I had never eaten one in my life until I moved up here and the MIL bought Mrs. T....nom nom nom...pillowy potato goodness. But you're right -- I'm sure the handmade stuff is a thousand times better...
The other night, I had no flipping clue what to make so I grabbed some chicken and chopped it up and put it in a baking dish with some frozen pierogies and topped that with a can of diced tomatoes and a can of manwich. I baked it in the oven for like 35 minutes and it was awesome!
I've been making loads of traditional Cuban food since I moved up here mainly because I guess I miss eating it. Lord knows that when there was a Cuban restaurant on every corner, the last thing I ever wanted to eat was Cuban. Nowadays, the closest Cuban place is about 1.5 hours away in Boston and I don't know if I have enough motivation to drive that much just for a bite to eat.