July Foodie Holidays: Week 1

July is National Baked Bean Month, Bison Month, Culinary Arts Month, Grilling Month, Hot Dog Month, and Ice Cream Month.

July 1: Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day, Gingersnap Day
July 2: Anisette Day
July 3: Chocolate Wafer Day, Eat Beans Day
July 4: Barbecued Spareribs Day, Caesar Salad Day
July 5: Graham Cracker Day, Apple Turnover Day
July 6: Fried Chicken Day
July 7: World Chocolate Day, Strawberry Sundae Day

This comes from my mom. I can't vouch for it because I am strictly bean-free (the texture totally squicks me out), but it's the only recipe I have that fits the bill for this week. Enjoy, I guess?

Bean Casserole

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can butter beans, drained

1 can baby lima beans, drained

1 can pork and beans

1/2 lb. turkey bacon

2 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 C. vinegar

3/4 C. brown sugar

Directions: Combine beans in a large casserole. Chop the bacon into 1” pieces and fry until crispy. Add the onion and garlic and fry until brown. Add sugar, mustard and vinegar; simmer 20 minutes. Pour over beans and mix. Bake 1 hour at 350ºF.

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Hey! See what I did up there? That is an example of what NOT to do in your family cookbook! You will almost certainly receive recipes from family members for things you don't like (maybe even despise). Doesn't matter. As a historian, your job isn't to edit history and censor it because it's icky or unhealthy (unless a healthy cookbook is specifically your theme). My advice to you is to gather everything you can, unselfishly and judgement-free. The people who are giving their time and recipes (and hopefully stories, too) are doing just that, and should expect nothing less from the person compiling it. So keep the "ew, gross" editorials to yourself when you're putting it all together. Future generations don't need that kind of color commentary, they can figure out what they like (or don't), the same way everyone else has – by tasting it!