By Mary Jo Spiegel
Enquirer contributor

"School lunch" conjures up many memories. Mystery meat. Food fights. But delicious food? Can it be?

Diana Wolfgang in Eastgate wants the recipe for "pin wheels," a biscuit and hamburger dish served for lunch at Cincinnati Public Schools years ago.

"They were delicious," she remembers.

CAN YOU HELP?

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"Pin wheels were everyone's favorite," agrees Barbara Lothian in Lockland, Withrow class of 1955.

Kathy Schlesinger in Mount Airy was a dietitian for Cincinnati schools' Food Services. She served pin wheels to friends (and Withrow grads) one night. Conversation soon turned to how good their school lunches were.

Hazel Fullreid, former dietitian at Withrow, created pin wheels. She came up with the dish during World War II when meat was scarce.

"I created this dish out of desperation," she wrote in a greeting to the class of '46, years later.

The original recipe feeds 1,120 hungry teenagers and calls for 120 pounds of meat, 64 pounds of flour and several gallons of milk. Here is Hazel's scaled-back version, combined from recipes sent in by both Kathy and Barbara.

The recipe notes it is also "delicious when made with leftover ground chicken or turkey" and Barbara Dixon of Loveland, another Withrow pin wheel fan, says Jiffy Baking Mix biscuits work just fine.

Pin Wheels

FILLING

1 pound ground beef

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 2/3 cups milk

DOUGH

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

Saute beef, onion, salt and pepper until almost done. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture, add milk slowly (you might not need all the milk) and cook, stirring until thickened. Let cool while making biscuit dough.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut shortening into flour mixture. Add milk slowly until dough is workable (you might not use all the milk). Divide dough in half and roll each portion into a rectangle 1/4-inch thick.

Spread each rectangle with meat mixture, stopping 1/2-inch from the edges. Roll like jelly rolls, and place seam sides down. Cut into 1-inch slices. Place slices on cooking sheet or in glass baking dish, bake at 400 degrees until biscuits are golden. Serve with gravy.

Makes about 24 pinwheels, or 8 servings.

OK, we'll try it again. Here is the corrected version of Chris Johnson's recipe from the former Cherrington's restaurant in Mount Adams.

Banana-Cream Coconut-Pecan Pie

CRUST

2 cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup butter, melted

FILLING

11/2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 (33/4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix

21/2 cups milk

TOPPING

1 banana, thinly sliced (you may need more)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup heavy cream, whipped (you may want more)

1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, putting rack in lower third of oven. Make crust by combining flour, pecans and butter. Pat into bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake until light brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

For filling, beat cream with cream cheese and powdered sugar until thoroughly blended. Spread evenly over crust, cover and chill. Whisk pudding mix with milk until thickened and spread over cream cheese layer.

For topping, arrange bananas in single layer over pudding. Fold pecans into whipped cream, gently spread over bananas. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and chill completely.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Send food questions, tips, recipe requests and recipes to Saucy Cook, the Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202. E-mail: foodlady@zoomtown.com. Please include name, neighborhood, e-mail and phone number.