Classic Green Bean Casserole

When I was a child, I always looked forward to going to my Granny's on Thanksgiving for a lot of reasons.  The wonderfulness of it was partly because Granny always spoiled me but part of the wonderfulness was because of all her very best dishes came out at Thanksgiving.  Let's face it, y'all, I love to eat!  Both my grandmothers were good cooks.  Muffa, my Daddy's matriarch, prepared simple country fare and lots, and lots of it.  Granny, my mother's matriarch, was a fabulous cook as well.  Both of these ladies cooked for farm hands and a large family and used ingredients that were home-grown there on the farm - usually in a garden tended by themselves.  Many are the days that I remember walking barefoot through my Granny's garden with her and thinking it was a special treat when I was a little tyke.  I digress.

This recipe is one that my Granny would always have on Thanksgiving and I thought it was a fancy dish because it was something beyond just green beans out of a pot that had been cooked with a bit of ham meat and maybe some onion.  As a young woman I discovered canned French-style green beans and thought this casserole had to be made with those to make it fancier.  Then, after marrying Mike, I learned that home-canned green beans cooked with a bit of ham meat really do make the best green bean casserole for a crowd and can be simple, country fare and fancy at the same time!

Ingredients:
1 can cream mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk (I have been known to substitute a cup of grated cheddar cheese for this, too.  Remember that I grew up on a dairy farm, y'all!)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
4 cups (or 2 mason jars) cooked green beans
1 1/2 cups French fried onions

Instructions:

• I cook my green beans with a bit of ham meat till almost done.
• In the pot I cook the beans in, I add the mushroom soup, soy sauce, milk (or cheese), and one cup of the onions.
• Stir that up real well and pour it into a casserole dish.  (I like to use a deep one rather than a long, flat one.)
• Bake 20-25 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup reserved onions and bake five minutes more.
• Serve fresh out of the oven while it is warm and bubbly!

I hope my grandchildren look forward to coming to Grand B's house and tasting the fancy food we have!