God Knew That I Needed You

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

MY PATRIOT FOOD MAC & CHEESE SPAM CUBES CASSEROLE for 2-3; Castle Rock-WA


I had in mind a specific supper meal I wanted to serve and enjoy this evening, so into Longview we went, to pick up a bag of frozen peas … Holland wanted to pick up something needed for Independence, so he came with me.

Driving down Ocean Beach Highway, we noticed that Nichols Boulevard that flanks one side of Lake Sacajawea, was getting a face-lift to match Kessler Boulevard, on the opposite side of the Lake. It will be weird not to be driving over the 100+ year-old-angle-cut-cement pavers anymore, but they were lifting up off the sub-road and becoming a traffic hazard; the face-lift is needed.

While in town, I also nipped into Joanne's Craft Store in the Strip Mall that borders Kelso, and grabbed two cards of sewing snaps for the preemie sacque I am currently working up.

Nichols Blvd. in Longview-WA, is getting a face-lift …
I grabbed a few cards of snaps for preemie sacques.

There is a definite Fall nip riding on the breeze that blows through here, so I thought a tasty comfort food casserole would be welcome tonight - I know it would be for me, but this is the first time Holland would be tasting it … and the first time I'd be making it with a Patriots Food Mac & Cheese - and a halved packet, at that: prep would be different, all the way around. I made it up, and slipped it into the oven with a hope and a prayer ;-)

Holland, last year, had bought two huge bins of Patriots Food; it is packets of survival foods that we can easily store without taking up too much precious space - but it is basically tasteless and unappealing without additions being added to the meal prep; I didn't add spices, but I did add a meat to tonight's meal.

It was a hit with Holland, so it's a repeat :-)

Cooking meals in an RV is a bit different than in a normal full-size kitchen. Everything is smaller - the pantry, the work area, and the cooking appliances. For tonight's meal, I used a hot plate & a portable multi-task countertop oven. And for the meal itself, I only used 2 measuring cups, 1 cooking pot, a cooking spoon, 2 supper plates & 2 spoons: cleanup was a snap ;-)

I enjoy cooking - but I also admit that I am a lazy cook: the less time spent in the kitchen, the better.

This casserole recipe has been modified from the original Kraft Mac & Cheese-Spam casserole … but it is every bit as delicious:

SO good! And Holland likes it, too ;-D

MY PATRIOT FOODS MAC & CHEESE-SPAM CUBES~serves 2-3

Half a packet of Patriot Foods Mac & Cheese Supper * 1-1/2 cups Water * 1/2 tin Spam loaf, cut into cubes (refrigerate the rest) * 1/2 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (refrigerate the rest) * 3/4 cup frozen Peas * 1 Tbsp. unsalted Butter * Cooking Oil Spray (I used Butter flavor) * 1 8"-sq foil baking pan

Patriot Foods Mac & Cheese, and frozen peas.
Half a Spam loaf, cubed …

Pour water into a medium cooking pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium boil and add mac & cheese mixture to the boiling water - boil until noodles are softened and sauce is thickened.

Portable Hot Plate.
Mac & Cheese noodles cooked - not too soft.

Reduce heat to low, and add remaining ingredients: blend thoroughly.

Lightly spray foil baking pan, and add blended mixture; carefully place casserole in oven, and cook at 350-degrees for 20 minutes (ovens are different - if you need to add more minutes, that's okay = do not bake more than 30 minutes).

Casserole ready for the oven; 350-degrees = 20 mins.
I use this little space-saving multi-task Oven.

CAREFULLY remove casserole from oven (foil pans are not as sturdy as metal or glass pans). Serve hot. Enjoy!


While supper baked … and also after supper dishes were done, I worked on the little preemie sacque I started a couple days ago.

Nearly finished - I'll put the snaps and buttons on, tomorrow.

I'll sew the snaps & buttons on it tomorrow, after we set up in Long Beach - Holland secured a parking space for us there, for a month.