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Conference turris::cooks

Title:How to Make them Goodies
Notice:Please Don't Start New Notes for Old Topics! Check 5.*
Moderator:FUTURE::DDESMAISONSec.com::winalski
Created:Tue Feb 18 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4127
Total number of notes:31160

3459.0. "Chipped Beef and other things on Toast" by ROBOAT::HEBERT (Captain Bligh) Wed Feb 12 1992 14:14

I was in the US Navy for five years. Back then (1957-1962) it cost the
Navy $1.30 per day to feed us three very solid, mostly good meals. The
biggest expense was breakfast, averaging around 80 cents per man per day.

A frequent breakfast included <something> on toast. There were three
basic dishes that we saw frequently, and maybe one or two that came and
went (so to speak). The three regulars were creamed chipped beef on
toast, creamed deviled eggs on toast, and "hamburg in sauce" on toast.

We were on ungrateful, irreverent bunch. We called the creamed egg thing
"sliced eyeballs and monkey puke," and had less delicate names for the
other two dishes. I *liked* chipped beef on toast, and still do. My wife
learned how to make it, and we have it once a month or so. You'd have to
pay me a lot to eat the eyeball dish again. But the hamburg dish was one
of my favorites, and I *cannot* find a recipe for it. 

Basically, it's browned loose hamburg, in a semi-clear, slightly
thickened sauce or gravy, with occasional small chunks of cooked tomato.
There might have been finely chopped onion, I can't recall. The sauce
probably is not flour-based; possibly cornstarch or arrowroot, from its
translucency. The tomatoes probably came from cans.

I've successfully reverse-engineered some dishes, but I've never been
able to recreate this hamburg breakfast dish. You might be interested to
know that this was the classic <mumble> On A Shingle. The Navy served it
at Bainbridge, Maryland, at Great Lakes NTC, and aboard my ship, so
apparently it was in the giant Official Navy Chow Cookbook.

I search through here...

Anyone have a recipe for the title dish?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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3459.1AKOCOA::LYNCHThu Feb 13 1992 11:3910
    
    My brother was in the Army and he still calls it SOS(sh*t on a
    shingle).  He makes this weekly for Sunday breakfast.  His wife
    hates the stuff.  
    His version has a white rue..(sauce) and it has no tomatoes.  Could
    this be the same stuff?
    
    
    Mike
    
3459.2ROBOAT::HEBERTCaptain BlighThu Feb 13 1992 16:236
I asked for this recipe in a Vets forum, and got the white one with no
tomatoes. I suspect that's the Army version of SOS. (I was waiting for
someone else to use that name.) The dish I'm looking for is different.
Still hamburger-based, but not like the Army SOS.

Maybe it's just the Navy SOS recipe...
3459.3USN WAVE 1969-1972WLDWST::TORRES_SThu Feb 13 1992 21:4313
    1969 Bainbridge Maryland the Navy entertained me for 10 fun filled
    weeks.  Food was kindof good.  But I do remember the Hamburger...
    
    I thought it was a very very thin white sauce with onions and stewed
    tomatoes and if there was any green peppers left over from dinner it
    also went into the mix.
    
    Wasn't very spicy but the salt content they used in creamy dishes was
    extremely high.
    
    Oh what memories !!!!!   Three years of FUN IN THE SUN...and got a
    paycheck, room and board but mostly some of the best memories of a
    lifetime.
3459.4I found it, but lost itBHAPPY::DROWNSthis has been a recordingFri Feb 14 1992 12:0413
    
    Ooops. 
    
    I was making american chop suey the other day and I happen to look
    at the back of the stewed (pine cone) tomatoes can. I think it
    had the recipe your looking for. 
    
    I meant to save the can, but recylcing got the best of me an the can
    is gone now. I 
    
    I'll check my cabinets and see if I have another.
    
    bonnie
3459.5who reads labels?ROBOAT::HEBERTCaptain BlighFri Feb 14 1992 16:479
That's better news than you might think. I'll check my pine cone cans
this weekend - we usually stock up on them, and there's got to be ten
cans on the shelf at home.

Thanks!

Re: -.2 or so -- did Bainbridge still serve "Maryland Rabbit" while you
were there? We had it every Wednesday when I was there in '57-'58. It was
basically fried rabbit, looking very much like fried chicken.
3459.6my mom makes it for supperLUNER::TRUMPOLTMon Feb 17 1992 15:0810
    My mom makes something similar to what you are looking for.  She makes
    her's for supper and servers it over mashed potatos.
    
    First she browns the hamberg with chopped onion. Drains the grease when
    done.  Makes a thin brown sauce/gravy and serves it over mashed
    potatos and usually with green beans.  My dad calls it SOS still.  He
    says they used to serve it to him when he was in the Air Force.
    
    
    Liz
3459.7Ahhhh, Memories...JBPARK::PARKERJoan Parker, ISVNet Project MgrTue Feb 18 1992 16:394
    re: .6
    
    My mom used to make that stuff too.  We called it SLOP!
    My dad liked it. I don't think I've had it in 20 years now.  
3459.8Welsh Rarebit?STRATA::STOOKERWed Feb 19 1992 11:218
    One of my favorite meals when growing up was called Welsh Rarebit.  We
    use to call it Welsh Rabbit. You just make a medium white sauce and
    put cheddar cheese into it and let it melt.  Then pour on toast.  This
    use to be a quick Friday night meal that my Mom would throw together.
    
    I loved it....
    
    Sarah
3459.9ROYALT::TASSINARIBobWed Feb 19 1992 12:036

 We used to call it 'Gravy Train'. Scrambled hamburg with beef gravy.


  - Bob
3459.10s.o.s.AWECIM::MELANSONThu Feb 20 1992 13:2510
I remember this too, it's called SOS.. my dad was in the Army for 20 yrs. so
being an Army Brat I ate this dish quite a bit, and also remember the
toast being on the bottom, then a heap of SOS, 2 eggs over easy on the top ! !~~

My brother used to say, "I hate this stuff" then there was dad saying 
'JUST BE QUITE AND EAT' AND I BETTER NOT SEE YOU THROWING THAT AWAY IN THE
BASKET WHEN I LEAVE THE ROOM !!


Sandy
3459.11THE receipe...SCOBIE::LGARIEPYFri Feb 21 1992 11:3019
    ta-da. i have the receipe. i'm an army brat who ate this stuff once
    a week forever (it seemed). when i make it these days, it's for old 
    times sake...
    
    	fry hamburg, drain.
    	
    	in separate sauce pan, melt two tablespoons butter
    	add 2 tablespoons flour
    	add 2c. milk (SLOWLY, so as not to burn milk)
    	stir constantly, till sauce thickens
    
    	add thickened sauce to scrambled hamburg.
    	S&P to taste.
    
    	serve over buttered toast.
    	if more daring, top it off with an over easy egg or two.
    
    (as kids, we always referred to this as SOS (sh*t-on-shingles).)
                                                               
3459.12Yup, S.O.S.NOVA::FISHERRdb/VMS DinosaurFri Feb 21 1992 12:226
    That's not quite the way I remember if being done, perhaps if you burn
    the toast and don't quite drain the hamburg, yeah, that sounds right...
    
    :-)
    
    ed
3459.13Creamed dried beefICS::PALLIESTue Mar 24 1992 16:3813
    SOS to me is creamed dried beef on toast.  My husband and I love it.
    At least we used to love it back in the days when we drove to South
    Jersey a couple of times a year and went to Bringhurst's Butcher Shop
    in Berlin (I think) and bought delicious freshly sliced dried beef.
    
    Nowadays the only dried beef we can find is that awful mahogany thin-
    sliced leather riddled with thin-sliced fat and gristle in a glass.
    
    Has anyone seen freshly sliced dried beef within a day's ride of
    Maynard?  We'd drive that far (almost) to get it.
    
    Sheila
    
3459.14Carl Buddig productsMYGUY::LANDINGHAMMrs. KipWed Apr 01 1992 13:328
    That's how mom always made it for us, creamed dried chipped beef on
    toast (or, if we were real lucky, we got potatos).  Anyway, Carl Buddig
    packages the beef you can use to make this.  It's available in alot of
    the larger markets in the Central Mass. area, in the convenience
    refrigerated foods section.
    
    Rgds,
    marcia
3459.15Creamed tuna on toastUSAT02::HERNDONKFri Apr 10 1992 16:0712
    Boy this brings back memories....
    
    My mother always made Creamed Tuna on toast...when we were out of toast
    we used Ritz crackers.
    
    All it consisted of was a can of tuna, drained, about 2 cups of milk
    thickened with flour.  And lots of black pepper.
    
    Kind of makes me homesick....I wonder how my husband will like it
    for dinner?
    
    Kristen
3459.16Creamed Tuna AgainIAMOK::MARINERMon Apr 13 1992 10:348
    That does bring back memories.  My favorite lunch when I came home from
    school.  
    
    My mother always rinsed the tuna with boiling water and it tasted just
    like chicken.  Sometimes she put in peas and chopped pimientos for
    color.
    
    Mary Lou