Bloomington Schools Chow Mein

 There seems to be many people that have good memories of the school lunches in the Bloomington, MN school district from the 60's and 70's. I grew up in that era and went to Bloomington schools as well. Now after double checking various sources, here is what I believe to be the simple recipe for Bloomington, MN School lunch Chow Mein. Enjoy !

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 lbs. Ground beef

3 Cups water

3 Cups celery, chopped

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

1-1/2 Tbs. Soy sauce

1 tsp. Kitchen bouquet

1 tsp. Salt

1 Cup warm water

6 Tbs. Cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

Brown ground beef.

Add water, celery and onions, cook until celery is soft but crispy.

Add soy sauce, salt and kitchen bouquet to above mixture.

Thicken with cornstarch and water mixture. Cook until clear, do not boil.

Serve over Chow Mein Noodles. This recipe may have served 20 students, not including "seconds."  Ha-ha.

I have written it exactly as it was in the cookbook it was from.

Obviously, you might want some rice with this. You are on your own for that.

American Goulash

 

Hamburger macaroni, chili mac, or American goulash. 

Whatever you call it, I call it good ! 

Here is my recipe, written for the use of an Instant Pot cooker.

1 cup dry elbow pasta

1 lb. hamburger 90% lean

2 celery ribs

1 medium yellow onion

1/2 green pepper (sliced in strips) 

1 can chopped tomatoes (with basil, garlic, oregano)

2 cloves fresh garlic

1 can whole kernel corn

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbs ketchup

3 Tbs BBQ sauce 

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

Salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder as desired

Top with parmesan or shredded cheese 

Cook pasta in instant pot for 5 minutes, quick release and stir and drain, set aside.

Chop onion, celery, tomato, green pepper and garlic.

Heat instant pot on sauté setting, add a little oil.

Season meat with salt and pepper, brown until no pink. Drain any excess fat.

Add onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook and stir until onion is softened, add garlic, cook until fragrant.

Add corn, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and other seasonings, as desired.

Stir, cover and seal. 

Cook on manual setting for 5 minutes. (make sure valve is in sealed position)

Stir and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve with parmesan or cheddar cheese on top if desired.

 

Salmon Patties

Canned salmon is a great thing to keep on hand in the pantry. Most brands are harvested from the ocean and not farmed and it is processed soon after.

High in protein and vitamins. Much lower mercury levels than canned tuna as well. I do not like most farmed salmon. It tastes fishy, and I do not agree with the methods of farming.

Fresh, wild caught salmon from Alaska is so expensive, so this is a good alternative for some recipes.

A great substitute for recipes with canned tuna.

 

1 can pink salmon 14.75 Oz. (I like Bumble Bee)

1 egg

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup celery (split and finely-chopped)

1/4 cup onion (finely-chopped)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup panko crumbs, or (sub cornmeal for part)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste. Butter and olive oil for frying.

On a plate, separate salmon, to remove skin and large bones from salmon pieces.

Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Add more mayo if too dry or panko crumbs if too moist.

Scoop golf ball sized portions and form into patties.

Brown in hot oil-butter blend. Flip and brown the other side. 

Serve with tartar sauce or blend of mayo and Dijon mustard.

Recommended optional add-ins:

Red or green pepper

Liquid smoke, paprika, parsley, Worcestershire sauce,

Parmesan cheese, celery seed.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

A very basic, but good recipe for chicken enchiladas with a sour cream sauce.

For this recipe I used canned chicken breast. Leftover rotisserie chicken would be even better.

6 tortillas (I like corn tortillas)

1- 12.5 oz. can chicken breast, well drained and shredded.   
1 Tbls. butter
1 small onion chopped
1 can of tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
½ pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz container of sour cream
½ cup of milk
4 ozs. shredded cheese

Optional additions: black beans or corn, cilantro, garlic, green pepper, black olives. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, sauté the onions in butter until soft.
Add in the shredded chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and HALF the can of cream of chicken soup.
Cook over low heat until warm and mixed thoroughly.
Spoon the mixture evenly on to each tortilla and roll up.
Place each enchilada into a lightly oiled 9×13 pan with the seam side down.
Repeat until your pan is full.
Meanwhile, mix the remaining cream of chicken soup, sour cream and milk in a bowl until combined.
Pour mixture over your rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese
Bake for 20 minutes until heated through.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if desired.