Do you have a favorite I'm-alone-now-so-nobody-will-know favorite dish?

[Caroline1]

When I make any kind of food -- Asian or not -- for guests, I always make everything from scratch. It's not fair putting the blame on Marie Calendar or the Jolly Green Giant if anything fails. But when I'm alone and want something that is normally a whole lot of work with no pain, no strain, I keep a carton of Ajinomoto "Gourmet Pot Stickers" in the freezer. 12 to a tray, 6 trays to the carton. They do come with a dipping sauce, but I customize mine with a little added fish sauce, Shao Xing wine, shoyu and some regular and chile sesame oils. Simmer until their bottoms are crusty and brown, then enjoy. There are tons of variations, as the mood strikes me.

Do you have something that you save for yourself when you're alone because you don't want the rest of the world to know you can be that lazy? I figure what the rest of the world doesn't know won't hurt them. '-) So tell us about yours and we promise to keep it a secret.

[demitasse04]

Trader Joe's fake chicken nuggets. The texture reminds me of certain kinds of fish roe.

[pie22]

i just posted this in another thread:
i have been known to make nachos using fries as the base for myself at home in the past but i don't tell others cause of how sloth-like it seems!
sooo good, oven baked fries topped with shredded mexican style cheese, refried beans (if i have them), tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers and black olives with salsa, sour cream, guac on the side, maybe a little iceberg lettuce on top at the end...soooo good tasting, so bad for me!

[Fydeaux]

I had something like this at a sports bar in Portland where they used tater tots. they called them totchos. Delicious!

[JenJeninCT]

Stovetop tuna casserole- One envelope of Knorr Pasta Sides Alfredo made as directed(well,, maybe a little extra butter) on the stove, with a can of well- drained tuna, and a handful or two of frozen peas and/or corn

[BrooksNYC]

My riff on peanut butter and pickles is a sandwich made from fresh almond butter (a generous schmear) plus New Orleans olive salad (which I get from Central Grocery).

Good on whole wheat or sourdough bread. Also good on crackers.

[ritabwh]

cheese whiz on toast

[ritabwh]

oh, i forgot to mention frozen fish sticks!
:-))

[lemonchanson]

Amy's blackbean burritos...two come in a carton and I usually eat both! I love the sauce, the corn and the little squares of tofu that are in these! Sometimes I add fresh shredded asiago cheese to the top when I'm done nuking them! If I'm really feeling my Cheerios, I also cut up fresh avocado and tomato and spritz these with lime juice and diced Vidalia onions...yum!!!!!

[RelishPDX]

Eggs poached in strained bacon grease. It's ohhhh so good. I learned this technique from a Southern housewife nearing on 25 years ago, who served eggs this way to her family every morning. I think I've been able to allow myself to poach eggs in bacon grease perhaps three or four times since.

Another is a lightly-buttered baked potato topped with small curd chive cottage cheese. Not that it's necessarily bad, but the one time someone saw me eating this, I had to go into the whole explanation about how my parents were health food freaks in the 60s, which bores me at times.

For the complete effect, the potato would need Saffola margarine instead of butter, but margarine has never once entered my shopping cart since moving out on my own. I'm rebellious that way. But gotta admit, the potato/chive cottage cheese combo is delicious, although chive cottage cheese is fairly difficult to find nowadays, so I don't eat this as often as I would if I could find this cottage cheese more regularly.

[mattstolz]

eggs poached in bacon grease... drooooooolllll

[PHREDDY]

A can of Chef-boy-arde ravioli, with fresh grated parmagiano ...

[Just Visiting]

Cream cheese frosting from the can.

[staughton]

I loved that Simpsons episode. "Hey, Homer. Can we have a can of frosting for lunch?!"

[lafouchow]

Macaroni and Cheese from a box with added herbs and peas to jazz it up.

[klj11]

A box of Kraft creamy mac and cheese with a can of Rotel mixed in...AND extra Velveeta. I know, I know....but its so good!

[cantbeatgoodfood]

This is bad,Try to never eat this around family or friends,usually alone,parents did it years and years ago,here goes lol............A Wish Sandwich lol slice of white bread with either ketchup,or brown/yellow mustard on them,just when im hungry,it's quick and easy lol

[BobB]

I like the name - Wish Sandwich, as in, "I wish I had some meat to put in there?"

[cantbeatgoodfood]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! Yep,They didnt call that of course,I DID...........Ketchup,Brown mustard,Yellow mustard,,& not now but as a kid i would put miracle whip ,i was very young didnt know any better,40+ years since i dont go near any mayo,the smell,texture and taste makes me heave+throw up.

[fillyfilm]

Go to breakfast: mushrooms (any and all), peppers, onions, stir fried, topped off with a little white wine. Then doused in Sriracha. Stir fry with 2 eggs.

OR

Any meat (hot dogs, left over burgers, left over chicken), frozen potatoes or cubed potatoes, diced onions, diced peppers, anything else you want. All in a cast iron pan, throw in the oven for 35 minutes or so. For the last 5 minutes throw in some shredded cheddar & hot sauce. Serve hot. Made this for a friend and she loved it!

[tomhensr]

My wife thinks it's gross but I love hot spaghetti with garlic powder and black pepper tossed in a small amount of Marie's Creamy Cole Slaw dressing. I think it's terrific.

Canned Sardines in oil will chase her out of the room and she complains about the smell of the kitchen trash until I tie it up and bring it out.

Same goes for large canned snails which I cook in garlic oil -- She retreats to the basement for some computer time until I'm done.

Those wouldn't be considered shameful indulgences but years back I used to make myself a pot of Stovetop Stuffing and dowse it in red wine -- Protip: Don't attempt to eat that if you have been drinking Blackberry Brandy -- Mess you up!!

[terrierboy]

It varies. Sometimes, it's latkes/potato pancakes. Sometimes, it's a pot of GF noodles (especially buckwheat/pumpkin/ginger soba) with some smart balance and either romano or rustico cheese or just smoked salt and pepper. If I can afford it, I love to just do a shrimp boil (lemon and Old Bay in the water), though lately I've just been roasting or sauteing the shrimp in olive oil. I also love some white beans tossed with sauteed greens, garlic and onion over GF pasta; add a sprinkle of pepper and romano. Yum. Sometimes, I enjoy making a sundae with Coco Bliss (coconut) ice cream (most flavors), cocoa nibs and organic PB.

[Cremon]

Oh how I understand where you are coming from. I love spanish octopus, sardines, kimchee and love anchovies on my pizza. All 4 of those foods have my wife and my daughter fleing the kitchen if I open those containers.

I'll take a can of Vigo octopus, drain the oil and put it in a bowl with romaine lettuce and some cucumber, I'll drizzle a little olive oil on it a sprinkle it with Hawaiian rock salt. Awesome light lunch.

My wife and daughter don't understand my love for these foods. I have two boys - the younger one will eat this stuff with me but the other one (my oldest), while he won't duck for cover - doesn't care for my adventurous food choices.

[kubasd]

That spaghetti with Marie's dressing is very intriguing.... I have both on hand with no dinner plan in place....

[Ambrosia_apples]

My husband discovered this when he lived in Australia for a year. It sounds a bit odd, and it's not very healthy, but it's sooo addictive: Ramen Omelettes.

Take a bag of chicken ramen, and squish the noodles into smaller pieces. Cook in a smaller amount of water, and add season packet (I add only half or three quarters because of the salt content). At this point most of the water should be gone. Put in a medium bowl and cool down the noodles a bit.

Add 3 (I add 4, which my husband thinks is too much) eggs to the noodles and mix up. Prepare a small frying pan on medium-medium low heat, and poor half the mixture in. Cover and let it cook until the top starts to set. Flip over, put cheddar cheese on half, and fold over when cheese is mostly melted.

Recipe makes two omelettes, and I eat both. Way more than I need, but the stuff is way too good.

[mattstolz]

sounds very similar to a recipe ive seen on David Rocco's show he called "spaghetti pizza" except he used spaghetti and added some pasta sauce and kept it flat

[Ambrosia_apples]

I've heard of spaghetti pizza, but I haven't tried it yet!

[Sonny_Funzio]

a bit like scrambled eggs or omelets with either matzo crackers crumbled in, or chex cereal. Omelet with matzo, olives and cheese is tasty.

[DavidA06488]

Be still my heart. Thank you.

[Cremon]

Kimchi. I buy it in a jar from a Korean grocer and I keep the jar hidden in the back of the bottom of the second refrigerator in the garage so the family won't know I even have it. I sneak it when I am home alone.

[DavidA06488]

Do they try to steal it if you leave it out? Lucky me; I don't have to share AND can leave it out.

[Cremon]

Sadly, no - they complain incessantly about the smell.

[DavidA06488]

Then, more power to you. Enjoy!

[mattstolz]

they dont know what theyre missin!

[DreamCyn]

God, I practically live off of kimchi and rice when my boyfriend's not home. Sliced kimchi (i use a mixture of fresh stuff my mother buys me from a local woman, as well as a super potent kind i buy from my favorite asian super market) with white rice, and a fried egg (sunny side up, please!) topped with shredded nori and sesame seeds. *drools*

[Sonny_Funzio]

Papadum.
Very thin bean curd wafers about the size of a round tortilla. You might have had em at an Indian restaurant.
I make them by frying them just about 20 seconds on each side and then sprinkling with a dash of salt. .50cents worth creates a pile of fried papadum about a foot tall.
I top them with whatever is on hand ... curried onions or chutney etc if I'm lucky ... otherwise anything from salsa to sour cream to tahini.
A $1 package, fried up, will keep you munching for an hour.
Fried like this they are *Ridiculously* addicting. Indian crack.

[mattstolz]

very un-houndish of me, but my go to guilt-free snacks are

green beans tossed with soy sauce and garlic powder, then steamed in the microwave (its embarrassing how often this happens

arctic zero "ice cream". it might not have the best flavor or texture, but it gets the job done for a little while... and ya can have the whole pint for the same caloric count as a half cup of the real stuff.

[QueenDairy]

My guilt-free snack is radishes. I can eat a bunch of them! :D My bf thinks I'm strange...

[mattstolz]

good crunch, little bit of a kick.... sounds like a good snack to me!

[ocbaker]

My secret meal is hot dog "pinwheels": sliced hot dogs rolled up in flattened and sliced Crescent rolls, baked and dipped in mustard. Yum!

[magnolia]

Split a banana lengthwise. Spread one half with crunky peanut butter, the other with Nutella. Sandwich together and cut into bite-size pieces. Wash down with a glass of milk. Great for breakfast!

[mattstolz]

try dipping it in chocolate and freezing after sandwiching back together. you wont be sorry.

[QueenDairy]

that sounds divine :O

[QueenDairy]

Two words: Pork Rinds.

[DavidA06488]

Homemade, I hope. Started making them when I had the rind left over after making pulled pork. Cut them up and bake at 200 for about 20 minutes, then fry them, drain and salt them. I can't stop eating them when I make them, then they are gone until I make some more. Awful for the cholesterol, but awfully good.

[QueenDairy]

Omg yes! I am guilty of tossing them into my pot of beans, soup, etc. But freshly made by itself? Sooo goood. ^___^

[DreamCyn]

I've started making pulled pork bbq at home with a big pork shoulder, and after wasting the skin the first time I did it by cooking it with the shoulder (it [the skin] became a mass of mush that I ended up giving to the dogs), i now throw it in the oven while my bbq is cooking in the slow cooker. 5 or more hours at low temp, and by the time the bbq is done, i have crispy crunchy skin just like off the top of a Pernil. mmm...always serve it on the side of the BBQ now, but i get a stomach ache from eating so much of it!

[DavidA06488]

I do pork shoulder for bbq in the oven, too, but wrapped in aluminum foil. After 5 or 6 hrs, I pull it out of the oven, and the skin is pretty firm, when I pull the pork apart, I take the skin off in one piece, cut it into about 2" squares, put them on a sheet pan and into a 275 degree oven for 20 minutes to get rid of some of the fat, then fry them in oil for a bit until they begin to puff, then out on a rack and sprinkle with sea salt and chipotle powder. They are so addictive even though they are constricting my arteries with every bite. Can't stop eating them.

[GulaSocordia]

I love this thread so much. :O So many sinful, guilty pleasures that sound so good! Mine are pretty trashy, but I lovelovelove them. So comforting.

Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas
Peanut butter and sugar sandwiches
Peanut butter and Mrs. Buttersworth, mixed together and spread on white bread
Spaghetti-o's poured over white bread and eaten with a spoon
Cornbread crumbled in a glass with milk poured over the top

[mattstolz]

peanut butter and mrs buttersworth: even better over banana pancakes

[dhmill]

I like a peanut butter sandwich(crunchy peanut butter) with full strength molassas. Sometimes with a banana sliced lengthways.

[DavidA06488]

Ever tried it with cajeta, not molasses?

[mattstolz]

now THAT sounds good!!

[DavidA06488]

It is. Have loved it since I was a kid.

[dhmill]

No I haven't. I have no idea of what cajeta is.

[DavidA06488]

It's Mexican goat milk caramel. You can find it in Mexican markets and some regular grocery stores, as well as online. It's like the best caramel you've ever had, thick like molasses. It's magic with peanut butter. If you try it, you'll love it

[KailuaGirl]

Ooooh! Your mention of cajeta reminded me of Mexican milk candy. Whenever I'm back in San Jose I go to the grocery store on the corner first thing and buy a bag of the stuff and put it in my purse. When I get to my godparents house I put my luggage in the room, sneakily eat a milk candy or 2 (don't want to share with all the kids around), THEN go out to drink beer and talk story with the neighborhood...

And you're right, cajeta is the best caramel type stuff ever! Wonderful with ice cream! I'll have to try it with peanut butter.

[kubasd]

I went to college in a small town in rural Virginia. The next town over was even MORE rural. There was this tiny Mexican restaurant run by this HUGE (tall, broad-shouldered) white guy from Oaxaca and his grandmother. She would make the cajeta in a huge kettle, and the batches would cook forever!! They served it over crepes with vanilla bean ice cream that his kids made. Their food was soooo good, but my boyfriend at the time and I were the only people I ever saw eating there, and it closed during my junior year.

[DavidA06488]

What a shame . Before their time and in the wrong place, but with the right soul.

[terrierboy]

We used to have one of those tiny family run Mexican restaurants in my home city, as well as another one about 20 miles away. Their food was so fresh and authentic; it was pure bliss to eat there, but there were so few people who knew about them. I moved away in the mid-80s; I doubt if either of those restaurants is still around. Such places are little gems. We had a small Italian/California fusion place in a small NJ town where I lived for a few years. The family was Italian, but the son, who had lived in California for a few years, had picked up some inspiration from the then-fledgling local food movement. His marriage of old world Italian and modern California freshness (which resembles the way Italians eat back in Italy) created bliss on a plate. I can still taste his homemade ravioli specials. I still love those little, family-run types of eateries in any cuisine.

[dhmill]

That does sound good. With or without the banana. Another thing that is really good with peanut butter is Lingonberry preserves. It's sort of like cranberries. Both sweet and tart. Makes a great pb&j sandwich. It's hard to resist simply eating it directly from the jar with a spoon.

[DavidA06488]

Know what you mean. I still have a bucket of lingon from before Ikea stopped selling them. Haven't tried them on a pb&j sandwich, but have had them the classic way with Swedish meatballs - wonderful in a synergistic way. I will confess to eating them directly with a spoon, however. Also love cloudberry jam and gooseberry jam, too. Great on a toasted English muffin with melted butter!

[mse924]

Cube sharp cheddar. Wrap in pieces of canned crescent roll dough. Soak in bottled Italian dressing. Bake. Inhale. Repeat.

A go-to comfort mixture from when I was a kid: Instant Quaker Oats (uncooked), mixed with cinnamon, brown sugar and melted butter. Basically just a big bowl of uncooked fruit crisp topping. Sometimes I dip apple slices in the mixture to try to make it "healthy" :)

[KailuaGirl]

The cheese thing sounds wonderful! I used to do the same with oatmeal but would add wheat germ to try and pretend it was "healthy." :-)

[alkapal]

i went through a wheat germ phase in college.

[buttertart]

I like plain dry out of the box oatmeal. Don't like porridge, but I like it raw.

[mattstolz]

have definitely done that before and gotten some weird looks. I'll also use raw oats to add some texture to my protein shakes (both stirred shakes with whole raw oats and blended shakes where they get chopped up with everything). i especially like the chew the whole raw oats give!

[KailuaGirl]

I should have mentioned that - we used the wheat germ with raw oatmeal. It was summertime and too hot for regular cooked oatmeal or any other hot cereals. It was actually quite good.

[Journey]

A stickler for presentation and cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients when others are around, left on my own I make up a batch of frozen mashed potatoes, some sweet corn and a pan of Bisto gravy granules (any flavour). Mix the lot together and then....blush...eat right out of the pan to save on washing up!

[Flintoid]

I have NO idea how I ended up on this site ~ a link to soggy bread, maybe? ~ but I have been laughing for the last hour! What a fun thread, Caroline1!
My fav lazy, home alone meals, trying not to repeat...
~Ritz crackers with peanut butter topped with applesauce
~Pasta n Peas (or lima beans); mush the peas, add olive oil and "evil green can parm" *lol*
~Claussen Hearty Garlic pickles and creamy Jiff
~Berry Frozen yogurt with calorie-replacing dark chocolate syrup. yep. for dinner. :)
~Garlic cheese and herb biscuits. Possibly with a cream cheese spread, if I don't have to make it!
~Cheezit's dipped in whipped cream cheese
~Chili, Chips n Cheese; canned chili, shredded cheddar, dollop of sour cream built on a dorito, one heart stopping chip at a time.
I'm sure there are more atrocities to my health, but these are my go-to nosh ons.
Looking forward to the rest of this site and more of your posts :)

[buttertart]

Boy, did you come to the right place! Welcome.

[NellyNel]

LOL!!

[DavidA06488]

Welcome, also. I like pickles and peanut butter, but chunky Skippy and Claussen Baby Gherkins. As you say, atrocities to our health.

[alkapal]

i miss the OP, caroline1. happy new year, caroline. well wishes to you from someone who has enjoyed your posts, and this thread!

on topic -- but of course -- my easy dish is doctored up instant rmen noodles. i probably add more stuff in than they put in the manufacturing process: green onions, lemongrass, shrimp paste, cilantro, sesame oil, stirred up egg.

~~~~~
ps, on the creamed chipped beef on toast, my aunt billie first made it for me, on toasted bread, and i liked it. still make it every four or five years, with chipped beef and butter roux plus milk. it is awfully salty, though.

[KailuaGirl]

That was actually how I learned to make a roux! Great memories. The gal that made it for me in 1970 is still my best friend. :-)

[DavidA06488]

The salt is a problem with the meat. Any thoughts on how to decrease that? Or a substitute? I guess then it wouldn't exactly be chipped beef.

[alkapal]

i wonder if one soaked the beef whether that would leach some of it out…like one does with salt cod. maybe if the salt wasn't there, there wouldn't be much flavor left. LOL.

but it is worth a try. for an alternative, you can make sausage gravy -- even better!

here's how:
brown some good country sausage

sprinkle flour over the sausage and rendered fat in the skillet (leave enough fat in there to make a roux; remember fat = flavor).

stir constantly over medium heat to cook till the flour gets medium to dark tan

add milk to desired thickness

add freshly ground black pepper (some people add cayenne, too)

serve over hot biscuits, toasted bread or in a pinch a toasted english muffin.

YAY! (this is the reason i only make creamed chip beef every five years out of nostalgia. the sausage gravy is a heckuva lot tastier).

[DavidA06488]

The thought of soaking it has crossed my mind, but do I want to do that if the end product is pretty poor. You're right about the flavor being in the salt in chipped beef. Forget the dried beef and just go with the gravy I think the sausage gravy idea is the way to go. That I can go for. Haven't had any since I could get sausage and biscuits with gravy at the NCO Club lo those so many years ago. We were able to get mini biscuits with mini sausage patties, what are now called sliders, and we put strawberry jelly on them or the gravy. Really good.Thanks. It puts me in the mood to make some.

[alkapal]

sausage, biscuits and grape jelly is also a winning combo. ;-).

salty, savory, greasy, sweet, all couched in a fluffy, flaky steaming hot biscuit…what's not to love?

[DavidA06488]

True, true. The grape jelly combo was also great. As you said, what's not to love?

[AsperGirl]

"Shit on a Shingle": An army mess hall version of chipped beef on toast. The version I was exposed to involves the use of, among other ingredients, ground beef, evaporated milk and beef bouillon. It really doesn't taste quite right without those three elements. There's no substitution of "better" ingredients that matches the flavor combination. The only ingredient substitution that works is whole wheat for the white bread. My husband loves it too. I can eat it every day.

[KailuaGirl]

I first has SOS in 9th grade when a friend made it. The version I make has dried beef in a medium white sauce, toast that's been buttered then torn into large bite sized pieces (the better to soak everything up) then covered in the beef stuff. I went home and told my parents about this amazing new culinary discovery of mine, only to learn that they'd known about it all along! Now I make it sometimes with the Stouffer's creamed chipped beef - but only when I'm alone.

[DavidA06488]

I first had chipped beef on toast made by my mother, not terrible, but so-so, then I had the Army version in a messhall - ground hamburger in a leaden white gravy. I might give chipped beef another go but not the army version. Might want to give the gravy a bit of a revision, and I think it might be quite nice.

[mattstolz]

eggo minis covered in peanut butter and syrup. sometimes they dont even need to be warmed--- actually enjoy them with the slight frozen chill and crunch

[alkapal]

waffles with peanut butter and maple syrup. the peanut butter slightly melts and blends with the syrup, and nestles in the little nooks and crannies of the waffles. alternative starch: english muffins, highly toasted.

[KailuaGirl]

Another alternative starch: highly toasted bagels. Great for open faced sandwiches of all kinds or with butter slathered on, then cream cheese, then raspberry jam for breakfast. Not low cal, but it'll last you until lunch.

[mattstolz]

any bready type thing is a good sub for the pancakes i think!!

also, re: the cream cheese, i've been mixing cream cheese with some peanut butter lately to make a makeshift peanut butter cream cheese topping for bagels, toast, waffles, etc. very good!

[QueenDairy]

My crazy (weird but good) breakfast sushi-
First, I make a huge pancake, spread cream cheese on it, add scrambled eggs on top of the cream cheese, some breakfast sausage on top of that. I roll the pancake up very tightly, then slice it up into "sushi". And dip it in hot maple syrup. Recently, I confessed to making this when alone and my boyfriend begged me to make it for him. Now it's all we ever eat! LOL!

[eclecticsynergy]

Have you ever tried splitting the bagels and buttering them first, then putting them under the broiler so the butter browns as they toast? My favorite way to toast a bagel.

[ThePiedPiper]

I know this is old, but I love it! Let's see:
Nachos: Tortilla chips sprinkled with pre crumbled feta and doused with white vinegar. Heated to perfection.
"Cookie dough": Peanut butter mixed with sugar until it ceases to be gooey. (If you add an egg it actually makes good cookies).
Also, spongebob shaped Kraft Mac & Cheese with extra parm. And while we're being juvenile, pair it with some A&W root beer straight out of the 2 liter bottle.

[alkapal]

now that tortilla with feta and vinegar is a combo i've never -- ever -- heard of.

sodium plus sodium plus vinegar. wowza!

[mclellan36]

Tuna fish sandwiches dipped in cream of mushroom soup...

[jbsiegel]

New one just discovered....canned crab meat mixed with edamame. Some how the saltiness of the crab works well with the edamame! Don't ask HOW I came up with this one!!

[WhatsEatingYou]

Sourdough bread from the bakery (like especially when its slightly undercooked) ripped off in chunks and dipped in mayo! I don't need the rest of the sandwich!

[gregsamsa]

Years ago I beat a brain tumor and the second round of radiation took away my ability to taste and smell. I was losing weight fast and weak all the time, and had to find a low-effort way to "trick" myself into tasting stuff by making things scalding hot and interestingly textured.

To this day the back of my cupboard is never without La Choy or Chung King Chicken Chow Mein. You know the kind that comes in two separable cans? I would quick-heat the HELL out of it and scatter hard Chinese noodles over the steaming mass. It kept me alive and I will always be grateful for the effect of all those water chestnuts, baby corn, and squiggly sprouts. I rarely eat it now, but I like knowing it's there.

[Disneyfreak]

Great news on beating the brain tumor!

[DavidA06488]

For me it's a container of lemon hummus and a bag of tortilla chips or a jar of corn/black bean salsa and tortilla chips, or a jar of chunky peanut butter and a spoon (especially with some baby dill gherkins).

[Cakegirl]

When I was single, it was a big bag of potato chips and freshly made Lipton's Onion Soup Mix dip (fresh so that the freeze-dried onions were still crunchy).

Now, it's Kraft Macaroni & Cheese deluxe dinner--the kind with the cheese sauce in the pouch. So salty and fatty and so good.

[Cactus Wren]

For some reason this topic reminds me of the opening chapter of Jessamyn West's "Cress Delehanty", where the twelve-year-old heroine, alone in the house for the day, makes a lunch of a mud-colored, mud-textured mixture of condensed milk, sugar, and cocoa powder.

As for me, I heat Campbell's Chunky Chicken-Broccoli-Cheese soup and pour it over a baked potato.

[alkapal]

isn't that a wendy's fave? my dad always loved that!

[soenjaku]

"Shrimp Wiggle": béchamel, frozen peas, 2x cans of tiny shrimp, all over crushed saltines. It's something that's been in my Maine family for years.

[alkapal]

i love that name for the dish. "mom, can we have shrimp wiggle tonight?"

can you imagine a restaurant with a dish on its menu --- "x wiggle." ? LOL

"ah, yes, i'll have the foie gras wiggle with fennel foam."

[QueenDairy]

This made me rofl

[RosePearl]

Aw, I'll cop to Le Seur Peas, mixed with mayo, salt and pepper, minced onion, cubed Velveeta,, and shame.

[alkapal]

add some minced celery (and use regular cheddar), and you have my mom's pea salad. pimento bits for color and extra piquancy. i have a couple of cans of those peas in the cupboard, and need to make some in memory of my dear mom this christmas. she loved the salad, and even when she was quite old and didn't cook anymore, she'd make that for family get-togethers.

[JenJeninCT]

A sandwich made with pimiento cheese, sliced sweet pickles (vlasic gherkins for me, please), and the softest, cheapest white bread known to man.

Like they said in Ghostbusters, "something from my childhood, something that would never harm me!"

[alkapal]

that sounds good to me!

[mattstolz]

things im ashamed to admit:
-canned sloppy joe mix+cheddar cheese+chips (especially tortilla or sour cream and cheddar) to dip
-deli turkey rolled with cheese
-cottage cheese (by the quart)
-ice cream (by the gallon.... as a meal)

did i really just do that?....'s
-jar of JIF+spoon (the whole thing)
-natures valley bars by the boxfull
-thin mints (sleeves at a time)
-tomatoes+salt+pepper... so many tomatoes.

not ashamed to admit it, but wouldnt tell my fitness friends:
-cinnamon sugar toast (nomnomnom)
-kettle corn (so much kettle corn)

[jimmytheface]

Neat topic. I've got a couple....

First, I like to make kraft mac (also will eat the whole box) where just before I stir in the cheese powder I drop about a spoon full of barbecue sauce on the macaroni and mix it in.

Also, cheez whiz sandwiches.

[ocbaker]

I used to eat cheez whiz and peanut butter sandwiches. Or bacon and peanut butter.

[pinkfluffyclouds]

Buttered toast with raspberry/strawberry jam and a heavily-peppered scrambled egg...so good. As a little kid I always put jam on scrambled eggs, it's such a good combo.

[alkapal]

grape jelly on scrambled eggs -- it works! LOL (esp. if a nice sausage patty and a biscuit are involved).

[GulaSocordia]

I completely forgot about this combo! :O So delicious!

[serapharia]

Sauteed chicken livers on toast. I like chicken gizzards too, but with rice. Also, canned tuna mixed with rice and furikake, sometimes with canned corn. Oh my, broiled canned sardines with paper thin slices of onion. Smelly cheese and crackers.

[QueenDairy]

<3 indeed!

[Cynamar]

I don't know that I eat anything particularly odd when I'm alone but I don't eat at the table then so I tend to put everything in a bowl together either layered or crammed in next to each other. I love fried potatoes, an over-easy egg, and diced tomato layered or broiled fish on top of buttered noodles or potatoes and canned green beans (I divide the can of beans with the dog) or peas. Those are normal home-alone meals for me. I also eat a lot of cheese and fruit with really good bread.

[cmztrav]

I can't call it a dish, per se, but I had a fondness for Dinty Moore beef stew for quite some time growing up. I think they changed the recipe since then, the beef is more like mushballs now, sadly.

Frozen potstickers can be wonderful, but I wouldn't keep eating them a secret.

My big one is spaghetti cooked, mixed with sauce and sliced pieces of mozzarella (lots) and then slightly microwaved to melt but DEFINITELY NOT LIQUEFY the cheese gently. It's a plate of pure butt-and-gut food and oh so tasty.

[NanH]

It's not what so much, as HOW much. I will make clam dip with philly, a can of clams and some worchestershire, s&p. With a bag of kettle cooked chips.

All gone.

[Pzz]

Now I know that I'm not alone with that particular obsession. I've had to abandon it since I moved to California because the chips are wretched out here and the canned clams don't taste right, either. BTW, when you mention "kettle cooked chips", might you be referring to Utz's? Such memories.

[bac0n]

I would eat a couple tablespoons worth of condensed milk, straight from the can.

[QueenDairy]

I absolutely adore sweetened condensed milk. I can eat it all by itself or as a topping for fruit and cereal. I love several heaping tablespoons stirred into my coffee. And evaporated milk. Don't even get me started on that. I can drink it straight out of the can, undiluted. So yummy.

[isntsheclever]

It seems sort of sacrilegious that this is my first ever post... But I couldn't resist.

I cannot think of a single thing that I am ashamed to eat in front of people... But there are a handful of things I only eat when I am alone. Either because my husband won't eat it, or I'm feeling supremely lazy.

Skettios with meatballs.
Egg drop soup from a packet.
Ramen with a really yolky poached egg or two.
Kettle corn.
As much good bread and butter as I can stuff in my face before I feel sick.
Totinos with extra parmesan.
A whole box of classic Kraft Mac & Cheese, with too much butter.

Mmm... Tasty preservatives!!

[alliegator]

I can't believe I'm about to admit this to anyone. But hard salted pretzel chunks quickly pan fried in butter are divine. If you need some protein, pepperoni slices on the side work great. Wash down with several bottles of Miller Lite.

[QueenDairy]

Yum!

[AfghanFoodie]

I don't cook homemade meals as much anymore because my husband dislikes so many foods.

But the one thing I love is an old 1950's snack my mom made for us as kids, which she got from her mom.

Bananas with mayo and peanuts. Split bananas lengthwise, spread mayo and sprinkle peanuts (whole or chopped) on the bananas. True comfort food reminding me of my mom who made all our meals, our clothes and even doll clothes for our Barbies. She's still the hardest working mom I
know at 71.

[Caroline1]

Did your mom ever date Elvis? Sounds like they were made for each other! '-)

[KookyCook]

Yes! Our neighbor who was from the south use to make these banana treats for us. I think she called them Banana Croquettes. To this day, I can't eat a banana without at least dipping it in mayonaise. I can no longer eat nuts though. My husband thinks I am NUTS! :-}

[02putt]

Taco Macaroni. Taco meat filling with Kraft Dinner. The funny thing is I thought I invented this when I was a starving student. My teenage daughter found an old picture of me and friends eating it and asked me to make it. A couple of months later she came home from school and said this really cute boy was having it for lunch. Turns out after his dad thought he invented it as well. If they ever get married at least I know what to get them as a shower present. Maybe his dad will go halves! :P

[monavano]

Lean Cuisine mac & cheese with ketchup and parm from a green can.

[KailuaGirl]

Lean Cuisine cheese canneloni with lots of garlic jack on top, thereby eliminating any "lean" to the cuisine, but so damn good!

[caames]

Ok, you guys are gonna laugh, but my secret pig out is steak ums, my husband says they smell, my dog won't touch them, I would die before I fed them to my kids but late at night when I get the munchies and hubby is working the graveyard shift, three or four times a year I indulge, fried with onions, kraft sliced cheese and on toast with ketchup, GOD I AM ASHAMED !!

[Miri1]

How can i admit this? When no one is around I eat frozen french fries or tater tots and frozen fish sticks. I bake them till crispy and nosh away. I make a little tartar sauce and close the lights to hide my shame :)

And I might have a can of Bush's vegetarian beans with some cheese on top... all melty and sweet and salty and Mmmmm good!

[alkapal]

bush's vegetarian beans are the best of the bush's lot -- the "cleanest" taste, in my opinion.

[BabsW]

Tater tots topped with parm from the green can and slathered in ranch dressing. Good gravy. I may have to have that this weekend, as I'm in a major comfort-food-needing time and will be all alone.

[Pzz]

I, too, love those flaked, formed, chopped and reconstituted sheets of beefy strangeness. And have even bought and consumed the off-brand imitations, as well. I can only assure you that I've worked through the shame to the point where I can put them in the shopping cart right in front of my girlfriend and everything.

Maybe we need to start a support group or something.

[shanagain]

Hahaha - up above you, from June of '10 - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5983... - ditto.

[KailuaGirl]

What are steak ums?

[BobB]

Prefab frozen sliced beef bits intended for use in quick steak 'n cheese subs, etc.

http://steakumm.com/steaks.htm

[KookyCook]

Yes! When I am alone, I treat myself to my own version of Beanie Weenies using Van De Kamps pork n beans, sliced hot dogs, brown sugar, catsup, and a squirt of mustard, and some pepper. Yummy! :-)

[AdamD]

great thread
no crazy combos or anything exotic
but I have been know to slice up a hillshire farms kielbasa, put it in a casserole, cover with KC masterpiece BBQ sauce, top with shredded cheddar and bake.

Then I will thrown on a game, open a cold beer and eat the keilbasa rounds with a toothpick.
I also love smoked oysters from a can-on crackers with chopped red onion and cream cheese.
And I always keep two packages of stouffers deluxe french bread pizza around for those really lazy days.

[somervilleoldtimer]

Ah, yes -- the Stouffers deluxe french bread pizzas. I used to keep them around but then my kids got old enough to get into the freezer, so now I'll have to wait a few years until they leave home before I buy more.

[thefishcansgivejinjin]

I have another one: wash potato(s), keep skin on but prick, put in microwave for two minutes at a time, then a minute at a time after semi-cooked, turning over in between taking it out till it's do. Cut open, slather with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. OR after you take it out of the microwave (this time don't cook it ALL the way), cube and fry with oil/butter and whatever spices you want for delicious homefries!

[Riverman500]

Bacon with mayo and cheezwiz on white toast. Sometimes I substitute fried spam for the bacon. If I'm feeling ambitious, I add a fried egg and a side of Doritos.

[buttertart]

No sour cream onion dip?

[Riverman500]

Yah, sometimes sour cream onion dip, or store bought guacamole. And Snickers ice cream bar for dessert!

[buttertart]

In for a penny, in for a pound: go for one of those big Haagen Dazs jobbos.

[DreamCyn]

I eat a lot of guilty pleasures when I'm alone; fried spam & eggs (or spamghetti), canned sardines in olive oil/onions/garlic/lemon with rice, smoked oysters, straight out of the tin, fried chicken livers, and a salad with a super potent dressing made with garlic, lemons, olive oil, and salt-- blended to creamy perfection.

[mamachef]

It has vastly more to do with being alone so Mr. can't smell it, as these are two things he truly objects to that I adore. Mashed sardines in mustard sauce on Ry-Krisp with a dab of horseradish and pepper added for mashing; and sauteed chicken livers done medium rare, with onions and fried eggs and ketchup. ; )

[mariacarmen]

that does it. you're adopting me. i don't care that i'm old enough to be your twin sister.

[QueenDairy]

Mamachef, that sounds delightful! When Mr is away, can we rendezvous and eat? I love liver and sardines!

[mimolette]

a few things i can think of right now. Really good cheese and bread, canned sardines, especially the small lightly smoked ones, smoked oysters with crackers, smoked duck breast, smoked salmon, so yes i like smoky foods. I often add smoked paprika and capers to the smoked seafood. But there is something i do no one does as far as i know: I dice up taro into very small pieces. The taro has to come from big taro roots with striking purple veins, not the tiny korean or japanese ones as they are nearly flavorless. cook it in the microwave for a few mins with water. then i mash up the taro with a fork or spoon somewhat, add fast cooking oatmeal, microwave again, stir in some sugar, a very tiny pinch of salt, add a little milk to cool it, and there, a really delicious, nutrutious fast and warming easy dessert. btw i eat this particular oatmeal on the thin side, enough oats to bring out the taro fragrance not enough to kill it. so basically i am using oatmeal as the main body as well as thickener but taro as flavouring. I have tried splenda to replace sugar and it worked. I would imagine perhaps condensed milk or coconut milk would do well too. The thing is I always eat this thing myself, and unless there is already a can of condensed milk or coconut milk already open, I never wanted to go through the trouble to open them just for this purpose. Another very simple thing i like that I doubt most people like as much as I do is oven roasted hazelnuts, I think they have the best texture of all the nuts. I like other nuts a lot too, but almonds, a little hard, chestnut, well, somewhat like a woody potato, brazil nuts...not buttery enough, macadamia nuts are too oily, walnuts are too soft and pecans are too crashable and a tad too oily, cashews are too milky.

[Pzz]

Taro oatmeal? Amazing. If Chowhound doesn't give out yearly awards for this sort of thing they should start. I nominate mimolette for a Houndie Award...

[DoobieWah]

In a similar thread, ("Spouse is away, so what to saute'" or something like that), I offered anchovy pizza. Love the stuff.

But just last night as I was rooting around in the back of my pantry, I came across a can of Austex tamales and thought of this thread . That's right, I said a "can". And they're wrapped in wax paper for goodness' sake!

See, despite my tamale sleuthing credentials, (thread on Houston board), I keep a "can" of tamales on hand for ...

Now get this...

Tamale Casserole. My paternal grandmother's tamale casserole to be exact.

One can of Austex tamales, One can of Wolf Brand Chili, ("How long's it been..."), and chopped onions and cheese to taste.

Build it in layers and bake until bubbly. My son won't touch it. But once in a while, I just hafta make it.

I've tried using "good" handmade tamales and homemade chili, (which I am somewhat famous for), but it just isn't the same.

It just isn't as good.

I suppose I'll have to turn in my ChowHound card now. It's been fun....

[buttertart]

Are you kidding? That tamale casserole is what I want right here right now, thank you very much.

[mariacarmen]

+1!!

[BobB]

Ditto - and it's a terrible tease too, since I can't get anything from either Austex or Wolf Brand here in New England.

[williewill]

yeah processed cheese. My sister's friend worked in the plant where its made. It's pretty gross stuff, but I still love it. I keep a couple of blocks frozen for emergencies or when I'm real lazy. I used to keep some in the fridge but not anymore its to visible there.

[nsstampqueen]

First off, spinachandchocolate, I wish my husband had your polite sensibilities (he will lick a plate, bowl, or any other kind of eating vessel in my presence – never in public, I hope) then again he also chews with his mouth open in front of me. Guess there is something to be said about being comfortable enough with someone to eat the way you want to in front of them.

That being said, when I have the opportunity to dine alone (which is very rare) I tend to treat myself to something that would cost way too much money to feed a crowd. So I will stop on my way home and buy a HUGE 3 pound lobster and steam it up, melt some butter, boil a potato or two, and go to town! The scraps go in the garbage before anyone else gets home – no evidence!

If I am sick I will order Wonton Soup – that’s my go-to feel better soup, and eat it by the gallon.

If I am lazy and alone, I will make Pillsbury frozen personal pizzas – deluxe of course, topped with a monstrous handful of mozzarella cheese, baked in the convection microwave, two at a time!

Seeing as I am the only cook in the house, it doesn’t happen often that I end up cooking only for myself, so I try to take advantage of it wherever I can. I will make things like the lobster, stuffed pork chops, prime rib steak, stuffed baked taters, fancy salads, cabo salads, seafood, etc. Does that make me a bad person? I hope not, I just like to spoil myself, seeing as everyone else in the house gets spoiled with my cooking on a daily basis.

[stopurmakingmehungry]

OMG I thought I was the only one that will go to town on the fresh shellfish alone with the whole lemon and butter thing. Be careful of the smell.. if you get caught, just say you had some canned tuna. As the cook of the house, you do deserve to spoil yourself sometimes.

[somervilleoldtimer]

Try the Stouffer's Deluxe French Bread Pizzas!

[spinachandchocolate]

For me it's sometimes how I eat the food. I sometimes think it just tastes better using your hands to pick up a grilled chicken breast and dipping in sauce. I also like to lick my plate or bowl after a delicious meal. I would not do this in front of others, though.

[Firegoat]

As I would never allow my corgi to lick my plate when I was done ...... in front of others.

[cosmogrrl]

My dogs have been very upset with me when I licked my plate in front of them, thus denying them the pleasure. S'okay I'd put some more sauce on a plate for them. But still those looks.....

[mariacarmen]

love this!

[thefishcansgivejinjin]

UMMMM totally. Licking my plate is my FAVORITE PART!!! I only do it around my boyfriend, who is the only person who doesn't think it's disgusting or weird. Well... he might think it's weird but it amuses him. Sometimes he even gives me his plate to lick which makes me the HAPPIEST GIRL IN THEW ORLD!!! I think it's only logical to want to lick your plate! The sauce is always the best part, and I think the way the whole tongue gets coated when licking makes it even more flavorful and enjoyable.

[Pixiette]

I am more and more secretive of an eater because of the large varieties of this type of food I can categorize this way in my diet. It can be anything. In particular, coldwater fish-head like salmon, halibut, black cod, and other messy foods that don't look polite eating in front of other people but taste heavenly rich & satisfying.

Otherwise, it's McDonald's drive through chicken mcNuggets. FRESH MADE!

[Pzz]

<sound of delurking>
OK, here goes...

Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt topped with maple syrup and a *little* Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Sliced all-beef hot dogs, browned with chopped onions and then mixed in with scrambled eggs
Chef Boyardee Beef Raviolis (avoid the big cans, they're mostly tomato sauce)
Grilled Spam & Cheese - grilled cheese sandwich with a slice or two of well-browned REGULAR Spam and the hottest dijon mustard I can find.
Homemade clam dip - canned chopped clams mixed with cream cheese and a few drops of Lea & Perrins, that's it
Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (salted, please) dipped in jelly and eaten when nobody's around.
Fried Scrapple covered with syrup (Maryland thing)

Now is when I recommend that the squeamish look away...

Hormel Pickled Pigs Feet - in the jar so you can admire the skin, bone, fat, tendons, etc. Salty, jellied, vinagered splendor.

Now for my big question: After all these culinary confessions, will no one admit to eating Vienna Sausages??? Costco sells a ton of these and I've never seen anybody even go near them or look directly at them. Are Vienna Sausages the food equivalent of porn where you only buy them when nobody's watching? I, of course, would never touch those damn things. Just saying.

[susanwayward]

Vienna Sausages are delicious as a sandwich on bread with mayo or Miracle Whip. Spread your dressing of choice on one slice of bread, slice the sausages in half, arrange them in a layer, and top with more dressing and another slice.

Or so I've heard it said.

[DreamCyn]

I love vienna sausages! When i was a kid I'd eat them out of the can (and share them with my dog), but i don't do that very often nowadays. They're so cheap!
in my mixed-race hispanic family, we make Vienna Sausages in rice: slice vienna sausages and brown in a bit of oil and homemade Sofrito seasoning, mix in uncooked white rice and water or chicken broth, then cook as you'd normally cook rice. When done, add a bit of butter and Goya's Sazon seasoning to give it some color and oomph. Yum!

[QueenDairy]

:O I love pickled pig's feet, pickled eggs, vienna sausages, any canned fish. And yes, it is food porn. I always lock the door, dim the lights and play some soft music before diving into a can. :P

[alkapal]

i'm hearin' barry white…..

[QueenDairy]

rofl

[bittensweet]

Avid lurker here...but couldn't resist the urge to post.

-Oatmeal(not instant) mix in butter, milk, sugar and a pinch of salt...while that cooks away...fry up tortillas in butter til they just start to brown. When the oatmeal is done, cut up apples and bananas and mix in...tear a piece of tortilla and dip in....so good!

-cook up some bush's baked beans with brown sugar, cinnamon and a little mustard...add sliced boiled hotdogs (or fried cut up spam if you're being fancy!) And serve with a slice of soft almost doughy white bread! Heavenly!!!

-fried egg, thick sliced bacon, buttered toast with a dollop of strawberry jam...perfect breakfast sandwich

-strawberries with brown sugar and sour cream (cold or broiled)

-big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs then top it off with a few teaspoons of sugar

-leftover cold potroast

-haribo original gold gummi bears chilled in the fridge

Weird but yummy guilty and highly classfied pleasures

[mariacarmen]

"-big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs then top it off with a few teaspoons of sugar"

whaaa??

[onceadaylily]

I think this is at *least* in the top three.

[mariacarmen]

OADL, i agree.
bittersweet, you are unaptly monikered!

[BobB]

But it's not bitteRsweet, it's bitteNsweet.

[mariacarmen]

oh, duh! ok, then totally aptly named.

[bittensweet]

I like really sweet spaghetti sauce....it's so weird. I've been secretly adding extra sugar to my spaghetti when I make my plate since I was a kid.

[cosmogrrl]

I really like sweet spaghetti sauce out of a jar too. Prego is actually my fave, but then I do something weirder, I add plain low fat yogurt to it, mix it all up and eat! Yum!

Something about the tangy with sweet that i just love.

[SherBel]

Hamburger stroganoff, straight out of my grade 7 home-ec book. Made with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, which I keep in the pantry specifically for this treat. (Beside the Klik, but that's another story.) I eat the hot, creamy, slightly goopy stroganoff on papardelle, with lots of sour cream and so forth....it's still crazy good after all these years, I kid you not.

[staple]

The super-lazy meal of late has been a package of natto, mixed with chopped scallions, eaten with buttered toast. Or toast topped with smoked sardines straight from the can.

And a beer.

[ritabwh]

sometimes i will mix up the natto in the styrofoam package, tear off the lid part, and eat the natto straight from the package with a spoon.

[ritabwh]

what brand beer?

[marymac]

Campbells pea soup with buttered bread torn up and left till soggy.

[jennifer42]

This wonderful, never-ending thread reminded me of my childhood love... full-fat cottage cheese mixed with full-fat sour cream. I think I'm going to pick some up on the way home.

[Firegoat]

I like cottage cheese with right out of the bottle French dressing! (Catalina in a pinch.)

[somervilleoldtimer]

When I was little, it was salami sandwiches with cottage cheese on cheap supermarket white bread.

[aliveandwell]

I adore this thread. My live-in boyfriend is a chef and when secretly buy packaged food I have to take the packaging to the dumpster immediately.
One of my favorite alone foods is taco salad. Really only embarrassing because of how it looks. Cook ground beef with cumin, chili powder, onions & jalapenos, make pico de gallo and guac, heat up taco shells, etc. Mix the ground beef with cheddar & jack cheese while it's still hot so it gets all melty, add picante sauce (made in New Yawk City!), pico, guac, chopped romaine, broken up taco shells, and a ton of sour cream. Mix it all together into a gloopy disgusting-looking mess, eat in front of television.
Another one is a sandwich of lightly toasted white bread, thickly buttered with cold butter (the toast should be cooled so the butter doesn't melt. this is very important.) with salami and romaine. YUM

[thefishcansgivejinjin]

I do a bowl of rice, top it with some "fried dace" out of a can - you can get this at asian markets - along with the dark rich black beans in the can, and drizzle the rice with some of the oil in the can, a good quality soy sauce, dark sesame oil, and sometimes a chili sauce/paste or oil. Nuke for a minute. While it is in the nuker change into fuzzy pjs and make a nest on the couch with a snuggly blanket. Take bowl out, tuck self in, FALL UPON AND DEVOUR... oh my god the unctiousness of this makes it seem like someone spent hours preparing it... hao xiang ah! Umami like you couldn't dream up. it is SO bad for you probably though... preservatives, msg, salt, MMM MM GOOOOOD. there's another chowhound messageboard about this somewhere...

my college roommate had a thing with chef boyardee's and sriracha.

my boyfriend's mom does chicken ramen with frozen mixed veggies, chili garlic paste, and a bit of peanut butter.

my mom puts whatever chinese leftovers she has into a pot with water, little cubes of potato, some tomato and garlic, and makes a DELICIOUS soup out of that. a little chinkiang vinegar, some sesame oil maybe at the end. maybe there will be some other fresh additions to it, like a poached egg, or some greens, some rice or noodles (gua mian)...etc. AMAZING. sometimes this is what she serves for dinner and it's hilarious how people go crazy over it. "What is the recipe??!!" Lol....

[wenster]

Mmm I love fried dace! On congee... mixed in with a ton of peanuts, pickled whatever... but I have no qualms eating all of that in front of people...

Of course, I do try and hide my love of cheese and peanut butter sandwiches... or cheese and jelly sandwiches. Fried dace, on the other hand, I'm open with my love!

[alkapal]

this dace? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dace
or this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrhinu...

what does it look like in the market? link a pic?

[thefishcansgivejinjin]

I think it's the mud carp, which is a type of "dace". I have no idea though. And you know, it could be any fish they throw in there, I'm not sure the regulations are that strict. Let me know if you find out!

Like I mentioned in my first post, there are other chowhounding threads about this. I could only find this one --> http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/288594 today. I really thought there were others though...

[aching]

My standard meal when my husband is traveling is whole wheat angel hair pasta with marinara sauce from a jar and lots of cheese - Parmesan, chevre, feta, whatever I happen to have on hand. And lots of minced garlic. I never get tired of it!

[spinachandchocolate]

Wait, how is this a dish when "nobody is looking?"

[shanagain]

I'm guessing it's "from a jar." (I had the same reaction to the person who mentioned radishes, butter and salt - how is that something to hide? The butter, maybe?)

[aching]

Yes, both the "from a jar" marinara sauce and the mass quantities of cheese make it a guilty pleasure for me!

[spinachandchocolate]

Why is eating pasta sauce from a jar embarrassing and you'll only eat it alone when nobody is looking? I just call that a food snob!

[aching]

Well, by that logic, pretty much everybody who has responded to this thread is a food snob, then. If it offends you, you probably shouldn't be reading it.

[masha bousha]

it's not my all time favorite but a nice guilty pleasure is ye olde fish stick and cheese sammich on a roll. I saw the "recipe" on a box at the store once and HAD TO go home and make one. mmm.

[matteo1973]

Yup. Tuna Helper Cheesy Pasta with cooked bacon mixed in.

I have it about once a year... and I always feel like pure white trash when I eat it. And after I've eaten it, I feel like i want to vomit. It is my secret shame.

[LaPomme]

Now that I'm married, it's hard to indulge my secret food shames. When I was single, I kept a CostCo-sized box of Marie Calendar's potpies in the freezer. I would nuke one, and mix it up with boxed Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese. Salty, carby, preservative-filled goodness.

One of my other Secret Single Meals involved Campbell's Cream of Chicken AND Cream of Mushroom mixed together with sour cream, Parmesean cheese, and Worcestershire sauce poured over egg noodles.

[Emme]

i'm not sure if i really want the answer to this question but... what exactly do you mix together? the mac into the pie contents?

[LaPomme]

I would cook them separately, but mix them together on the plate.

[Aravisea]

This is less in the "I cook it when alone because it's lazy" and more "I cook it when alone because it's so unhealthy" but about twice a year I LOVE an omelette with just cream cheese and cheddar as the fillings. There is zero redeeming health quality, but it's SO good.

[QueenDairy]

O-M-G. I am a total cream cheese slut. This sounds divine. :O

[Disneyfreak]

In college my roommate introduced me to Kraft mac and cheese tuna casserole. You boil the Kraft mac and cheese pasta then add the powder, milk (less than the recipe calls for), a can of cream of mushroom soup and a drained can of peas. Mix it all together over low heat to make sure you don't ahve too much liquid and eat. Sometimes I still like it.

[BobB]

Tuna casserole with no tuna?

[Disneyfreak]

Sorry -- I add a can of tuna -- drained as well.

[mprasek]

Pasta Carbonara... about as fast as anything not out of the microwave, and really good, too.

My go to comfort food (replaced pasta Alfredo, about a 10 minute proposition).

[occula]

"Fast asian noodle bowl" mix of some kind - the ones that come with noodles, dehydrated vegetable packet, and an oily sauce. I like one of the spicy flavors.
Add to that, chopped sauteed (or stir-fried) onions and bell peppers; fake chicken (Quorn); and a couple of scrambled eggs. And a bit of soy and a little extra water in the noodle preparation so it's saucy enough. OMG I have this with a big glass of skim milk in front of the TV when my husband's not home.
I might have this tonight, actually. om om om

[NellyNel]

Wow!
That sounds really disgusting!!
(I say that with all due respect! and a big smile
I have some pretty foul food likes myself!! Several in fact! Just read though this thread!
But really, I nearly gagged!
The skim milk part sent me over the edge!!

[occula]

oh lol!! Your smile came through loud and clear, no worries.
Really it's just like the worst pad thai or mongolian barbecue you ever had, or something.
Hey, water's fine! Or a pepsi! I just generally always have milk with dinner at home.
On the other hand, you might need booze to kill the taste.

[alkapal]

when i do those noodle bowls, i'll add a splash of fish sauce, some toasted sesame oil, and fresh green onions. i can eat way too much, and can feel my feet swelling up with all the sodium.

[QueenDairy]

That totally sounds like something I would eat! <3 :D

[NellyNel]

There is something about this topic that gets me hungier than any other!!!

So many little (embarrassing!!) food quirks that we all can relate to!
Things that comfort each of us in a way other people would NOT understand!
(Oreos dipped in sour cream anyone?)

Anyway Saturday night, after a day of eating healthy, I lost control in a bad way. I needed something swee and was still pretty hungry, but I didnt have much of anything in the house.
I was desperate so I grabbed a box of banana nut Cheerios and dumped a bunch of them into a jar of Nutella...
It wasnt too bad - it definitely satisfied the crunchy/sweet/gloopy urge all at once!
And it was a definitely only to be enjoyed lone!!

[dingey]

A Chef Boyardee pizza mix pizza. Don't ask me why. Normally, I'm a total pizza snob these days, but there's something weirdly sentimental about the Boyardee. Maybe it's because it's the first "food" that I helped make? When my dad was working weird shifts, my mom would occasionally make these for my brother and i, and we'd get to butter our hands to help spread the dough in the pan....

[iL Divo]

I like a good ole bowl of fresh radishes with seasoned salt close by

[caraely]

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (I, too, have eaten a whole box in one sitting)
Jiffy corn bread (ditto)

It's been years since I've had either, actually, but I can taste them as I sit here and type...

Luckily I was at a party recently where someone brought Lipton Onion Soup Mix dip with potato chips, and I dove right in. That is probably my #1 comfort food from childhood!

[ZenSojourner]

Me too, on the KMC (Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, not Kentucky Fried Chicken, LOL!)

Once in a great long while I get a craving for the worst greasiest most horrible food with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, which is Long John Silvers Chicken and Onion Strips and Hushpuppies. I'm thirsty for a week afterwords and the inside of my mouth feels like it's coated with grease for days, but about once in 5 years, I can't resist.

Chef BoyArDee spaghetti and meatballs. I'll eat it straight out of the can, cold, if I have to. I can't help myself!

Cheesy poofs. Not just any brand, it has to be Cheetos, the extra fat ones, not the skinny ones. I'm sure that parts of my innards are forever died a deep golden orange. Fortunately it eventually wears off your hands. About 2 or 3 times a year I'm hit with the need to turn my fingers orange again.

[QueenDairy]

I am addicted to the spicy Flaming Hot Cheetos. And they have Hot Fries too!

[calmossimo]

flaming hot cheetos and hot fries are the best! to avoid the orange stain on my fingers, i eat them straight out of the bag with chopsticks. i saw some friends do this years ago and couldn't believe i hadn't thought about it before. i now do this with all snack foods that have seasonings that might stain my fingers or make them smell -- cheetoes, chex mix, and the like.

[jeanmarieok]

I am guilty of making that Lipton Onion Soup Chip Dip at least a couple of times a year. There is no substitute!

[alkapal]

i got a craving for that the other day. but i had not-so-great sour cream (harris teeter brand) so didn't make it......

onion dip on wavy lay's YAY!

[buttertart]

That was THE big hit of my American dinner for French friends - I sent them home with a packet of Lipton's - they couldn't wait to try it at home.

[alkapal]

aaah, that's rich! Lipton's FRENCH onion soup mix!

that's what it USED to be called, right?

[buttertart]

Yes indeedy! And French onion dip!

[somervilleoldtimer]

I haven't made it at home in a long time, but if it's at a party, I park myself next to that table and eat until I'm stuffed. Why is it so good?!?!

[alkapal]

it has magic fairy onion dust. that's why it is addictive.

[mamachef]

I have a million things that I scarf privately, and won't bore everyone with the details. I hadda laugh, though, at the brand-name of your private potsticker stash. "Aji-no-moto"=Japanese for a brand of MSG. No joke.

[Caroline1]

True, but Ajinomoto is a well respected brand. I'm not positive, but I think they even make some of their things without using ajinomoto! Try 'em, you'll like 'em!

[ritabwh]

when i'm alone and feeling wild and crazy, i will sprinkle some ajinomoto over my sunnyside up eggs. that's how we did it in japan was i was a kid.

[kubasd]

one of my favorite egg preparations!

[ritabwh]

itadaki masu!

:-D

[tacocat]

A big bowl of brown rice or pasta with butter, salt, pepper, cheese, and a fried egg or two. This is my weakness.

[lilmomma]

what kind of cheese?

[tacocat]

Any cheese! I like it with cheddar or pepperjack.

[jenniferlove]

This will gross some of you out, but I love taking a cup or two of leftover jasmine rice, and adding it to a pan in which I've taken about 3 or 4 cloves of smashed garlic and browned them in a couple of teaspoons of oil. Fry the rice with the garlic until it's well incorporated, and salt to taste. I eat this with one of the following proteins:

Scrambled eggs (organic ketchup on the side)
Fried spam (organic ketchup on the side)

Or, my favorite, but the reason I have to eat it alone: dried, salted fish that's been fried for a couple of minutes to crisp it up. It smells like hell, but the flavor is so mildly fishy and it's so salty. I drool just thinking about it. I buy the dried fish at the local Asian markets, and I prefer the Filipino brands of either rabbitfish (danggit) or herring (tuyo). I eat this with the garlic rice and sliced tomato, and I dip the fish into a vinegar, pepper, and minced garlic sauce to help cut down on the salt/oiliness from frying.

My husband and kids refuse to touch the fish, and I'm the only one in the house that likes ketchup, so I have to eat this when I'm alone.

[playfulotter]

Indo mie Instant noodles...like ramen but you poor off the water after they boil (they come with four little packets you poor on top and mix at the end...palm oil packet, seasoning powder, thick sweet soy sauce and powdered chile powder)...I add a sliced up hard boiled egg and some french fried onions on top.....yummy! I also get cravings for XLNT tamales that come in the white bag near the lunch meat.

[Whosyerkitty]

I forgot about this. Brie and tinned smoked oysters on Triscuits. For dinner. My daughter is in Europe for part of the summer and especially since it's so hot, it's been my go to at least once a week!

[cosmogrrl]

That sounds very yummy!

[Whosyerkitty]

It is! Just not very well rounded :)

[nooyawka]

Did you know that you can eat uncooked ramen? Yes, it's a lazyperson's snack. I had a friend who actually claimed to love this.

[absolince]

sCRAMBLED EGGS IN BUTTER WITH A HALF A POUND OR MORE OF CRISPY BACON

oooops CAPS!

Baked chicken SKIN with salt

Potato bread, still warm garden heirloom tomatoes with mayo and S&P

Saltines with cold butter

Fried eggs in a bird nest (white bread with a hole for the egg, then fried)

Crispy Mary janes corned beef hash w/poached egg

Mrs T's Pierogies, boiled then fried in butter w/onions...then topped w/sour cream

Well cooked Fordhook limas, a little crispy and lots of butter

The crispy fat of a roast beef roast

[QueenDairy]

I eat slightly crushed, raw ramen noodles when there are no potato chips or popcorn in the house. I willl even season it very lightly with the packet. My boyfriend thinks it is the strangest thing, but I shrug it off and munch on. It's a texture thing.

[AnneM01]

I like the Indo Mie noodles and other spicy Asian noodles too. I boil them as the packet says and after they're cooked I drain them, reserve a little water. I mix the seasoning and reserved water in a frying pan, heat until boiling, add the noodles back in, and then crack an egg over the top, and scramble the lot until the egg is set. Yummmmy!
I used to do a similar thing with a can of suitably flavored tuna and broccoli, all stir fried in a wok with the seasoning, and the cooked noodles added at the end. Great dinner for one.

[QueenDairy]

I love dried salted fish the same way. I will usually get bacalao. Fried to a crisp, or shredded and stirred into soup.
DE-LISH!

[nooyawka]

I cook rice with spaghetti sauce to give it flavor, throw in some spam, and call it a day...

[RoxyGrl]

A hot link, sliced in half lengthwise and fried til it's good and caramelized on a soft steak roll with some extra sharp cheddar and a squirt of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. So good.

[shanagain]

OK. Steak-Umms. On toast with sauteed onions, american cheese, salt and mustard.

In fact, I've discovered that I am still capable of nursing a hangover, and I want one of those monstrosities right now SO BAD.

[EliEats]

This is quick and yes, some may say gross, but for me it's a little slice of heaven with a childhood nostalgia factor built in as well:

Whip up boxed mac and cheese, then mix with can of Manwhich, yum! And left over chile will do to.

[cuccubear]

Not gross at all, kind of like a Beef-a-Roni. I'd eat it...as long as I didn't look at the labels. My body would never forgive me! :-)

[BobB]

That does sound good - but unfortunately also sounds like the kind of thing I'd eat WAY too much of if I actually made it.

[tyrannosaurusjess]

Mine is cauliflower florets (torn apart into the pan, not chopped) fried in some hot olive oil with copious amounts of pepper and a fair amount of salt, some worcestershire sauce and then tossed onto some plain 2 minute noodles with some Kalamata olives (which i usually de-pip by biting a chunk off and then pulling the seed out) . Heaven at it's most lazy!

[pinkusmaximus]

When I'm alone, and feeling lazy, I'll sometimes just make a big pot of rice and eat it with salt, butter, and soy sauce (yes, it's very salty, and that's how I like it). Sometimes I dump a can of Rotel or stewed tomatoes over the rice and eat it that way, and if I feel VERY fancy I add cheese to the mix.

I also have sporadic cravings for a horrible breakfast my grandfather used to make for us when we were kids...we called it "Special Toast" and it was basically just slices of white bread fried in butter and then tossed with cinnamon sugar in a brown paper bag. He was generous with the butter, tossing it into the frying pan a half-stick or a stick at a time, and the bread HAD to be Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich bread. It's greasy and sugary and delicious. People are disgusted by the idea, but change their minds when I make it for them.

[anakalia]

I put graham crackers in a bowl, pour milk on them, and smoosh them up a bit. Then I eat it with a spoon like cereal. Don't know why, it's an old childhood nighttime snack!

Also, I will sometimes take regular old tortilla chips, melt regular old cheddar on them, and top it all with a dollap of sour cream and some chopped canned black olives. Once again, this reminds me of being a kid -- although eat too much of it and you're in for quite a stomach ache.

[shanagain]

I actually made a bastardized nacho/frito pie thing the other night with canned chili, jalapeno flavored kettle potato chips* and shredded cheese, nuked until melty.

When I go off the low-carb train, I do it in spectacular (craptastic) fashion.

*They held up really well, in case anyone was wondering.

[Firegoat]

Ha! I went off my low carb train this weekend too..... grilled chicken quesadillas.... It was totally worth it.

[tyrannosaurusjess]

Special Toast sounds amazing! All we ever got was regular toast with cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top, which was delicious, but didn't take it to the next level.

[meatnveg]

egg beaters and supermarket diced onions. For times when cracking and beating eggs feels like too much work for a personal omelet/scramble.

[Tidbits]

I like to warm corn tortillas until they get a little toasty (I do mine over a gas burner). Then spread on some butter and while the butter is melting, I roll up the tortilla and eat. Tasty.

[Caroline1]

Oooh! Tortillas and butter! When I was a kid, my mother used to do a lot of shopping in Tijuana, where she could buy things that were rationed in the U.S. Sometime I got to go along and on the way home we would buy a kilo of fresh hot corn tortillas (hand made in those days!) and a half kilo of butter. Not much left by the time we go home. SooOOOOOOoOOooooOOOOooooOO GOOD...!

[applehome]

I know I've posted this before... a long, long time ago... but here it is again. There's nothing quicker than these tortilla mits and 30 seconds in your microwave to get nice hot, steamy (but not wet), soft tortillas - both corn and flour, small and large. Butter and salt, as you say, but I also like to cut up some hot pickled veggies (gardiniera) sometimes. http://www.mexgrocer.com/brand-la-tortilla-oven.html

Applehome - http://www.applegigo.blogspot.com

[EliEats]

I do my tortillas over the gas burner as well, then dip them in refried beans - sometimes cold straight from the can when I'm lazy. And hit it with the Tapatillo here and there.

I dated a Mexican-American and she got me totally addicted to this.

[QueenDairy]

I love making scrambled egg tacos with homemade tortillas for breakfast. Hot, fresh, and buttery. Mmm!
I make them with Maseca flour, hot water, salt. I have a giant Zip lock bag that I use (I cut the sides of the bag with a scissor) for flattening out the ball of dough. Generously brush with melted better and slap on the griddle. So good, and like you said, Caroline1, they do not last! :)

[Driftbadger]

Mini pretzels in a bowl with orange juice poured over them. Eat it like cereal. My kids gag when they see this so I have to wait until I'm alone.

Peanut butter, margarine and maple syrup mixed up and spread on hot toast.

[NellyNel]

Wow Driftbadger - that sure is a weird one!!
How'd you come up with that??

I used to pour pretzels in a bowl and pour Good Seasons Italian dressing with extra oil and vinegar over it -smush it around and enjoy - MAN that was good..(all these litle indulgences I no longer enjoy since I became health concious! Drats!

[Driftbadger]

I was snacking on pretzel rods one day and snagged a sip of my daughter's orange juice to wash a bite down. It was so good, I was immediately hooked. I started off just dipping the pretzels in the juice but it quickly became a full blown addiction. Pretzels are also good in any cream soup.

Pretzels with Italian dressing, you say? I'm trying that. I'm sooo trying that!

[NellyNel]

hmm - I'm open to anything - so I too shall give your little treat a try!

Yes - I havent done it in ages but my mom started doing it when I was a kid.
Oh I nearly forgot this bit - we also used to do it with beef bouillion cubes - crushed with loads of oil and I think vinegar....It was delicious! But talk about salt overload!! I think I remember preferring it with the beef boullion!

[Emme]

i have a friend who does that except with diet 7-up... something about the sweet'n'salty...

[beethoven]

Cheddar cheese and sweet pickle sandwich
Tater tots with ketchup/mayo/horseradish
Cream cheese licked off a big spoon
Pasta with egg
Fried lebanon bologna
Sardines and mustard on matzo
and
Chocolate pudding cooled in a 1/2" deep layer in a pyrex baking dish so it's ALL SKIN.

[buttertart]

That last idea about the pudding is nothing short of life-altering.

[DawneeBabe]

OMG!!!..*smackin' my forehead!*That pudding tip...pure genius beethoven!!!....guess what's for dessert at my house tonite?!

[joyjunkie]

I go for the pot stickers too! I live in San Francisco in a neighborhood with a lot of Asian folks and stores so they are available everywhere in many, many flavors! I'm pretty lucky!
However, my all time favorite thing to eat alone in the dark? Mashed potatoes! Mmmmmm....
Usually I'll make them homemade but I have been known to just pour some potato flakes in a bowl and top it with a blob of cream cheese and boiling water. So ghetto, I know....

[victoriashe]

A can of Hormel's Mary Kitchen roast beef hash sauteed in butter. Perfect as is.

[Caroline1]

What! No poached or sunny-side-up egg on top???? '-)

[victoriashe]

Only when I'm NOT eating it alone. :-)

[SD_Livin]

Mom instilled some sense in us that I've worked hard to get around - but a great snack used to be celery sticks with peanut butter spread on them, or apple slices -

[SD_Livin]

A current hidden-heart-attack waiting to happen -

Boston butt hacked into 2" to 3" chunks or strips - par boiled about 30-40 minutes. Make up a batch of commercial BBQ based sauce adding Pataks Vindaloo Paste (not sauce), garlic powder, Maple syrup for sugar, sesame oil + whatever else you like

Slather meat and broil next to heat on (! REQUIRED !) non-stick Foil - flip, re-slather - crisp 'em up

Pig OUT !

[SD_Livin]

Shhhhhh - Vanilla Ice cream over hot white rice

Thick cut Bacon sprinkled w/Brown sugar and LOTS of cracked black pepper - oven cooked -

Sandwiches of thin sliced cukes, sliced onion, mayo and lots of cracked pepper

[Alan N]

Hello SD_Livin,
How did you first think to try vanilla ice cream over hot rice? How would you describe the flavor(s)? Thanks for feeding my curiosity.
Alan

[Emme]

not sure what SD will say, but i think of it similarly flavorwise to rice pudding... different hot and cold idea, but i like the thought of melty ice cream with rice...

when i was a kid, my mum would put 1 part rice, 2 parts milk and 2 parts sugar in the rice maker, and let it cook... at the bottom there would be a lovely lovely lovely brown crunchy crust... how i miss it.

[SD_Livin]

Emme - you've got it - a little fresh nutmeg or some finely chopped preserved ginger - and I'm a happy camper.

While I love the unctuous mouth feel of really great rich French Vanilla on the rice, your thoughts of a crunchy, crispy crust from those goodies sounds fantastic (wouldn't want to scrub up though)

I'm remembering a Hi end Dryers (?) flavor of Lemon Chiffon or some Lemon Cream specialty flavor - will have to experiment but that hits me as a perfect match to the hot rice (and chocolate/spumoni or others are all A-OK - based on freezer space !)

[Emme]

no cleanup required... the rice came out cleanly in it's crust from the rice cooker!

[victoriashe]

Oh, jeez. I gotta go make that right now. Rice with milk and sugar. Lovely crunchy crust at the bottom. OMG. That's dinner tonight. Thanks, Emme.

[victoriashe]

Um, reporting back. This doesn't work with all rice cookers.

I noticed during cooking that the milk was foaming out of the steam vent and onto the counter, but I thought, Oh, well, it will be worth it for the lovely crunchy crust. I didn't get a crunchy crust, and the rice didn't even cook, even though it cooked with the milk for, I think, more than an hour. It came out like raw rice in condensed milk. Maybe I should have changed the setting to something other than "White Rice." ???

[Emme]

oh my i'm so terribly sorry! i wish i had advice for you... we never had any issue. how large is your rice cooker?

[victoriashe]

Don't be sorry! :-) It's a small (3-cup) Zojirushi. A good little one! I used half a cup of rice, a cup of milk and a cup of sugar. I wonder if the super-duper nonstick that lines the pot might have prevented a crust from forming. When I make rice the usual way (with water), it gets perfectly cooked, and never gets brown on the bottom, even if I leave it on "keep warm" for a long time. I don't understand how the rice didn't cook, though.

[SD_Livin]

Alan_N - Spent 5 yrs w/the family on Guam and 5 in the Far E. - Rice WAS a requirement - slather it with everything and you would have a tough time going wrong - and I DID love Rice and Tapioca pudding.

When the rice was finishing - the Ice cream caught the eye, and a star was born.

[Alan N]

Interesting. Thanks.

[iL Divo]

oh that bacon on that sandwich and I'm yours...............................yumderful!

[howaboutthat]

A jar of Victoria's marinara (or marinara with meatballs) straight up.

[pistachio peas]

Oreos or Chocolate chip cookies dipped in orange juice.

Toast with mayo and tomato slices, salt and pepper.

Kraft dinner.

[buttertart]

The chocolate cookies and oj sound wonderful, love chocolate and orange together.

[pistachio peas]

me too! i highly recommend it. i've been eating them that way since i was a kid.

[buttertart]

They used to sell an orange sherbet ice cream bar covered in dark chocolate when I was a kid (grew up near Toronto) - the sherbet was really tart, they were fantastic.

[pistachio peas]

mmm!!

[Ipozem]

OMG! Double Stuffed Oreos and oj! I'll cram a whole cookie in my mouth and sip some pulpy oj and look out! LOVE IT!!!

I also love mixing cottage cheese with applesauce, or applesauce on warm buttered bread is heaven on earth.

I enjoy a fluffernutter as much as the next person, but I prefer the creamy peanut butter and mini marshmallows grilled like a grilled cheese... gluttony at it's finest...

Cold Chef Boyardee out of the can... ravioli or beefaroni are life's little pleasures...

As a child, I used to take white bread and put 2 slices of American cheese n it and microwave until melted. The bread would be soggy, and I'd wrap it up like an enchilada and enjoy with a glass if milk. Cheddar (real) cheese in a saute pan was always good too... just eat with a spoon when it was gooey.

Cream of Wheat with brown sugar and cubes of cheddar cheese is a family favorite... everyone who hears of it gags at the thought, but the sweet and salty is a perfect balance.

Slices of garden tomato slathered with mayo and black pepper... Grandma is shining down on me for this one. With a bowl of cream of chicken soup prepared with milk, it's wonderful...

And I love a can of smoked oysters. Alone, or with saltines or wheat thins, I love them. I can eat a whole can and want another...

I know there's other "gross" stuff, but right now all I can think about is a trip to the store

[mariacarmen]

smoked oysters on Lays BBQ chips.

[ZenSojourner]

Errrrrr . . .

Oh my! And not even pregnant!

O.o

[mariacarmen]

nope. just trashy.

[alkapal]

smoked oyster lovers, see these recipes:

Smoked Oyster Cream Cheese Roll

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/429770?tag=highlight-2832194;post-content-2832194#2832194

Smoked Oyster Pockets

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/516261

[mariacarmen]

Thanks Alka, you really ARE a pal!

[alkapal]

aawwww! thanks. please post what you think about that spread!

[mariacarmen]

i will, soon as i make it. problem is, no one around me likes smoked oysters.... so i'll have to wait for a party to take it out of my "inner circle". or hell, i should just make it for me!

[alkapal]

try it -- i'll bet nobody knows that is has smoked oysters. it is just mysteriously savory & delicious. it'll last in the fridge pretty well, too.

[onceadaylily]

I actually made this recipe a while back, sometime last summer, when I was in a tinned fish phase. It tasted smoky, but not fishy. We really liked it, even the part of the we that regards fish in a tin as alarming. We had it first on crackers, then discovered that it's pretty good on a soft bread. And it made quite a decent breakfast sandwich one morning (with an english muffin and scrambled egg).

My hips have some choice words for you, but I hasten to interrupt and say 'thank you'.

[alkapal]

oh, miss lily, that was kind of you to hold your hips in check! ;-).

and thanks for the good report. (ps, don't give your hips my email address, please).

[onceadaylily]

Too bad, because my hips were *just* saying how much you would love my baked three-cheese polenta with greens (which requires cream), sausage, caramelized onions, mushrooms, that is topped with yet more cheese and breadcrumbs tossed in butter.

That was my dinner last night. It almost makes that dip look healthy, doesn't it?

[NellyNel]

lol

More please on the polenta

MY hips won't thank you...but I will!

(sounds amazing!!)

[onceadaylily]

Cheese polenta:
2 cups half and half
2 cups broth or stock (I use mushroom, usually)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces of cheese (last night I used a mix of muenster, parmesan, and monterey jack)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring half and half, broth, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese. Pour into casserole (9x13 or larger), and allow to set for at least an hour.

The rest of the dish is really flexible. In a large pan, I wilted two pounds of spinach, and then added around a half cup of the half and half, pepper, nutmeg, and parmesan. In another pan, I sauteed onions and cubanelles (two of each) until the onions were caramelized (sometimes I add garlic, or use green bells), and added this to the spinach. In yet *another pan, I sauteed 16 ox of mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter, and then tossed those into the spinach/onion mixture. I browned a pound of good Italian sausages (my butcher loves his fennel, and I love him for it), casings removed. Add the sausage to the spinach mixture, turn the heat to med-low, and add two or three more ounces of cheese (I used havarti), still to warm, and check for seasoning. In, yes, another pan, melt a few tablespoons of butter, and add breadcrumbs, stirring until thoroughly mixed, and golden brown, and then remove from heat (I would do about two or three tablespoons of butter and a half cup of breadcrumbs). Layer the sausage/spinach mixture on the polenta, and then top with breadcrumbs. Bake in a 350 oven until thoroughly heated (last night it took about thirty minutes, which I used to wash pans).

You obviously could cook a majority of these things together (onions with the sausage, etc), but I'm a little picky about perfectly cooked onions, and it kind of snowballs from there.

A healthier version of this is to use a lower fat milk, water instead of broth, and only four ounces of cheese. In the summer, I don't use sausage, but top with lots of sliced tomatoes. This dish easily adapts to what's on hand. I came really close to adding a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the onions last night, and I wish I would have (I think it needed a little bit of acidity. You know, to cut through the enormous amounts of fat).

I apologize to your hips in advance.

[Pincus]

Smoked oysters. That brings back memories of undergrad days, which is when I last had this delicacy. Now I am inspired to pick up a can! Thanks.

[Firegoat]

cottage cheese with that lovely bright orange french dressing

[mattstolz]

i like to stir sriracha into my cottage cheese! mmmm

[starlings]

Poutine. While I roast the "fries", I make a quick gravy with tetra-pack broth and lots of sauteed umami things (whatever's around. shallots, slices of dry sausage, mushrooms...). If I've planned ahead, I'll have cheese curds, but in a pinch I'll use whatever cheese I have on hand, cut into little cubes.

[firemyars]

I seriously love Mahatma's black beans and rice. I can make all kinds of different variations on it, but sometimes I just have to have it out of that little black bag. It goes only with Yucatan Sunshine hot sauce.

[alkapal]

http://www.chilliworld.com/SP6.asp?p_id=160
yucatan hot sauce with habaneros! ouch! for my black beans, i'm a simple texas pete's pepper vinegar kind of gal.

that company "try me" that makes the yucatan sauce, i think also makes tiger sauce?
~~~~~~~
going off topic, but hey, let's have some fun!
oh goodness, look at all the hot sauces at this site! http://www.chilliworld.com/PGP.asp?sc=1

has anyone tried this "sweet island heat" sauce, made for "peppers" in rehobeth beach, delaware? http://www.chilliworld.com/SP6.asp?p_id=161 http://www.peppers.com/cube/ i see they're a hot sauce purveyor -- not a restaurant like i thought. the sauce sounds like a good combo.

[cuccubear]

Just might have to try some of that "Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally", that could be, among other things, a real conversation piece. :-)

[BobB]

There is a vast array of hot sauces out there with a lot more going on on the label than in the bottle, if you get my drift. After much experimentation I've settled in on two basic sauces for most of my uses - Melinda's habanero sauce, which she makes in multiple heat levels (I use the XXXtra Hot as my everyday sauce and the XXXXtra Reserve or Red Savina when I want that extra kick), and El Tapatio green, which is similar in heat level and adds an otherworldly neon green color that just looks so good sometimes on a boring beige burrito. Both have serious heat as well as serious flavor.

[buttertart]

One that has an amusing name and great flavor is Scorned Woman. Very tasty.

[cuccubear]

I do catch your drift, and have always suspected that an outrageous name leads not always to an outrageous sauce. I enjoy deeper flavor more than excruciating heat.

[soyummmy]

Check out Uncle MIke's Hot Sauces:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...

The Melt Your Face Off and the Quiet Killer are AMAZING!

[Alan N]

Yep, Try Me makes Tiger sauce. I don't like it. The Yucatan Sunshine is very good.

[biondanonima]

I love Yucatan Sunshine and I can't find it in my area - I order it a dozen bottles at a time!

[jeaniek]

Grew up eating black beans and rice, but with sour cream or mayo dolloped in the bowl. I will have to try it with hot sauce. Not Sirachi though. Mahatma makes a good product, beats doing the beans in a slow cooker for hours.

[Al_Pal]

Might be unforgiveable, but when I'm alone and feeling lazy, I love the lean cuisine stuffed cabbage and the pesto chicken flatbread. The other dishes I could do without, but I always make sure my freezer is stocked with a bunch of these.

[Sly72]

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, with Walnut Chunks Heated up in the Microwave for just a few seconds, until the chips start to melt!!!! (Plus the LARGEST Glass of Cold Milk you could ever Drink...) YUMMY!!!! Also, Fruity Baby Food... SHHHHH HHHH HHHHHH..... : )

[betsydiver]

during an internship i used to buy a quart of ice cream (fav was stewart's chocolate with strips of peanut butter "fudge"... spoon into tall glass pour milk over in style of ice cream soda, only milk instead of sada. eat with spoon.

[stuck in Hartford County]

My short list of lazy dishes:

canned low sodium green beans
Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes
Shake and Bake (chicken flavor)
canned small beets
Rice-A-Roni (chicken/beef)
Frozen brown rice
Pot pie: Campbells soup/frozen mixed veggies/canned potatoes/cream/cooked previously frozen chick breast cut up/frozen pie shells
frozen burritos
pizza rolls
frozen pierogies (broccoli/cheddar)
Swanson's spinach souffle
those little mozzarella balls
melted french vanilla ice cream (+brandy) on any kind of berries)

Not a complete list, but embarrassing enough!

[brooklynkoshereater]

milk chocolate dipped into crunchy peanut butter. brands are irrelevant.

[sparky403]

Liver and Onions - I make the Onions with Bacon let them cook for a long time and calves liver... a big fat cab or something and a salad,

[ike04]

Me too! I add a pinch of good curry powder to the flour dredge

[Maggie333]

Pretzels dipped in mayo - or, alternately,, you can slice cheddar, place over a bowl of pretzels, and microwave for 30 seconds. Both are amazing.

Peanut butter and jelly straight out of the jar with a spoon

breakfast cereal straight out of the box like it's popcorn

[cosmogrrl]

I like to have spaghetti with jarred sauce mixed with plain yogurt. I call it spaghetti glop. Or tuna surprise; noodles, tuna, hellman's mayo and maybe some green onions. It's like a fast tuna casserole

[iL Divo]

there's a recipe I found out about a hundred years ago at our next door neighbors house. they were making sketti. < sketti being my favorite food EVER..................> I was curious to see how they did theirs for their super duper dinner that night. to my amazement, they opened a BH&G old old old cookbook. I forget what it's called but the recipe was in there. as I recall, it called for the basics but also, soy sauce or was it [Worchestershire] and what really through me was the can of cream of mushroom soup, "in the spaghetti sauce?" < cream of shroom soup?, oh and milk in the can too. surprisingly good, no really

[tracylee]

I thought that back along (at least when I was a kid) that every recipe started with cream of mushroom soup. Oh yeah, Mom wasn't much of a cook!

[jeanmarieok]

I was home alone last night, and starving in that PMS kind of way, where you really can appreciate 'bad for you' food the most. Searching the fridge, and freezer, I found some leftover turkey sloppy joe like mess, and some tater tots. Got the tots crispy, topped it with sloppy joe, and some melted cheese, added a little ketchup on the side. It was about the best mess I ever threw together. And I didn't even know we HAD tater tots.

[Alan N]

PMS + TOTS = successfullkitchenendevours

Start a resto, I'm there.

[iL Divo]

cleaned out my house freezer yesterday and finished doing the rest today. to my surprise, I have 3 packages of tater tots. OG YEAH!!!!!!! :)

[buttertart]

Time to get out the cargo pants for tot concealment for later enjoyment.

[iL Divo]

if only I understood the cargo pants part ?{?

[buttertart]

An allusion to a movie one either loves or hates (I'm of the former party): Napoleon Dynamite, in which tots are used as a comic prop involving cargo pants, being carried inside and coming to harm division.

[KailuaGirl]

LOVE Napoleon Dynamite! Vote for Pedro!!!

[Havre]

Since I'll gladly trumpet my convenience-food and high-fat tastes to the world, I wasn't sure at first what would qualify. First thing that occurred to me was using straight cream cheese as a dip for potato chips, and they have to be Maui potato chips. Not something I really keep secret, but wait...when I tell people about it, I'm implying the a polite little scoop out of the tub of whipped cream cheese. NO ONE knows that it really tastes better with the bar cream cheese...half a package skewered on a fork. Alternate between eating a couple of chips and taking a chomp off the "cream-cheese-sicle" .

[lovessushi]

I have to disagree, I'm sorry. It's pretzals with cream cheese...NOT potato chips - lol ;) - I love pretzals dipped in temptee whipped cream cheese (do they still make that).
Also I should add, meatloaf sandwiches!!! I just recently discovered this again last night...oh my...on a really lousy kaiser roll, with too much ketchup.. Perfect!

[iL Divo]

oh yea, the fat long round pretzels with softened cream cheese, OML.
one of my new favorites is whole wheat matzo's with dijon mustard drizzled all across it's flat crispy bland deliciousness. so good and no fat, plus tons of fiber, so who can complain, oh and they're really inexpensive........

[absolince]

Yes they do and yes that is the ONLY cream cheese!

[biondanonima]

When I was on the weight loss portion of Atkins, I would often eat cream cheese straight off a spoon. I also loved it as a dip for pork rinds, or spread on thick cut pepperoni rounds and topped with hot sauce. The bar cream cheese is SO much better than the whipped stuff. Philadelphia brand only!

[kubasd]

yeah, it really does have to be Philadelphia brand. It's like ketchup and mayonnaise.... the brand really does matter! I can tell a store-brand cream cheese in a second! That being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE cream cheese.... it makes a great dip for pretzels, too.

[jeaniek]

-Jello chocolate pudding that you cook so I can eat the "skin"; max # of times has only been 3 "skins" before it gets to be just pudding.
-7 oz. Hormel chili&beans nuked or not with a dab of mayo.
-An entire Stouffer's 21 oz. lasagna with meat & sauce and generous sour cream.
-Fried bacon and egg on white bread with Kraft yellow cheese, assemble and fried in the bacon fat on both sides. Not recommended before a lipid testing!

[jbsiegel]

I actually cook the pudding, put it in bowls and then when I eat it, carefully scoop out the pudding underneath the skin, saving the skin for last (because it's the best part)!

[iL Divo]

when she thought no one was around or watching, my MIL would break open 4 Oreo's, cut a slice of American cheese in quarters, top each cookie half with the piece of cheese, put the cookie back to it's original appearance, and eat it. To me, that's just wrong...

[NellyNel]

Wow -
that is an odd one!

My odd Oreo habit has been this:
I'd take an Oreo and dip it in sour cream! OMG - unbelievably delicious!

[BobB]

They both sounds like ways of creating instant mini-chocolate-cheesecakes. Sort of.

Not my cup of tea, but then I've done other things with American cheese that don't bear repeating.

[alkapal]

oh, come on, bobB, spill the beans!

[BobB]

Nothing really awful, but I do have an unhealthy craving for the stuff. I'm not a total slut, I do have some standards - it has to be Land O'Lakes or Dietz & Watson, sliced to order in thick slices (1/8" or thicker).

Instant grilled cheese sandwich: toast two slices of bread part way, then top each with a thick slice of American, toast again until the cheese starts to melt and slap them together.

I can just take slices right out of the fridge, fold them into quarters lengthwise into strips, and nibble away at them until - oops! All gone!

Sometimes I have to force myself not to buy any 'cause if it's there I'll eat it. Even between meals, and I don't normally snack at all.

[soyummmy]

a couple of my cheese crimes:

White American slices melted on Spaghettios....or,

Hot dog wrapped in a slice of American cheese and a flour tortilla, microwaved for thirty seconds~mmmm

Cheese and grape jelly on toast

[iL Divo]

I'm hiding behind a couch here so no one will see me, but that sounds delish!

[tiffeecanoe]

I'm embarrassed to say... that is happens to be imitation crab sticks drenched in salty butter...

[alkapal]

tiffee, is that "tyler" next to you in your avatar? (tiffeecanoe and tyler, too). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippecan...

surveys show crabcakes made with surimi are preferred by a majority of people.
chowhounds on these boards will insist they prefer the lump crabmeat cakes only.

surimi makes a nice addition to shrimp salad.

[tiffeecanoe]

alkapal! ha! no, actually it's my brother that is Tyler, the nickname just stuck from childhood and makes for a lovely s/n! ;) That's my husband in the avatar!

Oh, agreed... I've been making what I call "poor man cakes" for years! My parents always enjoyed crabs legs and living in the far Northern portion of Wisconsin, they chose not to splurge on their three children, so they'd get them for themselves and then get us three packages of the "crab" sticks... complete with our own fancy drawn butter warmer... we felt just as fancy and to this day they're such a guilty pleasure!

[NellyNel]

You talkin to me Il Divo??

Oh you have to try it - it's so darn good...
I don't even like Oreo's that much - but that rich chocolatey taste goes sooo well with the sour cream!! HEAVEN!!

[iL Divo]

to my way of thinking, something that's happened in my unsuspecting kitchen on of course very few occasions is seeing how many slices of american cheese I can pile between two pieces of bread and then slap on a skillet. it's not about the stupid taste of the sammie [yea right ;) ] it's all about the gooeyness that facinates me while watching the strings of molten cheesiness between those 2 perfectly toasty slices of bread...........oh gad I"m hungry..........scuse me...................

[weewah]

Food porn, Ha!

[DawneeBabe]

ROTFL...I gotta wonder just how many slices iL Divo PUTS on those sammies!

[amyatkendall]

Mrs. T's pierogis - cheddar and onion flavored - covered with melted butter and salt.

Also, Stouffers mac and cheese.

I also like egg noodles smothered with butter and salt.

I'm sensing a theme here.

[ChristinaMason]

I'm with you. Yum. Cheesy, carby, salty heaven.

[Aramek]

When alone, I like to drink an entire jar of Alfredo sauce as I cry myself to sleep! Good times.

[mamachef]

Sounds like me on a bad day, when I want to (and have been known to) eat half an 8" flourless choco cake. then, after I come down from the sugarbuzz, i rock myself gently and strangely to sleeeeeeeep.

[weewah]

That no-one sees?
Maybe once a year I'll pick up a can of double chocolate frosting and eat it with a spoon over several sittings. My cakes are all frosted w/ homemade icing, but it just isn't the same. And I would be horrified to be caught with this by my daughter!
Another sin is a pan of hot rice with spears of cheese (be generous) thrust down into it. Add butter, garlic powder and salt, put the lid back on till the cheese is melted, stir and eat. Mm-hmm!
Something my entire family has as a 'bad for you treat' is fried bread. It is to die for. Thaw some frozen bread dough rolls, let them rise & roll them out. Cut into 3 or 4 strips each and fry in hot oil till golden and done. Drain and let them cool entirely before sprinkling with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. If you have never had fried bread you won't believe how wonderful this is!

[betsydiver]

this was on of my first "oh my! FOODS WHEN i WAS ABOUT 5 IT WASavailable only at the annual local carnival and called fried dough, sprinkled w/ powered sugar, delectible. crispy outside and still a little doughy inside

[jpc8015]

Nathan's hot dogs.

[hyde]

simmer pearl Kountry Klub hot dogs in beer or apple cider,
chop up some red onion,
fry dogs in butter til nice and brown,
turn on broiler, toast 2 or three good quality sub rolls,
all the while heating campbells chunky chili on the stove top,
flay the hot dogs open and put them under the hot broiler with some bbq sauce on them just to get some color/carmelization,
hot dogs on buns, chili on dogs, red onions on top,
beer.

[Brianne920]

Broccoli florets in jarred tomato sauce!

[HotMelly]

Deep fried Gizzards

[ritabwh]

YES! safeway deli here in wa. state will fry up for take-out not listed on the fried chicken menu.

[NellyNel]

These days - it' s sardines in olive oil on top of unsalted - saltines...yummmmmmmm
I can't seem to get enough as a special treat!
But for years (as I'm sure I posted ages ago here) it's always been Kraft mac & cheese - the cheap powder one - NOT Delux please!!

[lilmomma]

Several times people have mentioned sardines on UNsalted saltines. Why? Are sardines really salty? WHy don't you just eat them on regular saltines?

[BobB]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - if there's no salt on top it can't be a Saltine. It's just an Ine.

[NellyNel]

It's funny - buying UN-salted saltines is a very recent thing for me...I always went for the regular ones (I never even tried the "INES" before lol) until I bought a box of "Ines" by mistake...
I found that I MUCH prefer them to the salted...don't know why as I really am a salt fiend...They go really well with sardines and seem to let the sardine taste shine through...And yes sardines are pretty salty I would say....
But even on their own I really really like the taste of the uinsalted better now...allot better in fact!

[tracylee]

My SO was just diagnosed with high blood pressure and told to cut back on the salt. Saltines were one of the places he did that, by buying the unsalted kind. I finally convinced him to go to unsalted butter!

And yeah, he loves sardines with chopped onion on "ines". Has to back off on the pound of lox a week he was going through, though

[Ernie Diamond]

Best quality bacon, thick-sliced into batons and eaten uncooked.

Odense Marzipan, straight from the foil tube. I will finish a whole roll on the way back from the grocery if I am not careful.

[freelancer77]

This is such a great post. This thread made me remember one of my weird childhood "alone foods." As a little kid, I distinctly remember taking surimi pieces (back when they were called krab sticks) and peeling them into many little strips, a la string cheese. Then I would "fry" the strips in my tiny blue plastic frying pan over the "stove" of my play kitchen, and happily eat them from the miniature blue skillet. Odd, huh? Lord only knows how my parents decided to start keeping surimi in the house in the first place.

Nowadays there aren't many things I wouldn't eat in front of my husband, but, when home alone, I do occasionally bust out a package of ramen (the uber-cheap kind), boil the crap out of it with its seasoning, and then pour a whisked raw egg into the saucepan. Instant egg-drop noodles, whee! I have also been know to eat a bowl of salted white rice with grated cheddar cheese mixed into it, as a meal in its totality. Also, I'm embarrassed to admit that I really like cans of fruit cocktail -- the kind with the super-mushy pear pieces and neon red cherry halves. These days I try to at least drain the syrup first, but that wasn't always the case.

Sliced green apples with salt or cheese. Velveeta Shells and Cheese -- the whole box, thankyouverymuch. And those terrible, 1000%-RDA-of-sodium, packets of cup-a-soup mix. And my favorite I'm-not-ashamed meal is a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup (it HAS to be Campbell's) mixed with a can of milk rather than water. That stuff's like mother's milk.

[jeanmarieok]

Frozen french fries covered with leftover sloppy joe and shredded cheddar. Delicious..... I also loved canned fruits, and especially jarred pink grapefruit sections. Also love canned Boston brown bread, with raisins.

[annapurna7]

Velveeta Shells and Cheese is definitely my "alone" meal. I like it with cut-up hot dog and a little bit of salsa mixed in.

[Emme]

the few times I had Campbell's Tomato Soup as a kid, my mom always mixed it with milk (we only ever had non-fat in the house), and i didn't know til i was older that others made it with water.

apple and cheese classic. as a kid though, we had those Kraft Free slices in the house, so my nanny and I would sometimes eat apple with that cheese... i know, sounds awful, but was good IIRC, and it was pre-sliced and easy just to tear shards off to top each bite :)

[hyde]

@ freelancer the syrup is the best part. mix it with a strong hit of vodka and seltzer to the top of an ice filled glass.

[shaogo]

I go to KFC. Park *behind* the building and hope to heaven nobody sees me go in. Get my chicken and mashed and gravy and cut-up cole slaw and take it back to the restaurant I manage, and hide in my office and eat it. The staff has forgiven me.

On a more Chowish note, I keep escargot butter in the freezer. I quickly saute some coarsely diced chicken thigh meat in oil and garlic and finish it with the escargot butter.

[alkapal]

shaogo, you know that the clone kfc cole slaw recipe is a dead ringer?

[KailuaGirl]

How do you make the escargot butter? It sounds wonderful!

[Pincus]

Ichiban ramen, either original or shrimp flavour.

[bs87]

I love Lean Cuisine frozen pizzas, sushi from grocery stores, and Chef Boyardee ravioli (slapped in pan with mushrooms and grated parm). Nothing makes food taste better than a liberal sprinkling of shame

[woodleyparkhound]

I have a tendancy to binge and I'm addicted to sweets, so I make sure I don't keep things in the house that will trigger this. If I kept Nutella / peanut butter / marshmallow fluff / maple syrup / hot fudge or chocolate sauce, I would spread one or more of these on bananas till I got sick! I don't trust myself with anything sweet in the house. (I do eat sweets outside the house - just never at home.)

As it is, one thing I love to make when I'm alone is pasta - always DeCecco. I do a few preparations, but my current favorite is with olive oil, chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, lots of chopped Italian parsley, the juice and zest of half a lemon, and lots of parmesan and/or romano cheese (the good stuff). I could eat pasta every day for the rest of my life and never tire of it - it's my all-time favorite comfort food.

[jennifer42]

Either soba noodles or egg fettucini with butter and parmesean. A HUGE bowl of fat + carbs.

[Revenant]

Campbell's "Raviolios." Similar to Spaghettios (which I also enjoy) except, you know, they're ravioli.

I don't know why, but I love those. I'm a sucker for canned pasta and have been all my life.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Kraft Spaghetti in the green box. Hard to find. I actually just use the spice packet, add Barilla cooked pasta, hamburger and tomato sauce. So good, especially as a spaghetti sammy.

[ike04]

I've been known to drain a can of plum tomatoes, add some chopped garlic, red onion, olive oil salt and pepper. Ready in 2 min

[MandalayVA]

I put cold chicken in canned diced tomatoes, spice it up with whatever strikes my fancy, and eat. Leftover rare steak works too.

[LoveaFair]

1) Challah bread with soft butter AND strawberry or raspberry preserves, a perfect food.

2) Challah bread with mayo, salt, sliced seedless cucumbers (I like Kirbies) and sliced tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Has a very fresh taste.

3) Corn Flakes, milk, and sugar, so comforting

And if you feel like hot food...

4) Jarred tomato sauce witha little sugar and lots of SOUR CREAM, garlic powder, and FRIED rough-chopped ONIONS over angel-hair noodles. Poor-man's stroganoff. You can add browned ground beef. Once you start eating this, you can't stop.

Great thread, very useful too.

[kemi5]

Another favorite is deluxe nachos MY WAY with Campbells canned Cheese Sauce, Stagg's Turkey Ranchero chili, TJ'j layered Fireroasted Salsa & Guacamole dip, and La Costena pickled jalapenos and carrots atop white corn tortilla chips. Holy prepared food overload!

[kemi5]

Although it's not my very favorite dish when husband is traveling I'll make myself sauteed calves livers with peppers and onions. Add soy sauce during last minute of cooking, over steamed white rice. Or prepare home-style filipino dishes like pinakbet or karekare.

[nsstampqueen]

my mom used to make this for us when I was little, can I come eat at your house next time! Mine never seem to turn out like hers!

[serapharia]

That sounds delicious!

[QueenDairy]

Oh, how I love the smell and taste of liver and onions. Creamy, almost buttery texture. When I was a child, my mother would make this for me all of the time. I had a brief moment of mild anemia, and she encouraged me to eat liver with onions, bell peppers, tomatos, and rice. I never objected! LOL

[schrutefarms]

My "I'm sick" or "I'm sad" meal is heated up beef broth, with four pieces of white bread and butter, dipping the bread in the broth.

[Firegoat]

cheez whiz with ritz crackers.
or sloppy joes made with ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and yellow mustard.

[alkapal]

i haven't had a sloppy joe in decades. i loved it when they were served at my elementary school in s.w. florida back in the day. i also loved those unbaked cookies made with peanut butter, cocoa and rolled oats. they looked terrible but tasted great. http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2009/07/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-oatmeal.html by the way, this is a nice food blog, this "tracy's culinary adventures."
alternative recipe http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1710,...

[BamiaWruz]

Grilled cheese sandwich using single slices.

[dooflaer]

Yes! I definitely eat the same thing: grilled cheese sandwiches with Kraft Singles. It's just not the same with real cheese. Also, I always have to cut the sandwiches into quarters, arrange in a ring around the outside of a plate and put a huge pile of ketchup in the middle for dipping.

Other than this, the other most disgusting thing I eat when no one is looking is an entire box of Kraft Dinner (Macaroni and Cheese for all you Americans out there), also usually with ketchup.

[pikawicca]

I haven't read through all the posts in quite some time, so don't know if anyone has praised Spam as a dark indulgence. A chef friend was just out in Seattle and visited the Marination Taco Truck, where he consumed, among other things, Spam Sliders. Marination has recently been proclaimed one of the best food trucks in the country. Spam makes it happen.

[just_M]

"Spam makes it happen."

pikawicca; you are so right. Spam is definitely my family's taboo indulgence. The other night I made my son a Spam sandwich per his request (rendered, then sprinkled with brown sugar and a bit of spicy mustard till caramelized served on white bread) As he happily chows down he says "Mom we should open a shack and call it SPAM IT! serve all things Spam. Well I guess we'd have to move to Hawaii because everyone here pretends not to like it"

[QueenDairy]

Fried spam and egg scramble with tons of american cheese melted on top, eaten on top of buttered toast!

[jennfarr]

I am mostly a lurker... but this thread is too great!

Fluffernutters: Kraft Extra Creamy Peanut Butter and Marshmallow fluff on super soft white bread.

Kraft Spirals made with way less butter and milk that the recipe calls for. I never thought to have 2 boxes until I read this thread!

Angel Hair pasta with mix of spaghetti sauce and hot sauce with tonnes of cheddar cheese - for breakfast.

[pie22]

i eat alot of ramen not cause its cheap but cause i love it and rarely tell people (i live alone). usually most of the season packet, onion, peppers, egg, garlic, sriracha.
my brother makes his is prob the most shameful that i will every now and then recreate:
cook noodles, drain, add the entire seasoning packet (this used to be done with the discontinued chili flavor), butter, sour cream, hot sauce (we were a sriracha fam), and shredded cheese (usually the taco blend) - soooo incredibly good...and so incredibly bad for you.

[LEsherick2008]

If I'm sick or not feeling well or just plain tired and do not want to cook a meal. Italian sandwich or white bread with Velveeta and make grilled cheese. With a bowl of ramen soup with seasoning and a bit of hot sauce. Or yes a whole box of Kraft Mac and Cheese. Or in the Summer two pieces of lightly toasted bread lot of hellmans mayo and only the ends of a garden grown tomato seeds discarded and lots of S&P on it.

[buttertart]

Finally another tomato end fancier, the blossom end is the very best bit.

[CeeQueue]

Toasted white bread with Hellmann's on both slices, sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Garden tomatoes are the best, when I can get them.

[LEsherick2008]

This summer with the blight we did not get as many crops at all and this the the first year I have even like tomatoes and now I crave them but the sad imitations in the store are pink and don't taste very good. Oh how I cannot wait till spring and the first strawberries and tomatoes. And yes the ends are the best all meat no seed the insides just fall apart if you take out seeds. I leave those for the rest of the family.

[alkapal]

"""the sad imitations in the store are pink and don't taste very good"""

for these, i've coined the term "faux-matoes."

[dhmill]

OMG fresh tomatoes! I have to admit that I have gone out to my garden to pick some tomatoes for the kitchen and didn't make it back inside for awhile. There is nothing better than an heirloom type tomato, sun warmed, ripe off the vine, standing in the garden eating it still warm from the sun, juice running down my chin, no salt or pepper, just sun warm ripe tomato! I eat to whole thing. Tops, bottoms and the middle! Seeds juice and all. Now THAT is living!

[QueenDairy]

So yummy, and good for you too!

[Rilke]

Pure poetry. Summer cannot come fast enough.

[Andria]

Toasted white bread, sliced tomato ends (yes, I to discard the seeds). Drizzled with evo, sprinkled salt, pepper & oregano. squish flat & enjoy!

[kubasd]

but... but.... the seeds are where so much of the flavor is!! I recently heard it termed tomato caviar, and i like that

[buttertart]

Nope, as far as I'm concerned, the ends (especially the blossom ends) are the best part of the tomato. Andria, I'm with you all the way - toast + tomato = delicious.

[kubasd]

to each her own! We should just share a tomato, since my favorite part is your least favorite part! Butt my share with the toast, evoo, salt, and pepper, mmmmm

[buttertart]

One of the nicest culinary things a good friend ever did for me was to make me a salad of tomato ends (his own tomatoes). The rest of the guests got the inside slices. My dream salad.

[BobB]

The annual Saveur 100 issue just came out, only this year, for the first time, all 100 items (foods, recipes, restaurants, people) were chosen from readers' submissions, not editors choices. Item #1 on the list? Fresh tomatoes grated onto slices of toasted baguette!

[buttertart]

Excellent! I just got that issue and can't wait to read it.

[HillJ]

http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen...

[schrutefarms]

I have a cassarole that I make for myself only-it's too embarrasing since there is a full cup of butter in it!! This is the recipe-I promise, it's delicious!!
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts put in a shallow baking dish
top each breast with a slice of swiss cheese
crumble up a whole box of garlic croutons, pour over chicken
top that with the previously mentioned cup of melted butter (I actually use a little less, since the croutons have oil in them)
top all that with a can of slightly diluted cream of mushroom soup, smooth out the top, cover with foil, bake @ 375 for seventy five minutes, taking the foil off after an hour. Heart attack city. And, if I'm going to be truly honest, I like the congealed buttery leftovers the next day :)

[soyummmy]

I had a bf whose mom would make that, but with a box of Stove Top stuffing instead of croutons...yum!

[Blush]

Air popped popcorn with butter, garlic salt and LOTS of fresh ground pepper.

Spoon with peanut butter and honey on it.

[Psyche1226]

OMG I TOTALLY do the peanut butter and honey on a spoon thing!...

Also, I discovered as a teen that a mixture of equal parts creamy peanut butter and maple-flavored syrup (never real) is addictive spread on white bread or, even better, a flour tortilla, rolled up.

*shaaaaaaame*

Ramen, Beefaroni, Kraft Mac...when I was a kid I used to love crushing Doritos up into my mac n cheese!! :D You get that great crunchy/creamy juxtaposition going on, and twice the cheesy flavor!

Oh--also those sort of oval-shaped donuts usually called something like "Dunkin' Sticks", meant to be dunked in coffee I guess...Oh SWEET BABY JESUS I could live on those.

My favorite sandwich, which is just un-weird enough that I WILL eat it in front of my husband, is two slices of bread, one of them spread with strawberry jam, with a fried egg and some shredded cheddar in the middle along with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper--then you grill the thing in a skillet with butter like you're making a grilled cheese. SOOOOO good.

[jbsiegel]

Second that on PB and whatever (!) on a rolled up flour tortilla. When I want to make them ahead of time for the kids and don't want them all soupy (which happens with jelly or honey), I'll use chunky PB and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. That's a good one too!

[mattstolz]

the pb and maple combo is especially delicious on pancakes.

also, your sandwich sounds like a monte cristo.

[alkapal]

reliably, i turn to my friends at stouffer's, who ply me with their spinach soufflé. one *used* to have to bake it for nearly an hour! now, i can nuke it for a quick fix.

[Furgs]

Hominy sauteed in butter or olive oil. Scramble in a couple of eggs, lots of cheese, and toss with salt and cayenne!

Same as above with any leftover carb...potatoes, pasta, rice.

Orzo cooked in chicken broth, mix in some scallions and top with parmesan.

Shin Cup korean style noodles--spicy! Throw in leftover cubed meat for variety. ;)

Tamales from a jar.

Anything related to tomato-less pasta. Love to carbo load when I'm alone.

Refried beans mixed with lots of cheese.

Ice cream topped with peanut butter and something chocolate.

Fat-free chocolate pudding topped with "light" whipped cream.

Frozen steamed chopped spinach topped with butter and parmesan.

[Jacey]

A lot of these things I'm wondering why you're embarrassed to eat in public or with others: orzo, frozen spinach, FF chocolate pudding???

[dlane]

make 2 servings of rice in ricecooker with 2 slices of diced spam cooked with it. After rice/spam is ready, sprinkle with a torn up sheet of toasted nori and sesame seeds. Heaven!

[kubasd]

from hawaii?

[dlane]

No from CA. A Samoan coworker described a favorite childhood dish to me and I was intriqued....

[KailuaGirl]

Delish and I am from Hawai'i. :-) Sometimes for variety I'll use lup cheong or Portuguese suasage. You can also add some black eyed peas or cook a combo of sweet mochi rice, regualar rice, black eyed peas and meat with coconut milk, then roll up in nori sheets. Or sprinkle kaki nori over the whole mess and you're set! So ono!

[HillJ]

spaghetti with cold ketchup.
memories from college that I keep alive once a year...okay twice a year..okay..

[Andria]

Are you British? I have only seen this eaten among college students there.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Are you filipino? I have only seen this eaten among people there.

[HillJ]

Too funny Andria & Sam! Oh I'm a mix breed but the spaghetti w/cold ketcup thing was just a poor grad student living on the kindness of others OR making do. Now, it's just a silly food habit that only the kind folks of CH would relate to.

[corneygirl]

American solidly from midwest, buttered spaghetti and cold ketcup. SO will never see me eat this, but its like a favorite blanket.

[beekeroc]

Canadian West. I love it too, carby salty treat once every year or more! And always when HE isn't there to gag over it!

[HillJ]

Enjoyed my annual spaghetti with cold ketchup today! I partake in honor of Sam I Am!

[Andria]

Depending on the craving...

Pablum with cold milk & sugar... sweet fix
Plain white rice with lots of butter... straight out of the pot... carb fix
Cheese cube, wrapped in bacon, deep fried... stress-buster.