This Beans, Rice Skillet Uses Spaghetti Sauce

Gary Hughes knows how to appease wasps at picnics.

The US West telephone technician, who motorcycles with his wife, Millie, often travels to places such as Steptoe Butte. He brings slices of bacon and puts them 10 to 15 feet away from the picnic area, and the yellow jackets leave him alone.

“They eat the lean part right through, and the squirrels take care of the rest,” says Hughes, 59, who sometimes encounters nests of bees inside ready-access boxes on telephone poles.

Yellow jackets can be particularly aggressive in late summer, but right now is the time to trap the queen, says Stephanie Bradshaw of Sterling International Inc. The Liberty Lake company makes yellow jacket traps called “RESCUE!” A substance that smells like a wasp’s nest attracts yellow jackets and then traps them inside, where they dehydrate.

The traps, found in most lawn and garden centers, take just minutes to set up, and the “attractant” is good for two to three weeks.

“The scent is pretty powerful,” says Bradshaw.

Lots of people have their own ways of getting rid of the insects. One common method is hanging meat over a gallon container of soapy water. The wasps typically drop down a short distance after they’ve nibbled on the food and fall into the water.

Here’s an easy casserole that’s probably best eaten at your dining room table, where the wasps can’t bother you.

Italian Three-Bean and Rice Skillet

From “30-Minute Main Dishes, Cooking For Today” (Better Homes and Gardens, 1996).

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, cut up

1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth

3/4 cup quick-cooking brown rice

1/2 of a 10-ounce package frozen baby lima beans

1/2 of a 10-ounce package frozen cut green beans

1/2 teaspoon dried basil or dried Italian seasoning

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

2 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large skillet, combine kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, broth, rice, lima beans, green beans and basil or Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Stir in spaghetti sauce and heat through. Top with cheese, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 259 calories, 4 grams fat (14 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 50 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fiber, 14 grams protein, 1,103 milligrams sodium.