Black beans and car dents

I've been reading about some of the best nutrition-packed foods, and black beans are up there on the list. Lots of fiber and protein, and very low glycemic index. So last night a poured a bag of beans into a big bowl of water to rehydrate them. After an hour the beans were almost twice as big. I let them sit over night (and added more water as needed as the beans expanded) and then boiled them for about an hour and fifteen minutes to cook them. Justin actually stirred them a bit in the middle because I had to run to the store for some final ingredients for dinner and some beer.

So I'm walking out to my car from Hy-Vee (man, am I going to miss Hy-Vee up in Alaska!!) with my purchases. I following this guy and his 3 kids down the isle, and they apartently were parked next to me. The oldest kid of the three ran for the front passenger door beating his siblings and flung the door open. I was just at the back bumper of my car and then "thunk!!" That brat dented my front fender with the door!! My mouth just dropped and the father yelled at the kid. I don't think he saw me standing there at that point, so I cleared my throat a little just to imform my presence. "Oh ma'am....I guess I'll be paying for your car." Damn right you will! I got his information, tossed my groceries into the back, then walked down the strip mall to Wine and Spirits. Much needed at this point.

So I get back home and make dinner. I stongly believe that cooking is therapeutic. Sauteeing vegetables is one of my favs. I tossed some sliced green pepper and onion into the cast iron and went to work. After about 15 minutes of slowly tossing the veggies, all better! A couple stirs of the black beans that are just about tender and gathering the rest of the ingredients. And... voila. Veggie tacos! Today was green pepper and onion, black beans, diced tomato and some jalapeno, sour cream and cheese, sliced green and cilantro. Yummy sweet cilantro. Hands down my favorite herb... wait - basil. But a close second! And to pair with it - one of my favorite wheat beers, Blue Star from North Coast Brewing Co. I first had this at El Bait Shop in downtown Des Moines. I remember I was with my friend Emily and the wall which was actually a garage door was open and it was a great summer night. I think I had a few Blue Stars that night if I remember correctly... :D

And I got some more fresh flowers as well. My sister has got me started on this kick of having fresh flowers around all the time. She worked as a florist for a while and was always bringing home fresh flowers. My mom is absolutely spoiled - several times a week my sister would be scrounging for another vase and filling the counters and tables with arrangements. I would have liked to add a few more greens to this, but they didn't have any! I LOVE bells of Ireland, but my Hy Vee doesn't carry them. Or large tea leaves. Whatever, they still look nice.

I've also started another knitting project. I'm making socks. I've never knit a pair, and I've always been told they are super easy. This pattern has me using size 2 needles, so this could take a while....

Lately

So it's been a while since my last post. I've been busy. I've gone to Alaska, twice. Justin went with my on the first trip and I went solo and the second, but I was visiting clinics after some job interviews to help make a decision on the best fit for me. And - I've made my decision!! I'm going to be joining a private practice PT clinic in Anchorage. I'm very excited. Justin and I will move this summer, so that means we have lots of stuff to do to get ready. And that means emptying out our freezer... preheat the oven!

And just because I've been busy and off traveling doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I made chocolate cupcakes for one of the residency guys. Now this was interesting. I got this cupcake book a couple months ago that has some fun and different recipes. I tried out their chocolate standard cupcake, but it's a vegan recipe. I followed the recipe to a tee - and I usually fudge a couple ingredients one way or another. I did everything just like the recipe and they turned out like crap. The batter was really thick and fudge-like, but after 10 minutes or so in the oven they completely fell and caved in. After they cooled, they were bitter and just awful. I support the vegan eaters and all, but I want eggs and milk in my recipes. Oh, and I made chocolate ganache. YUM!! So I made a different batch of chocolate cupcakes and topped them off with chocolate ganache. Lesson learned - eggs make a difference.

My aunt made italian wedding soup from scratch a while back so I thought I'd try my hand at it. I used some sweet italian sausage as the base for the meatballs. I added parsley, parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs, and of course - garlic. In the broth I cooked carrots, spinach, and then some mini bow tie noodles. After the meatballs were nice and browned and the noodles to the perfect al dente - combine and serve. Sooo good. Very simple meal that just hit the spot.

I've made desserts and goodies for Justin to take to work, and a fair amount over the past 3 years. You ask any one of the guys in the department and they will most likely say the salted nut roll bars are the best. I'm famous at the lab just for these treats. I could eat half a pan of these things. If you like the candy bar salted nut roll, or even the salty sweet combination in general, these are just right. I got this recipe from a coworker, and I've made them several times since. The base layer is yellow cake mix, eggs, and melted butter. You bake the crumbly mix for a bit, then toss mini marshmallows ove the top and let them get gooey in the oven for 2-3 min. You make this caramely peanut buttery syrup with rice crispies and peanuts mixed in and then spoon it over the top of the gooey mallows. Unfortunately, these take FOREVER to cool, so you are stuck with that awesome smell in the kitchen and no nibble for about 2 hours. But once they do... oh mama!! I brought a couple to campus, and sure enough, they got great reviews there as well!

So now that I'll be home for a bit - I'll try to keep more recent blog updates. Now to just start thinking what I want to make next...