It’s that time of year when return-to-school activities are ramping up. Parents, kids and school staff are increasingly focusing on preparations for the approaching school year. Registrations, launch conferences, purchasing school clothes and supplies, transportation and meal planning, obtaining physicals for athletics and renting a trombone for the aspiring marching band musician in the family. The to-do list can seem endless.
As a food column, this provides an opportunity to address some of the school lunch considerations facing busy families and hungry students. I haven’t stepped foot in a school cafeteria since lunches cost 35 cents, so it’s been a few years. I have read several online articles about school cafeterias and homemade lunches versus cafeteria lunches. I’m very impressed with many of the changes in school cafeterias and not so much with several.
School cafeterias now offer a greater variety and choice for students. Special dietary needs are accommodated better than ever. Many of today’s school lunches are prepared and shipped to schools with fewer freshly made dishes. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads are more prevalent. There are also potentially less healthy choices available, such as vending machines and fast-food options. With all of the temptations and choices, assuring a student’s nutritional needs are met can be challenging. Home-prepared lunches can fall short. Studies show that school cafeteria lunches are generally a better bet for nutritional value than homemade ones.
This may be one of those “when I was a kid, I had to walk 6 miles to school” stories, but here’s what grade -school lunches were like in my day. At the scheduled time, the class lined up at the cafeteria doors. Everyone had to eat in the cafeteria, which was a good thing for grade school students. When directed, the students with sack lunches walked directly to the tables while the others remained in line. Those in the serving line paid 35 cents to the cashier, then picked up their tray and silverware. There were always the same three choices to make at each of the two serving stations. You could choose this, or you could choose that, or you could pass on both. At the end of the line, there was always a modest dessert or two to choose from, followed by those ubiquitous cartons of milk with straws. That was our school lunch routine, day in and day out; year in and year out. I attended St. Paul’s for eight years.
Here are several recipes for dishes I fondly remember from my grade school days, with a couple that could well be on a school lunch menu. They can be prepared easily at home for the family or by an independent living student.
St. Paul’s Tuna Noodles
This recipe recreates a simple tuna noodle dish served in St. Paul Grade School’s cafeteria years ago – long before school cafeterias served cheese zombies and jalapeño poppers. It was one of my favorites. Being a Catholic school, it was always served on Fridays and during Lent. This is a dish that grows on you.
6 ounces dried linguine
1 (5-ounce) can oil-packed solid tuna, undrained
½-⅔ cup chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1-2 teaspoons dried parsley
Break the pasta into thirds and cook in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain well. Warm the tuna and broth over medium heat or in a microwave oven, flaking the tuna with a fork. Stir in the pasta and parsley.
Notes: Like the original, this pasta dish is brothy.
Yields: Two or three main-dish servings
St. Paul’s Cheese Pizza
One of my favorite foods served in St. Paul grade school’s cafeteria was the cheese pizza. It was plain and had a quirky taste because the cooks always used a large amount of Cheddar cheese. It was always baked in rectangular baking pans and served in small squares – and always on Fridays. It was a Catholic school, after all. To be authentic, the pizza would be baked on a rectangular baking pan and cut into 3-inch squares. However, it tastes just as good, whatever the shape and size.
1 prebaked 13-inch pizza crust or fresh dough for a 13-by-10-inch shallow baking pan
About 7 fluid ounces pizza sauce
5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Place a rack in the middle-low position and preheat the oven to 350-450 degrees (follow package directions, if using a prebaked crust). Place the pizza crust on a baking pan and prebake it according to package directions, if called for. If using fresh dough, spread the dough out on the pan, leaving a small ridge along the edge. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Bake for about 6-8 minutes, or whatever the recipe calls for prebaking. If the dough develops any high spots as it bakes, press them down with the flat of a fork. Combine the cheese in a medium bowl. Mix about a quarter of the cheese with the sauce. Top the crust within the rim with the sauce and remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and the crust has baked to the desired crispness, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Notes: Mixing some of the cheese with the sauce helps prevent the topping from sliding off the pizza while eating. Combine an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce with ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper for a delicious pizza sauce. Red pepper flakes, to taste, and ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar are optional.
Yields: One pizza
Lazy Guy Noodles Romanoff
If you love sour cream and pasta, you need to get acquainted with noodles Romanoff, a classic Russian pasta dish made with generous amounts of cheese and sour cream. Here’s Lazy Guy’s energy-conserving version, which starts with a 79-cent box of macaroni and cheese.
1 (7.25-ounce) box macaroni and cheese
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
5-6 tablespoons sour cream
1-2 green onions, sliced into ¼ to ⅜-inch pieces
Paprika
Cook the macaroni until tender; drain. While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce by placing the next five ingredients (through garlic powder) in a medium microwavable container. Loosely cover and microwave at 30% power until warmed and the butter or margarine mostly melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese powder from the packet until fully dissolved. Stir in the sour cream and continue microwaving at 30% power until warmed through, stirring occasionally. Stir in the macaroni and green onion. Lightly sprinkle paprika over the top; serve hot.
Notes: The sauce’s flavor can be adjusted with extra sour cream or Cheddar cheese sauce. Grated Parmesan cheese is a common ingredient in Romanoff. Cubed ham, cooked shrimp, ground meat or shredded chicken are good additions for protein. Cooked chopped broccoli or other vegetables can be added for nutrition and color.
Yields: About 3 cups
Berry-Melon Bowls
Barry Manilow tunes still echo in my head, and it’s getting old. I did have that in mind when I named this dish. It’s a small measure of payback. Berry-Melon Bowls are perfect for summer parties, backyard barbecues, picnics, or as part of a flavorful, nutritious school sack lunch.
Some combination of:
Large bite-sized watermelon pieces
Large bite-sized cantaloupe pieces
Large bite-sized honeydew melon pieces
Canned pineapple chunks
Orange segments
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Mint sprigs
Shredded, unsweetened coconut or fresh pieces
Prepare individual 1½- to 2-cup servings with several fruits listed above in serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with a few berries and mint or coconut, if preferred.
Yields: The number of servings will vary
Dick Sellers is a freelance writer. Contact him at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com
Dining and Cooking