When Rory gets home, Lorelai is reading a box at the kitchen table. She’s holding a box of Hamburger Helper, a convenience food made by General Mills under the Betty Crocker brand, first introduced in 1971.
Hamburger Helper is a box of pasta packaged together with packets of sauces and seasonings. You’re supposed to combine the contents with cooked beef mince (hamburger) to create a complete meal. It’s a bit confusing for non-Americans, as hamburger usually refers to a hamburger patty; minced meat is just mince.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 