We have a big family reunion coming up over the Labor Day weekend. It's potluck and everyone has been assigned a dish. Ours is supposed to be baked beans but I've never made them. Can you give me an easy recipe that will feed a crowd? (from Fred, Manchester)

Dear Fred: There's a little trick that many homemakers have learned over the years. Use already prepared foods as the starting point, then embellish so that everyone thinks you slaved for hours. Here's a recipe that uses the “almost homemade” principles to perfection. It's a sure-fire hit at any casual gathering, so you might want to double the ingredients to fit your needs.

Marvelous Beans
8 ounces bacon
1 pound ground beef (85% lean works well)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 12-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15-1/2 ounce cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce cans pork and beans
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar, packed

-- Cook the bacon and allow to cool. Crumble and set aside.
-- Pour off any bacon grease remaining in the pan, then cook the beef and onion over a medium heat. Stir occasionally until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes.
-- Drain the beef mixture and transfer to a slow cooker.
-- Add the pinto beans, butter beans, baked beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup and brown sugar. Stir well until everything blended together.
-- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
-- Transfer to a large serving bowl.
-- Garnish with crumbled bacon.
-- Serves 6. OK to double.

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PIKE UPDATE: David Johnson of Woodsville wrote with an update on Norton Pike. “I worked for Norton Pike in 1995 and 1996. I was a victim of downsizing. In 2007 Saint Gobain downsized the entire workforce at Norton Pike in Littleton and moved the production operation to Mexico.” Thanks, David. Saint Gobain still maintains a plastics facility, though, in Merrimack.

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BROWN SUGAR UPDATE: Richard Gesner, a loyal reader, offers his suggestion for keeping brown sugar soft: “Pour the brown sugar into a plastic bag, then put another plastic bag over it. It works fine!”

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I saw a movie on TV recently called “Yanks,” starring Richard Gere and Lisa Eichhorn, an English actress. This was a love story that took place in England during World War II. I haven't seen her in other movies. Is she still around? If so, what is she doing there days? (from Jay, Bedford)

Dear Jay: It will probably surprise you to find out that Lisa Eichhorn was born in Glens Falls, N.Y., on Feb. 4, 1952. She grew up in Westbury, Long Island, N.Y., and Reading, Pa. Taking her senior year as a Rotary International Exchange student in Svolvaer, Norway, caused Eichhorn to graduate in absentia in 1970.

Her college career started at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, but she left after two years to study at St. Peter's College, Oxford, England, on a one-year Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. While she was studying drama and English at Oxford, she met Alan Rickman (Several Snape in the “Harry Potter” films) who urged her to audition for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her application was accepted in 1975. After her graduation in 1977, Eichhorn went right to work as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Queen's Theatre. She has continued her stage work throughout her career.

At her interview for the role of Jean Moreton in “Yanks,” Eichhorn convinced the producers that she was British. Needless to say, she won the part and went on to garner two Golden Globe nominations for the role: Best Actress and Best New Star. She continued her film career with the Merchant-Ivory production of “The Europeans,” which earned her a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA award; “Why Would I Lie?” with Treat Williams; “Cutter's Way” with Jeff Bridges and John Heard; and “All Night Long” opposite Gene Hackman, a role she lost three weeks later to Barbra Streisand.

She continued her transatlantic career with stage roles in London and New York, as well as movie roles in Los Angeles, along with a rigorous teaching schedule.

Eichhorn has been married three times. She has an adult daughter and a teenage stepson and resides outside London.

Send questions of general interest to Ask Us, attention Cat Pragoff, New Hampshire Union Leader, P.O. Box 9555, Manchester 03108-9555, or by email at askuscolumn@gmail.com. Due to the volume of mail received, Ask Us is not able send personal replies.