Kitschy Recipes
What's your best kitschy recipe? My friend takes Ritz crackers, spreads a goodly amount of peanut butter between two of them, then dips them in melted chocolate, lets them set up and they become an awesome "cookie"/candy.
What have you got?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.

58 Comments:
When I crave Green Bean Casserole and am in a hurry, I mix up the drained canned beans, canned soup, sour cream and drained canned mushrooms in a glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, nuke it on 70% power till it's hot all the way through, dump French fried onions on it ... and serve! My kids love the good stuff too, but this way the "casserole" even makes for a decent snack.
LunaPierCook at 5:14PM on 06/24/08
Microwave Nachos.
izatryt at 5:28PM on 06/24/08
My BF's mom does the same thing Robincat!
I guess my kitschy recipe is to use boxed brownie mix (I found one recently with reduced sugar, which I was really excited about!) and then jazz it up a bit by adding some cinnamon, chocolate chunks and a bit of cocoa powder. I feel bad using the real boxed mix, so I do anything to make it just a bit different and hopefully better.
luswim06 at 7:01PM on 06/24/08
Those Ritz cookies are amazing. I remember when my mom first brought the idea home from one of her students; now it's a holiday staple. We personally prefer to go light on the peanut butter, but the overall effect is not unlike a peanut butter tagalong.
renzata at 7:02PM on 06/24/08
Oh, I once really enjoyed a dip made from velveeta, rotel, and refried beans. The refried beans were what made it novel to me.
renzata at 7:03PM on 06/24/08
Hamburger Helper Chili Mac with added bell pepper, onion and red pepper poweder then topped with cheddar cheese, green onion and sour cream.
smile at 7:51PM on 06/24/08
Brownie chocolate trifle:
1 pkg brownie mix prepared
1 tub cool whip
1 packet chocolate mousse mix prepared
Heath bars crushed
Layer, refrigerate 8-24 hours and watch it disappear (it's too sweet for me but the crowds always like it)
smallblondemom at 8:03PM on 06/24/08
*Better Than Robert Redford*
You can tell by the name when it was popular! :)
It is this layered dessert of puddings, chocolate bars etc. and is a hit no matter who I have served it to. Have not made it in ages (I'd probably try to be a dork and mess with the recipe, making the parts from scratch, or trying to add to it...*sigh*) but I should. Sugary heaven.
sadiepix at 11:28PM on 06/24/08
@sadiepix, i think we had that dessert growing up! one i was addicted to when other people made but have never remembered to make for myself was "muddy buddies" - chex cereal rolled in peanut butter and melted chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar. super messy to eat but when i was in high school it was amaaaazing.
billyburgwife at 11:38PM on 06/24/08
@billyburgwife---We called that Chex treat 'puppy chow'! I love that stuff!
I am so going to try out the ritz sandwiches too...
I also have and have to use the recipes for (on special occasions)-
7-Up party salad (lime jello, pineapple, cream, mayo)
Green Glop (pistachio pudding, marshmallows, pineapple, whipped cream)
sadiepix at 12:03AM on 06/25/08
I acquired this recipe in a high school cooking class. It's one bag of fresh cranberries (chopped in a food processor), one 8 oz tub of cool whip, one bag of mini marshmallows, one can of drained crushed pineapple all mixed together. It's actually not too bad. It's quite good.
beth1 at 12:06AM on 06/25/08
i've got a recipe for a cheesecake pie that uses a cake mix as a crust, considering that its not too bad.
huneybumper at 9:26AM on 06/25/08
In these parts, the Brownie Chocolate Trifle recipe is known as Death by Chocolate and often includes dousing the brownie component with Kahlua.
Does anyone remember/have the recipe for those cookie things that had fried Chow Mein noodles in them?
robincat at 9:46AM on 06/25/08
I do tart up the Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco with dark rhum (about 1/4 cup) to replace part of the water. Bailey's Irish Cream is also great. Next time I'll try some Grand Marnier. Another great technique is to drizzle the brownies hot from the over with the rhum - stronger flavour (less evaporation of alcohol I guess) and nice moist texture.
Rhum ball brownies!
PeanutButter at 9:53AM on 06/25/08
Dirt...ground up Oreos with chocolate pudding and Cool Whip. Sprinkle with gummy worms.
LearP at 10:06AM on 06/25/08
You can't beat King Ranch Chicken for comfort food. All that canned soup makes it feel like home in the '50s.
ocarol at 11:00AM on 06/25/08
For many years, there was a mock apple pie recipe on the Ritz cracker box. I made it once when I was in college for my stoner college friends. They ate it all, but they probably would have eaten styrofoam.
I made pigs in a blanket for a cocktail party, kind of as joke, with real hot dogs and soy not dogs, wrapped up in Pillsbury poppin fresh crescent rolls. It was done as a joke, but my friends (many of the college friends) ate them all. They were the first item to disappear.
I remember during my early childhood there was a popular salad made with green peas and chunks of orange cheese. Sometimes it was made with ham. Clearly, it was all about the colors.
I still like chicken a la king, either on toast or a pastry shell.
LadyMarmalade at 11:09AM on 06/25/08
I made English pea salad on Sunday for a family cookout LOL
Canned peas, cheddar cheese chunks, chopped sweet pickles, chopped green onions, celery seeds and mayo. Incredibly unhealthy but so very nostalgic for my kids!
ocarol at 11:23AM on 06/25/08
Ran across an old favorite: chicken bathed in apricot preserves, Russian dressing and dried onion soup mix!!!!
ocarol at 11:24AM on 06/25/08
I'm making this one for a birthday this weekend - Chocolate cake from a box mix, split the layers so you have 4. Beat 1 package of Jiffy fudge frosting mix (powdered) with whipping cream - more or less depending on how you like it - then slather it everywhere. My mother used to make this for my brother's birthday at least 50 years ago.
maryannm at 11:25AM on 06/25/08
@robincat- are those haystacks? I think I have a recipe at home, will look tonight. Try Googling haystack cookies, maybe you'll find one online!
@LearP- oooh, I love Dirt Pudding! My MIL makes the best with cream cheese, oreos and cool whip.
I think anything made with Jello can be considered kitschy! I've been craving jello salads, and really ANY salad lately. We gathered with my parents on Sunday and there were salads galore- 7 layer (how's THAT for kitsch!), taco and macaroni. All 3 were divine but now I want something fruity and jello-y....time to call mom!
AuntJone at 11:42AM on 06/25/08
I remember there was a trend in the 70s or 80s of using mayonnaise to make boxed mix cakes. I never actually tried it, but people swore that the cakes came out very moist.
I also remember seeing a lot of ambrosia salad at church suppers. I think it was made with jello, mayonnaise, coconut, cool whip, and canned mandarin oranges. Please correct me if I'm wrong; I only tried a dab of it.
Somehow the old schoolyard joke, "Yo mama's so dumb, she thought hamburger helper came with a person" is coming to mind, but I don't know why.
LadyMarmalade at 11:47AM on 06/25/08
hmm chocolate lovers cake. Modified cake mix with sour cream and chocolate almond bars chopped up in the batter. Then you put cherry goo, whipped cream and more chopped chocolate on top. Definately need to make it.
jennywren at 2:45PM on 06/25/08
Once every few years I'll bring 7-layer salad to an event and people flip out. People my parents age (60+) seem amused and surprised that I know what it is, let alone that I'd bring it. It's more fun to watch younger people react, though, because of the shock and awe response to the amount of mayo-cheese-bacon. Maybe not so much kitchy, though - isn't it a southern thing?
LauraII at 3:10PM on 06/25/08
Ever had the Jello-strawberry-cream cheese thing with the pretzel crust? I love it. I told my mother in law I was going to make some for some event several years ago and she said that she would not eat it if I did. Well, I made it, she ate it and said the nuts that the crust was made of made it really great. Ahhhh.....
robincat at 3:17PM on 06/25/08
My Nana makes this dessert she calls Rice Dainty - cold rice mixed with lightly whipped cream, marshmallows, pineapple, and coconut flakes. It's surprisingly delicious.
segalbraith at 5:20PM on 06/25/08
And what about Watergate salad and Watergate cake?
lemons at 5:24PM on 06/25/08
@lemons--I remember thinking Watergate salad was so hip and urbane and classy! I was 8 or 9 and I was in love with the family that brought it to a potluck.
My husband loves making Chex mix. He talks about it every year around the holidays, but thank god we're usually too busy to actually get around to doing it...Seriously, what are we going to do with 2 gallons of chex mix?
wookie at 5:32PM on 06/25/08
I always wanted to make a chocolate cake w/ white frosting~ all from scratch~~> hmmm I never did :( But I always make the rice krispie treats ~ a huge double batch cuz they go soooo fast :)
payper_or_plastek at 6:35PM on 06/25/08
For those of you who love Dirt Cake (and, really, who doesn't??), you have to try Sand Cake. Substitute vanilla wafers for the Oreos and pistachio or vanilla pudding for the chocolate pudding. You can add some well-drained pineapple, too, if you like. Top it with crushed vanilla wafers and some gummy fish -- it looks like a real beach!
Editmom at 7:02PM on 06/25/08
I was born in 1974 so I had to Google Watergate cake--hilarious! I found it on this blog:
http://melecotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/watergate-cake.html
I hate coconut, pistachios, and Republicans, though so I'd never make it!
Made me want to put on some burnt sienna and orange rompers and eat some mini-weenies in Pillsbury crescent rolls like I used to as a tot, though!
HeartofGlass at 7:33AM on 06/26/08
"Hello Dollies" -- or layered bars (graham crackers, chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, doused with condensed milk and baked.
My kids LOVED them!
Brownie at 9:25AM on 06/26/08
OOOH Brownie - I love Hello Dollies. I've made them a million times, but I swear my mother's always taste better. The only thing I now do differently is I add a bit of extra salt to the graham cracker crust... salty-sweet heaven...
CookiePie at 10:14AM on 06/26/08
Watergate Salad is one of my favorites (pistachio instant pudding, cool whip, crushed pineapple and mini-marshmallows) and actually a big hit at potlucks. A family favorite is (and dirty little secret) is dump cake : cake mix, cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, layered and dotted with sliced margarine...which my mother always calls oleo....lol.
elderberry44 at 4:20PM on 06/26/08
Tater tot casserole
1lb ground beef, browned
1 bag frozen tater tots
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bake the whole mess in a casserole dish at 350 til hot and bubbly.
Heehee, makes me laugh thinking about it.
erinlovestoeat at 6:06PM on 06/26/08
Chocolate Eclair Cake
Layer of graham crackers
Layer of Jello french vanilla pudding
Another layer of graham crackers
Another layer of french vanilla pudding
Another layer of graham crackers
Spread Duncan Hines fudge frosting over top layer of crackers
Delicious.
skylar0ne at 11:16PM on 06/26/08
Tuna noodle casserole. DH mentioned it the other day, in a sort of nostalgic way. Made with canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, extra canned mushrooms, and frozen peas. Usually topped with some kind of cheese and baked. Oh, and I thought I was soooooo creative and fancy because I took mom's recipe, but then added canned water chestnuts as well. The crunch was sort of nice, actually.
And even weirder, I can remember eating this stuff cold for lunch once in a while. And I recall a couple times that DH made sandwiches out of it.
I think I'll have to make some again one of these days. In a way, I sort of hope I hate it, but I know I'll like it.
dbcurrie at 2:31AM on 06/27/08
I don't think Tomato Aspic is at all trendy these days, but it's really good., though and I think it qualifies as kitschy
Use a large package of lemon Jello, - heat two cups of V-8 or Clamato Juice, dissolve the jello and add 3 T of vinegar and 1 T of worcestershire sauce. Then stir in a lot of chopped stuff, scallions, celery, peppers, crisp cooked broccoli and]or cauliflower. Whatever you llike in the way of healthy filler.
Except for the sugar in the jello, it's pretty healthy and you can use regular gelatin if you are not as lazy as I am.
suegsf at 3:59AM on 06/27/08
Mine has to be what my former sister in law affectionately calls "apple crapple"--it is extremely popular here in the deep south. Take a box of your favorite white or yellow cake mix, 2 cans of apple pie filling, 2 stix of real butter. Dump the pie filling into an 11 x 13 pyrex dish, sprinkle the cake mix over the top, melt the butter in the microwave and drizzle it over the cake mix then bake in a 375 degree oven until the crust is browned, bubbly and awesome looking. Best hot with gobs of vanilla ice cream-- or nuked up the next morning, covered in whipped cream...
hobcat57 at 1:38PM on 06/27/08
Myrna's English
Canned chopped black olives
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar
finely diced onion to taste
enough mayo to make it stick together
halved english muffins
Schmear the muffins with the mixture, broil until just brown and bubbly.
Kerosena at 3:04PM on 06/27/08
I make "Buick Skylark" cupcakes, in honor of my first car.
It was an '85 model, had a red interior and white exterior. The thing looked like a red velvet cake on wheels. Granted, the "Buick Skylark" cupcakes are red velvet cake frosted with buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Very nostalgic.
Susquehanna at 4:00PM on 06/27/08
@erinlovestoeat - Do the tater tots get crispy? I think my BF would be all over that one. He loves him some tater tots.
My favorite "kitschy" recipe is probably the Cheeseburger Pie on the back of the Bisquick box. I usually add sauteed mushrooms and onion to it, though.
Amandarama at 5:36PM on 06/27/08
when i was working as a therapist in a rehab unit, one of my patients wanted to make family recipe for a congealed salad that consisted of lime jello, cottage cheese, mayonaise, canned pineapple, and walnuts, all whirled together in the blender and then allowed to set. ordinarily, with the exception of the walnuts, i would never even consider consuming any of those things. i was surprised at how yummy it was -- in a trashy way, of course!
cybercita at 11:35AM on 06/28/08
I used to love that lime jello salad. My family would bring it to church potlucks - and end up eating the whole thing ourselves (on account of its scary pastel color)! Now that I'm older and know what the ingredients are, I don't think I could even look at it.
Sisterrae at 6:02PM on 06/28/08
WOW! Reading this thread has certainly showed me a side of american cuisine which, to be frank, is a little scary!!!
Is that congealed salad (even the name makes me shudder a little in horror) for real? Jelly, mayo, pineapple, cottage cheese, walnuts ALL BLENDED TOGETHER?? Does it look the same coming back up as it does going in? ;)
The only Australian kitsch dish I can think of to contribute is my Grandmother's cold rice salad with capsicum and peas which she made every Christmas because she (quite wrongly) thought that we all loved it.
vegemite at 7:56PM on 06/28/08
I have had that lime Jello salad. It's not that bad. I didn't realize mayo was in it though. As much as I love mayo, that thought is kind of disturbing.
A lot of the food listed above made me chuckle. I actually like most of them but haven't had them since I was a child 25+ years ago.
It's been a few years, but I've made "beef stroganoff" that consists of condensed cream of mushroom soup, cooked ground beef, chopped fresh mushrooms, and paprika. Before turning off the heat, add sour cream and a bit of ketchup. My xbf made it and it was the first time I had ever had that dish. I loved it lol esp. over rice. It was good over egg noodles too.
Cassaendra at 8:46PM on 06/28/08
Velveeta nachos! Made and consumed at least once a year.
http://nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/2008/02/super-nachosode-to-processed-food.html
NuJoi at 10:03PM on 06/28/08
robincat, my uncle's wife used to make those chocolate haystack things at christmas time.
cybercita at 10:28PM on 06/28/08
there are variations of this above, but i feel like it has to be called a "hotdish" to truly capture its kitchy glory.....which is minnesotan for something akin to casserole and yet so much more in that it requires both tater tots and cream of mushroom soup. here's the one we had at least once a month growing up, which is something like glorified green bean casserole:
layer of ground beef
layer of canned green beans (french cut, if you want to be fancy:)
layer of tater tots
a can of cream of mushroom mixed with some milk to thin, poured over the whole pan
layer of durkee french fried onions
bake at 350 for about 40 min or until bubbly and delicious....
don't knock it until you try it!
czera at 10:34PM on 06/28/08
When I was a kid, my favorite appetizer was this cheesy thing my mom used to make called "daisies." You take a can of biscuits, snip about 5 or 6 notches around the sides, press a dimple into the center to flatten it, and fill that dimpled center with a mixture of butter, Kraft "old English" processed cheese in a jar, garlic, parsley, and canned crab. Baste the biscuit with more butter, and bake until puffy and gbd. Amazing.
BangieB at 10:56PM on 06/28/08
@robincat: Chinese Chews/Haystacks
2 (12 oz. packages Semi-sweet choc chips
1 (12 oz. package butterscotch chips
1 large can Chow Mein noodles
Spanish peanuts,marshmallows,cashews,etc..
Melt all the chips together in a large pan over low heat,stirring constantly. Add
noodles and stir to coat. Add whatever else you may desire, stirring to coat.
Place on wax paper by spoonful and cool until set.
These are addictive !! Stacey.
stacemace at 5:42PM on 06/29/08
A can of biscuits??? WTF????? Velveeta???? WTF is that????? Can of noodles???? WTF????? You people are really scaring me now....
vegemite at 6:33AM on 06/30/08
@Vegemite: I'm sure you've seen a can or tube of dough some time in your life. Not sure if Pillsbury or van den Bergh products are available in your area, but that's their niche: unbaked dough.
Chow mein noodles are crunchy fried noodles. They can be found in a cannister, similar to potato crisps and french fried onions (ok, maybe that is funky). Because they can withstand some jostling, you'll typically see them in plastic bags. They just don't keep as well in plastic. I don't care for them, my husband loves them.
I'm sure there are a few people who find vegemite and marmite heinous, just like Velveeta. :P
Cassaendra at 7:41AM on 06/30/08
What exactly is Velveeta? Even the name sounds kinda scary guys...
GegeMac at 12:00AM on 07/01/08
@ Cassaendra. Thanks for the info. Seriously though I don't think we have dough in a can (maybe I'm just not looking hard enough in the supermarket). Also I think I confused myself, because what I know as a biscuit, I think you call a cookie......
Fair call on the vegemite thing - although I'll have to stand my ground and defend to the death one of my country's "cultural icons" ; )
vegemite at 1:49AM on 07/01/08
Hey, what's wrong with cookies in cans!?! :P
I'll probably be in the minority defending Spam (meat in a can), Snack Mate (cheese in a spray can), Reddiwip (whipped cream in a spray can), and...I just realized how much stuff comes out of a can here. lol
@GegeMac: A lot of the cheese sold in our supermarkets are "cheese products;" Velveeta is just one of many. At least in the US, if you see sliced cheese hanging in a plastic bag or stacked like bricks, it's more than likely a cheese product. The real cheese is usually kept in a different refrigerated section, like near the bakery or wine section of the grocery store.
The thing with Velveeta is that you don't have to refrigerate it, and it nukes w/o much effort to a smooth, viscous consistency making it convenient to use for dips and such.
I remember seeing Velveeta for sale back home in Hawaii for $11/pound 15 years ago, so my mom (and I) never bothered with it. I was shocked at how cheap it was on the mainland at $3-4/pound. I have yet to eat Velveeta.
Cassaendra at 1:22PM on 07/01/08
rice krispie treats. still delicious!
megannesta at 3:57PM on 07/03/08
Chicken a la king, yummy
thedish28 at 5:01PM on 07/03/08