[lil_miss_understood]

Okay, so in case it's not obvious (which I can't see how it would be but hey), I grew up poor. Like, dirt poor- my mom raised 4 kids on minimum wage. And she has addictions issues so food wasn't always the #1 priority.
Anyway, all this leads to me having some odd "comfort foods". For example, one of the cheap things my mom would make when we were out of money and nearly out of food was 2 boxes of KD (Kraft dinner) made normally, then mixed with a can of tomato soup and a can of diced Klik (SPAM for you American folks). Doesn't that sound like a gastronomic delight?

So, lately I've been craving mom's "KD special" (we don't have a special name for it... everyone in my family just basically says "The KD and Klik stuff.") since it's getting close to Christmas and I'm homesick- not much snow here on the Oregon coast. I've been trying to figure out if SPAM would substitute for Klik, since I'd never had SPAM before. So I bought some with the intention of making some "KD special" while ds1 was at school or something and *then* working on an allergen free version.
All this to say that SPAM works fine as Klik- taste and texture are just the same AND SPAM is gluten free and apparently free of milk and eggs (not sure if all that's true for Klik). I gave some to ds1 and he loves it. So yay! One step closer to one of my comfort foods being allergen free and enjoyed by a new generation!

: (Even if it is a gross comfort food to most people who haven't tried it outside of my family.)

 

[Chinese Pistache]

Are you corn-free? I'm pretty sure spam contains corny ingredients.

You could always sub it for some allergen-free hot dogs, lol!

 

[changingseasons]

mmmm... I love me some Spam.

Throw it in with a box of good old fashioned Kraft mac-n-cheese, and you got yourself a gourmet meal! That is seriously making my mouth water.

:

(I'm also a member of the grew-up-dirt-poor club.

)

BTW- what is Kraft "dinner"?

 

[lil_miss_understood]

I forgot Kraft Dinner was a Canadian term too.

It's just plain old Kraft mac-n-cheese. All the boxes of Kraft mac-n-cheese in Canada have "Kraft Dinner" in big letters on the box and the commercials in Canada even refer to it as "KD", so it's really ingrained in the Canadian culture that that's just what it's called.
I'm not "up" on corny ingredients since we're not corn-free (knock on wood), but I don't see anything that says "corn" to me.

Ingredients: Pork with Ham, Salt, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Sodium Nitrate.

Hmm.. Although, honestly anything could be hiding in Pork with Ham, now that I look at it again. Gah.

Well, I guess we'll know tonight for sure if it has dairy, since ds1's leg aches from trace amounts. The Hormel site claims it is gluten free though, so that's one out for sure.

ETA: Thanks for making me feel not so weird, cs.

 

[changingseasons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquelineR 6ETA: Thanks for making me feel not so weird, cs.

Any time.

And I'm even more excited that we were actually talking about the same food. yum.

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons Any time. And I'm even more excited that we were actually talking about the same food. yum.

Totally! When I read your post I was like "She gets it!!" You're seriously the first person I've ever met ("irl" or online) who wasn't like "Are you serious? That's disgusting."
I was looking for information on Klik earlier for an allergen comparison (never found the info I wanted but meh) between it and Spam and I found out that the province I was raised in in Canada has the highest consumption of Klik in the country.

Apparently, it's 7 times the national average.

 

[changingseasons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquelineR Totally! When I read your post I was like "She gets it!!" You're seriously the first person I've ever met ("irl" or online) who wasn't like "Are you serious? That's disgusting." I was looking for information on Klik earlier for an allergen comparison (never found the info I wanted but meh) between it and Spam and I found out that the province I was raised in in Canada has the highest consumption of Klik in the country. Apparently, it's 7 times the national average.

Wow. That's pretty funny. I bet that Hawaii would get that award for the States. I ate a LOT of spam when I lived in Hawaii (briefly when I was a kid).

And really? There are people who DON'T love mac-n-cheese and spam?!?

The horror.

 

[weliveintheforest]

if only spam wasn't pork I'd be tempted

 

[waluso]

I loved spam when I was a kid, and those little vienna sausages that come in a can. In fact, I grew up on canned and boxed food. I still crave boxed mac & cheese (I really like it cold the next day) but haven't had it in years!

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons Wow. That's pretty funny. I bet that Hawaii would get that award for the States. I ate a LOT of spam when I lived in Hawaii (briefly when I was a kid). And really? There are people who DON'T love mac-n-cheese and spam?!? The horror.

I had exactly the same thought when I read that stat.

Isn't it?! It's complete sacrilege is what that is! (Have I mentioned lately I

you?

)

waluso, I never tried the little vienna sausages in a can. I'm embarassed to admit I always thought they were gross (with nothing to back up my claim, except for other people telling me they were gross). Now that I've met someone who liked them, I'll have to go find them and try them just so I know what I'm missing.

 

[kjbrown92]

Kraft Dinner isn't a Canadian term. We always called it that too. I think it was originally marketed as that. DH refuses to call it that (not that we eat it, but when talking about it -- considering we're dairy and gluten free). He says the proper name is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Yeah, whatever. In Barenaked Ladies' "If I had a Million Dollars" song it says "If we had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner... but we would."

I don't know if we were dirt poor, but we didn't have much. My mother threw extra macaroni with 1 box of Kraft Dinner for 4 people. And the favorite meal (which we can't have now) was hot dogs sliced in quarters the long way, mixed with tomato soup and tomato sauce, and served over noodles. The hot dogs would curl up and we thought it was the neatest thing. Another thing that DH things is absolutely disgusting. And I consider the mini meatball with "gravy" TV dinner comfort food too!

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 Kraft Dinner isn't a Canadian term. We always called it that too. I think it was originally marketed as that. DH refuses to call it that (not that we eat it, but when talking about it -- considering we're dairy and gluten free). He says the proper name is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Yeah, whatever. In Barenaked Ladies' "If I had a Million Dollars" song it says "If we had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner... but we would." I don't know if we were dirt poor, but we didn't have much. My mother threw extra macaroni with 1 box of Kraft Dinner for 4 people. And the favorite meal (which we can't have now) was hot dogs sliced in quarters the long way, mixed with tomato soup and tomato sauce, and served over noodles. The hot dogs would curl up and we thought it was the neatest thing. Another thing that DH things is absolutely disgusting. And I consider the mini meatball with "gravy" TV dinner comfort food too!

Barenaked Ladies are Canadian.

And it's only in Canada that I've seen "Kraft Dinner" on the box rather than just "Kraft" with "Macaroni and cheese" in smaller letters. You're the first American I've met to have a clue what "Kraft dinner" is without me telling them.

I've never had the meatball and gravy tv dinner.

 

[changingseasons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by waluso I loved spam when I was a kid, and those little vienna sausages that come in a can. In fact, I grew up on canned and boxed food. I still crave boxed mac & cheese (I really like it cold the next day) but haven't had it in years!

Yes. Vienna sausages. mmmmmmmmm.

:

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquelineR I had exactly the same thought when I read that stat. Isn't it?! It's complete sacrilege is what that is! (Have I mentioned lately I you? ) waluso, I never tried the little vienna sausages in a can. I'm embarassed to admit I always thought they were gross (with nothing to back up my claim, except for other people telling me they were gross). Now that I've met someone who liked them, I'll have to go find them and try them just so I know what I'm missing.

OMG- you HAVE to try the vienna sausages. They are fabulous. Of course, I haven't had them in about 15 years, so who knows if they're as good as I remember...

 

[waluso]

Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons Yes. Vienna sausages. mmmmmmmmm. : OMG- you HAVE to try the vienna sausages. They are fabulous. Of course, I haven't had them in about 15 years, so who knows if they're as good as I remember...

Same here, I haven't had them in probably 20 years! But I did love them as a kid. I would eat them right out of the can. Of course I have no plans to give them to DD!

 

[2xy]

Yeah, I remember the box always said "Kraft Dinner" when I was a kid. I don't buy it anymore, so I don't know what it says now.

I'm from Hawaii, so I have had my share of SPAM and Vienna sausages. My dad loved both. SPAM and eggs, SPAM musubi, fried SPAM sandwiches. SPAM as a garnish in saimin (ramen). Blech! I never developed a liking for it.

I did like Vienna sausages a great deal, and also canned Deviled Ham. On white bread with lots of yellow mustard.

I bought some Deviled Ham a year or two ago because my kids were wondering what it was, and they thought it was gross. I enjoyed it!

 

[matey]

I never had spam, but my oh my, I love kraft mac and cheese. I love the Think and Creamy variey as opposed to the cheesiest, but it always cost a little more. I could eat box after box of the stuff. I so miss mac and cheese. I love mac and cheese and kielbasa. It was my favorite meal all growing up. Yum.

 

[kangaroomum25]

Great now I've gotta go make some mac and cheese and I want vienna sausages but I probably won't get those cause it's cold out and I don't wanna leave the house

:

 

[Mommy2Haley]

Put in me in the "grew up dirt poor club".

Favorite meals:
Kraft, tuna, and peas ("poor man's casserole")
fried bologna, mac-n-cheese on the side, fried onions
rice, stewed tomatoes, hot dog pieces

Yummmmy... and now I'm dairy free. Oh how I miss mac & cheese!

 

[kjbrown92]

My mother sent me to school with peanut butter and pickle sandwiches (and I LIKED them).

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 My mother sent me to school with peanut butter and pickle sandwiches (and I LIKED them).

Oh I hate you! (Not really.

)
I've been DYING for a pb and pickle sandwich.

I'm drooling all over myself as I'm typing this.