“Oatmeal, yogurt, or cereal?”

In this season, you could hear me ask my two oldest children this question every morning (except Fridays and Sundays, when my answer for them is always oatmeal). I suppose I could ask Silas what he wants, too, but I’ll just pick for him for now.

And in this season, although oatmeal was the breakfast of choice for years and yogurt has its day every now and then, the response is almost always a resounding “cereal!” — or “cere-eerie-eeriole” if we transcribe Kiah’s phonetics when she gets too excited about it.

By far my daughter’s preferred selection is Mini Wheats of some sort: either orange (Little Bites) or red (strawberry). I can’t tell if this is by natural personal choice, environmental conditioning, or some subconscious prenatal influence. But her in-utero nickname was Mini Wheat, and she has always shown a distinct predilection for shredded wheat cereal. [And ever since my pregnancy with her, I have too, especially when those silly little biscuits have gotten deplorably milk-logged and soggy.]

It’s a little trickier to tell if Benson is somehow predisposed to his growing-baby-nickname’s food: he was Tater Tot, in honor of my sudden pregnancy-induced appreciation for potatoes. Yet while Kiah has essentially constant access to her Mini Wheats, we never have tater tots on hand. I may have prepared them once in my life? We’ve eaten them a few times in Benson’s five years — and right now even have a delicious tater tot casserole in the fridge delivered by a friend — but there are too few times from which to draw any meaningful statistical hypotheses about his appetite for them.

Time has obviously yet to tell about little Green Bean Silas’s feelings on green beans. Any research results will be so skewed, however, since he was born into a family that is a little wackadoodle about green beans (hence his nickname; we were in love with this baby ever since he was even smaller than a beanpod). Fresh, frozen, canned, we’re not picky. Si would really be bucking the trend if he didn’t like green beans from the start, as I have adorable photographic proof that both his siblings were chowing down on them literally as soon as they could chew them. Possibly even before then.

So whether by nature or nurture, chances are Silas will be a fan of green beans. I always have been too, and grew up eating them often, especially what Mom canned from the garden. While my parents were here the other week, Mom brought some of my childhood memories to the table by making a dish of chicken green bean casserole. I don’t typically make many casseroles, but this is one of her recipes that I had written up and stuck in my recipe book. It ticks all the boxes: easy, pantry ingredients, protein + carb + veg, and nostalgic, plus the bonus of being appropriate in celebrating the birth of our Green Bean. The more children I have the more I also see the value of casserole-y meals; throwing it together and popping it in the oven is remarkably handy.

But all this talk of prenatal nicknames makes me wonder if my parents had a name for me. It would sure explain some things if they had called me Carrot Stick or Cocoa Powder.

Old-School Chicken Green Bean Casserole

Sometimes things from the past fit right into the present. I modified the recipe slightly (of course) from the original, but it still tastes like home three decades ago — maybe my kids (especially Green Bean Silas?) will think the same in three more? Like a classic five-year-old, Benson currently doesn’t appreciate any of his foods touching each other, but all the components are so good that he managed quite well with just a little deconstructing.

Prep tips: the first three ingredients are a basic sub for cream of chicken soup, so you can use a can of that if you want this to be even faster.

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 ¼ cup broth and/or milk
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 quart 1-inch sliced green beans, cooked (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• salt, white pepper, sage, parsley, rosemary to taste
• 2 cups whole-wheat bread cubes
• 2 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Heat and lightly brown 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan, then whisk in flour and cook until thickened. Gradually whisk in broth and/or milk. Stir in chicken, green beans, and seasonings, then transfer to a 9x13” baking dish. Melt remaining butter, mix with bread and cheese, then arrange over green bean mixture. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, until bread is toasty.

Lettuce Eat Local is a weekly local foods column by Amanda Miller, who lives in rural Reno County on the family dairy farm with her husband and THREE small children. She seeks to help build connections through food with her community, the earth, and the God who created it all. Send feedback and recipe ideas to hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.