Homebody Beans

Michael just texted asking for this recipe. I bought this little paperback cookbook in 1968 with a resounding recommendation from a dental hygiene patient of mine. She had nine or more children and I asked her how the heck did she cook for all the brood??? She said this book was her lifesaver: The I Hate to Cook Book, by Peg Bracken. I have made quite a few things from here that were staples while my children grew up but have gotten away from this kind of cooking so the book stays buried between my fancier ones. When Michael asked for the recipe I happily dusted the little tome off and read recipes, reminiscing about the good old days.

This recipe, Homebody Beans, is fantastic and worth the 6 hours it takes to bake it. Great potluck fodder. Oh...I took it to a Sopchak potluck once, near Poughkeepsie NY, where we ended up on the back lawn, under the stars and hovering around a little campfire. After having feasted on beans, the usual effect taking place, plus the campfire, made us all think about the movie Blazing Saddles which has a famous campfire farting scene. We laughed til our sides ached, so this recipe will forever be etched in my brain alongside the Blazing Saddles movie.

HOMEBODY BEANS
2 one pound cans of kidney beans
3 big ripe tomatoes, sliced thickly
1/2 pound lean bacon
2 onions, sliced

In a casserole dish, alternate layers of the beans, tomatoes & onions til you run out.

Bake at 300 for 2 hours, uncovered

If beans on the side are getting overcooked, push them towards the center a little so they are mixed in with the other beans.

Cut bacon in half & lay half of the strips on top.

Put casserole back in the oven, uncovered, for another 2 hours. The bacon should be brown by now.

Remove from oven, punch bacon into the beans, lay the rest of the bacon on top again, & bake uncovered for another 2 hours.

That's it...