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It has been so wet here lately! Even the mushrooms are growing mushrooms!
A little peek at the knitting…
The advent sock garland is almost half finished. I’m taking color cues from nature, Christmas, my kids (so far they have “designed” one sock each), and from Beth’s pretty socks. Many of the stripe patterns are fibonacci patterns (1-1-2-3-5), which looks really nice with three colors. The pumpkin/white/purple at 10:00 (below) is one example.
I’m also working on my Featherweight cardi. I never thought I would get this far, because it’s laceweight. Black laceweight. And it has to grow big enough to fit me. But, I’m hanging in there, and I’m only 10 or so rows from dividing for the sleeves!
It’s so funny; I feel a need to post something here, but there’s not much to post and I don’t have any photos. For some reason, it bugs me to write a pictureless blog post! Maybe it’s just because I like pictures so much.
I’ve been busy working on the Christmas stocking advent garland that I mentioned in an earlier post (Ravelry link); I think I have 12 socks done? In which case, I’m halfway through! Not bad. By now I’ve totally got short row heels memorized. Which is good, because that’s what usually slows me down in sock knitting. These are little socks, knitted in worsted weight, so it’s really satisfying to knit them. A sock in an hour and a half–can’t beat that!
I’m also desperately needing to start sewing AJ some dresses for church. She has one or two things that can pass for fall if she wears them over a long-sleeved tee, but she needs new stuff badly. Finding the time to sew has been tough lately, though. I’m training for a half marathon too, so some of my free time is being used up by running right now. I ran a 7-mile training run on Saturday and felt like I almost ran my legs off afterward. :) I’m looking forward to running a 10K next weekend with the same friends who are running in the half with me in December. I’m really looking forward to it!
And then there’s Halloween. I really wanted to make the kids’ costumes this year, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Time is too short–even shorter since we need them by next Wednesday for Trunk or Treat at our church. AJ wants to be a dog (a “soft” one, specifically—which made me want to sew her a little suit out of Minkee SO badly!). I’m not sure what DJ wants to be, but I’m willing to bet he’ll go for Batman or whatever we see at the stores. And there’ll probably be dog costumes somewhere. Sigh. I wish there was time to do everything…I have way too many hobbies!
My husband has spent a lot of time deer hunting this week, which means dinnertimes have been just me and the kids…which also means I’m not cooking much. Usually during hunting season, D & A and I will have leftovers, “silly nights” (plain old cereal), sandwiches, or homemade pizza for dinner. I’m looking forward to Big Daddy getting home before dark again so I can cook something hearty. Like a big old pot of beans and some cornbread!
I wish I had some photos of this meal. It’s SO good. I’ve planned to take them before, but in the distraction of dinnertime, I always forget. Just close your eyes for a moment, and imagine the fragrant, soupy beans and yummy white rice and steamy cornbread. (Hungry yet?)
Okay, so first the beans. This recipe is from a very entertaining cookbook called Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Although it’s been several years, I’ve read most of the books in her Mitford series, and the characters are so lovable and real, I feel like I know them. And the food! Possibly every chapter mentions a meal of some sort. Every character has a favorite food (Orange Marmalade Layer Cake!), and you just can’t go wrong with a novel full of real characters who love to eat. The cookbook is full of recipes for dishes that are mentioned in the books, with some of the author’s favorite recipes included as well. She says that the pot of beans is one of her favorite things to cook while she’s writing (the other being a roasted chicken). I personally like to cook these beans on Wednesdays, when we have to eat like senior citizens at 4:45 in order to get to Wednesday night activities at church on time. I just start them after lunch, let ‘em cook, then whip up a pot of rice and some cornbread right before early-bird time. I do one thing differently than the recipe, though. Instead of using regular paprika, I use smoked paprika. It makes the beans taste like there’s bacon in them, or maybe a smoked ham hock. My husband, the original meat-and-three devotee, doesn’t believe me when I tell him these don’t have meat in them. I also make a few other changes, and they’re noted below.
Jan’s Pot of Beans
adapted from Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader
- 1 lb. mixed dried beans, picked over (I use cranberry or yellow-eyed beans)
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter (I use 1 TBSP; no need to get crazy with the butter)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion (I just use one big onion and don’t bother to measure)
- 3 cloves minced garlic (I skip bc we’re not huge garlic fans)
- 1 TBSP dried rosemary (I use 2 tsp)
- 1 TBSP dried thyme (I use 2 tsp)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ham hock (I omit this because of the next ingredient…)
- 1 TBSP paprika (Smoked!!!)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt (or kosher)
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- chopped Vidalia onions, for serving
Okay, I guess I change almost everything in the recipe. That’s just me. Anyway, you quick soak your beans by rinsing them, putting them in a pot with enough water to cover, bringing them to a boil, and boiling for one minute. Then you turn off the heat, cover, and let them sit for one hour. Drain and set aside, cleaning out your pot for the next step.
Melt butter and olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Saute onion (and garlic, if you like that) until soft. Add beans, enough FRESH water to cover (don’t use the old water or you’ll be sorry later), herbs, paprika and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until beans are just tender. Add water as necessary–you’ll want the beans to be soupy. Add salt at the very end to taste.
I serve these sans Vidalias, and only my hubs uses Tabasco. I ladle them into bowls, top with an ice-cream scoop of cooked white rice (a la the lunch lady), and serve with my mom’s buttermilk cornbread.
Comfort food at its finest. :)
I love beans.
I could cook them every day, if my husband would let me! We love them in tacos (I just add a can of black or pinto beans to the taco meat)…in soup…in chili…in dip…and even by themselves. I thought since I’ve had such a love affair with them, maybe it’s time to post some recipes!
The first one is what Joanna would call a Lazy Butt recipe, easy chicken chili. It’s a great recipe, because it can be thrown together in minutes, then you can do something else while it cooks. I made it last night and baked a chocolate cake while it cooked.
Start with a big pot, 4.5 quarts at least. Put in 3-4 cans of beans. I usually use 2 cans of black beans, one can of pintos, and one can of kidney beans. Open up a package of taco seasoning and dump it in. Taco Fresco is great and all-natural; it has no fillers or anything else gross. Then add a jar of salsa. I use medium organic salsa. Heat this up to a low boil, then drop a couple of chicken breasts in. Cover and let simmer until the chicken is cooked, then remove and shred the chicken, stir it back in, and serve with cheese and cornbread or tortilla chips.
I love that recipe because it makes enough to turn the leftovers into two more meals…a few nights later, cook a pot of brown rice and stir it into the chicken chili, then serve in homemade tortillas with cheese…burritos! And then the next night, make some more burritos and put them in a baking pan, cover with enchilada sauce and cheese, and freeze for a time when you need a quick dinner. The chili is so good in all of its forms. I try not to serve all three meals three nights in a row, though. ;0)
Maybe that’s enough for one post. Stay tuned for “I love beans, Part 2″!
