47 school recipes

A simple and delicious dish that can be simmered all day and be ready once the kids come home from school.

Classic Midwestern longjohns: rectangular yeast-raised doughnuts fried golden and topped with a cooked brown-sugar maple frosting. Old-school bakery comfort.

Oatmeal cookies loaded with toasted walnuts and shredded coconut, rolled in sugar before baking for a sparkly, crackled top. Old-school four-dozen batch.

Old-school carrot casserole with Velveeta cheese, butter, and a crunchy crushed potato chip topping. Five ingredients and zero pretense. Pure retro comfort food.

Grandma's New England pickles: whole cucumbers pickled in a vinegar, salt, sugar, and dry mustard brine for 30 days. Tangy, addictive, old-school homemade pickles with a bite.

Dressed-up pork and beans with green chile sauce, molasses, and dill relish. This old-school stovetop side comes together fast with pantry staples and packs a sweet-tangy-spicy punch.

Swiss steak with tenderized round steak, sweet onions, mushrooms, and a tomato-mushroom gravy braise. Old-school comfort cooking that turns tough cuts fork-tender.

Southern-style shrimp with bacon, okra, tomatoes, and beer simmered into a stew-thick sauce. Served over rice for an old-school Lowcountry-leaning dinner.

Chocolate red beet cake: deep cocoa cake with mashed beets baked into a moist, tender crumb you'd never guess was hiding a vegetable. An old-school secret-ingredient cake.

Dad's corn chowder simmers salt pork, sweet corn, potatoes, and milk into a New England classic. Old-school comfort with smoky, savory depth in every spoonful.

Sour cream chocolate layer cake with a tangy, moist crumb and a rich sour cream chocolate frosting. Old-school bakery flavor from a one-bowl batter.

Zesty fig and date pastry bars with walnuts, orange juice, and lemon zest on a buttery shortbread crust with a crisscross lattice top. A bright, old-school cookie bar.

Chocolate marshmallow sandwich cookies with soft cake-like chocolate rounds and a fluffy marshmallow cream filling. Homemade whoopie pies for lunchboxes, bake sales, and after-school snacks.

Slow-baked navy beans layered with salt pork, smoked ham, onions, garlic, mustard, and a splash of rum. A rich, old-school baked bean recipe with Caribbean flair.

Crunchy drop cookies loaded with oats, crispy rice cereal, coconut, and nuts. These chewy-crispy TV cookies are the ultimate snack for movie night or after-school munching.

Potato omelette with sliced boiled potatoes, sauteed onions, and beaten eggs cooked together in a skillet until firm. A hearty, old-school breakfast with just five simple ingredients.