It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives.
John Adams, 1756
“Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…” begins a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The mission? To get word from Boston to Concord, the Provincial Congress’s temporary home; the British were on the move to arrest Patriot leaders and seize guns and ammunition.
In addition to Paul Revere, there were actually 2 other men helping to spread the news, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, a Concord resident. They met up in Lexington, but before they could complete the five-mile ride from Lexington to Concord, they were stopped by a roadblock. Although they tried to break through, only Dr. Prescott could escape capture and deliver the message to Concord. Paul Revere was taken prisoner and greatly exaggerated his report of the troops awaiting the Redcoats in Concord. When the Redcoats escorting Paul Revere back to Lexington heard shots being fired and church bells ringing, they feared for their safety. They released Paul Revere with a tired, slow horse for his return to Lexington as the struggle for independence began.
My mom grew up on the east coast, and we occasionally had Boston Baked Beans and Brown Bread for dinner. I’ve included a recipe for Brown Bread, but you might be able to find it pre-made in a store in the canned food aisle. Yes, it comes in a can, ready to be warmed and eaten. Don’t skip the warming; you vent one end of the can and heat it in a pot of water on the stove; we always sliced it and spread with butter. For an easy Boston Cream Pie, bake a yellow cake in round pans, put vanilla pudding between the two layers and top with Chocolate Ganache frosting and have one slice if you live by land and two if by sea.
Menu
- Hot Dogs
- Aunt Jayneanne’s Baked Beans
- Boston Brown Bread
- Green Salad
- Cottage Cheese
- Boston Creme Pie
Aunt Jaynann’s Beans
2 Large cans or 1 #10 size can Pork & Beans
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
Drain juice out from pineapple
1 1/2 cup tomato catsup
1/2 medium green pepper
1 medium onion
Chop green pepper and onion
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Molasses
Combine all ingredients in a CrockPot and cook on low for 4 hours.
Boston Brown Bread
Makes 4 loaves
Modified from The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places, published in 1946. This recipe comes from The Williams Inn in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
A #5 tin is a 56-ounce can (7-1/3 cups) – recipe can be halved – baked loaves can be frozen.
3 cups bread flour
3 cups yellow cornmeal
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
Mix dry ingredients together
2 cups raisins
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ginger
3 eggs, beaten slightly
3 cups molasses
3 cups sour milk
Combine remaining items in a separate bowl. Add dry mix to this liquid and stir well. Spoon equal parts into 4 well-greased, tall #5 tins. Cover with lids or waxed paper tied on firmly, and steam for 3 hours.
