Really Crappy Unhealthy Disgusting Toe-curling Junkfood!

[Caroline1]

Today, at age 75, I had my first ever Frito Chili Pie from Burger Street, right here in Plano, Texas. Loved it! <sob> I'm sure I'll burn in culinary hell forever for this. I have taken an oath never to compound the sin with a second one. I hope. Cardio-vascular tragedy in a styrofoam package!

So tell us what kind of edible sin rings your chimes?

[zuklaak]

Cheerios with lots of melted butter on top, works well with many non-sweet cereals. My guilty pleasure. haven't had it in years.

[cringle22]

In terms of fat, calories and carbs, any cream based soup in a bread bowl at Panera crushes most of the 'junk' food described here.

[drongo]

I looked at the Panera nutrition site, and they don't look too bad: http://www.paneranutrition.com/

(I've never tried any of them though.)

[jbsiegel]

That bread bowl itself is nearly 600 calories! What's worse is that they'll serve their macaroni and cheese inside that bread bowl. Large mac & cheese is about 1000 calories...

[AdamD]

Old thread but what the heck.
My junk food weakness taco bell chicken soft taco supreme and KFC honey BBQ wings.
Damn the yum company for making them available at the same location!

[Har_Gow_Freak]

Where I live (Québec, Canada) Poutine, Pogos, Cheap Sushi & goddamn McDonald's are the big junk food! I just hate McDonald's, although (*sigh*) I do grab frim time-to-time Double Plain Cheeseburgers (Yes, there plain: "meat" n' "cheese"). You gotta just love that mystery meat n' that good ol' process yellow slice of cheez...1 question though: WHY DOES MY ORDER ARRIVE AFTER 1 MINUTE AFTER ORDERING THE CRAP?!?

[noodlepoodle]

HarGow, I know I know...never ever eat at McDonald's....so darn disgusting....except for my after-shopping snack of four chicken nuggets with hot mustard sauce and coffee....don't count.

[Steve Green]

H_G_F: If you're still wondering (or was that rhetorical?) why it only takes a minute, it's because special order notwithstanding, McD's has all the patties premade in a warmer-drawer, so they just assemble the burger to order, as opposed to cooking-to-order. It's my main beef, pardon the expression, with McD. Sorry to beat a dead horse (which might taste better), but the burgers were never the same there after 1995, when they stopped actually grilling burgers to order for special orders.

[Buckskin2]

micro wave s'mores made with peeps & chocolate bunny parts. Micro the peep til soft. 12 sec in my m-wave. Press on to a graham cracker with a chunk of chocolate bunny.

[funkychic1210]

Fried Pickles, Cheez-its, cheez balls, basically anything cheese. lol

[Firegoat]

Man I haven't had a good cheez ball in years since Planter's quit making them in the big blue can...... sigh....

[bbqboy]

someone on another thread mentioned Brim's.
cheese balls being available at
dollar store and they are indeed very tasty, though in looking at their website I don't see them
.http://www.brimsnacks.com/products.htm

[Buckskin2]

fried bologna on toast with longhorn cheese and chunky peanut butter. Vidailia Onions in season to add a vegatable

[Caroline1]

Balogna, cheese, and PEANUT BUTTER? Okay.... That slam dunks my son's peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches when he was about eight.

[Mestralle]

I don't know if this really qualifies as "junk food," but the other day I was flipping past Food Network and sat mesmerized as Paula Deen made a bread pudding with two dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, canned fruit cocktail and sweetened, condensed milk. This was topped with a sauce made with copious amounts of butter and confectioner's sugar and a not-so-copious amount of rum.

[Caroline1]

Yeah, that's junk food in the truest sense of the word. Does anyone else ever wonder if she actually eats the coronary blasters she makes on TV? Is there a betting pool on how long until she has bypass surgery going on somewhere? sheesh!

[jbsiegel]

OK...well...yep...I have a recipe for bread pudding involving Sara Lee pound cake, chocolate pudding mix, chocolate mix and peanut butter. SO bad, but SO good!

[nooyawka]

Entenmann's chocolate donuts.

[fara]

if i want gross junk food for whatever reason, and it may be every 2 years or so, I get some hot dogs and spray can cheese and hot dog rolls, oreos and whole milk, maybe some frozen french fries to be eaten with mayo and ketchup. i'm not sure if any of that goes far enough.

[SD_Livin]

Chicken & Waffles - w/the syrup it makes a cheap Monte Cristo !

And COLD pizza or enchiladas the next day

May God have mercy on my . . . . arteries

[DallasDude]

The lovely OP, Caroline1, is from the same city (now) that I am from. It is difficult to find here, but any chance you have to order the national Canadian dish poutine, do it. You will be disgusted by it, but enjoy every last morsel right down the last bite of squeeky cheese curd.

[carlee134]

Ramen. I can afford something else, but nothing can replace ramen in my heart.

But the really unhealthy food I crave comes in the form of "FAT SANDWICHES" which are served outside of Rutgers University, NJ, from lunch trucks. My favorite sandwich, I kid you not, is comprised of cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozz sticks, french fries, all on a hoagie roll topped with LOTS of marinara. Go for cheese fries on the side if you're still feeling hungry!

(walks away in shame)

[EWSflash]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner...

[Passadumkeg]

Carlee, Go Scarlet Knights!
Mr MaGoo
Washed down w/ a Stuff Yo' Face stromboli and a chili dog from the tiny place by the train station (Copenhagen's?).
ps You forgot that it must be past midnight after copious beer consumption.

[pie22]

i like the one with chicken fingers, mozz sticks, fries and honey mustard!...can't remember the name. soooo good!

[almond3xtract]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned my #1 guilty pleasure:

WAFFLE HOUSE!!!

When I lived in Louisiana I was there multiple times a week. Their hashbrowns are to die for!! And their waffles, of course.

My other addictions, surprisingly nobody has mentioned these:
Flamin' Hot Cheetos, the crunchy kind
Twix bars
Potato chips with chocolate/Nutella
Kraft macaroni and cheese

[James Cristinian]

I agree on Waffle House, but i bring my own butter instead of the spread they serve. Twix bar, not for me, if I'm eating a candy it's something totally bad for you, a butterfinger. Kraft mac and cheese is the best, but only piping hot, once it cools it's not the same. Having said all that, I haven't eaten any of the above in at least 18 months.

[KathyM]

Tomorrow is Free Tacos Day at Jack In The Box: http://coupon.jackinthebox.com/coupon...

Enjoy!

[pikawicca]

Chicken Fried Steak. I use organic, free-range beef. free-range eggs, organic milk, locally grown flour, but it's still junk food. I cook this once a year and just don't care for one day.

[hill food]

pika - you wild thing!

that's also a quiet craving of mine, although I'm not as diligent on ingredients and prob. do it 3 or 4 times a year

but to be fair the topic was disgusting and toe-curling and I don't agree that chicken fried steak qualifies, crappy ok, disgusting, nah.

[Tonyettehill]

Chicken in a Bisket, and EZ Cheese...

[teenytinytina]

I am a bit surprised that there hasn't been any mention of two of my most guilty food pleasures: SPAM and PRINGLES! Not together (or maybe?) but I have to say that these salty delights have provided endless comfort for my junk food cravings. Most friends are disgusted by my fondness for Spam, but I could cry tears of joy tearing into some homemade Spam fried rice! And after reading other posts I'm thinking I could up the "junk factor" of my Pringles snacking by covering them in canned Nacho cheese, or that yummy sounding Velveeta-sausage dip. The possibilites are seemingly endless folks.

[hill food]

some people underestimate the nice crunch chips can give to a sandwich,

Rotel & Velveeta.for a dip - YES.

'k it's a bit trashy...

[revsharkie]

Trashy? TRASHY?! That's my grandma's go-to dip!

:-)

[hill food]

I would never turn down Rotel.

[ajs228]

Pringles. Totally. Normally I'm all about moderation, but if I'm left alone with a can of Pringles I can fire that whole thing down my gullet in about 10 minutes. They crunch unlike any other chip.

[Cinnabon]

Gotta agree on the pringles crunch and the ablitly to eat then quickly.

DH & I polished off a can just after boarding a plane recently. Did I mention that we hadn't even taken off for the 12 hour flight?

It was such a long flight after that as we had to ration the 2nd can and unfortunately share some with my coworkers. They really tested my "friendship" by asking for more pringles.

[Firegoat]

i think i used to use pringles as a saddle for my breyer plastic horse models when I was a kid.

And then, ofc, i ate them.

[Jetgirly]

I am a bit of a health nut, but my weakness is bubble tea. This is not helped by the fact that there is a bubble tea restaurant inside my apartment building. For those who don't know, bubble tea exists in many forms, but my preferred variations are honey green milk tea (green tea with about a cup of honey and lots of milk... served hot or cold) or slushy papaya (ice blended with some kind of powdered milky stuff and powdery papaya-flavoured sugar... obviously served cold), both with sweet, black, marble-sized tapioca pearls that you suck up a thick straw. Yes, it's a beverage that manages to combine sugar in both solid and liquid form.

[spellweaver16]

I just recently discovered bubble tea. My favorite is the pineapple slushy kind, with the black pearls. The black ones have sort of a...brown sugar/vanilla flavor to me that I love. I tried the strawberry slush that had rainbow pearls, but they tasted like nothing to me.

[teenytinytina]

My fave is a banana smoothie with mini-boba and lychee!

[Firegoat]

those little crispy bits of batter from Long John Silvers'

[danhole]

We had some chicken planks from LJS a couple nights ago, and of course got some extra bits to munch on. This thread sprang to mind instantly! My DH loves those bits. I think I could literally just make a batch of batter and fry it up for his dinner, and he would be happy. Now that is toe-curling junk food!

[revsharkie]

The only thing that saves me from complete ruination is the fact that the nearest Long John Silver's is 45 miles from here. I grew up in the middle of the country, hundreds of miles from any body of salt water. "Fish" to me meant what my grandpa caught at the lake, or Long John Silver's (or Red Lobster, if we were really feeling like going whole hog). I do occasionally get a craving for that excessively greasy fish and chicken and those hush puppy balls, all drowned in half a bottle of malt vinegar. Most of the time I'm sensible and prefer actual food, but sometimes...

[Trixie Too]

Well for me it's a couple of things: First is really hot fresh french fries -- that have preferably come out of the same Fryolater as a batch of fried seafood -- dipped in tartar sauce. I could eat buckets of both. The second is Life cereal dipped in peanut butter. I wish they would make larger pieces of the cereal -- maybe have them the size of a Trisket, and then it would be easier to scoop the peanut butter.

[hill food]

that's not toe-curling Trixie, that's sounds kind of good right now (3 AM-ish) unless toe-curling is a symptom of shameful delight...

what's even better is when the kitchen is so careless that actual bits of other orders from the Fryolator come in one's fries. Lagniappe.

[goodhealthgourmet]

Trixie, do you do it with the original Life cereal or Cinnamon? either way, it sounds about right to me! i'm glad i can't eat traditional cold cereals anymore, or i'd probably be in big trouble with that snack.

[Trixie Too]

I use the original Life cereal. Put a pile of cereal on my plate as well as a large scoop of peanut butter (I confess to using Jiffy Reduced Fat...

[mpjmph]

I can't decide if triscuit size Life cereal would be wonderful or very, very dangerous...

[lindsley]

Okay after reading most of these, I'm not so ashamed....a can of Fritos bean dip spread on white bread with Mayo - were too poor in college for real cheese so add a heavy shake of canned Parm on the mayo side...... oh, just the glorious thought of Frito pie and Sonic burgers with a side of tater tots....

[schrutefarms]

You won.

[funklight]

i
love
fry sauce.
and pizza dipped in ranch dressing.
crispy hashbrowns topped with 2 eggs, cheese, chili, onions and sour cream.
hangover food.

[hill food]

get someone on the Midwest board to declare who has the best "Toasted Ravioli" - seriously addicting breaded and deep fried beef ravioli dipped in marinara.

White Castle burgers left in the fridge overnight, the bun kind of melts and smooshes with the meat and turns into a sort of paste. mmm.

fried scrapple and cheese sandwich. livery, salty, artery clogging goodness. (actually it also contains ground snouts and lips)

[Sam Fujisaka]

"White Castle burgers left in the fridge overnight, the bun kind of melts and smooshes with the meat and turns into a sort of paste. mmm."

That sounds GREAT!!!!

[hill food]

my (then 12 year old cousin - I was 8) turned me on to it. but usually they don't last that long. although if I visit in Winter, the armrest console of the rental is good for a day or two.

I know, go puke on your own time.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i just remembered one from my college days in Atlanta. whenever we ordered from Gumby's Pizza [i believe they have franchises in many college towns], in addition to the pizza we always used to get an order of "Gumby Sticks" - basically a round of pizza dough that had been brushed with butter, sprinkled with herbs, baked with a thin layer of cheese on top, and cut into bread sticks. we'd dip the Gumby Sticks in a 50/50 mixture of ranch dressing & BBQ sauce.

good thing i can't eat gluten anymore ;)

[mpjmph]

Gumby's! I had the (mis?)fortune of living in a college town as a kid/pre-teen, and Gumby's quickly became a Friday night-babysitter meal. Then we moved to a different town, one without a Gumby's. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when I left for college in a town with it's very own green-clay-critter themed pizza place, and could start ordering Pokey Stix on a regular basis again. I also expanded my palate to include pepperoni rolls, often ordering the 3 pepperoni rolls and a small Pokey Stix for $8 meal deal. A few months ago I ordered Gumby's for a b-ball watching/Easter candy swap party - Pokey Stix were as good/bad as I remembered, but to my dismay the 10" Stix now cost MORE than a 10" pizza. The whole point of Pokey Stix was that they were for students who were to cheap to afford toppings/sauce!

[somnambulista]

Good God! I had almost forgot about Gumby's.
Their only redeeming factor is that you could manage to pay for it with the change you and your friends dug out of pockets and couch cushions.

As for other fast food trainwrecks, I get the occasional craving for Popeye's red beans and rice.
I also like Taco Bell's bean and chili cheese burritos.

[goodhealthgourmet]

a-ha! thanks for the correction. you're right, they were called Pokey Stix. i don't know if they had pepperoni rolls, but i didn't eat meat back in those days so that wouldn't have been on the menu for me anyway.

Gumby's was our ghetto choice...my favorite was Mellow Mushroom. killer salads & calzones, and fresh-baked soft pretzels - either with butter & parm or cinnamon & brown sugar - made from pizza dough.

[Wahooty]

We were big Gumby's fans partly because it was the cheapest pizza in town, and partly because there's no other place I know of where you can use the phrases "Gumby Dammit" and "10-inch Pokey Stix" as a legitimate order. Ah, to be a giggling drunken undergrad again... :)

Then, in grad school, Gumby's was easily trumped by "party fries." A pile of greasy bar fries, smothered in what surely must have been a whole block of melted Velveeta, crumbled bacon...and ranch dressing on the side for dipping. To this day, the only context in which I can stand Velveeta, but other versions with other types of radioactive cheese-type product just don't cut it.

Apparently, greasy cheesy things dipped in ranch dressing make my toes curl. That, and a chalupa from Taco Bell. The love that dare not speak its name.

[schrutefarms]

Allright, here goes....
Boneless mild buffalo wings from Wing Street (aka Pizza Hut)
Slim Jims (washed down with a Coke flavored Slurpee)
A lump of cream cheese covered in mild Pace Picante sauce, with Lime-flavored Tostitos
The KFC Bowl
Strawberry Quik
And, to contribute to the Frito conversation, Chili-Cheese Fritos

[rochfood]

Day glo neon sour gummies.

[milkyway4679]

Hmm, taco bell chalupas, and nachos bel grande.
KFC chicken.
French fries dipped in cheap mayo.
Pickles dipped in salt and mayo.
Applebees appetizers.

[libbylang29]

okay- here are two of my junk food faves:

1. Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande with extra nacho cheese (this was a staple during my pregnancy...don't ask)

2. McDonald's French Fries dipped into their chocolate shake. trust me it works..salty sweet goodness. Try it some time!

[Davwud]

I had a friend how used to like to dip them in his McD's hot fudge sundae. I have to admit, it wasn't bad.

DT

[fern]

Oh I love salty fries dipped in a chocolate shake! A real treat.

[revsharkie]

Anything from Taco Bell. The nearest one to where we live now is 45 miles away, so we don't do it as often, but when we lived in Portland we were within a mile of THREE of them. And we could get enough food to eat for several meals for twenty bucks, so we did it pretty frequently. Mostly we get plain ol' tacos and bean burritos, but we usually always got at least one bigger item apiece. I always liked either a chili cheese burrito or a 7-layer.

I'm afraid I must also confess to an occasional weakness for those giant frozen TGIFriday's mozzarella cheese slabs (with enclosed plastic pouch of marinara sauce) or even a jalapeno popper or two.

[paulispumonti]

Here in Chicago, inhale an Italian Beef and Sausage combo with a large cheese fries after a few cold ones- it is certain to quake your intestines

[al b. darned]

A deep-fried Bloomin' Onion at Outback or the equivalent at Texas Roadhouse, or anywhere else. Hot, crispy, greasy, and dipped in an addictive sauce of un-identifiable ingredients. Goes great with a tall cold draft.beer. I've been known fill up on one of these and the bread before my meal arrived!

[Firegoat]

Those are good. My bf tries to pretend he isn't with me if I order one on a rare occasion. His other biggest fear is that I buy a whole smoked turkey leg at a renaissance faire or state fair..... the sight of people just walking around gnawing on them grosses him out for some reason.

[Gustavno Rivera]

I just discovered that a place here in Helena, Montana serves fritos in a bag. It's called GamePODS and its that wierd dot ice cream and gaming store. They also serve a variety of questionable food. Since I found out they had fritos in a bag I've been meaning to stop by, but everyone seems to be about 13 years old.

[bitsubeats]

I don't mean to sound rude, but fritos in a bag? I thought all fritos came in a bag.

[milkyway4679]

I believe they mean fritos in bag with the inclusion of chili. A frito pie "in a bag" if you will.

[hill food]

also known in the Mojave as a "Pepper Belly" in grade school cafeterias. my introduction and curse.

[noodlenoodle]

Candy Corn for Halloween

[danhole]

Caroline,

I am shocked that you have only just now eaten one of the most beloved dishes of Texas! We went to a chili cookoff last weekend and every single table had a bag of fritos, a bowl of shredded cheese and a bowl of diced onions. So first you just taste the chili, and decide if it is worthy. If it is then you make a frito pie out of it! When, and if, you come to Houston, go to James Coney Island and get a chiil (frito) pie, no bean, with or without onions. It will knock your socks off. It's not junk food. Fried pork rinds is junk food.

[krisrishere]

I could eat a whole bag of Jax (cheese puffs) if it's in front of me.
Also, a whole pint (or 2) of Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.
Friendly's french fries dipped in their awesomely good honey mustard.

Thanks guys..it's payday and right when I get out of work guess what I'm going to buy?

[fuuchan]

I've eaten and enjoyed:
Canned corn niblets straight from the can
Nuclear colored nacho cheese and those little round tortilla chips

A friend of mine occasionally makes this monstrosity of a dip when we get late night munchies. Its seriously a block (or two) of cream cheese, topped with canned refried beans, packaged shredded cheese and microwaved. Serve with chips. Oh so vile and has probably shaved off several years of my life, but its so hard to stop eating it!

[bitsubeats]

My boyfriend (who's originally from Texas) makes the most delicious/gross dip ever.

He throws a box of velveeta, two cans of rotel, and 2 jimmy dean breakfast roll sausages (the huge size) crumbled and cooked into a crockpot to simmer/melt.

One day I thought it would be a good idea if we added a can of hormel chili (no beans) and crumbled cooked bacon on top. We both agreed that it was a bit much.

we dip those "scoop" tostito chips in it.

Yeah it's wrong, but it tastes SO RIGHT

[danhole]

Leave out the chili and I actually have that recipe in my binder! That's a crowd pleasing dip! But we like the frito scoops with it! Also add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Gives it a nice kick.

[bitsubeats]

yeah the chili idea was a spur of the moment thing. He had it in his pantry and we thought "what the hell?"

Suffice it to say, it was okay, but it was better without it

[danhole]

Now, if you add the chili to the velveeta, with a sprinkle of cayenne, and nothing else, that is pretty good. Not as good as the velveeta, rotel and sausage, but good anyway!

[bitsubeats]

glad to know that there is someone else out there who appreciates this as much as I do

[al b. darned]

Sorry, but even I draw the line at Velveeta. : (

[bitsubeats]

I said the same thing, but you still need to try it. Especially with the sausage

[al b. darned]

Not on purpose!!

[danhole]

This coming from a person who previously was singing the praises of squirting Easy cheese inside 3D Doritios! (wink*) If you like that try squirting it inside a Bugle chip. Even better with a dab of peanut butter on top. Now that's junkfood!

[Firegoat]

this is true, the one true purpose of velveeta is to be made into a chip dip with sausage and rotel.

[spellweaver16]

One of my favorites comes from the now-defunct truck stop in my old town. Rest in peace, truck stop! I don't think the place even had a name, just The Truck Stop. Deep fried frozen burritos smothered in chili and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Oh, and sour cream. They also had a breakfast called the Gear Jammer. Full order of biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, toast or biscuit...I don't know if I even have it all listed!

[tastycakes]

wendy's softy with fries to dip in it

cheetos/funyuns/cheddar ruffles/doritos dipped in sour cream

my late night drive thru order at jack n the box - oreo shake, 2 tacos, crispy chicken sandwich

macho nachos and macho fries from del taco - the kind in the massive big gulp sized drink cup

carne asada nachos from any hole in the wall in san diego with the fake runny guac

at friday's i used to get the PMS special - an ultimate hawaiian volcano (no longer on the menu probably because i was observed in the parking lot doing too many obscene things following a few of these), an order of wings, potato skins, and for dessert the oreo cookie madness

claim jumper chicken and biscuits or black tie pasta followed by the i declair - a massive, 8 inch long eclair stuffed with vanilla cream on top of a slab of vanilla ice cream, covered in chocolate fudge sauce

i can't believe how often i used to eat this stuff and still be thin. now i look at a cookie and gain 5 pounds.

[KaimukiMan]

ok so far, but I really expected more. Frito pie and cotton candy are good stats, but i know we can do better. Where are the deep fried twinkies covered in cheese wiz then dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed oreos and walnuts? Where are the smores made with milky way bars dipped all in caramel and coated with pretzels? Orange creme soda mixed with ovaltine or hershey's syrup?

How about breaded deep fried meatloaf slices smothered in melted velveta and gravy out of a jar? With a side of leftover poutine (micowaved of course) and an oreo shake...now thats starting to get somewhere.

[pengcast]

One summer I lived in dorm and the treat of the week was a box of velveeta cheese melted in the microwave and then mixed with grocery label salsa. Yum. Only thing better was to have that with the guacamole with pop-top lid from 7-11.

[almond3xtract]

Yes indeed!! My mom always made that for me as a kid. Soooo good!

[hill food]

if not mentioned upthread, try /Velveeta mixed with a can of Ro-Tel diced peppers and onion

[Chew on That]

Boneless buffalo wings at Buffalo Wild Wings with buffalo chips! Never healthy but always good!

[pitterpatter]

This will generate lots of enemies, but the ultimate junk food is a Phili Cheesesteak, from Philadelphia only, of course, and it must have a fistful of onion fried in the mystery-meat's grease, and Cheese Wiz only (not provelone). The roll also needs to be toasted in grease.

[soypower]

-Those gas station meat sticks (O boy Oberto Cocktail Pep) that you can buy in singles where no doubt many grubby hands have brushed against.

-Ditto on Can O' Cheese...Love the fake bacon flavored one.

-Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks...Fried cheese, what could be better?

[Buddernut]

Double Fried French Fries (a nice light brown color) with blue cheese, carmelized onions and tons of crumbled applewood smoke bacon. A little mozz. on top for stretch appeal and a quick run under the broiler.

[Davwud]

Oh dear god, there's too many to mention I'm afraid.

Caroline, those FCP's are down right evil. So good and so evil.

I must confess, when at the in-laws, I have to make a stop at Sonic and one at Krystal's.

Here in the Great White North, Taco Bell serves fries instead of nacho chips. So I've been known to get chili cheesy burritos, open them up, add hot sauce and a bunch of fries and roll them back up. Oh boy!!!

DT

[Panini Guy]

Not a big Frito fan, but one of the tenants upstairs from our shop is a Texan. We serve chili every Saturday and a few months ago she asked if we could stock Fritos for her. We started putting them out. Now when we don't have the Fritos, customers are disappointed. And this is even on Saturdays when I've made homemade tortilla chips :(

For me, it's the "O" in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Grilled dogs and literally a brick of fries. They lift the fry basket and while there's still a steady stream of fry grease pouring off, the whole basket gets tossed onto your plate.

That and for no known reason I am drawn to the zeppole (fried dough w/sugar) booths at county fairs. I always regret it immediately.

[mpjmph]

Oh man, our state fair (NC) is coming up, and I've been fantasizing about all the goodies I'll get to eat that just aren't available the rest of the year. Like I said up-thread, I've tried the fried twinkie (never again) and the fried milky way (definitely again, but maybe not this year). This year I have to be there early for a competition, and will stay late to hang out with friends, so I'll have a solid 10 hours of junk food opportunities. Here's my list of fair-food must-haves so far:

A ham biscuit from Cary UMC
Roasted/grilled corn w/ a ridiculous amount of butter
Sweet potato fries w/ cinnamon and sugar
Ice cream, probably Mello-cup
Pickles, thanks to the Mt Olive booth
Polish sausage
Cotton candy (usually purchased on my way out, and consumed while driving home)

[KaimukiMan]

that's junk food? since when did roasted corn become junk food?

[mpjmph]

The corn isn't really junk food, but as part of a day-long festival of gluttony? It's probably the healthiest thing of the menu for the day.

[fallingup]

I've never been to the North Carolina state fair...I think I might this year! You forgot the funnel cake :)

[mpjmph]

I've never been a funnel cake fan. I used to feel that it was something I should like, and I would try it, but after a few bites it always went in the trash. Too much grease/sugar without any real flavor for me...

[fara]

thanks m, now I know what we're doing this weekend!

[madgreek]

I'm afraid to try this again, because I'm sure I'll over indulge, but as a kid, a friend's mom used to stock pile junk food in the basement. Our favorite late night snack was easy cheese and nacho cheese doritos. We would make quesadillas of sorts. Just "cheese" and chips. Wow. This sounds good about now - lol.

[RealMenJulienne]

Never feel bad about eating a frito pie! The only thing wrong about your post was the "styrofoam package" which confuses me. Why involve another package when you can pour the chili right into the conveniently sized fritos bag?

I myself am fond of Totino's frozen pizzas. The yellow sign at the store beckons me: 10 for $10! "It's on sale so I'll stock up" goes vaguely through my mind and I pile up the red boxes in the cart. The female teenage cashier's eyes regard me with mild contempt and she does not return my hello.

I call my roommate and tell him to preheat the oven when I am in the car. Within minutes of arriving at home I am looking down at a crispy, crackling, red-and-white disk, glistening up at me like the tearful face of a child. Things go blurry and all of a sudden the plate is empty but for some flaky crumbs which I chase around the plate with my finger. I notice the oven is still on and I have another vague thought about not wasting the heat, so in goes another Totino's.

Immediately three things happen: the second pizza hits the oven rack, the first pizza hits my stomach, and I am hit with a wave of profound regret. It is too late to turn back now. I think gray thoughts while the pizza is cooking and when it is done, consume it mechanically. Then I skip dinner.

[Caroline1]

Why does the styrofoam package confuse you? ALL food tastes better when someone else prepares it. I bought the Frito pie at Burgerstreet! They serve in styrofoam.

[RealMenJulienne]

Caroline1, frito pie is one of those things where the first way you eat it, is the only way to eat it! For me it was at elementary school lunch, when the lunch ladies would ladel leftover "ground-meat-with-sauce" into snack size frito bags. That is why the styrofoam confused me. I do agree however, that it tastes better if someone else makes it!

[Firegoat]

My mom made a version growing up of fritos, ground beef with the mexican spice packet in there, with toppings offered of shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.
I usually just went with the cheese.... and sometimes added ketchup. Because I am a heathen.

[Caroline1]

You're right. Almost everything is best when prepared the same way you had it the first time. But until this thread (or is there another that also mentions it?) I had never heard of adding wet food to a dry food bag and mixing it up. I feel quite sure that if I ever tried it, the bag would split and I'd end up wearing the contents. Ever heard of Murphy's Law? You're talking to Mrs. Murphy.

[RealMenJulienne]

Caroline1, accidents have been known to happen with the pour-into-bag method. Alas, such things were less important to us in the carefree days of elementary school.

[aggiecat]

Yep, and back in the day the frito bag was not a mylar film plastic, it was a little sturdier. So as a standard fund-raiser, ball game, swim meet, summertime cook-out option the SOP was: you had a vat of chili (usually "food service" canned) ready to go along with the dogs and the bugers. You had a big box of single serve packages of fritos. You also had a condiment station with cheese and chopped onions. So you take the fritos and you slice the bag open on the side, not on the top or bottom, fill the pouch with chili, stick in a spork and let the individual add cheese and onion, I liked mustard too but I'm weird.

Charge the going rate. Right now in Texas that would be $1.50 at the last church event we had and the chili was donated, I think from Jason's Deli bless 'em.

So the confusion is, if you already have the single serve packages of fritos, why would you involve styrofoam? Although if you are using the generic food service enormobag of chips you need a delivery system. But, I'd make the paper hot dog trays do double duty rather than go with sytrofoam. Can you tell I've served on a few fundraising committees? Hey, paper never goes stale or smells "off."

[spellweaver16]

Ahhh, a sports concession stand favorite when I was in high school was similar. It was called a walking taco. They would crunch up an individual bag of Doritos, slit it down the side, and load in some taco meat. You then fixed it up with whatever condiments you chose and walked off with your taco :) I loved those things! A little too much.

[linxi]

You are so right. The Totinos Three Cheese pizzas are the one food I would eat for the rest of my life if stuck on an island (with a stove). I bought a high-tech pizza slicer just for those babies. And one fits so perfectly on a Chinet paper plate, it's like they were meant for each other.

[Vetter]

That is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

I lived on Totino's on Friday nights in college. I haven't had one since, but that doesn't mean I don't look at them lovingly in the freezer case.

[carlee134]

this was awesome.

[Janet from Richmond]

Outback cheese fries with tons of ranch dressing
Frito pie
Nachos supreme
Friendly's Reese Sundae

[adventuresinbaking]

Rasberry Zingers used to be my favorite guilty pleasure, until I became a vegetarian and read "may contain lard." :(

[mrsbuffer]

Ooohh I forgot about them, and Hostess SnoBalls, you know, those pink marshmallow covered with coconut things?

[adventuresinbaking]

My mom used to pack those in my lunches as special treats. Gack! They were so good, but so bad at the same time.

My dad and I used to also split a box of King Dons on road trips. Living in the middle of the Adirondack park pretty much turned any trip into a road trip, like going to the dentist :)

[adventuresinbaking]

The pink ones kind of weirded me out a bit. I don't know why more so than any other color.

I was up in the ADK's this weekend and hit the grocery store. There, I found those pocket pies that come in a box, filled with fruit or chocolate pudding with a sugar glaze. I was sooo tempted to buy one, but I thought the memory might be better than the actual food.

[KaimukiMan]

they now seem to be only available in white. how boring, white snowballs. I loved it when there was one white and one pink in each package.

[al b. darned]

I remember you could tell what season it was by the color of the Hostess Sno Balls...orange for Halloween, green for Christmas and St. Pat's day, etc.

[EWSflash]

My trifecta is Twinkies, Hostess cupcakes (with the white squiggle on top and sweet lard center) and the Snowballs. If I knew i was about to have my last sweetsI'd eat a twinpack of all three immediately. And a sixpack of those rice flour red bean confections that are either Japanese or Korean. But those aren't gross, just way yummy.

[hill food]

sadly Hostess no longer uses suet (beef fat) in their creme fillings...

but even more decadent than their cupcakes are the Ding-Dong and the Suzy-Q IMHO

[Goldendog]

I like to take a bag of pork rinds,preferably Golden Flake, mash them up in the bag, pour in 1/2 a small bottle of Frank's, a little Tabasco for some extra zing, then squish the contents into a paste. Eat it out of the bag with a spoon and favorite beverage----yummy!

[cannedmilkandfruitypebbles]

you win. That's nasty.

[almond3xtract]

Sorry, but that is entirely gross.

[emerilcantcook]

Poutine, or worse, poutine with foie gras (although the latter perhaps should not be classified as junk food due to the prohibitive cost)

Also, chili cheese fries. I know there is a pattern here, and there is something disturbing about smothering perfectly crisp fries with a substance that turns them into a glob; but I admit I like it.

[bubbles4me]

I think I love you....I have the same affliction and if there is the neon cheese food involed...done and done!

[flourgirl]

Yum. It's 8:30am where I am and that's still making me hungry,

[Firegoat]

oh man, favorite bar food..... Cheese fries with bacon crumbles and grilled chicken on top..... dip in ranch dressing.
Totally disgusting... but oh so good.

[pie22]

someone brought this thread back to life so i was reading through it and i must ask...grilled chicken? at that point, you need chicken fingers (buffalo sauced for me, please)!

[KevinB]

Yes, poutine takes the cake, so to speak. As one of my friends put it, "It contains all the four major food groups - grease, starch, salt, and fat". I love the stuff, but try not to eat it all that often. I don't want to have a "cardiac event"!

[cannedmilkandfruitypebbles]

My weakness is the Jalapeno and cream cheese Go Go Toquito from 7-11. I second guess myself everytime I ask the person behind the counter to get me one. But they're just too grossly delicious to resist.

[otps]

Little Debbie Swiss rolls, with a large glass of milk.

[Firegoat]

oh god. those are good..... love the swiss cake rolls.

also nacho's with the flourescent cheese sauce, and cheez whiz from the glass jar on ritz crackers

[noogitlvr]

little debbie swiss cake rolls frozen are awesome!!!!

[Firegoat]

How did I never try this? Frozen sounds delicious!

[Jonny509]

Chex Mix, Cheezit Party Mix, and kind of snack party and I'm there.

I could also eat a garbage bag full of movie theater popcorn if no one tried to stop me.

[Pampatz]

Jason's Deli makes a really good Frito Chili Pie. Perfect for a cold, blustery day. Don't forget to top with a few chopped red onions.

[mpjmph]

We don't have 7-Elevens in NC, except at the beach, so every time I'm at the beach or passing through VA I have to stop at 7-Eleven and get a Slurpee. And what's a Slurpee without a bag of ranch flavored corn nuts?

[mrsbuffer]

Taco Bell Nachos Belle Grande, no refried beans, extra guacamole
From Perkins -- they have a breakfast entree called eggs and biscuits. Two over easy, swimming in sausage gravy with hash browns and a side of sausage links. Heart attack on a plate.
Onion dip and lays potato chips

[dagrassroots]

A Smažený sýr sandwich on the street of prague at 4:00 am after a night of drinking liters of budvar. Smažený sýr is cheese, I thin edam, that is breaded and fried and sandwiched between two hamburger buns with tartar sauce.

[lovessushi]

Combos! You know those cheese and pretzel or cheese and cracker roll things - I could eat an entire bag! They're disgusting and delicious all at the same time.

White Castle - gross yet entirely satisfying (haven't eaten there in 10 years but still think about it)-

Doritios snack mix which is gross, unhealthy and so good

Mcdonalds fish sandwich with a 2 small burgers and a large fry. Enough calories for a day and a half and again, gross, yet so, so good (also somehting I haven't eaten in years but think about at least once a week)!

[sunangelmb]

I love combos so much. It is a sickness! Now I am craving them. Love the cheddar flavor best.

[DishDelish]

I grew up with a very economical and health conscious Mother but she always let us splurge occasionally so I remember getting the cracker cheese combos in my Christmas stocking since she knew I loved them. Ohhh I felt so special. I don't like the pretzel one as much though or the new flavors. Cheddar is the best, I agree. =)

[lovessushi]

My mom was that way too...but every so often she'd splurge. I on the other hand loved any type that had the "cheddar" - either cracker or pretzal. OMG so good - I can't buy them anymore because I'll just eat and eat and eat!!!

[DishDelish]

Lol, yeah, I rarely buy it ... and if I do it is maybe 2-3 times a year. Walmart gets me, cause sometimes they have them in the check out isle.

[sunflwrsdh]

I totally agree with the Combos...completely disgusting and junk, but every once in awhile I get a craving for them too. I also like the cheddar flavor best.

[rohirette]

God yes Combos!!! Washed down with Coca Cola!

I like the Pepperoni Pizza kind, not the stupid Pizzeria Pretzel kind, which is everywhere.

[Tripeler]

re: dagrassroots

"Smažený sýr is cheese, I thin edam, that is breaded and fried and sandwiched between two hamburger buns with tartar sauce."

[L_W]

I am a sweet junkie.....That being said:

Reeses Pieces Sundae with a Fribble (Vanilla) for lunch at Friendlys

[beth1]

Second that on anything from Taco Bell. Also, anything that begins with the syllable "Mc." Ever seen a McFlurry melted? It looks like melted Cool Whip. It even separates into the layers of water, oil, and white stuff at the top. There's a place in Panama City, Fl. called Tom's that has this thing that combines a chili cheeseburger and the frito pie.

[Jen76]

Anything from Taco Bell, but sometimes it really hits the spot. I've heard their new flaming red tacos are particularly disgusting, toe-curling, yumminess, though I have yet to try. Not sure I can get over the red shell.

[bbqboy]

The volcano is pretty darn good, you betcha.
Spicy Nacho cheese sauce on the bottom.
an $0.89 bomb.

[swsidejim]

I also have a weekness for Taco Bell, only after consuming some cocktails though. It is one of the only chains I will got to.

I like:
steak tacos w/ sour cream
nachos belgrande
carmel apple empenadas
taco supremes

I tried the volcano taco, not spicy at all, and the shell had a weird chemical flavor, I wont be trying it again.

[moh]

I've stopped this now, but I used to get the full taco salad and a piece of fried chicken from a combo TB/KFC joint. I miss it , but I had to stop after I discovered how many calories and how many calories from fat was contained in this meal. Believe it or not, the fried chicken was the healthy part of the meal...

I've also stopped this, but I used to love the chili dog from 7-11. It had terrible bread, terrible wiener and a terrible chili, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Oh I'd eat these things again and be happy... but I am being a good girl and trying not to put myself in temptations path.

[KristieB]

They are as "disgustingly toe-curling and yummy" as you think, and the red shell isn't the spicy part it is that volcano sauce. Y UM. And the tacos aren't as bad a calorie blow out as the volcano burrito. I had just downed 3/4ths of one and looked up the calorie count on the Taco Bell website. HOLY MOLY was I shocked. 800 calories, 350 calories from fat, 2010 mg of sodium, and 81 carbs. Did I finish the last few bites? Well heck yeah seeing as it wouldn't matter by then anyhow. Have I ordered another, heck no. I want to live past my next birthday thank-you-very-much.

[smartie]

my lunch on Friday was a bag of Cheetos, and a Yahoo chocolate (milk?) drink. bleh and yummy

[goodhealthgourmet]

makes perfect sense to me - you get the savory, salty, cheesy crunch, tempered by chocolatey sweetness to wash it down ;)

Yoo-hoo was one of my favorite treats as a kid. my parents would occasionally take us to the local hot dog joint [Callahan's], and i always had to get the same thing - a dog, an order of fries [thick-cut, served in a paper basket, and they had to be eaten one by one, each speared with that toothpick], and a bottle of chocolate Yoo-hoo [only chocolate - the strawberry was vile, vile stuff]. when i went away to college, one of the things you were guaranteed to find in my kitchen [or the mini-fridge in my freshman dorm room] at any given time was a stock of Yoo-Hoo. it was the only thing i could keep down when i was hung over...which was pretty much every morning for four years. seems strange now that i think about it, because by then i was a vegetarian, and the thought of a hot dog would make me gag. but for some reason the association didn't ruin it for me.

[Kinnexa]

KFC Extra Crispy! I haven't eaten red meat in over 25 years, check soup labels to avoid beef or chicken broth, and converted my husband from a good red-blooded meatcutter's son to a pescatarian...but once every 6 or 8 months we'll look at each other with that gleam in our eye and say, "I feel like a bucket of dead bird tonight!"

[flourgirl]

My 7 yr old son and I love the "sauceless" hot wings at KFC. If not the hot wings, a bucket of extra crispy hits the spot. Like you said, not very often - but sometimes nothing else will do....

[fallingup]

KFC used to be my guilty pleasure, but then I discovered Bojangles! Now I can barely stomach KFC chicken...greasy, no flavor!

[Avalondaughter]

I was about to say the same thing. I love real fried chicken, but I still love KFC.

[teenytinytina]

I'm a Popeyes girl...mmmmmmmmmm...

[sunangelmb]

Don't shun me too much, but I love easy cheese. You know, the cheese you squeeze out of a can, and keep it in a cabinet. So gross to think about, but good to eat.

[al b. darned]

Even better than Easy Cheese...

When they used to sell Doritos 3D I got this idea from someone at a Frito Lay plant I serviced: Take a Nacho Cheese Dorito 3D, bite off one corner, and fill it with Easy Cheese. Repeat as needed. No self-respecting person would ever admit to enjoying these...but they *were* good. :>0 Too bad they don't make the 3D's any more.

Easy Cheese on top of a flat Dorito just isn't the same thing.

[ajs228]

Oh man, I can just imagine them bursting in your mouth like little cheese-filled treasures.

[foiegras]

You know how it's good, is on tiny toast with a pimento stuffed green olive on top. I, uh, read this somewhere ...

[EWSflash]

Oh yeah, on a triscuit or a nice long piece of celery. I just get so disappointed when it runs out...

[fara]

or on a nice long hot dog with an untoasted bun. just gummy fat.

[lynnlato]

Okay, this doesn't ring my chimes in the least, but it's about as unhealthy as they come: Deep-fried twinkies, snicker bars, etc. I cannot believe vendors sell this stuff and people actually eat it.

[mpjmph]

I've tried both the fried twinkie and the fried candy bar (milky way in my case). The twinkie was about as bad as you would expect. The cream melted into the cake, and the cake fused with the funnel cake batter, so it lost its inherent twinkie-ness and became a steamy pile of sweet, greasy, cake like stuff on a stick. The fried milky way, on the other hand, was pretty good. Almost like a s'more, with nougat instead of marshmallow.

[greedygirl]

I have a weakness for Mr Whippy ice cream - the kind that's probably never seen a dairy product and comes out of a machine with a piece of chocolate flake.

[Emme]

In high school, Jack in the Box - Chicken Supreme (the original round one before they screwed it up), Curly Fries, and an Oreo Shake... my BF could do the same except with that double bacon cheeseburger that had something like 75 g of fat in it...

[KaimukiMan]

I haven't done it in years, but in a similar vein, Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger, Large Onion Rings, Large Fries, and a Large Oreo shake. I think the ultimate bacon cheeseburger is what you were talking about that your bf ate. Its really good if you can get them to put it on the "grilled sourdough" instead of the bun.

[Emme]

yes that was the one... 63", 180 lbs or so... never caught up with him... his arteries i couldn't tell you about :)

[Passadumkeg]

Chicarrones y papas fritas con mayonese! Holy guacamole!

[Scargod]

I like a bag of spicey pork skins and a beer. I used to eat the hot corn nuts till I thought I had lost a tooth... Then I have dessert: dark chocolate Snickers bar.

[JoanN]

Oy! You reminded me of how much I love the chicarrones in Guatemala. All that fried fat with bits of meat clinging to it. Can't find them like that here in NYC. Or at least I don't know where. Probably best we keep it that way.

[Luvfriedokra]

Try Cuchifritos-I'm pretty sure they are throughout E Harlem and the Bronx. I used to live near one on 116th(1st&2nd). I don't know if the chicharrones will be exactly like you had, but they do have them!

[Passadumkeg]

I get my fix at Mi Bolivia Restaurant in Sunnyside Queens, many other Latin rests. there too.
ps Try the chicken saltenas. Warning: highly addictive!

[Cachetes]

Like Rick, mine is perhaps not as toe-curlingly disgusting, but it definitely counts as pure excess. This week I discovered that Reese's pieces dipped in Nutella are phenomenal!

[Davwud]

Ever dipped a turtle in peanut butter??

DT

[Sam Fujisaka]

Hilarious!!!!!

[SD_Livin]

You really got to hope the little fella isn't still kicking at that point - could get messy ;-)

[Davwud]

Yes, while a dead turtle is preferable to a live one the chocolate/pecan kind are the best.

DT

[Rick]

Maybe not as super crappy as some other things mentioned, but I can't resist Herr's Sour Cream and Onion Potato chips. A big super size bag of them only lasted 5 days in my house, and that was with me trying to be "good!"

[diablo]

I looked this up on Epicurious. It comes up as 'Tamale Pie'. I'm makin' it this week!

Darn you, Caroline1. Darn you to heck. You are seriously ruining my goal of becoming anorexic. Seriously ;).

[Ruth Lafler]

No. Tamale pie is made with corn meal -- I my mom made it when I was growing up and I've made it -- I think it was one of those Americanized "ethnic" dishes that were so popular in the '60s.

Frito pie is made with Fritos corn chips. The "recipe" is in Cathy's post above.

[diablo]

You are right, Ruth. This recipe calls for both cornbread mix and Fritos
www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views....
I'm still makin' it, but I am also tempted by Cathy's post. Maybe both?
Goshdarnit, at this rate, I'll always be chubby :)

[Ruth Lafler]

That actually looks pretty good. A lot of those Americanized "ethnic" dishes are pretty good in their own 1960s middle America way. That's the kind of dish you make for your family: easy, tasty, inexpensive and hearty.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Now I'm ready to give it a try (having made tamale pie), but can't get Fritos, canned chile, or American cheese here.

[Davwud]

PIck those items up on your next gas station run Sam

DT

[foiegras]

I haven't done this in years, but this thread may drive me to it ...

When I was little my mother sometimes served tuna salad with Fritos. So I used to get Fritos Scoops, and then the tuna salad becomes the dip. It's really necessary to make it with sliced black olives like she did for road trips ...

It makes me sad, Sam, to think of a country without Fritos.

Oh, this should all be accompanied by Dr Pepper of course ... I went cold turkey a couple years ago and haven't looked back.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Very sad indeed.

[DishDelish]

My hubby, children and I love to use yummy tuna salad as a dip for tortilla chips. It makes a great snack. I haven't tried it with Fritos though....

[Cathy]

So here is how you justify it. It is almost Halloween and there are just too many sweets on sale and the chocolate may be a temptation at home or at work.

Costco sells a 50 pack of one ounce bags of Fritos(and Lays potato chips and Doritos and Cheetos) for $10.59- that is 21¢ a piece, and my limit for Trick or Treaters is 25¢.

Set aside a bag for yourself before giving the rest away. Canned chili will be on sale at some point in time. We always have shredded cheese at home, right?

...and you call yourself diablo....:D

[diablo]

Oh, you are GOOD, Cathy. Really good. I'm just not doing my screen name justice :)

[Cinnabon]

We use to sell "frito pie" at our school fund raisers $1.50 a serving

[Sam Fujisaka]

I've recounted this before, but once again: when I have to overnight in LA coming or going to Asia or in Burlington coming back to Colombia. I shoot for gas station cuisine: two corn dogs, two dogs, and two burgers (easy, now, it sounds like a lot, but if you wad these six items up with your fist, you get about a golf ball's worth of food) - each in its foil paper wrapping and long awaiting in the light - box heater. I get these and loads of squirt bottle mustard, ketchup, mayo, and sweet bright green pickle relish, onion, and jalapenos, jalapenos, jalapenos, from the plastic lidded tubs. Then either a large can of Bud or Schlitz - or two, or other 'Mercan beer OR across the street for a pint of Jim Beam (white please!) - and good to go! Whoopie: Crappy Unhealthy Disgusting Toe-curling Junkfood AND AND American Network TV news and the Food Shows! Gimmie RR and all the other baddies I wouldn't otherwise know who to knowingly villify.

[Ruth Lafler]

What? No nachos?! (see above)

[Sam Fujisaka]

I promise you, I'll look for them on my next fine culinary adventure! I've actually had nachos only once - in the sports bar in LAX's international departures area. I think they were upscale and were quite good.

[James Cristinian]

Come thru IAH and try Houston's take on nachos. I think there's a Shell station on JFK, try the stale chip nachos with canned cheese sauce, don't let them skim the scum off, wash it down with a Lone Star or Pearl, almost forgot, the very non-lethal jalapenos. Continental flys to Cali, broaden your culinary/cultural horizons.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Clearly a must for my future culinary quests. Thank you.

[Panini Guy]

Sam, re: (easy, now, it sounds like a lot, but if you wad these six items up with your fist, you get about a golf ball's worth of food)

I get the distinct feeling you've actually done this... for science purposes, of course. It all goes in the same place, right?

I'm thinking it's more like a tennis ball size, possibly a hardball. But I'm wondering if with enough compression you could get a diamond ;-)

[Sam Fujisaka]

Better to incinerate--to get rid of the hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and so on--prior to squeezing the remaining carbon into a lattice.

[southernitalian]

Sam - wasn't there something about several cans of Chef-Boyardee the last time you revealed this ritual?

[Sam Fujisaka]

The CBRD ravioli is for one of my nights or lunches in DC where I have had a great suite hotel with a great kitchen. There I also have been able to consume canned sauerkraut, canned chili, Jimmy Dean pork sausage, cheap pickle relish, peanut butter, and grocery store bagels and English muffins and more.

[southernitalian]

Cheap pickle relish!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Light neon green. SafeWay.

[foiegras]

I think that stuff glows in the dark, and it now occurs to me to wonder why ... is it made near Three-Mile Island?

[bbqboy]

Not all at once!
Do you go into Supermarket Overdrive when you hit the states?
Don't you need some Nalley's Chicken & Noodles from Bi-'Mart? :)

[Sam Fujisaka]

The supermarkets here don't have any good bad food, so have to go all out when in the US. Bi-mart? I remember those from Oregon.

[tracylee]

I'm sure they are a NW (or Oregon) chain. When I first mentioned Bi-Mart to my SO when he moved out here from Maine, he thought it was something a bit perverse, so to speak. Growing up here, that had never occurred to me!

[mlgb]

Corndog at Disneyland.

Monte Cristo would be worse, but I draw the line at the corndog.

[Ruth Lafler]

A Monte Cristo is not junk food, though. It's insanely rich and unhealthy, but it's not junk (i.e. mass-produced of cheap ingredients of questionable origin and loaded with artificial chemicals).

I have a weakness for nachos with day-glo orange cheese sauce. I don't even like nachos with "real" cheese, but occasionally I get a craving for the mini-mart version.

[mamachef]

Years ago, my boyfriend went off in search of nachos for me and came back with nachos with REAL meat and REAL cheese. I ate them, but it didn't satisfy the craving so the next day, when I filled up the car, I found dayglo nachos at the Shell station and had to have them. W. extra pickled jalapenos. And it did scratch the itch.

[dduane]

Oh dear. For me it's the godawful cheap tacos at Jack in the Box. The 99-cent ones. (They used to be 99 cents, anyway: it's been a while since I last hit a Jack in the States, so I'm not sure if they're the same price still.)

Those things are such desperate junk. There can't really be meat in them: or maybe th company occasionally walks a token cow past the factory where they make the stuffing mix. But I *cannot* resist those things. It goes back to when I was in nursing school on Long Island, and a Jack was the only fast food to be had in the neighborhood. Now, every time we get back to the US, the hubby has to suffer through watching me seek out the nearest Jack, buy about half a dozen of them, and eat them *all.*

I'm not proud of this, believe me. (mournful look)

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I love those tacos too. And since I've never seen any felines walking around the local Jack in the Box, I have dubbed them "cat meat tacos". I know what I am having for dinner. :)

[mamachef]

My husband calls them "dogfood tacos" and cannot bear watching me eat them. He can even smell the wrappers when I buy a couple and have a private couch/taco party.

[Caroline1]

For the record, they are not 99 cents each. They are TWO for ninety nine cents. That must say something about the quality of the ingredients. But I too MUST have a couple once every year or so. I can't help myself.

[rabaja]

Darnit, now I want to go try one. Or two, or four.
eta: the recent story on Taco Bell's "meat" is helping to hold me back though.

[Caroline1]

Don't worry about it. I would be greatly surprised if JitB uses ANY beef in their taco filling. '-)

[Cinnabon]

They make it easier for us taco junkies. For the past few years they've been 2 for $.99 cents. DH & family love these, so I go thru the drive and order 20 tacos to go please..

[epicureous eggplant]

My highschool yearbook teacher used to work at Jack in the Box in his younger days. He said that the Jack in the Box taco meat is soy!
This was confirmed awhile back by a young man at the drive thru window :)

[KaimukiMan]

from the Jack-in-the-Box website:

http://www.jackinthebox.com/ourfood/i...

Beef Regular Taco or Beef Monster Taco® Filling Ingredients: Beef, Water, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Soy Grits, Seasoning . . . {etc}

[bbqboy]

Vindicated! Not only are they good(mainly between midnight and 6:00am),
but good for you too....:)

[chef chicklet]

I'm guilty. So guilty I make my own version of these little devils.

[Caroline1]

Is that possible? EVERY Jack in the Box taco I've ever had is a puzzlement of cooking technique. They are always crisp and taco-ie around the perimeter with a ravioli-like pocket of filling saturated in grease in the center. My experience is that they are sometimes served hot, often served close to cold, but always with hard crusty edges and the well oiled pocket of filling in the center. I curse them every time I buy them, focus on gratitude they are 2 for 99 cents, lick my fingers until they are painfully clean, and get on with my life. Until the next time.

[chef chicklet]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@N03/2682419291/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@...

Now I used white corn tortillas here and white cheese but the way to make them is to fry your saute product, add your seasoning then side a little into the tortilla and fry it in about 2 inches of oil ( I used corn oil) then add the lettuce your salsa ( I saved their packets!) and then add the cheese and shredded lettuce.
I got the concept from a Mexican gal that worked. To try it I used monterey jack, but the whole thing tasted pretty close. Yes it was soft in the center, and crispy hot at the edges. The trick is not to put too much filling, or it will fall out.
I really enjoyed these..... You can buy soy that is like hamburger, they use American cheese, and soy.... Now I'm craving them... hmmmm Breakfast!

[James Cristinian]

Trying to maintain at least a modicum of healthy eating, I once ordered one taco at Jack in the Box only to be informed that they were 99 cents, same price as two. Oh well, nice try, I ate both of them. I saw per your original post that you're 75 and live in Plano and have just now tried a frito pie. You must not be from Texas, but if you are, you must have had very strict parents or very strong willpower.

[Caroline1]

Good surmise! Nope. Not a native Texan. Born in Los Angeles, moved to San Diego when I was five, summered in San Francisco with paternal grandparents. The California I grew up in now only exists in people's memories and dusty old photographs. So I don't go back. But my brother still lives there. I live in far east Plano... It ends in my back yard. Country-ish here, reasonably clean air with trees so dense in my backyard I can ONLY see the Arabian breeding farm behind me in the wintertime. Imagine my surprise my first autumn here! Unfortunately, I have a colony of squirels that horde all of my pecans... From all three trees! Ah well, pecan pies aren't exactly diet food.

[James Cristinian]

My Grandmother used to make a very good fried squirrel, chicken fried. Alas, my days of shooting furry animals and birds are past me. I do enjoy fish caught from the Texas coast, just finished off some speckled trout caught in June in the Gulf.

[rabaja]

I still dream about Texas pecans. The little teeny ones, they are just so cute and sweet tasting.
I'd get a sling shot and some squirrel stew recipes.

[Davwud]

Would you have had the story not come out??

DT

[dduane]

Simply: ditto. Back in the day I went to nursing school in a place where the only fast food for miles around was JitB. Addicted! Now I live in Ireland, and dream of the damn things. Every time we visit a US region that has them, my first stop is for a bag of half a dozen or so of these pestilent things. Gone in a matter of minutes...:)

[mamachef]

I think, by the way their product comes out, that they stuff it with "meat", deepfry it and then fill it. Wow.
I could eat 2/99c right now, but instead I guess it's oatmeal this morning.......
or leftover potroast.

[foiegras]

I cannot eat those Jack tacos without getting sick--so I was cured before I ever developed the disease ;)

I guess my weak spot is the blue box--every so often I have to have me some Kraft three-cheese shells. I 'enhance' it with extra Velveeta or American cheese (and ground bison, onions, scallions, and grape tomatoes to balance the scales a bit).

[MissKiKi]

I've always joked that it was raccoon meat in those tacos. BUT... they are so darn good!

[GulaSocordia]

Why, oh why, do those tacos have to be so tasty?! They are the bane of my existence. >< I'm craving two now. Melty American cheese, questionable "meat" product, and greasegrease grease!

[fern]

The Triple Play at Chili's. It is horrible for you, trashy greasy bready buffalo wings, chicken crispers and Southwestern wraps, each with its own sauce junk food but I love it. Listen to this:

2330 Total Calories!
177 g Total Fat
5360 g SODIUM!!!!

I can eat the whole thing.

btw, Caroline1, I have never had Frito Chili Pie but I can't keep fritos or potato chips in the house or I'll eat them til I'm sick. I guess that means I already am sick, hmm?

[Cathy]

Get a vendor bag of Fritos, open it and spoon in some heated canned chili and toss on some shredded cheese. Eat out of the bag.

...not that I have ever done this....

[fern]

Curse you, Cathy. May you join Caroline1 in her eternal hot seat for planting this idea in my head.

[beachmouse]

I've noticed Frito pie on the menu at Sonic a couple times when I've been there.

[revsharkie]

O yes! We always used to get those, along with extra long cheese coneys.

[mariannas]

Ahhhhh yes...the "Frito Bandito." I was first introduced to that magical mixture at a summer camp I used to go to. We always had Frito Banditos on our overnight camp out...and S'mores of course.

[CDouglas]

Where I am from they add diced onions to the above and sell them at local football games. They are called "walking tacos".

[Buckskin2]

Ive never eaten it out of the bag only because I didn't think of it. My favorite in collage was canned chili out of the vending machine with corn curls eaten out of the can. It helped me maintain my GPA

[dratlover]

While I haven't had this culinary treat in years, I used to love dipping crispy Cheetos in cream cheese. If that wasn't enough, I would fry up about four pieces of baloney and slap them on white bread with a big slather of Best Foods mayonaise. I was white trash years before i ever heard that term.