A 12-ounce can of classic Spam contains six 2-ounce servings:
Calories: 180
Fat calories: 140
Sodium: 790 milligrams
Cholesterol: 40 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 1 gram
Protein: 7 grams

Ingredients: Pork with ham, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar, sodium nitrate

Cooking instructions: Fully cooked and ready to eat hot or cold. Fry, bake, microwave, grill or broil.

Spam is available in single-serving packets so you can enjoy a serving anytime, anywhere. The singles sell for about $1.10 each.

If you are watching your Spam intake, a single serving of Spam Lite is 160 calories, and just 100 of those calories are from fat.

There's even a Spam fan club. You can join at www.spam.com .

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SPAM WITH PORK 'N' BEANS

Serves: 4
This recipe is from Linda Mac Dannald of Modesto, Calif. Said Mac Dannald in an e-mail: "My Husband's family, The H.H. Mac Dannald household of 10 siblings who lived on Modesto Avenue, thrived on many staple dishes, such as this recipe made with Spam, back in the early 1940s and 1950s. We still enjoy this economical dinner and we don't have to slice the Spam into so many servings. It's yummy! Today, the Spam with pork 'n' beans has passed through three generations in our family and it's still going strong!"

Mac Dannald said the Spam pork 'n' beans recipe is great for newlyweds because it's easy, for working moms because it's fast and for large families because it's economical and filling.

Ingredients:
2 cans Van de Kamp's Pork and Beans
1 medium onion, diced
1/3 bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 can Spam

Instructions:
Pour the two cans of pork and beans into a 9-by-12-inch glass baking dish

Saute the onion and bell pepper in oiled frying pan, then add to beans Add brown sugar Slice the Spam into 12 long pieces (very thin)

Brown in the frying pan, then lay in two rows on top of the beans.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

SPAM LOAF HAWAIIAN

Serves: 8
This recipe is from Sharon Secrest of Oakdale: "In the 1970s, my mother used to make a dish called Spam loaf Hawaiian. I was just asking her about it today, and she says the original recipe was made with ham, but she couldn't afford ham and so she used Spam."

Secrest said the family loves this recipe: "Mom says that's because it had pineapple and brown sugar. I haven't had that since I was a kid, but I'm tempted to go buy some Spam now."

Ingredients:
2 cans Spam
1 can pineapple rings
Mustard, to taste
Brown sugar, to taste

Instructions:
Cut four slits in each loaf of Spam, but not all the way through. Spread a little mustard inside the slits, then put a half ring of pineapple in each slit. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake in a 350-degree oven until it is hot and the sugar gets glazed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Slice it so that each serving has a slice of the pineapple.

SPAMTASTICK

This recipe is from Sandy Paul, who said it won a blue ribbon in 1999 at the San Joaquin County Fair.

"Victory was short, as I later learned my dish was disqualified," she said.

Ingredients:
1 box pineapple cake mix
1 tablespoon oil
1 can Spam, diced
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
20-ounce can pineapple slices
Red maraschino cherries drained and halved
Whipped topping
Mint leaves

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in skillet and saute Spam. Drain on paper towel. Melt butter in 9-by-13- inch pan. Sprinkle Spam and sugar evenly in pan, top with pineapple slices. Place cherries cut side up in center of pineapple slices. Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour batter evenly in pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool five minutes, then invert cake. Top slices with whipped topping and mint leaves.

SPAM SANDWICH SPREAD

"This is my mother's recipe for Spam," writes Mary Ostic Lee of Modesto. "Each picnic we had as kids, Mom fixed this for us."

Ingredients:
1 can Spam, chilled
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 small yellow or red onion, chopped
1 large tablespoon sweet relish
1 dab of mustard
1 small jar Dromedary sliced pimentos

Instructions:
Grate the chilled Spam. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spread on bread for a cold sandwich or add to a grilled cheese sandwich and enjoy hot. Top Ritz Crackers with it for an appetizer.

SPAM 'N' PEACHES

This recipe was relayed to Modesto Bee executive editor Mark Vasche by two different Boy Scouts.

Ingredients:
1 can Spam, sliced
1 14.25-ounce can sliced peaches in heavy syrup
Sugar (optional)

Instructions:
Heat a skillet or frying pan on a camp stove, over an open fire or at "home on the range"

Fry the Spam. If desired, sprinkle a little sugar on the Spam slices as they cook.
When Spam is slightly browned, pour in the peach syrup. When the sugary syrup begins to caramelize/crystallize, add the peach slices and cook until they've warmed.

LUNCHEON MEAT CHILI

Serves: 5
This recipe is from Nancy Cline of Modesto.

"My mother used to make this chili for the family because my dad really liked it," said Cline. "It was perfect for camping, our family's hobby, because most everything came out of a can."

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fat
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 12-ounce can Spam, chopped
1 No. 2 can kidney beans
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:
Saute onion and garlic in fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

SPAM DINNER

This recipe is from Dee Rosales of Merced, Calif.

Ingredients:
1 can Spam, cut into 1/4-inch squares
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crushed chili powder (optional)
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 can (small) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup water
1 dozen soft tortillas

Instructions:
Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add Spam, stirring frequently to heat evenly. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour over the Spam. Add chili powder, if desired.

Stir in tomato sauce, stirring well to incorporate. Add water and bring to a full boil. Turn down heat and simmer for three to five minutes.

Serve with refried beans or heat tortillas and place 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each tortilla before folding it into a burrito.

You can also add a scrambled egg or refried beans to the tortilla. Do not add salt and pepper.

HOT DOG SURPRISE

Serves: 6 to 8
This recipe is from Oakdale, Calif., native Dallas Brunetti. Said she in an e-mail: "I prefer these served with barbecue potato chips and orange soda (but then again, that is my childhood memory). When you serve these ... SURPRISE ... it's not a hot dog."

Ingredients:
Hot dog buns (don't substitute bread, it will not taste the same) 1 can Spam
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 large dill pickle
White or yellow onion (optional)
Mayonnaise, to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate first four ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in enough mayonnaise to coat ingredients well. Spoon into buns. Wrap each bun in aluminum foil. Put these inside a covered lid roasting pan and bake for approximately 20minutes or until cheese is melted.

SPAM BUNS

Makes about 12
This recipe is from Lori Van Nieuwenhuyzen, who said Spam buns are a favorite at family get togethers. "We joke about having to have our Spam buns, but they are so good! Real comfort food. This recipe came from my husband's aunt Verla Vrieling, who passed away a couple of years ago. She was a wonderful cook and baked delicious pies, cookies and desserts," said Van Nieuwenhuyzen, who lives in Ripon, Calif.

Ingredients:
1 12-ounce can of Spam, grated
1/2 pound of Velveeta cheese, grated
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small can of chopped olives
12 dinner rolls

Instructions:
Mix together Spam, Velveeta, onion and olives and put inside a dozen or more soft dinner rolls. Wrap each individually in foil or in groups of six. Heat in preheated 325-degree oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

MOLLY O'GRADY SPAM CASSEROLE

Serves: 4 to 6
This recipe is from Polly Wright of Groveland. "My husband is a Spam nut," she confesses. "This is a tasty and quick main dish using Spam. Basically, it was a recipe that had been in a friend's family for years, but I modified it from ham to Spam and it tasted so much better. It makes a great one-dish main meal."

Ingredients:
4 cups wide noodles, cooked and strained
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, cut up
1 can of Spam, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can mushroom soup
1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk
1 green pepper (or celery), diced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon horseradish, optional

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients and place in 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.