Western Style Beef and Beans 10/9/14

I am still a slow learner but I am starting this about two hours earlier than last week.  Maybe by spring I will have managed a better schedule.

Last week was a rather slow one compared to my usual hurry scurry days. It started out with a routine doctor’s appointment. I got an A-plus with a three months in advance appointment! My numbers were "excellent" with permission to do just like I have been doing. I guess that means cheating on my sugar allowance and resting a lot in my lounge chair!! Oh well, It has  served me well so far. Had to ignore my lounge chair a bit yesterday and this morning.  My kids were coming again to finish scheduling an important celebration for an amazing milestone in my life. There were too many pairs of shoes and newspapers in the living room, and the kitchen floor looked as if someone had been making mud pies. (Remember those that we made when we were lacking of toys and we played house and made mud pies in discarded zinc Mason jars lids baked in an imaginary oven! Those were special days that kids now can’t imagine.)  I “slop mopped” the kitchen so they would not report me to the health authorities. It was a great day filled with memories and laughter.

I told you last week that my oldest son had a birthday this week. Since I did not see nor talk to him, I decided to bake him a cake to celebrate today. He really likes apple pie so I had a small miniature one (with a small piece missing) that I gave him when he came in. He smiled and acted as if he appreciated the joke. There was a whole one resting in the oven for a surprise later on.  Wouldn’t you know, he brought Kentucky Fried Chicken to eat later and wanted to keep it warm so  he walked over to my stove and opened the oven door!  There sat my apple pie gazing back at him.  We all laughed and he shared it with anyone who wanted a sample.  An experience that has not improved one iota over the years is our vocal talent, but we all sang Happy Birthday with lots of love and best wishes drowning out the poor musical ability. If you have never heard a rendition of that song by the Sanders family you are one lucky person!

Better save some room for a couple of recipes. I had two yummy desserts picked out and the adage of my youth rang in my ears, “Practice what you preach”! So I put one way back in my mind to use  for the fall holidays and picked on an entrée for the dessert to rest on. This is a large amount to serve 10, so you can cut it in half easily.

            

WESTERN STYLE BEEF and BEANS

3 pounds lean ground beef

2 medium onions. Chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

2/3 cup boiling water

2 cans (28 ounces each) baked beans with molasses

1 ½ cups ketchup

¼ cup prepared mustard

3 garlic cloves, minced (I would use garlic powder)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook beef, onions and celery until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Drain. Dissolve bouillon on water and add to the meat mixture. Add the beans, ketchup, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 350 for 60 minutes.  Top with crumbled bacon.

I should have been quicker with this one when bananas were 25 cents a pound at our local grocery! I think this recipe will be good enough that you can splurge on 3 bananas!! Maybe you should buy 6 because the recipe says it freezes well and you can bake two at the same time.

           

BANANA SQUARES

2 eggs, separated

2/3 cup shortening

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup sour milk

½ 0teaspoon vanilla flavoring

12 cup chopped walnuts

Whipped topping, sliced bananas, optional

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar, Beat in egg yolks and mix well. Add mashed bananas. Combine flour and soda. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Add vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Fold in nuts. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. If desired, garnish with whipped topping and sliced bananas.  (To make sour milk, place 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to make ¼ cup.)

Encourage your young kids to experiment with simple recipes. Their success will build confidence to try more difficult things and thereby form a love of cooking.  We need to teach them something besides having their noses in a cell phone!