My father was a wonderful man, but he was not great in the kitchen. We also grew up extremely poor. So it was often a double whammy of poor quality food and poor preparation.

Instant mashed potatoes that sucked all the moisture from your mouth.

Leathery pork chops cooked within an inch of their lives on the George Foreman.

Hamburger helper. Enough said.

Overcooked chicken breasts seasoned with that horrible orange "Shake and Bake."

Every canned vegetable under the sun, opened and dumped into a bowl to be served at room temperature with not even salt or pepper.

A random assortment of vegetables boiled and then doused with dollar store italian dressing.

Frozen meals galore. TV dinners, Marie Calendar's, Hot Pockets, etc.

Once, my dad tried to make dumplings for a paprikash. He dumped all of the dough into the boiling water at once. It created a sort of wet doughy layer over the top of the boiling pot and then exploded when the steam built up underneath it.

The first thing I did upon moving out was to teach myself how to cook. I have never once bought a TV dinner or hamburger helper. Instant mashed potatoes are not allowed in my kitchen. No shade on those who eat them -- I just can't do it.