A Tower of Yum! — Nacho Towers

Around here it’s a constant battle for food — yet there is always food to be had. What it actually is, is a battle for everyone’s “fair” share, and everyone thinks their “fair” share is only possible to receive if they get what they can while they can. You snooze, you lose! That seems to be the mindset around here.

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Shaved Beef Greek Pitas

Although Hubby and I enjoy eating traditional Greek Gyros out, and I had decided to give up trying to duplicate this meal at home (I have to have something we can still go out and enjoy at a restaurant), it’s just not in me to leave well enough alone. Thus my recipe for Shaved Beef Greek Pitas.

Ground Beef Enchiladas with Chili Enchilada Sauce

There are several Mexican recipes in my arsenal that begin the same way: Brown hamburger, drain, and add seasoning. The magic happens with the next step. It might be adding some water to make it saucy. It could be adding refried beans to make it rich. Or it could be using a sauce to pull the meal together. 

B&B Gourmet SOS

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Shit on a shingle?”

My grandfather used to love to tell me about having this served to him day in and day out while serving in the army during World War II. Needless to say, he never wanted to eat that again and as far as I know, never did.

Although I never ate creamed chipped beef on toast, I do make an awesome chipped beef dip that has always received rave reviews. Still, the thought of serving chipped beef on toast (or shit on a shingle as coined by many an enlisted man), gave me pause when I’d recall my grandfather’s utter distaste for the dish.

Did he hate it because it was all they served him? Was it horrible tasting? Was it just one more thing about the war that brought back bad memories? Alas, I’ll never know. My grandfather passed away several years ago leaving me guessing as to the grounds for his distaste.

Not too long ago, I came across a recipe that seemed based in the old chipped beef on toast recipe with a few changes. I decided it was time to put this debate to rest once and for all and see if there was any foundation to the bad rep this dish was getting. Of course, there was no way I wanted to duplicate what came so lovingly referred to as “Shit on a Shingle.” No, that little anecdotal said enough. I chose to build on updated recipes proclaiming this dish has evolved from its original basis.

First off, I knew that chipped beef can be a flavor lost in a white sauce unless there are some really strong accompaniments to pull it together. In my chipped beef dip there was cream cheese and sour cream. I didn’t want to go that route, so I opted to go with another meat — bacon. Bacon makes everything better. Plus, I wanted to use this creamed chipped beef in a breakfast style meal, so bacon made perfect sense. Also, what goes better with bacon than eggs? So with this premise, I began.

What I ended up with is a very tasty gravy to put over a baked egg on an English Muffin.

The first time I served this Hubby thought I was serving him sausage gravy. He was delightfully surprised with the change. I asked him what he liked about it, and he said there wasn’t anything not to like. That says it all.

Bed & Breakfast Gourmet Shit On A Shingle

• Servings: 6 Servings
• Time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients

• ½ lb. Bacon, cooked and chopped
• 4 Ounces Packaged Chipped Beef Lunchmeat, chopped
• 4 Ounces Fresh Mushrooms, diced
• ¼ to ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Whole Milk
• 6 Large Eggs
• 3 English Muffins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large fry pan, cook bacon till crisp. Remove from pan, leaving all grease in pan; crumble.
3. Spray six 4 ounce custard cups with cooking spray.
4. Break one egg in each custard cup; beat egg with a fork and sprinkle with salt.
5. Place custard cups on baking sheet and place in oven.
6. Bake 15 minutes, until centers are set.
7. Add chipped beef and mushrooms to pan and fry until mushrooms begin to release their juices.
8. Add flour and stir until well combined. Stir in bacon.
9. Slowly add in milk and whisk until thickened; turn burner down to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
10. Split English muffins and toast.
11. Assemble servings: Place half an English muffin on a plate. Top with one egg patty and a generous helping of beef/bacon gravy.

Cooking Note

This is probably nothing like what my grandfather had to endure while in the army, but when it comes to making something for my family to eat, I really didn’t want to duplicate that torture. This is hearty, filling, and a great addition to any breakfast recipe arsenal.

 

Recipe by:  Tilly Frueh – Simply Grateful Cooking 2018

Yeah, I know — this recipe doesn’t actually contain the traditional “dried” chipped beef. This isn’t an oversight, it’s an improvement. The lunchmeat version of chipped beef is tender and tastes superior to the “dried” version. I’m sure this changes the taste considerably, but it works for me, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.

This Botana is No Snack!

In Spanish, botana means snack. That may be so, but any time I have had this in a restaurant, it was always more than enough for a meal. Thus why I make this Mexican ditty for dinner and not just an appeteaser.