like TNC, but with canned corned beef hash in place of the tuna. Yum.

And yes, I am an omnivore!

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[bakechef]

TNC was one thing my grade school cafeteria made well, and we all loved it!

I now know what's for dinner tonight! I make a pretty good one. (oxymoron?)

In my grade school, Tuna Wiggle was a staple! It was also a staple in many households in Maine because it was cheap and easy to make. It was basically a white sauce with a can of drained tuna added and peas. You could season it the way you like, and serve it over saltine crackers. I never ate the stuff, never liked tuna.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!

 

[Dawgluver]

I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!

If I could find it here, I would not disagree! Dang, TNC with Gruyere. Mmmmmmm.

Ooh! Got some mediocre Costco blue cheese!

 

[PattY1]

gbc is readily fabricated from basic ingredients. If you can make cream of mushroom soup from scratch and fry up some onion rings, gbc is not that far away.

While that would taste really good, it wouldn't be the traditional recipe so it wouldn't be authentic.

View attachment 12738

 

[Skittle68]

My dad used to make "Macaroni and tuna". Milk poured over cooked macaroni, add a can of tuna, a pat of butter, and some salt and pepper. Serve hot. Everyone in my family seemed to like it, but it never did much for me.

I am a fan of hot milk poured over toast, with salt and pepper though lol. I think I liked dipping my toast in the macaroni and tuna milk than I did eating the meal itself

 

[PattY1]

GBC, TNC, CBHC, it's all good. I wasn't that picky eater in the grade, or high school cafeteria. I liked the fish sticks, the wierd pizza made with unseasoned tomato sauce, ground beef, and lots of cheese. I liked the comod's cheese, and the tuna casserole, and everything else they served. It was all made fresh and served hot. The bread was made fresh, on site, every day. The food was good. The milk was cheap.

That being said, I've seen what they put on the kids' plates in school cafeteria's now. It's all made in a central location and transported to the schools. My children ate far less apetizing food in their cafeterias than did I. Who can forget pigs-in-a-blanket, with freshly made bread dough wrapped aroudn a good hot dog, sealed at both ends, and baked to a perfect golden brown? Often, other kids would give me the food from their trays that they didn't like.

And in case you don't know what CBHC is, it's Corned Beef Hash Caserole. It's just like TNC, but with canned corned beef hash in place of the tuna. Yum.

And yes, I am an omnivore!

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

This post reminded me of my years in the California School System. The food was great!! It was all made on site. The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.View attachment 12739

 

[Dawgluver]

This post reminded me of my years in the California School System. The food was great!! It was all made on site. The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.

My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school. All the food was good!

 

[bakechef]

My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school. All the food was good!

I grew up in a tiny little town and our lunch ladies were a bunch of older ladies and they sure could cook! Almost nobody brought their own lunch when they served holiday lunches! Their fresh rolls were so good!

 

[Dawgluver]

I grew up in a tiny little town and our lunch ladies were a bunch of older ladies and they sure could cook! Almost nobody brought their own lunch when they served holiday lunches! Their fresh rolls were so good!

I've worked at small town schools for many years, and lunch ladies all over can cook! And they'll give you an extra helping!

You're right, Bakechef, the rolls are excellent!

 

[Kathleen]

I don't know if it's exactly something that qualifies something as a "tradition," but GBC is at least something you can mention, and nearly everyone will say, "Oh, yeah. That." and will mean the canned soup/canned fired onions variety.

What else is there like that?

In our family, we had several traditions. Some are great and others are not great for my plate! On the great side, Mondays often meant "red beans and rice" and Fridays often meant fish. Waldorf salad was served at every Christmas....I'm not a huge fan, but it was good enough to enjoy the holiday tradition. On the I don't want it on my plate side, sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows. I *really* did not like it.

Dawgluver, Aunt Bea and BuckyTom, TNC is one of the few casseroles that I like, and we had it on the Fridays without the paycheck as Dad was paid bi-monthly. Mom made it with elbow macaroni, cream of mushroom soup -half diluted with milk, a package of frozen peas and carrots, and topped it with smooshed potato chips. I still love it. BT, it was always served hot at our house.

I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!

I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever. She did not share the recipe and it was her TNT recipe that she brought to every family gathering. After she passed, one of my cousins brought macaroni and cheese. Auntie's mac and cheese! We were so thrilled and begged for the recipe. (I believe that the begging consisted of threats to toss her in the pool in mid-winter.) After heavy pleading (threats,) she caved in and gave us the recipe...and Velveeta was the secret. Our grandparents were not picky about things being called "cheese food" and neither are my parents. My cousins and I are more "picky" and my nieces and nephews are militant about what they eat. That being said, the mac-n-cheese is devoured at every family gathering. My cousin's wife once made a very nice mac-n-cheese with Gruyere...and it was so very tasty, but there were leftovers!

My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school. All the food was good!

Our junior high lunch ladies were amazing cooks. Everything was made from scratch. Plus, they put up with zero nonsense. Their food was the best eats in town outside of home.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.

That reminds me, I don't want to see anything on my plate that has the word "surprise" as part of the name.

I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever.

Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.

Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!

 

[Dawgluver]

Aww, Kathleen, thanks so much! You summarized it well!

 

[Kathleen]

Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.

Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!

In large southern family gatherings, mac-n-cheese is never a main course. Like greens, coleslaw and salads, mac-n-cheese would go on the side. Main courses would be the pit beef, bbq, fried chicken, ham, etc. In any case, my point was that sometimes, what made something sooo good, is an eye-opener.

Dawgluver, thanks! One of my favorite memories was of a lunch lady named Ms. Mills. My friend had given her a tiny bit of lip over cleaning up his table the day before. Just as he got up to her in line, she very deliberately handed him a plate with a very pointed look and said, "Do be VERY sure to clean up today." He poked at his dish a good 10 minutes before eating it and left a very clean spot from that point on out. We teased him about it for years.

 

[taxlady]

That reminds me, I don't want to see anything on my plate that has the word "surprise" as part of the name.



Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.

Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!

Not even bachelor surprise? (Stir fried leftover vegis, meat, & rice - seasoned with whatever sauce seems appropriate).

I once made a mac and cheese I liked. I wish I had the recipe. A chef had been told to bring mac & cheese to a potluck. She made it with three kinds of cheese. I think there were sun dried tomatoes and garlic, as well as cream.

 

[PattY1]

I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever. She did not share the recipe and it was her TNT recipe that she brought to every family gathering. After she passed, one of my cousins brought macaroni and cheese. Auntie's mac and cheese! We were so thrilled and begged for the recipe. (I believe that the begging consisted of threats to toss her in the pool in mid-winter.) After heavy pleading (threats,) she caved in and gave us the recipe...and Velveeta was the secret. Our grandparents were not picky about things being called "cheese food" and neither are my parents. My cousins and I are more "picky" and my nieces and nephews are militant about what they eat. That being said, the mac-n-cheese is devoured at every family gathering. My cousin's wife once made a very nice mac-n-cheese with Gruyere...and it was so very tasty, but there were leftovers!

I have posted my ingredients before for my much requested Mac-N-Cheese. Yes I do use some Velveeta, but I also use Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, smaller portion of Parmesan. And any other cheese I might have stuffed in the fridge. The Velveeta combined with the 1/2 & 1/2 and a little butter make it creamy. I also cut hearty bread in cubes and dip in melted Butter for the top to keep the top layer of noodles from drying out. Diffidently not diet food. My son once commented that you would never put Mac-N-Cheese on toast but this is great. View attachment 12741

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Kathleen, I think mac & cheese is a favorite all over the country, not just in the South. And alas, nothing I covet. I'm sure there's something wrong with me!

TL, maybe bachelors have a reputation for being desperate for anything, even surprises. I'm not particularly fond of leftovers, although there's plenty of times when budgetary necessities require me to eat what I have instead of what I want.

The sun dried tomatoes sound like a good addition to the mac & cheese, and the cream and garlic too. How about adding a couple pounds of cooked shrimp?