My secret shame's no secret anymore

I blame my mother. 

She used canned tomato soup to top meatloaf.  And canned vegetable soup in the meat loaf.  And if I told you what she was capable of with ketchup you'd have a heart attack and die. 

Even so, now and then

I still get a yen

for the way my mom cooked

way back when.  

Nancy Leson tells a similar story in this week's  episode with her quickie version of  Shrimp Schecter -- a dish she named for her aunt, made with canned cream soup (the dish, not the aunt). 

Usually I stop reading any recipe that calls for canned soup or other prepared foods because I think of myself as a guy who cooks everything from scratch.  But can I truthfully say that my home-made pasta is really from scratch if I didn't mill my own flour?  Even if I did, what if I didn't grow the wheat?  Or slaughter my own chickens and squirrels?

That way lies not only madness but also way too much work.

Got a favorite "secret shame" dish you simply must have every once in a while?  Post it proudly below.

Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?
-- Curly Howard