Neshoba County Fair brings memories of good recipes
Jul. 6—One of my first big assignments when I became the food/home/garden editor at the Journal some 20 years ago was to go to the Neshoba County Fair and write about the food at the different cabins.
To say "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty" was a food frenzy would be putting it lightly. Families would cook for days and prepare to serve as many as 200 people who might drop by to visit without notice.
While there, I dined on a baby lima salad at Gale and Jo Ann Denley's cabin, a rice casserole at Dick and Sally Molpus' place, and barbecue at Happy Henderson's. At Hal and Olivia Reese's cabin, Olivia's sister, Beth Jackson, made a baked bean dish that was a meal in itself.
The fair's coming up in a few weeks, and though I won't be there in person, I can be there in spirit with the delicious recipes I brought home.
BEEFY BAKED BEANS
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Wesson oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
2 teaspoons garlic salt
3 teaspoons Mexican chili powder, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cans Showboat original pork and beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Kraft original barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Kraft hot barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 to 3 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Sauté bell pepper and onion in vegetable and olive oils. Add ground chuck, garlic salt, 2 teaspoons Mexican chili powder and black pepper and cook until meat is browned. Drain.
In a large casserole dish, combine pork and beans, ketchup, both barbecue sauces, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire and remaining 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder. Stir well. Add meat mixture and stir again. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.
