Flop: Hamburger Helper is Meant for Hamburger!

DD discovered that Hamburger Helper is not a glorified Mac and Cheese dish, unless there is hamburger.  There is a taste of a strong seasoning, probably similar to Accent, which is meant to bring out flavor in the meat.  Not so good, in a non-meat attempt.

For the teen who wants a quick pasta dish, the best recommendation I can make is (drumroll)...plain pasta.  You can cook your pasta, and season it as simply, or as eloquently, as you like.  Some pasta-bilities?

Butter and cheese, tossed in with the drained pasta...any shredded cheese, or Parmesan, will do.  No cheese?  Use some crushed garlic, or even a hint of garlic salt.  MMM!!

Ketchup!  Really!  My aunt would occasionally put ketchup on plain macaroni, and it wasn't terrible.  Yes, it's different.  But if your cupboard is really, really bare, might be worth a shot.

Soy sauce...heat a little olive oil in a fry pan, and stir fry your cooked spaghetti, with just a hint of soy sauce.  Almost as good as chow mein!  Toss in some veggies, for good measure.  My teen loves stir-fried veggies, so this would be well received!

Tomato soup...sounds almost as weird as the ketchup, right?  Not really.  Spaghetti O's remind me more of tomato soup, than of spaghetti.

Chicken stock...a basic chicken noodle, or a hearty version of Top Ramen.

Get creative!

The Macaroni Improv

Macaroni Improv is dedicated to those Mommy Moments in which quick thinking and creativity are needed and found, in the kitchen or otherwise.


The name? Well…I was low on numerous items in the house, and Mac and Cheese was the game plan for dinner. Unfortunately, when dinner rolled around, I discovered that the dc had generously served themselves buttered toast for snack earlier in the day. As I glanced toward one of my food storage areas, I noticed packets of sausage gravy mix. Biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs was a viable option, but I didn’t want to work *that* hard at this point, and besides, some of the kids would want buttered biscuits, which would not be an option. What if I mixed the gravy with the Mac and Cheese? What if?


I made the packet of gravy, but heated the water in the microwave, added the 3 cheese packets to the still watery mixture, and put in a small pot, stirring with a wisk until it thickened. I should point out that I also added a cup of milk to the mixture…a little more than the required amount for the 3 packages of M & C. This mixture was added to the drained M & C, and made a tasty creamy dinner. Only one of the dc complained, and she complains about most anything I fix. This one is worth repeating, but planned the next time!