Back to School Eats

Back to School Eats

There’s still lots of pleasant weather and fun to be had come August. When I was a child, the hot month of August meant birthday celebrations – for two aunts and my Irish setter. But by the middle of the month, I started getting a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew it wouldn’t be long until school started and all the fun would be over.

Most children will tell you that recess and lunchtime are the best parts of the school day. Lunchtime was a clear-cut winner for me, because most days, I had lunch at Grandma’s house. If the weather was bad or if he was heading home for lunch during his break at the car wash, Grandpa would pick me up in his white Ford LTD and Grandma fixed delicacies such as peanut butter on crackers, chicken noodle soup, ham sandwiches, celery or apple slices spread with peanut butter.

Eating lunch at Grandma and Grandpa’s house was especially fortunate for me. Our lunchroom at the West Williamson Elementary School wasn’t known for fine dining. The spaghetti had an unusual and off-putting aroma, as did the hot dogs, although they were the best the cafeteria had to offer. These were the days when you didn’t have a choice of foods; you just ate what they gave you.

Even packing lunch wasn’t the best idea. My “Flying Nun” lunch box gave everything a metallic flavor, even if it did have a matching thermos for soup. Brown-paper bags don’t hold up as well as a box, because they wallow around in a backpack most of the day; besides, there’s no way to have anything hot – or cold, for that matter – to eat at noon.

Nowadays, many school lunchrooms have improved. Offerings include hot-bar items such as nachos, pizza, salad, burgers and fries every day as well as the traditional hot meals like turkey dinners and goulash.

And lunch bags have improved. No more metal flavoring. Many nylon totes include a cold pack to preserve yummies like ham sandwiches and yogurts.

Breakfasts are offered now, too; things like waffles and syrup, scrambled eggs and muffins are available before class at many public school lunchrooms.

Even if you don’t purchase breakfast at school, you might eat it on the run. This recipe, printed in Taste of Home magazine and submitted by Cathy Larkins of Marshfield, Mo., offers a delicious switch from cold breakfast bars and sugary toaster pastries, plus it’s is high in protein and low in carbs.

Scrambled Egg Muffins

• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage and drain; in a bowl, beat the eggs. Add onion, green pepper, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in sausage and cheese. Spoon by 1/3 cupfuls into greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

I wouldn’t touch a bean when I was a kid, but one of my best friends loved pinto beans and corn bread. While they’re still not my favorite, I have made peace with beans, one of the staples of Appalachian life. This recipe, also in Taste of Home magazine and submitted by Gina Passantino of Arlington, Va., is a pretty good way to use them.

Pinto Bean Stew

• 1 cup dry pinto beans
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 16-ounce package frozen corn, thawed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 14 and 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 or 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Place beans in large saucepan; add water to cover by 2 inches. Let soak over night or bring to a boil, boiling for 2 minutes; remove from heat, cover and let stand for an hour. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Return beans to the pan and add cold water, carrot, garlic, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 45 minutes or until beans are almost tender. In skillet coated with nonstick spray, sauté corn, onion and green pepper until tender and add to bean mixture. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Cook 5 more minutes or longer, until heated throughout.

My preferred soup was chicken noodle from a can. Now, I like a more substantial version, such as this one made from scratch.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 3 or 4 bone-in chicken breasts
• 5 cups water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 stalks of celery, divided
• 2 onions, divided
• 2 carrots, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 8 ounces medium-width egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• black pepper and salt to taste

Put chicken, water and bouillon cubes, one onion cut into quarters, one stalk of celery chopped (including leafs) and one carrot, sliced, in Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and let simmer for an hour.

Remove chicken and allow to cool. Strain broth and return to pot. In small skillet, sauté remaining celery, onion and carrots, all chopped. Add to pot of broth.

Strip chicken off bone and return meat to pot. Bring to near boil and add noodles. Continue cooking until noodles are soft, about 10 minutes. Add herbs. Serve.

NOTE: You can omit tarragon if you don’t like the flavor. In fact, you can add herbs as you wish. Some children, however, will prefer it with salt and pepper only.

It seems like a cheese sandwich gets along with any kind of soup and holds up well in the lunch bag. For a change and a little more flavor and texture, try a cheese spread sandwich, and adjust the recipe to your liking.

Cheese Spread

• 2 pounds American cheese
• 1 pound cheddar
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 4-ounce jar pimentos
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup salad dressing

Shred or grate cheese and eggs. If you have a meat grinder attachment to your mixer, you may run all ingredients through it, including the pimentos. Mix dressings together and mix into cheese mixture.

This fruit dip adds a little sweet to fruit that might need some sugar.

Strawberry Fruit Dip

• 1 8-ounce cup of strawberry yogurt
• 1 8-ounce brick of cream cheese
• 1 small jar of marshmallow cream

Bring cream cheese to room temperature and stir. Stir in yogurt and marshmallow cream. Serve as a dressing over fruit salad or as a dip with strawberries, apple slices and pear slices.

Along with thoughts of school, August brings anticipation of black walnuts. If you have a tree that bears, the nuts will be very difficult to extract from the rough shells, but there’s no taste like them in the world. Our tree rarely bears, and when it does, getting the meat out of the shell is torture, so I usually buy the expensive nuts to cook with, and even then, only rarely. They make delicious ice cream and fudge, but this recipe shows off the flavor, too, plus it’s easy to whip up and packs well.

Black Walnut Brownies

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped black walnuts

In mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; then add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts. Bake in greased, 8-inch square baking pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Printed with permission from www.suite101.com.
About the Author:  Lee Ward -  For the last 20 years, I have been working as a professional journalist in newspapers, magazines and radio. Currently, I am the Lifestyle Editor at a daily newspaper, The Independent in Ashland, Ky. I am always interested in freelance writing or editing opportunities and working on my fiction and poetry. I can be emailed at hillygator@msn.com.