This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.
Not too many products manage to become icons in the American household, especially food products. For most, their lives are fairly short, spanning a few years here and there, to be replaced by a newer version or a different product altogether… Assuming that the manufacture is still in business.
Then there are those that hit it right on the head. Something about their offering embeds itself into the consciousness of our culture, it becomes part of who and what we are, it defines us and is defined by us. The folks at hormel have done this and done it exceedingly well for the past 75 years.
Granted, I don’t usually aim for canned anything these days, and I have the time to make my own stew anytime I feel the need, but there are times when there really is no substitute for a can of Dinty Moore® beef stew, or a good spoonful of Hormel® Chili on a chili dog. In these moments it’s not about over 20 years of culinary experimentation or the need to fulfill my creative passions, it’s about childhood, feeling loved and family. It’s about comfort foods, warmth and security.
To this day I remember shopping with my mother and specifically requesting the stew with the “giant’s thumbprint”, which was the hallmark of Dinty Moore for years. It was what i loved, and the thumbprint proved that it was good. (And somehow sanctioned by a very large and jovial lumberjack.) It was one of the foods my mother served as an after school snack on cold, windy days. It’s as much a part of my life as beans, cornbread and my aunt’s special Tea cookies.
And it’s in my pantry right now. Right next to tomatoes imported from Italy, a jar of capers and some olives packaged in Napa Valley. Foodie or not, Hormel is a part of my life and always will be, and this post is to congratulate them on 75 years of success, with wishes for 75 more.
I just want that big blue thumbprint back.
Does anyone else miss it? to me the loss of that emblem somehow changes the whole thing a bit… But maybe I’m just sentimental.
Do you buy hormel products? If so, which ones? (SPAM is always in my pantry, but then I’m strange.) do you stock hormel Chili? Dinty Moore? Anything else? let us know in the comments!
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We used to love Dinty Moore beef stew, it was a favorite dinner when we went camping. I even gladly carried the big can in my backpack as a little kid, along with a can of petit pois, a necessary addition. What memories this brings back, and that blue thumbprint! One of my favorite memories was when my sister and I decided to camp as young adults. Somehow we managed to end up at the Grand Canyon, in March, in below freezing temperatures when we intended to camp at Mohave. We managed to heat up the stew but it was ice cold by the time it hit our aluminum plates. We spooned it up anyway, sitting in our sleeping bags in the tent, watching the ravens hop around the picnic table hoping to score some leftovers. But that night it was still the best stew ever. We tried it recently though and found perhaps the fondness of our memories improved the flavor and texture, it wasn’t as good as we had remembered.
.-= Heather in SF @HeatherHAL´s last blog ..Snausages =-.
I always think about all these canned goods we grew up on and Dinty Moore/Hormel stew was one. I do miss it every now and then – it brings back warm memories of having something that was yummy and fun to eat. Ah, wasn’t it great growing up during the 60′s and 70′s when all this stuff was so special?
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..BEST BANANA BREAD =-.
My DH remembers camping trips with his dad. The next thing he remembers is eating Dinty Moore Stew!
@Heather,
I agree that it isn’t quite the experience today that it was when i was a kid. I think an expanded palate has a lot to do with that, but I still always seem to have a can of it around. it’s perfect on a cold day when you just want to warm up and feel human again.
@Jamie,
Yep. It’s about the memories. My kids love it now as much as I did when I was their age. I serve it rarely, but when I do it’s a treat for them.
@Taffy,
Good memories, for sure!
I used to eat Dinty Moore all the time. I could get it at Sam’s Club in the HUGE cans in bulk. Now I only have it as a treat. Way too much sodium. I usually just make my own stew, but LOVE the DM beef stew. AND I always have SPAM in my cupboard. MMMM fried Spam and eggs sunny side up. Yummy!!!
Angie,
You can’t beat SPAM or Dinty Moore, especially if you grew up with it. I still have it every now and again when I’m thinking of my childhood home