G’day from a sunny, lovely, beautiful Australian day!
: warning: issuing a BC Ramble Alert with this post :
If there is one thing you do when you leave this blog, if this is the first time you find yourself right down here in that little place they call Down Under and think that hey this blog is not bad but what does she know about anything?
Well if there is one thing.
Make this bean casserole.
Even if you are cooking challenged.
You can do it.
I discovered this dish because over the last few weeks I have been trying out things for Thanksgiving and over on Facebook we have been chatting about recipes…plus this year, with my new life Down Under it all sounds very appropriate…without wishing to sound all soppy, I have a new appreciation for an event that celebrates being thankful.
I must hold my hands up and say though, that until I started spending way too much time attached to the internet I knew not much about Thanksgiving and certainly not all the traditions that came with it, I knew nothing about green bean casserole for sure….and that firstly a casserole could be called a casserole when it wasn’t casseroled, that beans were a Thanksgiving given and that beans and lemons and garlic and bacon are about the best thing you can do to yourself or your family apart from discovering vintage things on the side of the road. For free. In a country where most of the time the sun shines and people are happy. That is how much I love this bean casserole, almost as much as I love Australia and finding vintage things.
I first learnt about Thanksgiving about twenty or so years ago working for a PR company deep in the heart of the west end of London…I worked then in a lovely old square with a gated park in the middle of tall four story houses converted to offices sporting black front doors with highly polished brass…you know the park in Notting Hill where Julia and Hugh jump over the black railings and he says whoopsadaisies? Well this was just like that park and that square only the one I worked in add oh about 20 million or so pounds to the price tag.
Anyway, this company, was, surprisingly 
full to the brim of PR types, who really were, because they were here, the not-so-talented-of-the-media-set and most of them were biding time with big aspirations of working at Saatchi down the road. So, the owner of this place, an old English public school boy, who liked to give you the impression that he went to Eton though really he didn’t, had an American wife.
And so every year at this time there was a huge hoo-ha for Thanksgiving. The media types were scurrying everywhere inviting clients, putting out press releases, sweet talking journalists about the celebration which in reality most didn’t give a hoot about …they didn’t really know Thanksgiving from New Year.
Upstairs on the fourth floor of this beautiful old building was a boardroom, interview room and dining room plus kitchen..this was all high up looking out over the square and the rooftops of London. Exquisitly decorated in old English style with fabulous heavy old velvet drapes and deep plush carpet, the dining room was where lots of long dinners and champagne lunches were held.
And every year, Thanksgiving. An American chef came in, carting up to that tiny little kitchen all the way at the top of the house boxes full of US of A supplies…I remember one year I helped carry up the turkey…and another time chuckled to myself as Mrs Boss’s Wife, the ‘American’, threw a little rich-girl hissy fit because there weren’t enough fresh cranberries.
I always remember that ‘American’ event, and the scurrying in that oh-so very English setting and how I loved the idea of ‘thanking’…which leads me back to here in my old cottage near the sea, twenty or so years later…
and why am I here these years later, rambing on about thanking and feeling very thankful?…well, about six months ago as soon as we were eligible we applied for citizenship to this lucky country and last week it became official.
Mr BC and I plus the BC Crew are now 100% fair dinkum Australian.
And I am so thankful for that that I thought that for the first time this little family would do Thanksgiving…I couldn’t really think of a more fitting feast.
And so, over the past few weeks I have experimented with a few different dishes and as an English girl, oh actually now I can write Australian girl, I feel extremely tentative about even talking about Thanksgiving I would so hate to tread on anyone’s toes…but….let me tell you…..sweet potatoes have been abundant in our old cottage, marshmallows of all shapes, mashed potato in various different guises, and most importantly the humble green bean casserole.
Green bean casserole I love you nearly as much as Australia. But not quite.
After I Facebooked my cooking marathon into all things Thanksgiving someone mentioned the whole green-bean-casserole-and-a-can-of-mushroom-soup thing. Hmm sounded interesting. A fall-back, easy, traditional and thankful recipe that involved a can of soup? I’m there. And so I tried this one, with 281 reviews I thought there must be something to it. I am not quite sure who Paula Deen is but I am thinking she might be my kinda gal.
Next I found a couple of other recipes, one with lemons and one with bacon, I mixed them up a bit and decided that in actual fact, the dish was tasty, hearty and just simply lovely enough to stand-alone with my family as an easy midweek supper.
This is the kinda recipe that ticks so many of my boxes, easy ingredients from normal shops, no trekking to outer-Mongolia to find a spice, do-able after or before the school run, but much much more importantly the BC Numero Uno requirement for a recipe’s inclusion in this cottage.. and paramount to whether or not it becomes a member of the BC Secret Recipe Club is that it fits the criteria that you cook something that is simple and easy and a no-brainer and foolproof but it makes you look, as you glide swiftly about in self-satisfaction, as if you are a monarch of the kitchen. And this did that for me.
…plus if you like the heady combination of garlic, lemon and bacon plus the crunch of vegetable, this is for you.
and you know you are onto a good thing when you find one of your lovely children, of whom you have been trying to teach how to eat ‘nicely’ for the last ten years, has their dinner plate at their mouth licking it for all they are worth
…now that is what I call thanksgiving…
Bye for now from this offiical Australian 
Sarah
p.s. in honour of my new found citizenship I am having a giveaway shortly that involves a chair
a chair that is very beachyish, with a strangeish name & believe it or not I have found can be shipped worldwide.
It’s my kinda chair, it’s white and it’s starts with an A.
Need any more clues?
click below to go the recipe
BC Thankful Beans, Lemon & Garlic Casserole
1kg green beans, topped and tailed
2 cups bacon (not skinny low-fat bacon) trimmed
Maldon sea salt or equivalent & pepper
1 1/2 lemons, peeled & zested
3 cloves of garlic
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 knobs of butter
1. salt a saucepan of water and put on to boil
2. sling the bacon in a large wide frying/casserole pan
3. once it is beginning to cook and some of the fat has come off, move the bacon to the edges and add the onions and garlic to the pan and slowly cook until soft
4. blanch the beans in the water (if you like your beans fairly crunchy keep an eagle eye on these and drain after about 3 mins), strain them and put them back in the pan with the lid on to keep warm.
5. chop up the lemons into small cubes about 1 cm square or so on a board
6. once the garlic/onion is soft and the bacon is coloured and cooked add the butter and the lemons to the pan and include any juice from the lemons on the board
7. now stir it all around with a wooden spoon until all is hot through
8. tip the beans in and stir/mix around until they are coated in the buttery/lemony juices
9. place in a warmed caserole dish
**notes if you love the hit of lemon up the juice to that of 2 lemons adjust garlic to taste, I like its heady breath full on here but you may want to limit it to 2, * a knob of butter is a lovely British term about a hefty tablespoon or so…or the size of a walnut..though I have to say I am not consistent with the size of my knobs
* recipe is a main stand-alone supper dish that serves four (though not four big hefty adults) accompanied with French bread and followed by cheese* as a side dish for a gathering where a turkey or suchlike is the main player this could well be left with only half the bacon
more easy BC look like a Goddess recipes when really you didn’t do much here
Congratulations Sarah, you put me to shame! I think I have mentioned I have been here some 40 years and have not done the citizenship thing yet it is still on my to do list!!!
I will make this dish as I too love all of the above and your post is magnificent in its presentation,style and banter….lovely!
I first saw Paula Deen on Oprah and she is an AMAZING CHARACTER………… she is very Southern and has the strongest accent. She is funny, down to earth and sweet as. Over the top is another word that comes to mind. She was cooking on oprah and not watching what she was doing and tipped the contents including the little glass jar into the kitchen aid and glass was flying everywhere…it was so funny (not intentional). She also has some southern decorating books I believe and cottages on Tybee Island (not sure of spelling). Have looked at the recipe, will have to google “a stick of butter” I’m assuming it’s 250gms or something like that. Congratulations on becoming Aussies….we are truely indeed the LUCKY COUNTRY. xxxx
Congratulations on receiving your citizenship!
My husband, our son, and I moved to NZ in Feb to run our own business here. I’m thankful because we just received our long term business visas for the next 2 and some years, and then we move on to getting our residency visas (another two years). I find it very exciting.
Anyway, we actually are ‘passing’ on TG this year, because it is just too much to organize with the business–after all, it’s tomorrow! we are focusing on our christmas holiday (a travel through the south island!), and getting the christmas gifts off to the US in time!
great blog!
I’m thankful I now have this new receipe to try.
Plus, I nearly cried when I read you’re now an Aussie sheila. Am I a sook?
no I cried all night
I’ve just returned from New Orleans where I met an elderly lady who asked me where I was from (Australia) and then asked me What it was like in Europe (!)…once I had her straight, she mentioned that she’d actually been to Australia, but only three cities: Perth, Melbourne and Sydney…and that she’d been there at Thanksgiving, which had been terrible because the Turkeys were only frozen and there was no cranberry sauce to be found…DISGRACEFUL! The poor lady was genuinely shocked when I told her that Thanksgiving wasn’t actually celebrated in Australia. Alas.
too funny
well I had an Australian woman only recently at a surf carnival registration I was at after I had asked my question if I could “please speak English” …talk about laugh…I was like errrm hello I think I am the English one here…it was a very very funny moment for me…especially as I was far from off the boat, I may be Australian now but I can’t lose the Kentish accent…
LOL!! We love the Kentish accent round here, the kids have even adopted the ‘errrm’ from the ex-pats down the road! Welcome to your citizenship, it’s lovely to have you!
Sarah, I have a dear, dear friend… also a Sara and also from Kent. She has lived here 20 years and still has a sweet English accent. It’s divine, don’t try to lose it. I think it’s funny because her Australian born children all speak just like her…. It’s so lovely to listen too.
Congratulations on becoming an Australian, we are proud to have you
:) {I am a dual citizen btw} 
I’ve made my version of the beans…. I can’t call it a casserole though. It was a “salad” for us… I didn’t use the flesh of the lemon but I will try it next time. My husband & older children thought it was just great. The flavours all just work……
and the giveaway…. yay xx
I feel like I should have done another list!! haha
haha! I will never lose the accent I don’t think..funniest thing is my kids think it is weird…they so don’t sound anything like poms, so very Aussie
thanks for the well wishes
you mean there’s more than one sarah from Kent…humpf!
the giveaway is good!! if you like white chairs
)
xxx
Congrats on the fair dinkum Aussie paperwork
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, it is simple and uncomplicated and all about just being thankfull for all that is good in our world – but a new green bean recipe never goes astray
Congrats on becoming an Aussie … we are proud to have you as one of us.
Congrats Sarah! Doesn’t this recipe look delish? I always have to make that soupy green bean casserole for my hubby on Tday but maybe I’ll make two this year!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Congratulations on your new citizenship- and as an American, let me tell you! It doesn’t even seem strange to me that others would celebrate Thanksgiving.
This looks heavenly! What a great twist on traditional green beans…
Good on ya mate for becoming a fair dinkum Aussie! I love your recipe, and will definately try it on soon. But how bout a real Aussie dessert to celebrate your citizenship… I was thinking ‘chocolate ripple cake’… have you come across that yet? If not it’s simple, just sandwich together the biscuits with whipped cream and fashion into a log or a donut shaped cake, don’t forget to smear cream all over the outside. To finish off crumble some perppermint crisp or a flake all over the top! After it’s been in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight the fat in the cream soaks into the bickies and turns it to cake! Don’t pull a face…I know it sounds strange…but it really is yum!
Robx
p.s I met a lady recently in the village who, when I told her I was from Australia, replied: ‘Oh but you sound quite normal’!
hilarious! so you’re normal and Australian? crikey Sheila
like those that think living down here is dirt cheap and you can’t get any modern things!
Congratulations, Sarah! I know how much you love your new home and it must be very exciting to officially call it home.
This green bean casserole looks delicious.
You would definitely love Paula Deen. She is a hoot and a remarkable cook.
Happy Thanksgiving! La
Sarah, Congratulations to you and the BC clan on your new citizenship! And for embracing Thanksgiving. You’re making green beans Western-style (as in the western US) and how I prepare them in Southern California, just with less bacon!
I think you’d love Paula Deen – She has a distinctive voice and style like you! BTW, what is a knob of butter???
Happy Thanksgiving and I’d love to be in on the giveaway!
Good Morning from San Antonio, Texass! The bean casserole dish looks yummers! Am adding this to tomorrows menu and future traditional dishes! Thanks so much for sharing! Sending lots of positive thoughts across the waters to you and all. I am thankful for such a super site whom provides such awesome ideas! Keep up the good work! Peace!
Congrats on becoming Australians! I hope it was an easy process? Seems to be or else I bet we would have heard of some of the trials and tribulations and all.
Oh and how fun that this came right by our American Thanksgiving?! Glad you’ve decided to try out a new (to you) holiday.
Wow! Congrats on your new citizenship!!! What a perfect time to celebrate Thanksgiving. The beauty of Thanksgiving is that it is all about including others and just being thankful for what you have. It seems like you are doing a fine job at that… Enjoy your feast. We already have our green beans and our kids are picky eaters. So, maybe we’ll have to give your recipe a try for our big feast tomorrow afternoon. Happy Thanksgiving from an American reader that is grateful for being able to take a glance at the Beach Cottage every day.
Congratulations, to you and your husband, Sarah. Australia is so glad to count you amongst our new citizens.
I am thankful that I am an Aussie, it is the best country in the world! – you must think so too to choose to become Aussies. What a great thing to be thankful for and what a combination of cultures, English come Australian celebrating American style!
Looking forward to your giveaway I am so hoping for a chair that starts with A.
The recipe sounds yummy but I’m going back to being vegetarian. So, I’ll just make it without the bacon.
And yay on the chair giveaway!
Congratulations, Sarah! Thanks also for the recipe – this looks like something even I could manage…!
Congrats on becoming Australian. Do you feel any different?
Really like the look of the beans and bacon. I’m going to try this sometime soon.
I was offered a job at Saatchi’s back in the 70′s. Didn’t take it. Wonder where I’d've been now if I had? xx
Well, till I saw this, I was going to do the little green beans with some baby bella mushrooms. (I dislike the version with canned soup and onion rings – Un-American, I know!) Now I think I have to try this — I might still add the mushrooms, though. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ha ha! Not liking canned beans and canned soup and canned onion rings, not Un-American in my opinion, just not good! ; )
big congrats on the aussie gal thing!!
you can’t be calling yourself an english rose any longer….i’m so happy for you & your australian freckles on your nose…lovely!
melissa x
Thanks for the recipe, Sarah. And a big congratulations to you and your family for choosing to be come real Aussies. Best country in the world!! i bet you know all the words to Advance Australia Fair too …??
Ooh, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Actually, I say that about any number of ideas you present here. Thanks for all of it!
Happy Thanksgiving and congrats on the citizenship. Do you still get to keep the UK passport or did you have to give that up? Even though I’m an English gal, I’m up in the mountains celebrating this holiday at the in-laws cabin (what a production to get the whole dinner up here) and it’s one day where I feel I’m American… my little ones are American through and through though… even moaning at cartoons when they have English accents
Lx
no we get to keep it if we want to
…my children moan about English accents too…mine!
Congrats on being an official Aussie now, Sarah! Yay! Thanks for the scoop on the yummy looking recipe! I will definitely be trying that one out!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
xoxo laurie
How inspiring. The in-laws have just arrived from wet and windy UK and I think I’ll make this for tea tonight – veggie version. Thanks. x
ah darlin’ Thanksgiving is for EVERYONE – and you don’t have to have a turkey and yams with marshmallows and pumpkin pie to do it! just make what you love, invite people you love, and tell them what you are thankful for!! (besides, our “american” thanksgiving tradition is full of myths and involves the giant lie that those who came over here were good buddies with the native americans they slaughtered over the next generations…).
Congrats on your new citizenship status Sarah! Very exciting!
Thanks for the recipe too! I usually make just green beans with bacon, but this is such a nice variation. We are heading to the mountains for half a day of snowboarding on Thanksgiving. As a result I am cooking almost everything tonight so I can reheat it when we get home exhausted from all that cold snow and exercise! I cooked everything for this recipe of yours tonight except for the beans so all I have to do tomorrow is blanch the beans. Oh my gosh, so delicious and the aroma is fantastic too. Can’t wait to taste it with beans added!
Congratulations of on becoming an Australian Family!!!!
13 years ago I gave up the country of my birth and became an Australian, I went on the Marry a wonderful Aussie boy and we now have two beautiful little Aussie girls!!! About 3 years ago my Mum, Dad and Sisters also became Australian.
Having grown up in some pretty nasty thrid world countries I am thankful everyday that I now belong to the “Lucky Country”
So in true Australian fashion, can I just say “Good-on-ya”!!!!
thanks so much Nicola, I feel like I am now part of an exclusive club! and I loved to hear your story…people like you *know how much it means xo
Hi Sarah,
I am absolutely going to try this recipe although as one born in the Lucky Country I have never seen Thanksgiving celebrated. I have been catching up on all your entries after discovering the BC a few weeks ago. Obviously I have too much time on my hands because yesterday I finished reading them all! Every time I watch another of your projects turn out well it makes me run down to my closest op shop to see what I can find (and I have found some good things!). I have especially loved hearing your accent in videos as I can now give an accent to the characters out of my favourite book, the book is the Little Lady Agency by Melissa Browne and it’s one I pull out over and over again.
Keep on doing the good thing ~
Happy Thanksgiving from Arkansas. I live in the south and I swear Paula Deen ccould be one of my aunts! (maybe great aunt) But I’ve got to admit your recipe for the green beans sounds a whole lot better than the one with (blech) mushroom soup. It’s just nasty. I’ve been following your blog forever and love to read about your days. Thanks, Carol
Happy Thanksgiving from America, Sarah. We just finished our Turkey Day Dinner in Indiana, thankful this year that our Aussie has made it back home to celebrate with us. Our daughter lives in Brisbane. I’d love to win your give-away for her little apartment. Shipping from Sidney to Brisbane would be much less costly than to French Lick, Indiana. Thanks, Hedy
Sarah, as a full-on American, I give you free liberty with Thanksgiving! For what it’s worth, I have never had green bean casserole or sweet potato casserole on T-day, or ever, for that matter. It’s whatever you make it/want it to be and you are fully qualified, as long as you are thankful
which indeed you are! Congrats on your wonderful news and status. I am thankful for your happy little blog!