Crackus

Crackus is kind of like Welsh Rarebit, Mississippi style. I have been able to find no information on this recipe on the Internet, so this may be a recipe unique to TNYTHC. It contains a substance of my childhood, chipped beef, which, amazingly is still sold in the 21st Century. We used to eat creamed chipped beef on toast at Center School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and also at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut, proof that private school is no guarantee of good cooking.
I never particularly knew what it was. It was just some white food with stuff floating around in the white that we were given to eat. Since I was a child who literally ate nearly everything that was put in front of me, I ate it. Even today, I have a hard time understanding my students, who will leave a good, cooked on site lunch uneaten even when they are hungry, rather than eat some strange food. I was held out as an example by Mrs. Curtiss, whose children were, and still are, notoriously picky eaters. Frankie's response was, "And look at how fat Annie is."
Anyhow, this is a simple dish to prepare, and if you like cheese, you'll like crackus. The only tricky things are A. Buying dried beef, and B. Boiling the egg ahead of time. Safeway has dried beef, at least in DC. Anyone who is remotely organized can remember to hard boil an egg, and if you don't, you can hard boil it in a few minutes.

Crackus

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped with their liquid
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese grated
1 small jar dried chipped beef
2 hard cooked eggs chopped
4 cups cooked rice

1. Melt the butter and blend in the flour. Gradually stir in the milk and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring.
2. Add the mustard and stir in the cheese until it melts.
3. Fold in the beef and hard-cooked eggs and reheat, but do not boil. Serve over rice. Makes four servings.