This column was originally going to be about Spam, the interesting “ready to eat” pork product by Hormel. And the Auburn Holiday Inn will be serving it up tonight as a fun quirky hors d'ouevres to go along with our Gilligan's Island themed New Year's Eve party.

Hawaii is one of the largest consumers of the pork product hence the correlation.

I changed my mind while perusing the fish selection at the local mega-mart. After years of watching and waiting on customers at the restaurants/hotels that I have worked at, I can't help but to observe them outside of the workplace.

I am especially curious about what goes into people's shopping carts.

I am the first to admit that there are some food items that are easier and better bought than homemade. Ketchup, bagels, and cheese are just to name a few.

I bought a bag of gnocchi and a jar of sauce the other day to satisfy my need for a pasta coma (eating a massive amount of carbs and passing out on the couch).

Did it taste as good as homemade?

No, but I was out like a light by 7 p.m.

I also have a weakness for poppers, fried jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese. I tried for a month to replicate what is served at our favorite bars but to no success.

Going back to the shopping carts that I ogled, when did we become so dependent on processed foods?

Did you know salad dressings, macaroni and cheese and sloppy joes can all be made at home?

Please excuse my sarcastic tone, but when I see the nutritionally void garbage that is marketed to school-age children it makes me mad. No wonder the government wants to slap a fat tax on us.

As a New Year's resolution, start to take an hour away from the time spent with the television or Internet and process your own food.

Here are a few recipes that will hopefully ease you back into the kitchen.

Salad dressings can fill an aisle in most stores. Granted there are a multitude of different varieties, but it seems like everybody and their brothers are making and marketing salad dressings.

French dressing can easily be made by combining 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon celery salt, and 1/8 teaspoon onion powder. Blend for a minute on low in the blender then chill.

I know what you're thinking: “I don't have all those ingredients in my house.” There are seasoning packets in the same aisle as the dressings that only require oil, sour cream or milk. By partially making it yourself, you are saving money. Think of our parents and grandparents, they didn't have a quarter of what we had and they survived.

Creamy Italian dressing can be made by combing 1 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon of milk, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano. Blend by hand in a bowl then chill.

Making the dressings ahead of time and chilling will better the flavor and save you time later.

Macaroni and cheese is fairly simple to make as well. I know you love that “blue box” that makes that orange glop, but homemade is so much better.

The strange part of the processed brand is the color. Why orange? I never saw orange milk? What are they hiding with that dye?

Cook 8 ounces of elbow macaroni as per the directions on the box, drain and set aside.

Multitask by starting the creamy cheese sauce while you are waiting for the macaroni water to boil. Melt a 1/4 cup of butter over low heat in a medium sized pan then gradually stir in a 1/4 cup of flour and blend until smooth.

This combination is called a roux and will help thicken the sauce. Gradually add 2 cups of milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.

Add a dash of salt and pepper then 2 cups of shredded cheese. Most recipes call for cheddar cheese, but I like a little heat so I put a 1/4 cup of pepper jack in mine. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni, pour into a baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Double the recipe, and you'll have leftovers for another night.

Sloppy joes or loose meat sandwiches are fun and economical for families.

Combine a pound of ground beef, one small onion chopped and 1/4 cup of celery or green pepper in a saute pan and cook until the beef is brown. Drain off any extra fat.

Add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of dry mustard and bring mix to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

A toasted soft roll is beneficial in reducing the sloppiness factor.

Now that I have gotten this pet peeve of mine off my chest, I can start my new year with a hopefully renewed sense that we can decrease our dependency on the amount of processed food purchased.

Please think twice about what you put in your cart and what you serve to yourself and family.

Have a happy and healthy new year.

Valerie Usowski, an Auburn native, is the banquet manager at the Auburn Holiday Inn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate