Wiener Wednesday: Kraft Dinners

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by yinzerella

During the economic crisis in 1977-1979, Kraft came out with a series of magazine and newspaper advertisements heralding Kraft dinners as the solution to America’s diminishing grocery budgets. And it’s true, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinner is inexpensive, as it still is. But I still found these dinners (and I use the term dinner very loosely) laughable.

sausagekraftEating well in spite of it all? Kraft macaroni & cheese alongside a lone sausage and one tomato wedge. The copy says wedges–plural. What happened to the rest of the tomato? And snipped parsley? Fancy.

paydayEating well between paydays was simple–and hearty!–with fish sticks. Hearty? Eh. Deluxe? You betcha. There is a condiment! And, radish rose!

My personal favorite. For added zest, serve with a dill pickle spear rolled in a sauteed ham slice and add a bright garnish of parsley.

kraftpickle

That’s thinly-sliced SPAM, right?

And if we are so cash-strapped that we’re eating one tomato over the course of 7 days one wedge at a time–why do we have such a big parsley budget?

Lastly, how to eat well when you’re cooking for the kids? Well, according to Kraft the answer was simple–boxed Mac & Cheese with a split wiener and some pitiful looking pickle slices.

This is what Wiener Wednesday was built for.

kraft

Come on, mom! Join the crowd!

DSCF5029[1]I know that Kraft Mac & Cheese with hot dogs is an American classic, but oh my stars is it bland. I covered mine with black pepper and some Crystal Hot Sauce and it still wasn’t that good. But yet, I kept eating it. As bland and as unsatisfying it was I kept eating the damn orange pasta.  There are other orange foods that I can’t get enough of–like cheddar cheese Goldfish crackers and Cheez-its, but they are actually delicious.  What sort of additive is in this shit to make we want to take down a whole pot? I just don’t get it. I should’ve put some Old Bay in it.

Anyway, I’m just going to end with this awesome picture:

catHotDog

I really need to start taking some hot dog-themed photos of Brian.

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yinzerella

22 thoughts on “Wiener Wednesday: Kraft Dinners”

  2. Okay, my own little recipe for any mac-n-cheese:

    use milk, butter/olive oil margarine
    add 1 can of peas, drained
    add 1 can of tunafish in water, drained
    add some Tabasco sauce or preferred hot sauce

    All done! And much healthier than all alone because you get some meat and veggie. Also you can add more cheese if you want. *shrugs*

    Maybe they add MSG to Krafts? MSG seems to be an addictive additive (spell that ten times fast, lol) and it has a particular flavor that some swear by (for example, you can never make Japanese mayonnaise to taste just right when made at home, unless you use MSG.)

  3. Oh how I loves me some mac n cheese to bad a whole box is 39 WW points. And now you know that I to can not stop eating the stuff once I start. The trick is to boil the pasta for the less of the 2 times drain the but DO NOT RINSE them. Then do a quarter cup of butter and milk rather then the 3 table spoons. Man I want some so bad right now.

  4. I’m a bit addicted to the organic alternatives of Kraft mac & cheese. So at least I can pretend they are marginally healthier than the “real” thing. Annie’s mac & cheese with lots of veggies mixed in – yummmmmm…
    I love how the 70’s Kraft ads show things like a garnish – as if anyone making mac & cheese is actually going to garnish the meal!

  7. “And if we are so cash-strapped that we’re eating one tomato over the course of 7 days one wedge at a time–why do we have such a big parsley budget?” THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING!! Hahaha. Yeah, if you’re on a budget buy FOOD not GARNISHES! LOL!

    I do like a bit of macaroni cheese (Kraft Dinner is expensive here as they can sell to Americans and Canadians missing home… I guess like Marmite and Tetley Tea in other countries) but I would have to add hot sauce. And OTHER FOODS. Not one slice of spam and a pickle.

  8. “why do we have such a big parsley budget?” Hilarious!!!
    As for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese…(actual conversation between me and my mom):
    me: I got a box of macaroni and cheese
    mom: did you get the big box?
    both at the same time: ’cause one box isn’t enough
    Please note that we are normal, rational people ordinarily. I don’t know what’s in that neon orange powder, but it’s addictive.

  12. I think every Wiener Wednesday should feature a photo of Brian with some kind of meat in tube form. Hell, there should be one Wiener Wednesday devoted to just a photo of him with weenies. Kraft Mac n cheese should be called Kraft Crack n cheese. Because no matter how tasteless it is, you still get a hankering for it’s neon “cheese” covered pasta. And have to fight eating the whole box.

  13. Would Brian stare so disdainfully at a huge pile of hot dogs? I have a mental image of him buried face-first in the pile, chowing down like it’s the end of the world …

    1. Nope. But we do have Cheesy Bites. Cleveland made me get that when it first came out. Looked better than it tasted.
      Also, jealous that the UK has the option of “MEAT MACHINE” topping.
      Oh, so many raunchy things to say…

      1. I was IN a Pizza Hut last night and my work colleague Obi had told me about the wiener stuffed crust and I was so disappointed that it wasn’t on the menu. I accused him of “making it up” this morning so he sent me the link as proof. I now need to order one takeaway. SOON!

        Jx

  15. You need to get the Extra Creamy Kraft macaroni and cheese. They double the cheez powder in that version. Then make it with real butter (which kind of destroys the “economical” factor but whatever). It actually tastes great, with a little pepper.

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