TV Dinners/Hungry Helper/ManWich

My college apartment stank with these. Mostly cooked by my roommate who didn't know any better, not to mention the ketchuped Vienna sausages.

For me it was cigarettes, coffee and beer. On occasion I made a mean breakfast taco that all the guys wanted me to make at 1:30 in the morning. They paid me with beer.

Pretty good wages for a college kid.

We did not have a way to cook other than a microwave. I had my own dorm room and ate lots of chicken salad sandwiches, instant breakfast with soy milk, Lots of pizza from a friends pizza joint around the corner and of course the cafeteria food.

BSAGuy said:

Pretty good wages for a college kid.

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10-4 on that. Most had never eaten a breakfast taco back in 1983. Their definition of breakfast was Captain Crunch or Honey Combs.

I didn't have a way to warm or cook food in my dorm rooms but when apartments started calling I had a roomie that liked to cook and he'd prepare our suppers most of the time. The only downside was he also liked Manischevitz wine so we always had a glass of two of that.

Dave, it sounds like you had a good built in chef. I would have milked that for all its worth. TV dinners begone.

LOL. One of my best friends in HS got married right after graduation to a girl whose only ability to cook was a bottle of "Chicken Tonight" sauce and some chicken breast -- EVERY TIME she cooked. She really had no concept of cooking at all and probably needed a recipe for a bowl of cereal.

He could cook, and did, but their work schedules were such that she had to cook several nights a week. However, being that she was a total smokin' hottie with a very high sex drive, he was willing to put up with it. Eventually, after a couple of years, they divorced and I seriously think that Chicken Tonight was the primary reasons.

Now 20-odd years later, whenever my wife and are are food shopping and happen to catch a glimpse of Chicken Tonight sauces at the supermarket, we burst out laughing thinking of Molly and wondering if she ever learned to cook......

^^^That's funny Jim. Never heard of Chicken Tonight sauce.

DoctorShavegood said:

^^^That's funny Jim. Never heard of Chicken Tonight sauce.

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I suspect it's probably three primary ingredients: High-fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, and Tomato Puree. Maybe a dash of onion and garlic powder. Probably an amazingly high profit margin on junk like that.

Snargle said:

I suspect it's probably three primary ingredients: High-fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, and Tomato Puree. Maybe a dash of onion and garlic powder. Probably an amazingly high profit margin on junk like that.

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Looks like they're not made for the US anymore. But the UK still has them (or something similar). They were a "simmer sauce" - as in: open jar and pour into pan, add chicken and simmer until chicken is cooked. Basically for people, like the aforementioned friend's wife, who need a recipe to boil water.
I never actually tried it (knowingly), so I can't tell you how awful they may have been.

It also had a terrifyingly 80s TV ad:

That is bad- I have never seen that commercial (or have subconsciously blocked it)

Dinty Moore® Stew is hardcore.

August West said:

Dinty Moore® Stew is hardcore.

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I have to admit- I love Dinty Moore. I know I could probably do better, but there is something about it.

oc_in_fw said:

I have to admit- I love Dinty Moore. I know I could probably do better, but there is something about it.

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It is that under the bridge al fresco vibe.

Hungry man Salisbury steak rocks!

Hamburger helper...I guess I was a stupid hungry.

Bud Green said:

Along with a can of sterno for a beverage.

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Speaking of sterno

I grew up on that stuff.
Now I call it comfort food.

Please, just nobody tell me they ate Wolf Brand chili from a can.