At work, I'm not just the chef. I am also the staff meal coordinator and resident baker. Recently I started using my old U.S. Army recipe cards from back when I was answered as Private Shapiro, Sir! Back in the days when getting creative with ingredients could lead to the rolling eyes of our Warrant officer inspector, who would inevitably note that we weren't quite following the specifications of each recipe. I remember an often repeated refrain to such gents, basically, "um, yeah, I think it was a tablespoon sir?"

Anyway, cutting to my current battles as a middle-aged chef at a small private New York City club, the old recipes need to be calculated to grams, reduced from portions serving 100 soldiers to a motley kitchen crew of ten. My best Army recipes seem to have been breads, more specifically basic white loafs. These days I fancy the ingredients by adding  whole wheat for a T80 rendition. Then there's the buns, which actually hold up with the best of your basic "smash burgers" or hot dogs, absorbing juices without breaking down. I also use the Army recipes for chop suey, chili, and fried chicken. Thinking about all these dishes reminds me that a fighting force really does live on its belly! And so does a modern kitchen crew.