“I want you to give Nena this recipe,” my fellow church member and lunch guest Ray said of his wife, Nena, as they joined me for lunch one day recently. I promised I would, so now I am sharing it with you.

Those of us “of a certain age” keep things because we know that someday we may need them. That was the case with the little advertising/cookbook supplement published in the November 1979 issue (yes, 1979. I told you I don’t throw away stuff) of the Anderson (S.C.) Independent/Daily Mail.

The recipe is for String Beans Excellente. I have diligently, and without success, tried to locate Cindy Milford, the contributor from Hartwell, Ga. Neither the telephone directory nor two young men at the police department knew of her.

Although the paper’s date makes the recipe an old one, most of our recipes are. How long have chocolate cakes, potato salads and beef pot roasts been on family tables?

Green beans are almost always on restaurant buffets, and without them civic clubs would have to cancel luncheons. Although it isn’t in Scripture, I’m almost sure a green bean casserole is required for church suppers.

Green beans are healthy and are, I think I have read, the third most-used vegetable, following onions and potatoes. At only 15 calories per cup, they are also the dieter’s friend. Another virtuous point: You can cook them in early morning, or even the day before, and reheat them for Sunday dinner.

Although frequently called “snap beans” because the beans are most often “snapped” or cut into one-inch pieces, they can be cooked whole or sliced lengthwise. The smaller pieces make eating a bit easier.

Many cooks, perhaps your mothers and grandmothers, cooked green beans with a large piece of salt pork (sometimes called fat back), water and salt. The meat was cooked until it was almost tender and the cooking water was properly flavored, then the beans and salt were added. More water was added to barely cover the beans, and when the water had cooked out (maybe a couple of hours later over medium heat and almost to the point of scorching), the beans were ready to serve. These were good beans.

Modern cookbooks suggest simmering the beans about 20 minutes or so in water, then adding butter. However you cook them, green beans should be part of your regular menus. Call Ray, Nena and me, and we will come help you eat them.

Today’s recipe is an easy one because it asks for canned beans. I am sorry I can’t give proper credit to Ms. Milford, but I have tried. Now I want you to try her recipe. You’ll like it any day, but especially when you cook it after church for … Sunday Dinner.

String Beans Excellente

1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 #2 can (1 pound, approximately) string beans or french-style, drained
½ cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt (or less)
Dash pepper

Combine onion and bacon drippings in saucepan; let simmer on low heat until onions are tender. Add drained beans, chili sauce, salt and pepper. Cook about 30 minutes. Works great in crock pot.

Have a recipe? sundaydinner@baptistcourier.com