Cooking with Susie Q

I am going to take you down a dance through memory lane. Are you ready? OK.  Remember … school lunches? Remember hot dogs without the hotdog bun (it wasn’t healthy) – the hotdogs were swelled to the size of Keilbasa sausage. My favorite was the first time I tried Lime jello with shredded carrots and … wait for it — looked like cool whip — but … was … mayonnaise. Hmmmm. Interesting combination, and somewhere, someone decided it was healthy. Cold lunch became the choice of many of us. Thank goodness they posted the menu at the first of the week.
    Now, the school lunchroom doesn’t even resemble the school lunches of long ago. I was invited to have lunch with my children at the school during their early years at elementary school and was pleasantly surprised. They have pizza, chicken burgers, chicken nuggets, all kinds of great things. They can’t do anything to improve the flavor of “oven fries.” However, my hat goes off to all the lunch ladies. You do an amazing job with what you have to work with. I thank you. I always liked your cookies and the rolls were always tradable (means I could always trade for my roll).  I’ve chosen a couple of recipes from school that were always favorites. Macaroni and cheese, peanut butter cookies and oh, those rolls.
If the lunch ladies have any recipes to share or if they find that these ones aren’t as accurate as I was promised they are, let me know.
Are you ready for the memories to sweep you? Have a great week and enjoy the school vacation.

Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces macaroni
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon paprika

  Directions:   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and hot sauce. Set aside.
Stir 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and three cups cheese into the drained macaroni. Pour the hot milk mixture over the cheese and macaroni. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheddar on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the melted butter, and spread over the top. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, and then place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.

Cafeteria Peanut Butter Cookie
     I altered this to make 15 cookies-original recipe I received made 55 dozen.
1 1/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg
1 cup peanut butter
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:   Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in peanut butter until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic scraper between additions. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl, and mix for a minute. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually mix into the dough until fully incorporated.     Scrape down the sides of the bowl one more time, and be sure the bottom has mixed evenly.
Scoop out dough using an ice cream scoop, or roll into two- inch balls. Place cookies three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press down lightly with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for seven minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are lightly toasted. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes so they do not crumble.

 Directions:  In a large bowl, mix together the warm water and one tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let it stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
Mix the milk, eggs and salt into the yeast. Measure the flour into a separate bowl, add 2/3 cup sugar, and crumble the shortening into it using your fingers until it is barely noticeable. Gradually stir the flour into the wet ingredients. Mix using a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to form a ball around the spoon. Cover with a hot wet towel that has been wrung out, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk. This should take about 45 minutes.
When the dough has risen, pour the melted butter over it, and knead for about two minutes. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to one-inch thick. Use a knife to cut into two-inch squares. Roll squares into balls, and place into greased round pans, spacing about one inch apart. Let rise again until doubled in size. You could also refrigerate the dough, and let it rise overnight for baking the next day.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake the rolls for about 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Have a great week. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you with any suggestions or recipes you like. I can be reached at susieqcooking@ainop.com or c/o Pioneer Times, PO Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730.