Janet Bostwick wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
. ..
>>
>>>I was just reading the thread about foods you've never purchased from
>>>a supermarket. I would love it if people posted their recipes for
>>>oven fried chicken and pork, green bean casserole from scratch, etc.
>>>
>>
>>I "oven fry" chicken with cornflake crumbs to make a nice crunchy coating
>> They sell cornflake crumbs in the baking aisle. Or you could just buy
>>cornflakes and crush them
>>
>>It's easy enough to make homemade hamburger helper
>
> snip
>
>>Jill
>
> Hamburger Helper was simply invented so the busy housewife could eliminate
> preparation of already existing one-dish meals, aka casseroles, hot-dish,
> whatever. (Yes, I know it is no more difficult to prepare them from
> scratch -- food marketing is inventive) I find it curious that we are now
> working backward. Strange. . .
> Janet
>
>

Ok, its official, im very miserly. I cant fathom purchasing a few
ounces of ersatz pasta and some powdered chemicals for more money than
the real thing would cost.

The person i cook for used to occasionally ask for 'hamburger helper'
her favorite being some sort of 'cheeseburger' HH, iirc, now that she is
on a low salt diet i have a perfectly good reason to say no to her.

I suppose its only a matter of time till i accept that im also a food snob

I did pick up one trick from a cooking show, when i make my home made
version of hamburger helper, using a very nice local 'Italian' sausage,
i put some tomato paste into brown with the meat, letting it form a fond
on the bottom of the pan and then reconstituting with stock/wine.

Adds a very nice fullness to the sauce i don't get if i just add the
uncooked tomato paste to the sauce.
--
JL