About This Cookbook

What is Bean Road?

We grew up on Bean Road, and both our parents cooked up some delicious food.

Our dad was a good cook (which was unusual then, and still seems unusual now). When we were kids, he used to cook on the weekends. Saturday morning we had bacon and fried eggs. Saturday night we usually had franks and beans. (The franks were fried too.)

On Sundays he would baste a chicken and put it on the rotisserie in the oven before we went off to church. By the time we came back, the chicken would be nearly done and he would make some German-stewed potatoes and some kind of vegetable. We'd also make some gravy from the drippings.

When we got a bit older, he started branching out on Sundays, and we'd have other types of chicken or even pork chops. On Sunday nights we often had pancakes, but later on we'd have oyster stew sometimes.

After he retired from Merck, Fred took over nearly all the cooking. In 1983, he bought one of the original IBM PCs and started writing his cookbook. This web site is an attempt to finish that thought.

Our mom also had some delicious recipes (like pumpkin pie) that we'll add to this cookbook. They also collaborated on some big cooking projects like roulades.

Other Recipes

Over time, we've added other favorite recipes, as noted, from friends and other sources. We're sure Fred would approve.