Mundelein veteran experiments with military dishes outdoors
Greg Jacobs was a kid when he first tried creamed chipped beef on toast.
His dad, who served in the U.S. Army alongside Gen. George S. Patton in World War II, made the dish in 1957 and told his son it was an Army favorite.
"I loved it right away," Jacobs said. "It was something different."
Recently, the war historian and published author from Mundelein re-created the meal for the first time in decades, paying homage to his father, who died in 1996. "It brought back a lot of good memories," he recalls.
Jacobs, who himself served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and later in the Army reserve, has a passion for all things military and history-related, including cooking. Using cast iron cookware, he'll regularly whip up dishes including Army goulash and succotash. Recently, he experimented with several recipes outdoors, including the beef on toast.
That recipe, along with one for beef slum, or stew, comes from the 1916 U.S. Army cook's manual. "The mathematics was fun, breaking it down from servings of 80 to two," he says.
The beef stew, which he made in a Dutch oven raised over a fire, is a classic military dish - rich and thick and hearty. "It's a nutritious meal for obvious reasons," he says. "When you're out in the field or even in training, you do a lot of running around, and you have to have something that gives you energy."
His doughnuts recipe comes from the Salvation Army and was a treat that he cooked up for his local American Legion post in honor of its 96th birthday.
"Every Wednesday, there is a coffee get-together, and I wanted to make something special in celebration," Jacobs says. "I figured I'd do something I've never done before, which would be interesting."
Doughnuts, of course, have a special meaning for many American soldiers. The doughboys of World War I ate thousands of doughnuts served up by the Salvation Army in France, with the men reminiscing about the treats and how they reminded them of the comforts of home.
Needless to say, the treats were a hit at the legion's celebration. "It wasn't about 15 minutes," Jacobs said, "and they were all gone."