>In the early days of me having Hamburger Helper, the meat (hamburger) was often included. At first it was quite a bit, but I soon wanted less and less of the meat but even with half the required meat, I never liked it. I mainly only ate the noodles. When I completely abandoned the meat cooking it in much the same way as Macaroni and Cheese (only with the sauce mixed in right away), not only did I not need the hot dogs I otherwise required before with regular macaroni (see section 1.1.2.2 above), the flavor tasted even better than macaroni with toasty dogs, provided the meat wasn't included. Even to today (Nov 24, 2006), I still have it, but very rarely as it's not all that filling and it requires more dishes than a pizza does.
>To make it, I first needed a medium-large pan, the specific meal I wanted (usually cheeseburger macaroni, my top favorite, or cheddar cheese melt), milk without being beyond the expiration date (only the lasagna flavor doesn't require it of my only liked ones), a measuring cup (I usually only need one - my math skills come in handy here, but this isn't required, only recommended), two spoons (a big one for stirring and a small one for eating with), and a plate. As with any other meal, if any one of these is not available, I have to ask my parents to wash it, and if there's no milk (milk beyond the sell by date is considered as no milk being available), I cannot have it unless I use one of the meals that doesn't require it and the only one of decent compatibility is the lasagna flavor (although rather low and no where near my top 5 favorites).
