Lima Beans And Chicken Pox

Guess who caught chicken pox? No-I already had it in 1972. Anyway, Danny had the first part of the vaccine so the Dr. thinks it will be a milder case. He's itchy, but seems otherwise fine. Still, he's stuck in the house for the next couple weeks (great opportunity to teach him about quarantines-maybe I should draw a sign and stick it on our front door) and there's only so many comic books a kid will be entertained by. Actually, I never got tired of them, but we had a newsstand two blocks away and they only cost twelve cents.

So what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Danny has the chicken pox.

I won't bore you with the story of my bout with chicken pox except to say it involved being in a play, having greasepaint smeared over my face and subsequently rubbed off with ten-o-six lotion before anyone realised I was sick. Can you say "really disfiguring scars? Yeah. Ain't child neglect grand?

Danny really likes lima beans and I figured being sick he ought to be fed a good nourishing meal he actually likes...so I stopped on the way home from the doctor and bought him a chocolate malt. I did. Then, I brought him home, tucked him into my bed and let him watch cartoons while I made lima bean casserole. I already had the cooked beans on hand, but you can make this with tinned or frozen. I didn't bother with a photo as big white lima beans on rice doesn't make for great photographs, but it still tasted wonderful and was easy to do.

You Will Need:

7-10 comic books preferably of the superhero variety

Cooked rice for serving (you can serve it without, but for a main course rice or noodles make the meal complete)

2 cups cooked lima beans
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons ketchup (really)
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup buttered soft breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 2 quart casserole.

Combine the beans, red pepper, onions, cheese and ketchup in the casserole. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute or so until foamy. Slowly add the milk and cook, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue cooking about a minute more or until thickened into sauce. Remove from heat, add seasonings and allspice and pour over casserole. Using a spatula, turn and combine everything in casserole dish until well blended. Top with breadcrumbs and bake about 40 minutes or until nicely browned on top. Serve over rice or noodles.