Memories...

I've been thinking about my father recently.... I guess it started earlier in the week when I noticed that August was almost gone and that September was soon to arrive. September was a time of the year my father always liked, and it is also the month in which he died. My father, over the course of his life, had memorized many poems, speeches, etc., but the one I remember him quoting the most was one titled 'September' by Helen Hunt Jackson, and every year since his death I've always printed out that poem and hung it where ever I happen to be working.

But... Back to thinking... I was in the grocery store earlier in the afternoon and as I was picking through the produce, I saw some green beans in a bin on sale. I started thinking about a way that Dad used to fix green beans for Sunday dinner once in awhile...something he had learned from an Aunt that had helped to raise him and his brothers. It's very simple really... Take a pan big enough for how ever many beans you are going to fix... Put in enough tomato juice to cook the beans in without floating them, add some bacon, some chopped onion, a little garlic if you want (I use fresh), some salt, pepper, a couple of dashes of sugar (to cut down on the tomato), and bring those items to a boil and then simmer for about ten minutes or so. Then add the beans, lower the heat, and cook to how ever you like your beans...but long enough to flavor. If you need to thicken the juice a little before you're ready to server (it will thicken on it own some) you can add just a little flour or corn starch.

That's it... Nothing fancy... Takes little time to prepare, an for me, about 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook as I like my beans cooked down.

Well... This all ran though my mind very quickly and right now, the apartment is full of an odor that I remember from my childhood. Thank you Dad, and thank you Aunt Grace.