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In honor of all U.S. military veterans, we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 this year. Many of our veterans just happen to have fond memories of a dish called ‘SOS,’ which they were often served during the time of their enlistment. Some even now cook it themselves or order it out for breakfast or other meals. SOS, affectionately known by other names we won’t mention here, is pretty much any creamed meat, usually hamburger or chipped beef, served over toast. It is very tasty. I’ve prepared this dish myself and even like serving it over rice or with grits for breakfast or supper.
The below-listed allrecipes.com recipe for USMC SOS was submitted by flossi, who says, “My dad was in the Marine Corps and remembers eating this dish often. It’s a simple recipe consisting of ground beef mixed with milk, margarine, and beef broth. USMC SOS is also good using ground sausage. Serve this dish over toast.”
Our friends in Georgia share Sybil Carter’s Grits and Egg Casserole in their wonderful publication, Plains Pot Pourri. The following information is adapted from eathealthy365.com: “Long before European ships ever reached the Americas, the story of grits began with the land’s original inhabitants. What we call grits has its direct lineage in a dish prepared by Native American tribes, particularly the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in the southeastern woodlands.
“They cultivated a variety of corn that they would grind, often using a stone mortar and pestle. The ground corn was then passed through a sifting basket to separate the finer particles from the coarser ones. The coarser pieces of hominy were then boiled into a thick, nourishing porridge they called ‘rockahominy.’
“This wasn’t just a meal; it was a cornerstone of their diet. It was portable, long-lasting, and incredibly versatile—a true survival food that sustained them through seasons of plenty and scarcity. When European settlers arrived, they were introduced to this fundamental food technology, which they quickly adopted. The name itself, ‘grits,’ is believed to be a derivative of the Old English word ‘grytt,’ meaning coarse meal.”
Lemon Buttered Carrots promises to be a tasty dish. It has a sliced apple added to the skillet after the carrots have been mostly cooked. The recipe comes from the cookbook titled Paths of Sunshine, published by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc. This book was gifted to us years ago with the notation, “Compliments, Joan Lasek.”
We have a recipe simply titled “Bread.” It appears in Charleston Receipts and was contributed by Mrs. John Andrew Hamilton (Elizabeth Verner). She gives you choices with this basic recipe that will get you prepared for the holidays ahead. You can opt for loaf bread, rolls, or coffee cake. Mrs. Hamilton must have a very good electric mixer! My mixer (not top-of-the-line) would be crying for mercy and smoking with the workout! And for you younger folks, if you never heard the term “ice box,” we now call them “refrigerators.”
USMC SOS
Contributed by flossi,
From allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain excess fat; set beef aside. 2) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 3) Slowly add flour, stirring constantly, to form a brown roux. 4) Stir in beef broth and milk until well combined. 5) Add ground beef; season with salt and black pepper. 6) This recipe makes four servings. 7) Note: Keep in mind that the USDA recommends cooking all hamburger meat and ground beef mixtures to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°F (71.1°C) as measured with a food thermometer.
SYBIL CARTER’S GRITS AND EGG CASSEROLE
Recipe from Food Favorites of Plains, Georgia
Plains Pot Pourri
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup grits
4 cups water
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sharp cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Cook grits with dash of salt and let cool slightly. 2) Add all remaining ingredients: egg yolks, egg whites, baking powder, sharp cheese, salt and pepper. 3) Blend well with grits and turn into baking dish. 4) Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
LEMON BUTTERED CARROTS
Recipe from Paths of Sunshine Cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons butter
6 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium apple, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Salt
DIRECTIONS:
1) In medium skillet combine butter or margarine and carrots. 2) Cook, covered, about 10 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally. 3) Add apple and continue cooking about 5 minutes. 4) Stir in parsley and lemon peel; salt lightly. 5) Serve hot. Serves 4 to 5.
MRS. JOHN ANDREW HAMILTON’S BREAD
Recipe from Charleston Receipts
INGREDIENTS:
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) evaporated milk
4 tablespoons cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
6-7 (approx.) cups flour
Cooking oil (small amount)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl of electric mixer. 2) Add sugar, beat 5 minutes, add milk, then cooking oil, then eggs. 3) Continue beating at high speed. (Go dust the dining room or make a couple of beds – fifteen minutes is not too long at this stage.) 4) Add salt. 5) Add flour in following manner: with the beater going very slowly, add flour a little at a time; let the speed increase and beat for 5 minutes after adding 1-1/2 cups. 6) Then continue adding until dough becomes too stiff for beater. 7) Remove from beaters and add remaining flour and stir with wooden spoon. 8) When little pockets no longer form in the dough, pat a little cooking oil on top and place in ice box! There, it will rise like mad for several hours until it reaches the top of the bowl. 9) Rolls, coffee cake or bread can now be made.
LOAF BREAD:
1) Divide dough into 2 parts and put in oiled loaf pans. 2) Let rise until it nearly reaches the top of the pans. 3) Bake in 250-degree oven for one hour. The smell of it makes your family feel home is really the place it’s cracked up to be.
ROLLS:
1) Dip your fingers in oil. 2) Pick up small balls of dough, put them in muffin tins, three at a time. 3) Let rise. 4) Bake in hot oven until brown.
COFFEE CAKE:
1) Put half the dough on a well-floured board. 2) Knead more flour into it until it becomes elastic and easy to handle. 3) Roll, with rolling pin, as thin as possible. 4) Dot with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, nuts. 5) Roll up, place on a cookie sheet, shape into a crescent, slash the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar rubbed together. 6) Let rise. 7) Bake in moderately hot oven about 25 minutes.