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...

Far Breton

• 1 1/3 c. pitted prunes


• 2 T. rum


• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean


• 12 c. unbleached all-purpose flour


• ½ c. vanilla flavored sugar *


• 5 large eggs


• 2 c. warm milk


• 1 T. butter for baking pan


• * Make vanilla sugar several weeks in advance: one emptied pod for each cup of sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450


2. Add prunes and rum to the seeds from the vanilla bean and let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the prunes to absorb the liquor. If time permits, they may macerte for several hours.


3. Place flour, sugar, eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat with wire whisk until blended. While still beating, slowly add the arm milk, then stir in prunes with the rum.


4. Butter a straight-sided ceramic dish. Carefully pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, and then reduce to 350 and bake 25 minutes longer.


5. Serve the flan warm or at room temperature from the baking dish, cutting into wedges.

Far Breton @ Group Recipes

Cooking Aftermath

Here's a picture of the aftermath of my cooking and Lara layering her salad mess on type of my cooking messes. When Per Olav comes here, he knows I will cook lots of food for him, so buried in all this are the remains of fresh scones, hot chocolate, non-nitrate bacon & 9-layer jello. Lara's making a killer salad for the party we're all going to today. Luke is introducing his Molly to the family now that they're officially engaged. There's probably plenty of food, but we can't go empty-handed. It's a rule.

Buon appetito