Spin Off from the Chili Spin Off

[barkley]

do you add your own spin to any prepackaged food items or back of can/boxes recipes-'doctor them up' if you will? i mentioned on the other thread about adding sliced water chestnuts to the old school green bean casserole soup can recipe, well in our house stove top stuffing is not complete without the substitution of canned broth for the water, chopped pecans and a handful of crasins.

what's your household's versions of the old recipes?

 

[Moliphino]

I always add shredded cheese and a little hot sauce to boxed mac and cheese.
Ramen gets some cayenne and maybe an egg.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I add a can of sliced mushrooms and garlic powder to my green bean casserole.

And I always add a can of sliced black olives and a jar of diced pimientos to my boxed pasta salad.

 

[tvguy]

My mom did. Always added mushrooms and meat to frozen pizzas. Growing up in the 1960's pizza parlor pizza was just too expensive. I think I was almost 18 before I had a pizza parlor pizza.
My wife is of a different mindset. She just makes almost everything from scratch so we don't buy many pre-packaged meals to modify. I make macaroni and cheese from scratch and it really isn't much more work that Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Boxed muffin mix...

Since most fruit muffins mixes don't actually have real fruit in them, I buy a boxed mix and tend to add about 2lbs of fresh fruit/veg to the mix (and reduce the water by about 1/4 cup) before cooking, letting the bake go 5-10 minutes longer to ensure full cook and "dry out" (since the fruit/veg add water to the base even more than I remove)...

With a cinnamon mix, I've done...
- Apple
- Pear
- Apple & Pear
- Zucchini, Carrot, Apple
- Carrot, Apple, Ginger
- Eggplant
- Sweet Potato
- Carrot

I've done a ton of variety with blueberry mixes (where I do use the can of blueberries b/c they are real) and banana mixes (which at a minimum, always get 2-3 bananas to cover the almost artificial banana taste, even when it's supposed to have real bananas)...

 

[NannyBeBe]

My grandkids once asked me why my Kraft Macaroni & Cheese tasted so much better than what their mom makes. I use Half n Half instead of milk, more butter than called for, and add shredded cheese.

 

[fla4fun]

I doctor spaghetti sauce, frozen pizza, Stove Top stuffing, canned soups, pretty much everything. Sometimes it’s just adding herbs and spices, sometimes it’s adding veggies or meats. For example, the stuffing mix I make with broth and I sauté a little celery and onion, and I add some sage. I usually get cheese pizzas, and add my own preferred toppings, since the cheese pizzas usually have a better blend and quantity of cheese. I like to add fresh broccoli florets to the Parmesan Pasta Roni to make a side dish.