Things you shouldn't laugh at till you've tried...

[Goldendog]

I was describing a fond childhood dish to a friend who thought I was nuts. My mother used to simmer sauerkraut with a little sugar, black pepper, and butter until tender. Then she would stir in a can of pork and beans and heat through. This mix was served on top of boiled potatoes and the family wolfed the mix down.

I therefore had to make some and served him a plate. He loved it and offered his apologies. I'd like to hear from others who might have similar "weirdo" dishes that are incredibly good!

[Skitter]

My mom used to give us dandelion greens with vinegar and glass of juice that turned into jello by morning

[maabso]

Pepsi and peanuts. Dump a handful of peanuts into a glass of pepsi (or coke, whatever) and slurp them up one by one with each sip. Bonus if the peanuts are salted :) Does anybody else do this?

[CanadaGirl]

How much fizz gets lost?

[maabso]

Not sure, I'm usually finished my cup pretty quickly when those peanuts are in there. I can't help taking sip after sip! I wouldn't recommend having the peanuts sit in there for too long thouh, they may absorb too much liquid and get soft.

[smithareeny]

Candy Corn mixed with Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts. I keep a jar at my desk.
When I was a kid my Mom made "Beanie, Meaty, Cheesy". Brown ground beef, add any kind of bean (I like refried) and cover with grated cheese. Yummy.
I love a roast beef sandwich with a canned ortega green chili on top. From my days at Carls Jr.
I used to always eat pb, mayo and american cheese sandwiches.
I spread mayo on the bread to grill my grilled cheese sandwiches. I like it better that butter.

[jujuthomas]

omg. I'd totally forgotten about PB and mayo (well, my mom bought miracle whip) sandwiches! don't think I could eat one now tho.

[dave_c]

I tried this when I lived in the South. It was okay. I haven't really picked up that habit.

[rabaja]

As a kid, I watched Sissy Spacek do this in the movie, Crimes of the Heart. She made that particular snacky beverage look so good!
All these years later, and I still haven't tried it.

[pine time]

Pepsi and salted peanuts were a mainstay of my southern childhood (altho' we called it "Peps" for some unknown reason).

[Caroline1]

This week I've lucked out and bought a perfect "Tuscany" variety of cantaloupe. For me, perfectly ripened melons come along once every decade or so. Anyway, I have been making a "salad" of cantaloupe chunks and Kalamata olives. It's both very attractive to look at and delicious to eat. Twice now I've made enough for two or three meals, then ended up eating the whole thing and leaving the rest of the meal for later. Eye appeal AND it makes my taste buds very happy! What could be better than that?

[mamachef]

Ooooh, I would NEVER laugh at this, dear lady. It sounds fantastic, and it also sounds like something I'll be making very soon, though I'm afraid I can't get melons as good as yours. (? ;) It sounds something like that salad with watermelon chunks, olives, feta cheese crumbles, and a little chopped mint; absolutely delicious. I can see this going beautifully with a grilled chicken or fish dinner.

[Caroline1]

I've thought about trying a few cumbles of feta, but it is so good with just the melon and olives, I suspect it will diminish it. In a way it reminds me of the classic prosciutto slice wrapped around a wedge of cantaloupe that used to be served as an elegant first course (hors d'ouvre) way back in my prime. The sad thing for me is that it is so rare to find any type of perfectly ripened cantaloupe. Maybe I need to add the dish to my bucket list? '-)

[mamachef]

That's what it made me think of because the olives are so umami; all that salty brine, all that depth......and of course that should be on your list!!

[CanadaGirl]

That watermelon salad is one of my favourite things in the world. Yum :)

[mamachef]

You and me both, Canada Girl. Dangerously so; as in I can't make it too long before serving it, because......I'll eat it. (Now where did that damn salad go? It was just here......)

[scubadoo97]

The combination sound really good. How do the Tuscany varieties differ from the standard California cantaloupes?

[Caroline1]

As far as I can see, the primary difference between the "Tuscany" cantaloupe and others is that the "ribs" that run from stem to blossom end are deeper and more pronounced than in a "regular" cantaloupe and remain light green when ripe. Also the flavor is, for want of a better word, "fuller." But I think any nicely ripened cantaloupe will work.

[jmcarthur8]

Is that what we always called Muskmelon in Indiana? They were ready at the farmstands at the end of the summer, just before apple season, and the flavor and odor were so much more heady than a grocery store cantaloupe.

[Caroline1]

I've always seen muskmelon marketed as muskmelon, but in today's jargon crazy food world, who knows? Or maybe a hybrid?

[MGZ]

Caroline, my friend, days ago I read your post and thought, "OK, good cantaloupe coupled with a salty-spicy fat is a solid concept (I like salami more that prosciutto)." Nevertheless, my preferred use of olives has always been at the bottom of a cold glass of gin. On the other hand, one of my own favorite ways to enjoy the "peak of the season" melons (it actually works for musk, honeydew, and water as well) is to pair them with "peak of the season" chiles, especially habaneros.

Yesterday, at the Farmers' Market I found a gorgeous 'loupe and thought, "I'm in." Now, usually, my melon/chile breakfast is a "slice with a chunk" kinda thing. Your dish, however, had inspired me to transform it into a bit of a salad. So, I cut the melon into smaller chunks, chopped the habanero slices, added some Frantoia olive oil, some salt and pepper, and, since they also looked good at the market, some super-thinly sliced shallots. At bottom - Thank you for a lovely breakfast.

One tasting note: Though the oil, salt, and pepper permitted the fatty/salty/flavor thing of the olives to be replicated, I would not use habaneros the next time I make it. Even for an asbestos lined palate like mine they were a bit overpowering to the subtler tastes. So, for any of you kids thinking about trying something like this at home, I suggest using a jalapeno or a serrano, or even, as I intend to try for tomorrow's breakfast, a freshly roasted (just got my shipment) Hatch chile.

[Caroline1]

Thanks for sharing, but I will admit to thinking, "Chile head!" when I got to "habanero"! Have you tried the mild habanero developed by Texas A&M? I haven't found them in any store, but they supposedly have the flavor of habanereros with the heat of an Anaheim. If you aren't cursed with brown thumbs (I am and even plastic plants wither and turn yellow on me) you can buy the seeds on line. Meanwhile I've got to find some Hatch chiles. I need my annual chile relleno fix! And if I can just find another perfectly ripened cantaloup, I'll give your recipe a shot. But this gringa tongue ain't going near it with untamed habaneros!

[Bill Hunt]

Deep fried (and stuffed) squash blossoms.

Hunt

[dave_c]

Was recently at a Mexican festival where I noticed the popular item was elote - a corn on the cob covered with cheese (cojita?) and dusted with chili powder. All of this is so far so good.

What helped the finely grated cheese stick to the corn was mayonnaise. The roasted corn is brushed with mayo, coated with cheese and dusted with chili powder. Mayo and on corn on the cob? That's crazy talk!

Overall, it was a very good ear of corn. The mayo was not noticeable, the cheese wasn't overly salty and the chili powder gave the corn a nice little kick.

[ennuisans]

Those things are fan-tastic.

[The Big Crunch]

They serve those at a restaurant nearby. They are amazing!! However, I've been using dustings of chili powder and flavored butter (lime butter in particular) on my grilled corn for years.

[Caroline1]

Mayonnaise is not as crazy an idea as it seems at first thought. Check out the ingredients on the jar. It is primarily oil. If you want a nice glaze on roasted chicken without a lot of basting, try slathering it generously with mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip!!!), dusting it with spices of choice (the spices can go under or over the mayonnaise) and roasting. My mother used to make a chocolate mayonnaise cake in which the mayonnaise replaced the shortening and eggs. Sometimes mayonnaise is a pretty good "fat substitute." If you use mayonnaise in place of butter when making mashed potatoes, the potatoes will come out whiter than usual and nicely flavored and fattened.

[Jackie007]

Yep, I do the same thing.

[jmcarthur8]

I rub mayo all over my chicken parts before the breadcrumbs to make Pizza chicken (that's what my son called it when he was little, and the name stuck).
In the breadcrumbs, I mix shredded Parmesan, garlic powder, some oregano, basil, whatever Italian-y seasonings I feel like, and bake it.

[scubadoo97]

I'll coat my tuna with mayo, sometime wasabi mayo, before patting on panko or sesame seeds before searing.

[Jackie007]

I did sriracha mayo, actually.

[scubadoo97]

I use a sriracha mayo for spicy tuna.

[pine time]

Did the same thing with some insipid tilapia (is that an oxymoron?). Then dipped in panko. Helped tremendously.

[kubasd]

nope, just redundant and repetitive ;)

[cmtigger]

One of my favorite mayo tricks is to slather a fatty fish with it, then put thin slices of lemon on top and bake it until it's done.

[mamachef]

Oh, I love elotes. There's a lady locally who actually roasts the corn and then cuts it off the cob and serves the kernels in a paper cup, treated to the same delicious slather that you describe. And yes, the cheese was likely Cotija.

[dave_c]

My college roommate used to take McD's Cheeseburgers (sometimes a Big Mac when he splurged) and add a pile of french fries into the burger.

I tried the french fry burger but it wasn't for me. Personally, I thought it was weird, but my SO says it was quite common.

[jmcarthur8]

My mother used to make a casserole called "Yankee Noodle" back in the 60's that had elbow macaroni, ground beef, corn and green peppers, something tomatoey and cheddar cheese. I don't know what proportions, or what else was in it, and I haven't ever tried to make it, but I loved it as a kid. There was something yummy about the sweet corn in there with the beef and the green peppers. Lots of textures and flavors.

[Pipenta]

Marmite. I'd read about it, but it took me years before I finally broke down and bought a jar and tried it. Now I love it. I like it on buttered toast. I like it on sandwiches mixed with hummus. I like it on cheese. In fact, it can really help an otherwise less-than-memorable cheese.

I have yet to find a jar of Vegemite to try.

[pine time]

Saw a tiny jar of Marmite yesterday, but didn't buy it. Can you give me some idea what it tastes like?

[HillJ]

Like salty Worcestershire sauce in paste form.
Vegemite is a byproduct of beer brewing also sold in a solid paste.

[jujuthomas]

my DH loves Marmite. I do not care for it myself, but he's a happy man with a couple slices of toast w/ butter and marmite! it is very salty and yeasty.

[staughton]

Basically salt, with a little yeast overtone. As the jar size would suggest, use it sparingly. It's not a peanut butter substitute, believe me.

[CanadaGirl]

I don't like it as a spread, but Marmite is great for upping the flavour in gravies and sauces. Just a small amount adds lots of umami to otherwise flat sauces. It's my gravy secret weapon.

[suzigirl]

My boyfriends mom taught me that one. Really adds flavor when you are making pandrippings gravy. They are British. Not really popular here in the states. What about where you are CanadaGirl? Is it popular there?

[CanadaGirl]

I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I wouldn't say that marmite is really popular, but it's also pretty easy to find, so I guess it sells relatively well.

[Caroline1]

There are several traditional "gravy enhancers" that include Marmite, Bovril, and.... Rats! I can't think of the other one that is closely related to Marmite. Anyway, "Kitchen Bouquet" is also another. Home cooks don't use them so much any more because they've been supplanted by gravy mixes in an envelope. But they are tried and true, and alive and well in many professional and regional home kitchens.

Another trick for enhancing the color of gravy I learned from my mother: When the gravy from the Thanksgiviing turkey was delicious but pale, she had a pet spoon she would add some granulated sugar to, hold it over the gas burner and let the sugar caramelize and boil, then when it was good and dark but not bitter, plunge it into the gravy and stir. Voila! Nice rich brown gravy that looked and tasted the way gravy is supposed to look and taste. Getting the caramelized sugar off the spoon can be difficult. Hence her "dedicated spoon." Works like a charm!

[dave_c]

Re: Rats! I can't think of the other one that is closely related to Marmite.

I think I speaka your language.
I'll just smile and give you a vegemite sandwich.

[Caroline1]

That's the one...! Vegemite! How could I forget Vegemite? It sounds like a veggie version of Mighty Mouse. '-)

[eclecticsynergy]

My absolute favorite gravy enhancer is Maggi Seasoning. It's umami supercharged in a bottle.

[laskiblue]

My mom always had a bottle of Kitchen Bouquet in the cupboard. As I read the words, I could instantly see the bottle in my mind -- red cap, yellow label. :-)

[Becca Porter]

Google Nigella's Marmite pasta! Delicious, kid friendly, and very quick...

[dave_c]

Sandwiches:
1) Peanut butter and Chili Sauce (or Ketchup)
Back in the 70's, an elderly neighbor said she found a recipe in the newspaper for peanut butter and chili sauce (Heinz or Del Monte) sandwiches. The bread was toasted and slathered with PB and chili sauce.

It was surprising good. My brother and I recreated the sandwich at home using ketchup, which worked well too.

2) Mayonnaise (optional: potato chips)
I think everyone has eaten a mayo sandwich at least once in their lives.

Dips
1) Cream cheese and chili sauce (same stuff from sandwich 1, above)
2) Cream cheese and salsa

I'm not a fan of cream cheese and the first time someone made the dip I was very skeptical. However, with corn chips, it was a hit..

[pine time]

Variant on the mayo sandwich: mayo on saltines. Weirdly good.

[Caroline1]

Oh, God, I can't believe I'm about to admit this in public, but for you, davec, here goes...

Thick peanut butter and mayonnaise on rye bread stuffed with 6 to 8 well placed pitted Kakamata olives, then piled with plenty of blue cheese crumbles before closing. It sort of reminds me of a great sardine sandwich without any fishiness. Oh dear... I think I have some rye bread...

[jmcarthur8]

I'm really on the fence about a mayo and banana on gooey whole wheat bread that a former employer loved to feed me.

Seemed like he always made them when I had already eaten, and he wouldn't take 'no, thank you' for an answer. So I never knew if I really liked them or not, just stuffing them down to appease him!

[Caroline1]

How good a peanut butter and mayo is depends more on how good the mayo is than the peanut butter. However, I like it best when sliced tomato is added, and maybe a nice lettuce leaf. But do NOT mess it up with bacon...!

[dave_c]

Since you made a public confession, I'm willing to give your unami loaded sandwich a try. :-)
Rye bread toasted? I'm guessing the bread is toasted to melt the pb. At least for me, in sandwiches, molten pb is far superior to room temperature pb.

[jmcarthur8]

+1 to the molten PB. On toasted sourdough, of course.

[wandajune6]

I love cheap (Marachuan flavor is the best) ramen noodles with cabbage. Yum!

I'm not sure if this is odd or not but we always put peanut butter on our pancakes growing up. Spread the (preferably chunky) pb on your pancake, add some syrup, and enjoy. I think my parents were just searching for ways to get us to eat protein since we didn't like meat. But it worked! Delicious!

[laskiblue]

My mom loved peanut butter and maple syrup on her pancakes. That was one of two things she would drink ice cold milk with (the other was chocolate cake).

[mamachef]

Ramen and cabbage. Oh, memories of college, and having to decide between food and liquor. Bet'cha can't guess which won. Which meant that dinner was often: hamburger, browned w/ soy sauce and garlic and onion, mixed w/ shredded cabbage and ramen (seasoned, but drained of most broth.) My boyfriend at the time thought it was the worst thing he ever saw and then went on and ate the entire recipe.

[Caroline1]

Not from childhood, but... Dill weed seasoned kettle potato chips coated with chocolate. One Christmas I decided to make a large assortment of superb made-by-me candies for family and freinds. The chocolate covered dill chips were so fantastic that not one ever made it into the gift packages! I literally could not eat just one. Well, unless it was the LAST one!

[cayjohan]

C1, I've seen you mention this goodie before and as a dill fanatic I'm very intrigued, despite have a wee bit of a challenge getting my head around the taste of dill+chocolate! I think I'm going to have to finally try it. So what's your preferred chocolate pairing with dill, milk or dark? (Y'know, I've got the giggles just considering how charmingly absurd the thought of "chocolate and dill pairing" seems.) I'm also a little scared that they might be among The Best Things Ever, and I'll have yet another thing to add to my Must Resist list.

[Caroline1]

You can pretty much plan on a new entry on your "must resist" list. I went in between full dark and full milk by using chocolate chips. Nuke 'em to melt 'em, then see if you can find some dill weed "from the factory" kettle chips. Short of finding those, I would pick up some plain old Ruffles (because they are sturdy) and half empty the bag so there's room to toss them around to coat with a mixture of dill weed and a TINY hit of onion powder and fine sea salt. Maybe even heat the Ruffles a little so the spices will stick better. Then melt the chocolate and dip the potato chips and set to cool and harden. Final step: Invite me over!!!! '-)

[NellyNel]

Wow!
Caroline, this concoction sounds ludicrisly wonderful to me!

I am also going to try it!!

I used to drop pretzel stix and potato chips into Breyer vanilla icecream as a kid, I thought I was super creative...I wasnt really, but that combo still tastes great!
I also like crushed pretzel stix mixed into vinegar and oil...yummm

oh, another concoction of mine is Oreos with sour cream...
Don't knock it till you try it!

[cayjohan]

NellyNel, I know exactly what you mean about the Oreos and sour cream. My variant (as I don't like the cream filling in Oreos) is to dunk Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers in buttermilk. It's just about perfect.

[cayjohan]

Okay, I'm sunk. You put it well over the top when you introduced the heretofore never-in-my-head thought of doctoring up the chips! Oh, the possibilities in that. Oof. Now Hope and Crosby are riffing in my head: we're OFF on the ROAD to PERDITION...

Happily, I might add. Thanks!
Cay

[Caroline1]

Always fun to lure the unsuspecting into the same web of sin I'm caught in! Bet you can't eat just one... to coin a phrase. '-)

[cayjohan]

I neglected to report until now on the dill-chocolate chips. Tried them, and they were unexpectedly delicious.

But.

But? I was surprised (astounded) to like the dill/chocolate flavor so much, and found I wanted a little more amplified dill flavor. Not having any dried dill to execute the heat-and-sprinkle method, I resorted to dipping. Specifically, dipping in the homemade yogurt-dill-onion-garlic dressing that is perpetually in my fridge. This thrilled me to my toes. Why? I confess to loving chocolate + cultured milk (up thread), and the dill+chocolate+soured milk combination was a plus-one on all counts. Back atcha, Caroline1...give the additional dill dip a try! Thanks for a delicious little guilty pleasure!

[Caroline1]

Isn't it a great surprise? But the dill/chocolate combination is also a dangerous solvent, so beware! It completely dissolves my will power. It's dangerous stuff! '-)

I'm so delighted to hear there's one more addict. Thanks for the report!

[cayjohan]

I have never, on CH or other forums, found a weird combination that was so damn tasty. Bold? Yes. Rocking someone's food-combo world for the sake of shocking? Yes. But never the eye-opening combination of dill and chocolate. I'm trying to think of ways to exploit it to my...ahem...advantage,

One question, though...when you say dill chips, do you mean dill pickle chips, or potato chips only flavored with dill? I ask because in my markets, there's nothing DILL about chips if PICKLE is not included. In fact, I've never seen dill without the pickle attached in chipworld. The reason I inquire is that I find the fresh dill (in the dipping sauce) was such a fine flavor with that I wondered if the vinegar-y flavor is even necessary. So: do you find dill chips in your market that are NOT also pickley? Don't get me wrong; I'm a vinegar/sour/fermented fiend, and luuuurve the pickle, but the combination of dill and chocolate is so enticing now that I'd like to explore it a bit more without the distraction of the additive tartness that come with pickle chips.

Sheesh, maybe this should be a new herb+dessert combo. I'd be in. Thanks so much for tuning me into the flavor!

[Caroline1]

I used dill weed flavored "kettle" ruffle cut potato chips that I bought in a "liquor/gourmet food boutique." I can't remember the brand, but I guarantee it wasn't a Frito Lay product. When I went back to get some more they were sold out. Several months later I did see the dill pckle flavored potato chips (whatever brand they were), but they didn't work nearly as well. Or taste nearly as good! If they were on my approved diet list, I would try making my own dill dusted kettle potato chips, but if I did that, I would just have to eat them all!

Oh my goodness! LOOKIE WHAT I FOUND! We may both be in big trouble!
http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?ca...

[cayjohan]

Oof, did I not already mention both roads and perdition? These sound marvelous : http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?sn... We love the Terra chips and are unrepentant.

My garden is filled with dill. My cupboard, with chocolate. Perdition, here we come.

[Caroline1]

Sorry. I've just checked out every chip type and flavor at the Terra Chips web site, and there is no dill to be found on anything. That seems to be the case with a lot of the dill chips on the link I gave. I guess the rest of the world isn't as thrilled with dill as we are. Oh well, at least somebody is looking out for my hips.

[mamachef]

Caroline1 and Cayjohan: You ladies are both exhibiting very dangerous symptoms: that of the "pusher" and that of the "user." I suggest you both pack a bag and fly to The Betty immediately, before you try figuring out how to crystallize dill so you can sniff it. :)
My darling daughter made a no-mayo potato salad for a family gathering that consisted of sliced cooked potatoes, sliced cooked eggs, sliced black olives, steamed haricots..........and a garlicky dill dressing that was so dang delicious it almost brought tears to my eyes. Oh me, oh my.

[Caroline1]

I've been making a dill weed vinaigrette dressing for tossed green salads for more than thirty years now that always ensures a totally empty salad bowl by dessert time. Not that I always serve dessert... '-)

[suzigirl]

I bought a bag of dill chips today by Sylvia's They aren't kettle style but they are about to get the chocolate dip. This sounds weirdly good. Let ya know when i try. But I want to try it your way since I jumped the gun and bought pre made dill chips.

[Caroline1]

Nothing wrong with pre-made dill chips! The dill-your-own-chips are because I can't find really good ready-mades where I shop. Am I reading right? Is "Sylvia's" a brand name? The other dilled ready made food I love is dilled rye bread. Can't find it around here either. I guess dill isn't a big deal in Texas. <sigh> Dill is rare, barbecue chips are everywhere. hmmm... Chocolate dipped chipotle barbecue potato chips...? hmmmm... I'm thinking... ... ... nah. I don't think so. But maybe?

[suzigirl]

Sylvia's is a brand name. If you are a dill fan like me try cabots dill havarti. Soo sooo good.

[mamachef]

Amazing on a freshly-roasted turkey sandwich with dill mayonnaise, sliced tomato, shredded Romaine, lots of pepper.....

[suzigirl]

That sounds DILLicious. Love me some good dill flavored goodies. I wish it were more popular. I remember lunchables made a dill sauce for the deluxe combo in the late eighties that i still miss and regard fondly.

[ErnieD]

Ohdeargod, that sounds incredible. I'm kind if envisioning a version on rye bread right now, maybe even with a little sliced avocado.

edit-in reference to mamchef''s sam.

[eclecticsynergy]

re: dill-iciousness

My secret universal all-purpose dill horseradish remoulade, great on a smoked turkey sandwich, or with salmon or trout, or on a steak. Or with roast chicken. Or on a baked potato. Or in cucumber salad. Or on scrambled eggs. Or over hot egg noodles or in cold mac salad. Or on hot fresh corn or cold green beans Or on a roast beef sandwich. Or a meat loaf sandwich. Or a tuna sandwich. Or an egg salad sandwich. You get the idea.

Equal parts mayo & sour cream
Prepared horseradish
Onion powder for that toasted onion flavor
Lots of Dill!

Takes all of ninety seconds to mix up. Also great as a stand alone dip for chips, veggies, anything. Great for mozzarella sticks, french fries, onion rings, even apple slices, don't laugh...

Optional add-ins:
Minced red peppers and Louisiana sauce
Chopped red onion and black olives
Celery seed and smoked paprika

I've never tried it on a peanut butter sandwich but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out...

[mamachef]

Got this from the gal at the deli I get that sandwich from: "bloom" 1 T. dried dill in a T. dill brine, and blend w/ one T. sugar into two C. good mayo. I added a dash salt, and it was identical to theirs. I think that this, mixed w/ sour cream and thinned with milk, maybe with fresh dill and chopped cucumber and a little more vinegar, would be a GREAT salad dressing, too....

[suzigirl]

Nix the BBQ chips/chocolate idea. Yes 'Sylvia's' is the brand name for sure. They are thin but nice and dilly. And not pickle, just dill. Its the same Sylvia that makes the hot sauces and corn bread mixes etc. Give a look around. Hope you find it. It is 'creamy dill in a tan bag with a black woman on the top of the bag.

[dave_c]

From back in the day, an elementary school treat - potato chips dipped in softened vanilla ice cream. For class parties, we had chips and ice cream. We kids found that those two made a delicious combination.

[jujuthomas]

i bet that was good. Your post reminds me that my sister and I used to dip our McD's fries in our chocolate shakes.

[janmcbaker]

My sister told me about that one. I automatically thought fries in a shake sounded totally weird- until I tried it of course. Same about potato chips and ice cream. Was at a friend's house for cake and ice cream for someone's BD and they had potato chips too. I should know better than to think those combinations wouldn't work-- especially since I love chocolate covered pretzels and regular pretzels broken up in ice cream. I just love that sweet and salty combo!

[mariacarmen]

Oh definitely. vanilla shakes for me.

Fritos and Orange Crush, too.

[Kris in Beijing]

Open-faced Dukes Mayonnaise sandwich, with a little salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Bread can be anything, preferably with more "texture" than white but not an intruding flavour.
Has to be Dukes-- there's no sugar in their mayo formula.

[buttertart]

Peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. Especially with good tomatoes. Salt them. Umami ooh mommy.

[Sparklebright]

I was going to say that.
Only difference is that we like them toasted.

[cayjohan]

My all-time favorite sandwich too. Toasted bread, scrubbed with garlic, thin spread of PB, slabs of tomato and a good salting. Heaven. I often toss on some chopped cilantro, as the flavor of PB and cilantro just sends me. Also delicious with some slivered scallions.

[FreddieJaye]

My mother would shred and fry a head of green cabbage until limp, in bacon drippings, then mix it with boiled wide noodles laced with salt and lots of black pepper. Easy, cheap, and delicious.

As an adult, I'd make it for just myself...until my young daughter sneaked a taste. She gave some to my wife, and the two of them polished off most of the batch. Previously, both of them ignored anything with cabbage in it; now I am "allowed," even encouraged, to make it. In large quantities, of course.

[kengk]

That is Haluski, very delicious. One of those things that tastes way better than you would think. Needs onion also, imo.

[FreddieJaye]

I've stuck with Mom's "recipe" for decades, but adding onions sounds good. How do they fit in? Chopped, sliced? Sauteed with the cabbage until soft?

And you are right about the taste--I could easily make a meal of that stuff.

[kengk]

I fry the onions in the bacon grease before adding the cabbage. Usually slice the onion to produce 1/4" thick, quarter circles, if that makes sense. Doesn't really matter.

[The Big Crunch]

Fun topic. Here's two that instantly come to mind.

1. A friend of mine used to make these for parties as finger food/Hors d'oeuvre. She'd take white flour tortillas, smear creamy, natural peanut butter on half of one side, and then apply slices of fresh jalapeno on top of the peanut butter. Fold the thing over, quesadilla-style, and slice it into bite size pieces. Voila! Yummy, but bizarre.

2. While in med school, my dad and his friends came up with a bizarre type of nacho. You start with a bag of plain Doritos, some Frito-Lay bean dip, pepperoni slices, a jar of mild banana pepper rings, and a big block of cheddar that you slice into squares a little less than a quarter inch thick. Take a Dorito, smear on some bean dip, lay the cheddar square on top, place the pepperoni slice on top of that, top it with a banana pepper, and set it on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Repeat for as many as you'd like. Once you got a full sheet of the suckers, cook 'em at 400 for a few minutes to melt the cheese and get a little char on the Dorito. Pull 'em out of the oven and chow down. Afterwards, take the antacid of your choice :) From what I recall, that "recipe" was one of those things that he and some buddies stumbled upon one night when they were all up studying for exams. They were hungry, had no food in the house, it was late at night, and the only thing open near them was a convenience store with a limited supply of ingredients, but the store did have Doritos, cheese, pepperoni, bean dips, and banana peppers. I can't recall if this was something someone else showed them or just a random creation that miraculously worked. In any case, it became a regular thing at there group house afterwards. When I was a kid, my dad would often whip up a bunch of those when friends would come over for sleepovers.

[jmcarthur8]

I think the Dorito thing sounds yummy! I'd need a really cold Diet Coke to wash it down.

[suzigirl]

It does sound good but gimme a nice cold beer

[thesandwichlife]

I remember my mother making Welsh rabbit, as we called it, sometimes for a special treat when I came home from school for lunch. It was melted Campbell's cheddar cheese soup poured over saltines with paprika on top. I can just TASTE that paprika with the cheese right now. And we'd also have bread, butter and sugar as a treat, which was soft white sandwich bread spread with butter (margerine) and sprinkled with sugar. Man I loved that. I'm afraid to try either one now as I know it couldn't tast as good. Then again....maybe it would....

[HillJ]

A bar my husband and I go to sometimes for lunch has Welsh Rarebit on their bar menu. Buttered toast with paprika and garlic salt with cheddar melted over all. Comes to the table piping hot and it's also served with anchovy stuffed green olives. Love that meal.

[suzigirl]

That sounds outstanding. A side of sliced tomatoes and a beer and a nap. That's all I need

[HillJ]

Need a partner? I could meet you there at about 9pm tonight :) HA!

[suzigirl]

I'm in. But if its at nine I want to switch my beer to a nice Cosmo or a pino grigio. You are lucky to have a place that makes welsh Rarebit. Its getting scarce. It is so good when done right.

[HillJ]

Cheers! Nice way to end a Sunday.

[suzigirl]

A nice way at that. Cheers!

[Pipenta]

When I was a kid, Welsh Rarebit was what I'd order every time we went to Howard Johnson's for dinner. My brother always got the fried clams.

[suzigirl]

I got the fried clams. I know my HJ never had welsh rare it or I would have ordered it. You know, cheese junkie ans all.

[arktos]

Folk knowledge is that Welsh Rarebit is a infamously dream-inducing dish. Either beautifully lucid or nightmarish. Just wanted to say that.

[FreddieJaye]

I'd never heard that...but there's a very old short film on the Internet Archive called "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend." It's quite psychedelic for 1906. Now the title makes sense to me. You can watch it here:

http://archive.org/details/DreamOfARa...

[suzigirl]

That was disturbingly fascinating. Thank you for that little film

[Pipenta]

That film was one of a number of Rarebit Fiend shorts made by Windsor McCay. He was a very popular comic strip artist and writer, back in the day. His most famous comic was Little Nemo in Slumberland. But all of his stuff gets surreal.

He was very much a pioneer of animation. He did a version of the sinking of the Lusitania that took him months and months to do, painstakingly rendering each wavelet. But then people thought it was just some kind of live action. So he realized that he had to do something really out there for people to realize he was drawing it. He did a film called Gertie the Dinosaur that he took on the vaudeville circuit, as this was before movie theaters were a going thing. And he got on stage with the projection and interacted with Gertie. You can find videos of that online too.

[CanadaGirl]

I used to love "sugar sandwiches" when I was little.

[pinehurst]

In Boston you call 'em "Goody". White (typically) bread, spread with a little butter, sprinkled with sugar. At least that's what they called them back in the 1970's when I was a little kid.

[HillJ]

We had bread with honey, honey & PB, butter & jam, butter and chocolate sprinkles and butter with cinnamon when our Great Grandmother was in charge.

[Caroline1]

If you make the peanut butter and honey sandwiches a few minutes ahead, I find that the peanut butter and honey begin an interaction and get almost crunchy-caramely. Or maybe my honey is just crystallizing??? If that's what it is, I really like it...!!!

Oh, damn... The honey is calling me..... <sigh> Have I no will power? Of course not!!!! '-)

[jmcarthur8]

Caroline, that crunchy stuff is exactly what I love about PB & H sandwiches! I almost posted that myself. Great minds....

[Caroline1]

Have you tried PB2, the de-fatted powdered peanut "butter" you have to mix with water to a creamy texture? I like it very much, and now I'm curious whether it would taste great and/or whether the crystals would still develop if I mixed the powder with honey instead of water? Damn! my PB2 jar is history! Gotta get some more...

[HillJ]

C1, I use the powdered PB in recipes all the time. But I haven't tried it in a sandwich.

[Caroline1]

What do you use yours for? So far, besides lovely PB&Js, I've used it in "Asian" sauces. I cannot bring myself to call them Thai, because I don't have a clue about true Thai cooking. When I replenish my supply, I'm thinking about trying them out in a lower fat peanut butter cookie. So what have your creative juices led you to use it for? Call me Snoopy! And it has nothing to do with a kid named Charlie Brown. '-)

[HillJ]

Right off, I'm happy to share (& continue to enjoy your posts) C1. That's a given.

As for this amazing PB powder we adore, it's wound up in cookies, cakes, breads, sauces, spreads and pastes. I'll reserve 1/4 cup of flour or dry milk powder called for in a baked recipe and sub it with the PB powder. Use it in crepe batter, pancake batter, as a binder in sauce, etc. Experiment wherever you think the flavor of PB would enhance. Oh and smoothies!

[don515]

Grilled ham and cheeze on cinnamon raisin bread.

[HillJ]

don, then dipped in pancake batter and fried until crisp!
gosh....I miss summer camp!

[don515]

game on!

[otps]

I used to love apple butter sandwiches on buttered bread. I don't even know if apple butter is available anymore. Brown sugar sandwich was not bad either.

[christyar]

my mom loved to make pb, brown sugar banana sandwiches....in college my friend made fluffer nutters...pb + marshmallow fluff

[HillJ]

apple butter is great and yes still available (& super easy to make at home)
fluffernutters came via my Uncle who was addicted to mallow of any kind. pb & fluff was a rare treat when I was young but my kids absolutely grew up enjoying it. the brown sugar/banana I've never tried....interesting!

[Caroline1]

If you want to go a little "Elvis" (or any other fruit), you can make an open faced peanut butter and banana, then add the brown sugar liberally and "brulee" it with a kitchen torch. Actually, it doesn't have to be banana. It can be any kind of fruit you like, and the purpose of the fruit is to keep you from starting a peanut butter bonfire with the kitchen torch. You can use orange slices (also very good with peanut butter), or apples, or fresh pineapple. Plums. Peaches. I don't think raisins would be very good, but hey, I've been wrong once before... '-)

[janmcbaker]

That combo reminded me of what my sister and brother would do when they were kids. PB on one slice of white bread, either grape jelly or strawberry preserves on the other, and sprinkle Nestles' Quik over it all. Slap together and eat!

[otps]

My mother used to make me sardine sandwiches, 2 pieces of white bread with butter and canned sardines. Brought one for school lunch once and had to eat alone, ate them at home only after that.

[mariacarmen]

my parents (from bolivia) made sardine sandwiches when i was a kid. usually on some kind of french roll, tho. not fancy, just supermarket french rolls. i also had issues at school with home-made lunches - braunschweiger sandwiches, etc.

[jmcarthur8]

Sardine sandwiches or braunschweiger sandwiches were a typical Saturday lunch for me and my father. They always remind me of a sunny day at the kitchen table with him. I don't recall my sisters or mother eating them, though, so I guess it was a private club we two shared.

[staughton]

Love the the sardine stories! I've always liked sardines--and my father does, too. Mom doesn't care for them. He's 89 and, every so often--on a sunny afternoon at the kitchen table, we break out a can of sardines, some vinegar and saltines, which is the popular way to enjoy them around the Chesapeak Bay area... Yeah, I know... Eating canned sardines a few hundred yards from the Bay is kind of like eating canned peaches in Georgia in August, but sometimes that's just the way it has to be. We both like liverwurst, too, but I every time I buy him some, we each have one sandwich and that's our "fix" for a year--and the rest goes bad. Is there anything else you can do with it besides sandwiches?

[suzigirl]

I like to mix it in with finely shredded cheddar, mayo, dried onion flakes and relish if you like(sweet or dill is up to you). Mash it until it is all incorperated. I like enough mayo to make it dippable for ruffled chips and veggies. Keep it thicker and it is good for good crackers. I like them plain but you can get flavored or seeded. It is best after sitting in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

[suzigirl]

Also, can you get it sliced to your liking at your deli so you don't need to get a whole pound chub? In my area you can get it sliced at most any deli counter in the grocery store. We even have a few Amish markets where I can get some very authentic sausage. Good luck

[jmcarthur8]

staughton, thanks for the laugh. Very sweet.
Here's what to do with the liverwurst - saute some mushrooms and onions till nicely browned in butter, toss into the food processor with a chunk of liverwurst and an equal sized chunk of cream cheese. Puree till smooth and creamy. Season to suit. Serve with pumpernickel pretzels or rye crackers.

[Caroline1]

Or substitute butter for the cream cheese, add a drop or two of cognac, at the very last minute drop in a few pistachios, chill until firm. You can pass it off as pate.

[mariacarmen]

i don't buy it more than a couple times a year either because i have the opposite problem - i could eat liverworst from a spoon, right out of the tube, until it's all gone. i adore that stuff.

[mamachef]

You could? Just admit it, MC2. You DO. As do I. Sometimes I dip the spoon in mustard, too.

[mariacarmen]

i thought that was implied, MC! i'll go you one better: I HAVE. many times!

Mayo too.

[mamachef]

Mayo? Oh noooooooo.......go to the naughty corner and give some thought to what you just said.

[mariacarmen]

oh yes. mayo. i am not ashamed.

[Sparklebright]

I have put leftover liver wurst in meatloaf.
I'm a one-sandwich-a-year person too.

[CanadaGirl]

Slice of pepperoni pizza with gravy. There is a pizza place in Ottawa that is know for this combination. I mocked it, then I tried it and was converted.

[Caroline1]

I'm assuming you mean "gravy" in the Italian sense, as in marinara sauce or similar. Or do you mean "gravy," as in roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy? The latter sounds really bizarre. The former just sounds like pizza soup!

[CanadaGirl]

Nope, not the Italian variety! The kind you put on mashed potatoes. I am aware how odd it sounds, but it is good. To be honest, it doesn't really look very good, but it's tasty I'm a completely trashy kind of way :)

[Caroline1]

Damn, I can be dense! I shoulda figured that one out without asking. Canadian? Poutine? Pizza with brown gravy comes out to poutine with a little pepperoni and pizza crust instead of the French fies! Not really that much of a stretch when you think it through. Thanks! '-)

[arktos]

FRITO PIE. Sounds absolutely ridiculous and bottom-of-the-barrelish until I tried it for the first time recently(by someone who ' really' knows how to make one). And I must say, it was superb!

[pine time]

Once ate leftover Thanksgiving stuffing at a friend's, and the dressing was delicious, but different from my Mom's. Key ingredient turned out to be Fritos!

[Terrie H.]

Whoa, I'd love to hear more about Frito dressing!

[mamachef]

Just curious, Goldendog: was your mom perchance from Va., Ky. or Tn.? Brown beans and kraut are a very area-specific regional "thing" there....

[Goldendog]

My parents were both born & raised in Michigan just after their parents came from Poland. They could have been poster kids for the Great Depression though & that's probably the similarity with the often humble areas you mention. They both came from families with 12 children in each family living in small 3 or 4 room homes. Beans & kraut over potatoes would have been very tasty, nutritious, and total cost close to nil.

[mamachef]

Absolutely.

[suzigirl]

I have had bites of baked beans and kraut at a potluck. They were on the plate side by side, not premixed. It was great but I never thought about making it into a dish. Try baked beans and Mac and cheese, thats good too. Just make sure you eat that kraut bean combo w/ someone who really loves you and your intestinal 'conversation.

[mamachef]

I LOVE baked beans and mac, and I'm totally trying the kraut thing. Rooty toot toot!

[Kris in Beijing]

Sounds just like the dishes made by the mother of my gal friend from The Netherlands.
Her mom was NOT into food, or spending time in the kitchen, but into feeding dad and 2 boys plus my friend.
Smashed boiled potatoes plus kraut-- separately or mixed-- were the base for about everything, and it was all stirred together on the plate.

[Caroline1]

I haven't made one in years, but when my daughter was little, I used to make "pretty sandwiches" for her by spreading really dense very dark pumpernickle with thick layers of cream cheese in place of traditional mayonnaise, then sandwich them around layers of cantaloup and avocado. As I recall, they tasted rally great too, but I haven't seen really dense pumpernickle in years! I really miss it, but not enough to make my own.

My mother also made a fairly unusual breakfast dish of eggs poached in milk that was heavily dosed with Lawry's Season Salt, then served in a soup bowl over buttered toast (today I use buttered Thomas' English Muffins) with some of the milk poured over it and a dash of good paprika for a touch of color for presentation. Every once in a while I just have to have it!

[jmcarthur8]

Caroline, look at my post just upthread! I don't know where my father learned this dish. What about your mother? Do you know where she got it from?

[Caroline1]

Yes, I saw your father's "milk toast" dish from your childhood. AFAIK, my mother made her recipe up herself. She sometimes got "overly creative" and this was one of her creations. I don't remember clearly, but she may even have thickened the milk/seasoning salt mixture after poaching the eggs, then used the thickened milk as the sauce. I do recall it was sometimes a bit "foamy", but as an adult cook remembering it, I assume it was froth created in poaching. As I said, my mother could get quite "creative." I'm the one who has shared the tale on these boards before about her kidnapping my planned-leftover Christmas goose stuffed with chestnut/Grand Marnier stuffing, and taking it to her house where she stripped the golden skin and threw away the stuffing to turn it into goose tacos. A very painful memory I never let her live down. Well, I guess she eventually did. RIP! Except for the goose tacos. NO peace for that...!!! '-)

[mariacarmen]

this is not homemade so maybe it doesn't count, but i've always WANTED to make it. mexican restaurant in l.a. used to serve (probably still do) a spaghetti dish mixed with sour cream. it was SO GOOD. the hot pasta, the cool sour cream.... ummmmm....

[biondanonima]

When I was a kid and learning how to cook, this was one of my favorite things - I would just mix hot pasta and cold sour cream, and add different items from my mother's spice rack according to my whim. It was really tasty (most of the time!).

[MGZ]

I used to do something similar with cottage cheese. I learned later that adding butter to the mix made it quite good.

[eclecticsynergy]

Yep, so good! I often add a tiny can of mushrooms too, and it becomes a simple version of Hungarian noodles. Super easy comfort food to satisfy body and soul...

[jmcarthur8]

That's still my 'home alone and nobody to cook for' dish. Hot pasta, cold sour cream, a little dried herbs and lots of shredded parmesan.
Comfort.

[mariacarmen]

see, and here I am, like an idiot, NEVER trying it on my own! thanks all!

[Kris in Beijing]

Yes-- we have a noodle-less variant of this. One scoop of cold cottage cheese on one side of the plate, and REALLY HOT meat-based spaghetti sauce on the other. Just get a bit of each in each bite, but don't stir/mix together on the plate.

[kengk]

Heinz ketchup on tacos. You must use the supermarket Ortega shells and seasoning mix. Other toppings include chopped onion, diced homegrown tomatoes and shredded cheddar and iceberg lettuce. I refer to them as "redneck" tacos.

Potato chips and pork and beans for sides.

[HillJ]

Cold cooked spaghetti and ketchup was one of my fav rotations during the lean, college years.

[eclecticsynergy]

Or leftover spaghetti fried with a little butter...

[HillJ]

real butter and parm cheese weren't in my college budget :)

ketchup I could nab at any fast food joint with a .30 cup of java.

[jmcarthur8]

My father used to make a dish for me when I was sick - he'd poach an egg (just till it was runny) in milk, put buttered toast in a bowl, pour the milk and egg over, add salt and a good dose of pepper. He called it Hot Milk Toast, but the recipes I've seen for it do not include an egg.
I haven't had it in more years than I care to admit, but now and then I get a hankerin' for it. I think I'm afraid if I make it, it won't taste the same as my memory, and I don't want to lose that comfort food/sick little girl/nurturing daddy thing.

[mariacarmen]

aw, sweet story, and it does sound very comforting! i think you should try it. you'll still have your memories...

[Allice98]

Peanut butter spread on a york peppermint patty. It was something i learned at sleepaway camp.

[HillJ]

Allice98, our camp version...we would tunnel into the PB with a long handle spoon and then pour chocolate syrup down the long carved out path. Stir slowly and call that homemade Reese's in a jar. We ate that stuff all summer!

[staughton]

That sounds disgusting....

-ly delicious!! I've gotta have some! I'll be heading into the kitchen as soon as I send this.

[pine time]

Sounds delicious. Wonder how it would be in a jar of Biscoff spread?

[HillJ]

Been there, done that! The Biscoff spread with dark chocolate syrup is like having a Pepperridge Farm cookie (Milano). While the PB and chocolate is more like a candy.

[pine time]

Hmm, cookie and candy combo sounds like a perfect breakfast.

[HillJ]

Breakfast of champions!

[AngelaID]

My first post here. But I've been reading through the boards for days. What a fun place! Comfort food for me is a hot shredded wheat biscuit (boil water, dip the biscuit - on a slotted spoon - in it for a few seconds until it gets soft, drain), pat of butter on top, fried egg on top and some salt. That's all I want to eat when I'm sick.

[staughton]

Welcome to the paaaarrrrrrrrrrrTAY, AngelaID!!! Is that for Idaho? Sorry, I've been listening to B-52's a lot lately. And that shredded wheat thing sounds absolutely fantastic--no matter one's state of health. I just went kayaking for an hour and I could devour one right now!

[AngelaID]

Yep. I live in Coeur d'Alene. Most beautiful place on the planet. (To me, anyway, and a gazillion tourists in the summer)

[mariacarmen]

yay for the B52s reference!

and yes, welcome, Angela - your dish does soun really comforting... but anything with an egg will do it for me. what is a shredded wheat biscuit, not like the shredded wheat cereal, right?

[mamachef]

Bet you a nickel that's exactly what it is!

[AngelaID]

Yep, the shredded wheat cereal, but the biscuit, not the little sweetened squares.

[don515]

Plain or sugared shredded wheat?

[suzigirl]

My mom did something similar but sweet. Boiling water on shredded wheat biscuit, in a bowl squeezed out with the back of a spoon and sprinkled w/ sugar and a small amount of milk on top to pour thru and warm a bit. Simple breakfast goodness

[AdamRichmanJr]

damn - that actually sounds pretty tasty. will have to try that one day

[1sweetpea]

It does sound good, especially with chutney, but isn't the PB and cheese combo a bit dry? A spicy note in there might be good too, perhaps cilantro and hot green fresh chiles.

[christyar]

PB, bacon, kimchi burger

[antimony]

Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. Best with crunchy, not-sweet peanut butter, and a good salty sharp cheddar, on a sturdy and flavorful bread (whole grain, sourdough, rye, whatever). Sometimes I'll add a little blackberry jam or tamarind chutney, or just fresh-ground black pepper. Sounds weird, but cheese-fruit-nut plates with crackers/bread don't weird people out -- why would the same combination in a more traditional sandwich?

Also, before anyone complains about it being high-fat, when I make one, I use about half the PB and half the cheese I'd use on a PB-only or cheese-only sandwich. Don't pile it thick.

[jujuthomas]

I love PB and cheese sandwiches!

[Becca Porter]

I personally love bacon and PB sandwiches on toasted wheat bread.

[Terrie H.]

I grew up with a cream cheese and dill pickle sandwich once a week. I've never heard anyone say "yum, that sounds good," but it is!

[pinehurst]

I have never though of it, though I have had quite a few green olive-pimento-cream cheese sands.

Was the pickle sliced or minced into cream cheese?

[Terrie H.]

Pickle slices -- like it might have been the "meat" of a sandwich.

Funny thing (to me) is that I made a lifelong friend who was British and made a cheese and pickle sandwich. Not even close to what I remembered.

[gingershelley]

I love a sharp cheddar-pickle and mayo sandwich! sliced dill's, and preferably on rye bread. YUM!

[Goldendog]

This is just the kind of thing I had in mind when I started this thread. Not something I'd ever think to put together. I tried this this afternoon for lunch with some crusty Italian bread. Delicious!

[Terrie H.]

Very happy you enjoyed!

[staughton]

It doesn't just SOUND good; it IS good. Thanks for my lunch suggestion. I'll be having CAV's mom's wine-bread for dessert tomorrow night! I'm saving Goldendog's sauerkraut-bean thing for my 90 year old parents. Right up their alley. They're going to love it.

[Terrie H.]

I hope they love such a silly thing!

[scubadoo97]

Not too far from cream cheese and olives

[Terrie H.]

We had them too! And cream cheese and salami. My mother has a thing for cream cheese to this day.

[cmtigger]

Oh, my mom fed us that, and black olives, mayo and tuna sandwiches.

[cmtigger]

My grandma fed us fried egg and dill pickle sandwiches when we were kids. It's still a comfort food for me. (best on toasted white or sourdough, with mayo, mustard, sliced dill pickle, and a fried egg with the yolk broken and cooked until hard.)

[4Snisl]

I dated a guy in grad school who invited me over for goulash one evening.

Me: "Wow, you know how to make Hungarian food?!'

Him: 'No. I ate it growing up, but it's not.....wait, you think goulash is Hungarian?' [weird look]

I said I wanted to see him make this dish, and he happily obliged. We go to the grocery store, and pick up Kraft macaroni and cheese (deluxe, which made me feel special :)....ground beef.....canned stewed tomatoes.....

It came together quickly....nary a speck of paprika in sight.....and it was delicious in the most unexpected way, especially on a gray, cold winter day.

[biondanonima]

Yes, goulash can mean an astounding number of things depending on where one was brought up. My mom's included hamburger, noodles and tomato sauce, but not macaroni and cheese. I think there might have been green peppers and onions involved as well. My husband's mom's was hamburger, macaroni and tomato paste, and he says that she sometimes added the cheese powder if she was using a box of Kraft rather than just plain elbows. Hungarians the world over are laughing, I know!

[jujuthomas]

this week I made "Gramma's goulash" - rice, ground meat (turkey these days but used to use ground beef), sauteed green pepers and onions, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of pork and beans. DH USED to poo-poo it, until he recently tried it - after 20 years - now I've had to make it several times since May. :)

[4Snisl]

This is fascinating! I'd never heard of any type of goulash except for the Hungarian stew until my mid-20's.... :)

[ennuisans]

This is our family's goulash too: elbow macaroni, ground beef and straight ketchup. When I make it for myself I'll used crushed tomatoes and oregano to lighten it up, but for Dad it has to be the way his grandma made it. (I read once this was what some people call chop suey, but can't confirm.)

[mcel215]

Here in Boston, we grew up on American Chop Suey, elbow macaroni, crushed tomato, green peppers, onion and ground beef. It was even served in our school lunch cafetaria. It brings back very fond memmories. :)

www.saffron215.blogspot.com

[ennuisans]

Thank you for confirming that! And it really is a comforting combination, isn't it? Almost like a deconstructed meatloaf.

[mcel215]

I married an Italian, so American Chop Suey was not in their repetoire. :( And not served in my home for many years.

Now that I am on my own again, I love to make it in the winter. And yes, it's a very conforting combination too. The only change I make is to add red pepper instead of green. I wonder why no one ever had red bell peppers when I was growing up? I know our produce has come a long way since I was young, but just letting the peppers ripen doesn't sound like rocket science to me. ;)

www.saffron215.blogspot.com

[Scirocco]

I never realized that was a Boston thing; but yes, I'm from Boston and yes, that's in my recipe box! LOL My mom made it all the time and now I make it often during the winter months. I didn't click your link to see if this was on it, but we also add some slices of the dreaded Velveeta cheese on top (and I still do!). :) Oddly, in a house where nearly everything was made from scratch, Velveeta was a staple.

[mrobmsu]

my mom, in a misguided effort to make us kids more "worldly," served us Hungarian Goulash: elbow macaroni, ground beef, spaghetti sauce. . .and peas! i'm not sure we loved it, but we sure ate it a lot, and it was definitely comfort food.

she also used to make us her special Wiener Snitzle--which was scalloped potatoes with a can of creamed corn dumped in. . .and cut up hot dogs slices. all mixed together and baked until golden brown. we loved this one! but imagine my surprise when i was in Vienna and ordered the wienerschnitzle in a little restaurant, and the waiter brought me a beautiful pan fried veal cutlet with a brown sauce on it! each of us thought the other was nuts!

[scubadoo97]

Had to laugh out loud at your last sentence.

[mrobmsu]

;)

[rHairing]

In SW Ohio it was called Johnny Marzetti. I researched and it was named for a dish served at a restaurant in Columbus but it's the same thing, A few years ago a co-worker heated up her lunch and brought it back to her desk as we all do. The smell snapped me back to childhood. When I asked her what she was eating, she was almost embarrassed. She said her mom used to make this dish when pennies were tight and she still made it once in a blue moon...Lo and behold, she called it goulash and I called it marzetti:)

[rhumphrey205]

My half-Hungarian grandma used to make it sort of this way: hamburger, noodles, tomatoes from the garden.. Ohh man, I want some now. I don't understand how she came up with this as "goulash", and it's definitely not authentic, but it's pretty darned tasty.

[CallAnyVegetable]

A childhood thing my mom would do is dip a chunk of fluffy crumb from a country loaf into red wine then sprinkle it with sugar and give it to us. The sugar taste mixed with the red wine was amazing, although probably better left to memory then retried.

[staughton]

LOL!!! I love it. Are you sure she wasn't just trying to put you rowdy kids to sleep with a little dose of alcohol? Next bottle of red wine I open, I'm trying it. Thanks. And cheers to your Mom. She'd probably be getting a visit from child protective services for making that today!!

[maabso]

I loved and still love Kibbe Nayyih, which is spiced raw ground beef mixed with bulger. It is spread out onto a large platter, drizzled with olive oil, and you go to town on it with pita bread. My non-Arabic friends think I am crazy for loving it (probably because they feel that is gross AND unsafe!). I don't eat it as much now because of meat safety concerns, but I do once in a while and thoroughly enjoy it.

[pinehurst]

Although we generally had baked kibbe, once in a while we'd have this while dining out (this was the old days)...both raw beef and raw lamb. Delicious, with onions and cucumbers dressed in mint vinaigrette and olive oil as garnish.

[biondanonima]

I've never had this but I am generally a fan of steak tartare and other raw beef preparations - this sounds delicious!

[scubadoo97]

My dad told me my grandfather feed kibbeh neyah before I had teeth.

Still love it and make on occasion. I only worry to sanitize the exterior of the meat I'm going to use. Never had a problem

[JungMann]

How do you sanitize the exterior of the meat? I love kibbeh nayyeh, but it's definitely something I only eat at restaurants since I'm still a bit wary of the sanity of grinding my own lamb and eating it raw.

[scubadoo97]

Knowing that most any pathogens are on the surface a spritz with white vinegar for 10 min or a quick dip in very hot water will do the trick. I opt for the vinegar then a fresh water rinse.

[maabso]

Great tips! Thank you scuba... No more excuses not to make it myself.

[Caroline1]

I used to eat it all of the time when I lived in Turkey, and my chef/housekeeper would toddle on down to the local Halal open air butcher shop, and the butcher would whack a chunk of VERY fresh lamb right off the hanging carcass for her. She would NOT grind it, but mince it by hand into a very fine mince. She claimed, and rightly so, that finely minced meat retains its juice better than ground meat and has better texture (not "mushy"). Then she mixed it with bulgur and parsley and whatever, shaped it on a plate and anointed it with super evoo that was ripe with olive pith from the grinding wheel and VERY fresh! DEEEElishous!!! Would I try to make it today (I know how!) with lamb I can buy anywhere in this country today, including my local halal butcher shop? Not on your life, baby! Mincing meat by hand with two super sharp knives is VERY hard and tedious work! I'm old, I'm lazy, and I will NEVER be that hungry... But oh my, those are very satisfying memories! '-)

[mariacarmen]

what a great memory, C! it sounds absolutely delicious.

[Caroline1]

It was! To be honest, I have tried it with lamb I "chopped" in my Cuisinart, and also with ground "lamburger", but fact is the hand-cut texture of tiny individual precision cut pieces of lamb flesh turns out to be critical to the "mouthfeel" and possibly even the flavor of traditional Turkish raw kibbe, as I remember it. I can and do make quite acceptable Adana kebab with ground and evenCuisinart processed lamb, but it just doesn't work for my flavor memories of raw kibbe. Raw kibbe made with ground lamb is something like eating mashed beluga caviar with all of the eggs already ruptured. It ain't the same! <sigh> Pity.

[mariacarmen]

good analogy, that.

[pdxgastro]

Oh great, now *I* want olive oil with pith fresh from the grinding wheel. :o)

[Caroline1]

The prize justifies the quest. Go for it! And good luck. '-)

[NellyNel]

This sounds delicious to me!

Whenever I make meatballs, I always eat a few raw...I grew up doing this and never stopped.

I also like tartare, and the like...mmm

Edit: This was a response to the Kibbe Nayyih post

[HillJ]

Most of the foods of my youth, always presented by my Mother's side of the family, grandparents and elder family members, included such "oh my" foods as jarred pickled herring, cooked livers, tongue, headcheese, very soft deli meats, unfamiliar cheeses that were never chilled. Always served with fantastic, freshly baked European breads.

I was not a fan of much beyond the wonderful breads...but their power on my family table...well, that stayed with me.

[TeRReT]

I see nothing wrong with that dish at all, sounds comforting and delicious.

Poutine. Everyone laughs, sneers and gawks at the idea of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. Sure it will most definitely give you multiple heart attacks as you eat it, but its a strange combination that works.

[pinehurst]

Yeah, huge +1 to this response and the idea of the thread.
The "weird" stuff that we're describing is not weird for the sake of weird....like let's eat peacock patties with crispy fried grasshoppers on top just so that people at our BBQ will squeal. It's cooking "off the map" so that you (or the family) will be fed and satisfied.

A sometimes-supper during the hot summer months when I was growing up was saltines and milk. That's it. Krispy (or whatever brand we had in the house) saltine crackers crunched into biggish chunks in a cereal bowl, milk poured on top, eat. Sometimes my mother would swirl a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses over the bowl, or toss in a handful of blueberries if we had them. Light, delicious and cooling. My husband had to admit it was a comforting dish.

[jujuthomas]

my grandfather used to have crushed crackers and milk as a bed time snack.

[Samalicious]

I had saltines and milk for dinner last night as a matter of fact.

[wyogal]

yep, crackers and milk. love it.

[Becca Porter]

down here in the south, it was leftover cornbread and milk....

[pine time]

We had our cornbread with buttermilk. Hmm, may be on the menu for today...

[Becca Porter]

Yes, I believe it was often buttermilk.

[kengk]

When my mom was staying in an assisted living home, one of her neighbors greatly missed his cornbread and buttermilk. For a substitute he used fritos.

[Caroline1]

Fritos and buttermilk? Breakfast of Champions! '-)

[Sparklebright]

Reminds me of the scene in A Box Of Moonlight where the hippie off- the- grid character was having crunched up Oreos in a bowl with milk for breakfast.
It sounds good to me.

[janmcbaker]

What the hey-- it can't be any unhealthier than some of the cereals that are sold!

[Jackie007]

NJ has a version called "Disco Fries." Fries, melted mozzarella and gravy.

[MGZ]

There are derivative variants of poutine throughout much of the Eastern US. Some places, like Jersey, assign names, some just label them "cheese fries with gravy". Can't speak for out West, but wouldn't be surprised if they were common there either - the sh*t's good!

[cmtigger]

They haven't been common in the two states where I've lived- Kansas and California- unless you consider chili cheese fries a variation, and that's pretty common in California.

Though, while unhealthy sounding, poutine sounds really good to me. My mom would make a face at it, but for all the things she will eat, she's really gotten bad about not wanting to try anything new.

[choctastic]

In the OC--before it was "the" OC--we used to eat "Irish Nachos" at Knowlwoods. This dish comprises fries, melted cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream and I think bacon bits, if memory serves.

[pie22]

that sounds delicious.
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!

[FattyDumplin]

no way. i've never tried poutine. but it sounds awesome. as you say, it clearly doesn't sound healthy, but from a deliciousness standpoint, what's not to like about fries, cheese and gravy?