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What's for Dinner Tonight? Throwback Thursday Edition: Canteens

  • cookingkansascity
  • Jan 29, 2016
  • 2 min read

Tonight starts the official beginning of Throwback Thursdays. Once a month, or so, I'm going to cook up a recipe that my mom used to make for me when I still lived at home. She's a good cook, so my list is long.

I grew up in Iowa. Specifically a small town in southeastern Iowa called Ottumwa. One of the best things about Ottumwa was this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called The Canteen. It was in an alley downtown, the entire restaurant was almost the size of a large office cubicle, but by-God they made the best sandwiches under the sun. Basically a Canteen is a Maid-Rite is a loose meat hamburger. Think Sloppy Joe's without the sauce. I know. Basic. Simple. Soooo good.

Here in eastern Kansas there isn't a Canteen to be found. Or a Maid-Rite for that matter. The closest one that I know of is at the Iowa/Missouri border in Lamoni, and believe me when I tell you that I've often considered making the two hour drive just to get one.

My mom makes the best homemade Canteens that I've ever had (my kids will vouch for that) so tonight, for the first official Throwback Thursday, we have Canteens. I'm serving them with frozen Sweet Potato Puffs and a quick relish tray that I threw together.

People look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about making them and how good they are. My daughter's roommates thought she was nuts. Until they tried them.

Canteens, courtesy of Mama Mary:

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 pounds ground beef (it depends on if you want leftovers or not)

  • 1 tablespoon minced onion (I use the dried stuff, but fresh works as well)

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Chicken Stock or Broth

Directions:

  1. Brown the ground beef, seasoning with minced onion, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

  2. Drain off any excess grease and add in just enough chicken stock to cover the meat.

  3. Simmer on stove until you can't take it anymore and just want to eat.

  4. Serve on hamburger buns and dress up anyway you want.

  5. Some heathens will add a bit of Velveeta cheese to the meat mixture to help it stick together when they scoop it onto the bun.

  6. Seriously, unless you just burn the crap out of the ground beef, there isn't any way to screw up this recipe.

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