A local farmwoman, who prefers to remain anonymous, recalls the time she attempted to bake in the wood burning stove. She was about 8 years old, alone in the house, “and I decided to make cupcakes.” Without a thought of stove temperature, she plopped the pans in the oven. The cupcakes began to rise, but stopped as the stove cooled, and the batter began to ooze.
“The batter was running everywhere,” she said, laughing. She didn’t want her parents to know what happened, because of the sugar ration during WWII, so she quickly cleaned the oven, and then took a shovel, dug a hole and buried the remains in the farmyard.
These days she cooks for the harvest crew, which includes her grandson running the combine, and a son and daughter-in-law getting the wheat into the bins. As she and I visited, a casserole in the oven was bubbling away, smelling divine. “Everybody’s got this recipe,” she said, “but it is a family favorite.” Thankfully our shy chef has a modern stove and plenty of sugar.
Bean Casserole
1 lb. cooked bacon, cut up
1 lb. cooked ground beef with onion to taste
6 cans of beans: 2 each of kidney, lima, and pork and beans
(Can substitute other types. Do not drain)
1 T dry mustard
½ c. ketchup
¼ c. molasses
1 T vinegar
½ c. brown sugar
Mix it all up, cook at 325° for three hours
