Community Cookbook: Step back in time with this ‘Krafty’ spaghetti dinner

Today’s recipes will build a delicious dinner around a classic main dish: Kraft Classics Tangy Italian Spaghetti. This dish serves up a generous portion of nostalgia, having been a popular food product back in the 1960s and ’70s. The box contained everything needed to make the dish except for tomato paste. It was a unique product back then, sitting on the grocery store shelves alongside its also-popular sister products, macaroni and cheese and chicken noodles.

As a kid, I loved everything pasta. That hasn’t changed much. In those days, I would have voted Kraft’s spaghetti to be the best in the world. But then, any spaghetti sitting on my plate would have likely gotten my vote.

Kraft Classics Tangy Italian Spaghetti is much harder to find these days. I haven’t seen it in any of the local grocery stores for several years. The boxed pasta is currently advertised on Amazon and Walmart is offering it for $7.32 per 8-ounce box by special order. That’s a steep price for such a small quantity.

I was fortunate to buy a couple of boxes several years ago, when Walmart still carried the product in its stores for around $1.50 per box. I prepared the dish for the first time in several decades. It was OK, but certainly not the best spaghetti in the world. Still, I went to work to create a recipe for the dish. My Krafty Classic Spaghetti may actually be a little tastier and produces nearly twice the quantity as the original.

We can’t let spring in the Inland Northwest slip by again without offering an asparagus recipe. Asparagus with pineapple, a simple recipe, takes advantage of the microwave oven’s ability to micro-steam vegetables. Pineapple provides the perfect sweetness and acidity to accompany the asparagus.

Next up, The Better Than Garlic Bread recipe - originally duplicated, more or less, - is Cajun Chef Justin Wilson’s Cajun-style garlic bread. He used an entire loaf of bread and eyeballed the quantity of the toppings. My original garlic bread recipe did likewise. This updated version provides a specific formula to consistently make any quantity of Cajun-flavored garlic spread to use on any size and shape of bread, including toast.

I only discovered the magic of cake cookies prepared from packaged cake mixes several years ago. Red Velvet Cake Cookies is one of the rewards. These cookies are moist, chewy and, oh, so delicious. Top them with frosting or let them fly solo. They’ll soar either way.

Krafty Classic Spaghetti

Kraft Foods offered several boxed dinners back in the 1960s and ’70s. One of my favorites was its tangy Italian spaghetti, apparently still available through Walmart by special order. I bought a couple of boxes several years ago, one of which I still have. The one I tried was good, but not quite as good as I remembered. I developed a recipe for the dish, and it may even be tastier. This recipe captures the essence of Kraft Foods’ original dish and makes for pretty good eating.

10 ounces dried spaghetti

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1¼ cup water

2-3 teaspoons dried minced onion

2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder

1 teaspoon white vinegar

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

¾ teaspoon onion powder

¾ teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon of MSG (optional)

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon celery salt

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon ground or very finely crushed fennel seed

⅛ heaping teaspoon of black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Break the spaghetti into thirds (optional). Cook in salted, boiling water until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain well. While the spaghetti is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients, except cheese, in a medium saucepan. Heat to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to very low, cover with a lid, and simmer lightly for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cheese. Combine the spaghetti, sauce, and another tablespoon of cheese in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, stirring several times (the spaghetti will absorb some of the sauce). Top with cheese and serve hot, with additional cheese on the side.

Notes: Two 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce and ¼ cup of water can substitute for the tomato paste and 1¼ cup of water. As with the original Kraft classic, add cooked ground beef for a more substantial dish.

Yields: Four or five main-dish servings

Asparagus with pineapple

Asparagus is a culinary ritual of spring. It is available year-round, though usually at a premium price when out of season locally. This recipe takes advantage of the speed and ease of microwave cooking, which can do a very good job of micro-steaming vegetables. Asparagus, citrus, and a splash of olive oil make a tasty combination.

1 pound fresh asparagus

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained and halved

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon powder

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Break off and discard the white/purplish ends from the asparagus stalks. Slice the asparagus into 2-inch pieces diagonally, separating the tips from the stalks. Put the stalk pieces in a microwavable container. Loosely cover with a lid and microwave on high power for 3 minutes, stirring every 60 seconds. Add the tips, stir, and cover. Microwave for an additional minute; drain well. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except sliced almonds. Cover and microwave for 1 minute more. Stir in the sliced almonds, if used.

Notes: Be careful when removing the lid due to possible steam. This recipe was developed using a 1,000-watt microwave oven with a turntable. Cooking times will vary for ovens with different wattage.

Yields: About 3 cups

Better Than Garlic Bread

Everyone who’s eaten this has commented that it’s better than garlic bread. Who am I to disagree? The Cajun Chef, Justin Wilson’s Cajun Garlic Bread, inspired this recipe. The oregano and black pepper add Cajun flavors to an already delicious garlic bread.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper (fresh, coarsely cracked is best)

1 (16-ounce) loaf Italian or French bread

Combine the first four ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Slice the loaf horizontally in half. Spread the garlic butter inside each half. Place the top half on the bottom half, and slice crosswise into 2- to 3-inch lengths, keeping the slices in place. Tightly wrap the loaf in aluminum foil. Bake on the middle-low rack of an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Turn the loaf over and bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until the butter or margarine melts. Be careful not to over-bake the bread, or it may harden.

Notes: Use the garlic butter on any size of bread loaf, rolls or toast. I like the flatter artisan loaves.

Yields: One loaf

Red Velvet Cake Cookies

I’ve only discovered the convenience and deliciousness of cake cookies made from boxed cake mixes in recent years. Cake cookies are delicious and easy to make, requiring little measuring and little muss and fuss – a lazy guy’s dream come true. These cookies are soft and chewy.

1 (15.2-ounce) box “super moist” or “moist supreme” red velvet cake mix

½ cup flavorless cooking oil

2 large eggs, beaten

Bake the cookies in two batches. Using a food processor, stand mixer, or heavy-duty spoon (the dough will be very stiff), thoroughly combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Form half of the dough into 12 ping pong-ball-sized orbs, placing them about 2 inches apart on two unoiled 13-by-9-inch shallow baking pans (six per pan). Cover and refrigerate the remaining dough until ready to use. Bake on the middle-low rack of an oven preheated to 350 degrees until the cookies just start to brown on the bottom edges, about 9-11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store at room temperature, tightly covered, for several days, or freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to two months.

Notes: Possible add-ins and toppings include chopped nuts, candy-coated chocolates, such as M&M’s, sprinkles, chocolate chips and fresh, dried and candied fruit bits. This recipe can use any “super moist” or “moist supreme” cake mix, such as Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and many store brands.

Yield: 24 cookies

Contact Dick Sellers at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com