We attended a Black Tot Day party last Friday, commemorating that dark day in 1970 when the British Royal Navy stopped giving their sailors a daily ration of rum. In my mind that called for military inspired dishes, so I made "Back to Bataan Spam" and, at the host's request, created "They Were Expendable Dip."



Believe it or not, Back to Bataan Spam was not an original recipe. I found it in Square Meals, a hilarious cookbook that chronicles 20th century trends in American gastronomy. I can, however, claim credit for They Were Expendable Dip, which I made from cottage cheese, deviled ham, sriracha sauce, onion powder and salt. Both were super easy and the Spam is an inexpensive and quick one-dish meal, featuring, in addition to the Spam, canned potatoes, onion, bell pepper, applesauce and I threw in some pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and honey, to keep it from being too bland (as so many mid-century recipes are). Best of all, both were big hits! What can I say? People like comfort food!

Click here to see what the Kitsch-en churned out last week.