Today is, in Anne's words, the "horrible anniversary". I talked to Margaret tonight and she told me that Sarah's friend Neil had a party last night and invited them and many of Sarah's old friends. I was so happy to hear that -- what a fitting way to mark this "horrible anniversary" -- by getting together with friends and family for food and conversation and togetherness. I just felt relieved to know that Margaret and Jonathan and Katie and Mark had been part of this gathering. I miss her like everyone else, but am just reflected on how many lives she touched -- how many people are thinking about her today, and every day, because of the special person she was. How lucky we are to have had her in our world for the years we did. Sara G is right -- there never has been and never will be anyone like her.

calico beans and rice krispie treats

I thought I should mention that we had a little taste of home this weekend when Mike made Grandma B's calico beans (bacon included) for a bbq. They turned out so wonderfully and were the hit of the party. What was really amazing was when I came home from the gym on Saturday and the beans were in the oven, it was like walking into Grandma's house. The smell just took me back to Palmyra. And then it occurred to me that I most likely haven't actually smelled calico beans cooking in close to 15 years! Has that much time passed? It certainly doesn't feel like it. Anyway, it was just to heart-warming to have that memory tied to a casserole dish full of beans and meat.

To keep the family food theme going, I decided to make Mary Kay's rice krispie recipe. I have been trying to replicate that recipe for years and didn't even realize that I have the recipe already! Anyway, if the calico beans were the hit of the party, then the rice krispie treats were a close second. I think the melted butterscotch & milk chocolate chips on top really make people go "hmmm". So delish!

Anyway, just wanted to update ya'll on the weekend. I hope everyone's was safe and fun.

Love, Annie

Thank gawd for the blawg

This weekend is, as you all know, 4th of July weekend. Mike and I are going to a bbq, so we are trying to come up with stuff to make. And whaddya know, I thought: "calico beans!" Mike wanted to make some sort of bean dish, baked beans, or something. I suggested calico beans and he said "Do you have a recipe?", to which I replied "It's on the blog!" Finally, months later, I have found a real practical use of this blog, which has apparently been sitting here quietly waiting for someone to tack up an update. Soooooo....here goes:

I am finishing up with school. I am so excited to be dine--no more papers! No more research projects! No more getting graded! Yeah, not really. The trouble with going into librarianship is that I am doomed for a life of continuous reading, research, and writing. I am also doomed for a really competitive job market right now. My internship library has been given permission to hire on one .5-time librarian (no benefits/20hrs a week) and I am afraid to tell anyone about it because new MLS graduates will be coming out of the woodwork to apply for this job. So keep it on the DL, Beechams. I will know more about it later on--but lets just say: cross your fingers for me.

Kirsten and her beau, Daniel, are coming out to Portland to visit me next month. I am really excited to have Nebraska visitors again. We are living in a place that is so much more home-y than our last apartment. Well, we've been in this apartment for 2.5 years, but you know...Anyway, they are coming out for my graduation ceremony, so now I guess I have an excuse to go. And it'll be august, which is the absolute most perfect time of year to visit Portland. The rain is gone, the sun comes out, and people get happy.

Mom (and other Beechams), I have a foodie question for you now. I am planning on making a big pan of rice krispie treats for the barbecue on Saturday. Mom, there is a recipe for the treats in your cookie cookbook that calls for corn syrup. My whole life, I have made them with melted marshmallows, butter, and rice krispies. My question is this: which recipe did you all use for family gatherings because that's the one I want to use: with peanut butter and melted chocolate chips on top. Is this the corn syrup recipe? Let me know! I will post the recipe on here for all to use. I will also report on the success of the calico beans.

One more note: We are drawing ever closer to the Horrible Anniversary. I want to say right now that Sarah is constantly in my thoughts. I was bequeathed her beautiful vintage green Fire King dishes last year and I use it all the time. Every time I go to a party, I make sure that I take Sarah's green bowl (now called Sarah's Bowl). I feel like whenever I take Sarah's Bowl with me, I am taking Sarah's fun-loving spirit along for the ride. I love that I have this reminder of her with me here in Oregon. I miss her so much, and I can't believe that it's almost been a year. So Margaret, thank you so much for giving me her dishes. They are a beautiful and appropriate reminder of Sarah's personality. They not only capture her love of thrift-shopping, but her love of food, parties, and family.

Happy Birthday Amy!!

A work in progress

http://beechamfarm.com/

Waiting for more data from Bob to post here.

Happy Birthday, Mary Kay! Have a great one.

Love from Jeanie

Band Practice

Here is Sam and his "band"s version of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash. They are working on tightening up their performance for the school Talent Show. I think they are changing the band name too, they went through about 15 different choices yesterday.

Enjoy!

P.S. I'm also going to put a link to this up on Facebook, but since I don't spend too much time there (I haven't gotten around to friending all of you yet - hanging my head in shame), I thought I would share here too. Sorry for doubling up...

Happy Spring to everyone from Texas! We are having some rainy and cool days this week, but are also having some days in the 70's. Paul is fishing his heart out, his garden is in, we keep working on our yard and it is coming along. The welcome mat is always out -- visitors from Nebraska get priority always!

Love from Paul and Jeanie

Anne's Update and an assignment

I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with updating the ol' Beecham Blog. I'm absolutely swamped down with work, schoolwork, and my internship. But please know that I do have this hooked up to my RSS feeder, so I always see when there's a new post and I read all of them.

I keep thinking of recipes that I need to add to this, too. For instance, my recession-proof-brownies: I guarantee that if your job is in any way in jeopardy right now, taking a plate of these into work will ensure that you are saved from the chopping block. I need to add Jean's wild rice soup recipe (with my changes), my irish blue cheese & leek soup (it's leek season up here in the pacific NW, so I can't wait to make this soon), and maybe a cheesecake recipe for good measure.

So spring has sprung! What's your favorite spring or Easter recipe? I know that one of you has to have a great ham recipe, or a recipe for those little birds-nests, etc. How about your favorite herbs to use, or plans for your gardens this year? We all want to hear all about it!

Once this semester is over (will it ever be?) I plan on submitting more stuff.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Wish I was in Omaha today -- such a fun place on St. Pats. Get your green on and celebrate your IRISH!

Love you all (I mean ya'll)
Jeanie

Happy Birthday dear Anne! Have the best one ever.

Happy Birthday Anne

I hope you have a great day today and that you keep on bloggin the good, pertinent and relevant blogs!

These beautiful roses are from Anne for my birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEAN!!

Happiness being a dessert so sweet

May life give you more than you can ever eat

Annie -- Thank you so much for putting on the Palmyra pictures! That makes me very nostalgic, but happy, to see these pictures of the house and farm. You are a dear. Thanks again with love from your MOM

Spring is in the air

Well, mom asked me to "remind" people about this blog, but I'm not sure how successful it would be. People tend to be really busy these days and tend to forget to keep up with these sorts of things. I also don't want to be perceived as annoying by re-sending an invite to everyone again. So here's my thoughts: if you can think of a family member who wishes to get in on this action, let me know and I will send an invite. Otherwise, it may just be the case that people only check their email once a month.

Margaret, thanks so much for your contributions! I already suspected you were a savvy blogger, but this really proves it. You make me want to buy a scanner...

That's all. I just wanted to add a post since I hadn't put anything up in awhile.

Love, Annie

The Lady of Shallot

She was born on a Monday President's day holiday 33 years ago today.

What can I do with a sentimental heart?

http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jskean/jane84/jane84/family/Sarah1989.htm

1926 Monte Blue

I found this in the old family suitcase that Jean cleaned out of the house when she left Nebraska.

Monte Blue was a silent film star in 1926. Daddy must have admired him.

This is the quilt I pieced at camp -- I finished it yesterday. It is king-sized, 90x108 inches. It is made entirely of batik fabrics. It is not an original design, I made it from a pattern. I love it.

Hi everyone! Anne, the addition of the nutmeg to the banana bread is just plain culinary genius! I made some and took one to my quilt camp and sent one to Paul's mother -- I got many, many compliments. I love the addition of the nutmeg.

I am still finishing the quilt I started at quilt camp. I will post a picture when I get it all pieced. Hope everyone is healthy and ready for spring. Grilling out? In Lincoln? In February? No way!! Nice break for you Nebraskans.

The Cornhusker baseball team is playing UL-Lafayette (the Rajun Cajuns) on Feb 20th and we will be there for Mardi Gras (as will my friend Moe from Omaha). We will be going to the game, in our red shirts to cheer for the Huskers.

Take care, love to all,
Jeanie

Hi All,
I love getting on this blog and catching up with everyone. It's a beautiful day in Omaha. 60 and no wind. A teaser for us I'm sure, as I know winter will be back. We are goin to Lincoln to see Josh and Joanna today and grill out!!
Thanks,Anne, for doing this. I am going to try your banana bread recipe.
Love,
MK

Pork, pork and more pork

Jan, if you're reading this blog, please let us know how you are doing with your Pork recipe? Did you make it to the next level?

Also I think you should post it here.

Hello, everyone!

Anne, thanks for doing this. This is my new favorite blog!

I'm really excited today because I met with the woman who coordinates the "World Cuisine on a Budget" classes, and I'm going to teach two classes in March! The first one will focus on cheap, easy vegetarian cooking, and the second one will focus on culinary herbs and spices.

I'm feeling grateful that I was lucky enough to grow up in a family full of excellent cooks who love food.

Lima Beans 101

Since they don't have canned lima beans at my local Russ's, I had to buy the dried. This is how the babys cook up, good thing I passed on the large.

New cookie recipe

Remember Mom's "Crisp cookies"? I have a new recipe that is almost exactly like hers, but this one has the addition of rice krispies and chopped pecans, and no raisins. Its good. They sell these in our local grocery store and call them "ranger cookies".

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups rice krispies
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut

Cream first six ingredients, then add the combined flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well then stir in the remaining good stuff. Bake about 11 minutes at 350 degrees until light brown. Scoop them out with a cookie scoop but flatten them a little with your fingers before baking.

I think this was the cookie that Mom made most often when we were kids. I wonder how she ever found time to bake at all!

Love from Jeanie

Happy Birthday Cathy!

I hope you have a great day!

Articles in the Lincoln paper/LPS website

These are about an event at Northeast held on December 20. They are about the same the LPS one has a picture.

http://www.lps.org/post/detail.cfm?id=1413
http://www.neighborhoodextra.com/articles/2009/01/26/news/doc497a1635cb2a1875702730.txt

Did everyone remember Bob's birthday yesterday? Happy Birthday, Bobby!!

Jeanie

Banana bread

I'm not sure who's recipe this was originally, but I got it from my mom. It's the easiest, most moist banana bread I've ever had. Whenever my bananas get a little too ripe, I chuck them in the freezer, peel and all and so I always have bread-ready bananas on hand. I also think the key to this making this bread right is to have all of your ingredients at room temp. I leave the eggs and butter out overnight and take the buttermilk out of the fridge a couple hours before I bake. I have also substituted brown sugar for the white sugar and it really amped up the favor of the bread. I've never been a fan of nuts in my bread, so I leave them out although the recipe says you can add chopped walnuts if desired. If prefer to make this a banana cake, I use cake flour instead of AP flour and bake in a 9 x 13" pan and shorten the baking time by 10-15 minutes.

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2-3 bananas
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
*It's not on the original recipe, but I add a 1/4 tsp of fresh grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350-degrees

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add bananas.
Sift dry ingredients together. Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to banana mixture until incorporated. Add in vanilla and nutmeg. The batter shouldn't be completely smooth.

Bake in a buttered loaf pan for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.

*I think my mom separates this into two loaves, but I prefer a big fat loaf as opposed to a short squat one. It's up to you. I think you'd have to shorten the baking time for that, too.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

I always liked these cookies, I think Mom used to sprinkle some bright yellow sugar on them:

Lazy Daisy Sugar Cookies

½ cup margarine
½ cup oil
½ cup reg. sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon butter flavoring
1 egg
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Cream shorting, sugar, vanilla and egg, stir in dry ingr.

Chill dough for 2 hours or more, roll into balls, flatten and bake in 350 oven 10-12 minutes.

This is a picture of our Christmas -- not very timely, but I was just experimenting with how to post a picture -- and it worked!

Jeanie

Hello Beecham Bloggers!

Now we are ALL pertinent and modern. I think this is a great idea -- thank you Anne for getting it going. If there are any other recipes you all want, let me know and I will post them.

Love from Jeanie

Cool idea Anne

Genius! What a great way to stay in touch.

Calico Beans, ala Margaret

Baked Calico Beans

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 pound bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1 medium onion, chopped fine
21 oz can pork and beans, drained
1 pound can lima or butter beans, drained
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup ketchup

Mix cooked beef, bacon, onion and beans. Mix sugars, mustard and ketchup. Pour over bean mixture, stir, turn into greased casserole and bake at 350 degrees 1 1/2 hous or cook all day in slow cooker.

August 2007: this family is too big-so click on it for the full picture!

Calico Beans

Jeanie,
I have looked thru any and all of mom's old cookbooks that I have (only 2), but have had no luck with the bean recipe. Sorry. I wonder if there was a real recipe.
Hope all is good with everyone.
Great idea with the blog Anne.
You are so clever!
MK

Discussion topics

Hi Beecham Tree...does that make us the fruits of the tree? What kind of tree are we after all?

Anyway, I think this is a good idea. What sort of topics should we discuss on this blog? Farming? Food and drink? Music? Maybe we should go about selecting an official Beecham family song. Any ideas? Or maybe the official Beecham family dish...? Any other category ideas?

Hi

Hi Beechams All,
Let me know if I have successfully blogged on.
MK

Welcome to the Beecham blog! A post from Anne, the admin.

I thought about creating a website, but I think for our purposes, a blog will work out just as well. As we begin the new, hope-filled presidential term, I think it's only fitting to begin a new era of family communication, we could call it Beecham 2.0. In any case, I think because our family is so large and spread out, that a blog would be a great way to post messages, photos, and Beecham family recipes in a place where we can all access/store them! Perhaps it's the librarian in me that wants to archive family recipes, or it could be that being able to throw together an old family favorite like calico beans in rainy Oregon is a great way to stay connected to my Nebraska roots. In any case, I love the idea of a new dynamic Beecham blog, a sort of virtual family album accessible to Beechams around the country!

I've sent out "invites" to the family members on my contact list, and you should all be able to post to this blog. If there are people who I have failed to include, please let me know and I will add them immediately. Please bear with me as I work out the kinks of this new Beecham Tree blog. I hope to become adept at this thing in due time.