Moussaka, Musaka, or Mysaka

This is how my mother-in-law told me she made her Serbian musaka. It is different than the traditional version which uses less eggs, milk instead of chicken or vegetable broth, and yogurt. Hubby told me that in different regions of what was Yugoslavia, there are varying recipes. In Serbia, the following recipe was common.

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Mexican App, Side or Main Dish – Chile Rellenos Casserole

Chile Rellenos can be prepared a number of ways. Some are very complicated and time consuming, while others, like this one, are quick and easy. Tossing all the ingredients in an 8×8 pan, baking for 25 minutes, and serving plain or maybe with a little salsa and sour cream — well, that makes for some easy dinner prep.

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.

Country Boy Omelet – The Easy Way

Spending less than two hours in the kitchen for any meal screams “Easy Meal” to me, but many times this may be only because my time management was exceptionally well handled that day. But when I can somehow manage to cut down on the work involved in a favorite meal, well that makes wanting to make that meal all the more enticing.