Sheffield— I have several recipes copied onto several kinds of pieces of paper in a file system in my kitchen. They say things like “pie,” “cakes,” “red meat,” or “pasta.” Tucked into my files is a little brown notebook of recipes that I recorded from my 9th grade home economics cooking class at North Junior High School in Pittsfield. My mother kept it for years and then included some of her favorite recipes. It is all tattered and stained now but it holds treasures of memories. My recipe for Calico Beans (baked beans with a twist) is written on the back of a big envelope, scribbled down after enjoying them at a friend’s house twenty-two years ago. If, heaven forbid, this house was ever on fire, I would run and grab my recipe files… and then my family photos.
Calico Beans
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound diced bacon
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 15-ounce can of pork and beans
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3 15-ounce cans each of beans (kidney, black, chickpeas, etc.)
1 tablespoon vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef, bacon, and onion until the onions are translucent.
Drain some excess fat (or keep it in like I do.)
Stir in ketchup, mustard, and vinegar.
Combine various beans in a three-quart casserole dish.
Add the meat mixture and the brown sugar.
Bake covered for one hour.
