Well, last week I decided to try my first menu addition...red beans and rice. I found a recipe here and decided to give it a go.
Here's a shot of my ingredients list:
Do you see the marked through ingredients? That means I didn't have them on hand. So what did I do? I just left them out! Except, that is, for the celery seed. I used caraway seed instead, since it also starts with a "c" and uses the word seed. And yes, that was my actual logic behind the decision. Feel free to mock me mercilessly in your comments; I won't even delete them, because I deserve it! Well, also because I love having comments of any kind.
2) Then I rinsed them and covered them with water in a large pot.
3) JK, I actually turned on the burner.
4) Then I went to check my FB notifications because I had posted my weekly pics of Madison and I thrive on people's "likes" and comments. They make me happy. Thirty minutes later, I heard Pat arrive. And I promptly swore. Okay, I just said "cr@p", but by some people's standards that's a naughty word. And why did I (semi)curse? Because I was supposed to get the beans to a boil and then immediately turn them down to a simmer. Instead, I brought them to a boil and then forgot about them, resulting in this:
In spite of my epic fail, the beans did smell pretty good. Good enough that Pat was willing to try out a crunchy bean:
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| 50 Points if you spot me! |
He approved, so we decided I'd try again the next day. I repeated steps one through three, and in place of the fourth step I actually stayed in the kitchen and turned the burner down this time:
So I served it over a bed of rice (doesn't that sound fancy?) and enjoyed our new, cheap, healthy dinner.
Here's the breakdown:
Cost per meal: $1(and that includes leftovers for lunch the next day!)
Calories per serving: 350
Tastiness factor: 4/10
Health factor: 8/10
We'd love to hear your comments. Have you burned beans recently? Do you obsess over checking out people's "likes" and comments on FB as much as I do? Have you made shamelessly corny jokes about heaters or other household equipment on your blogs?
-Kelli
Oh Kelli . . . thanks for the good laugh this morning. That picture of Pat tasting the bean somehow has a professional look to it as if it were being shot for a magazine or something. Yes, I did see your reflection in the door. I found it funny that he was tasting the bean outside the house and not in the kitchen???? :) I am going to have to try this recipe since I bought some dry beans a LONG time ago and have yet to cook them. The soaking factor always deters me. Hmmmm? Shouldn't that be the easy part?
ReplyDeleteBecky
50 points for me - found you. 100 point to you because you actually cook...me, not so much. Never actually!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't think I have burned beans before, but I have let them simmer for way way way too long. They got to be like a thick chunky paste. They still tasted good though. I think I brought them to a family function like that one time:)
ReplyDeleteI think I'll have to try to make these. With Brian out of town, it will be an easy meal for just me and Luke. I'll be crossing out a bunch of those ingredients too. And yes, I like getting comments on the blog too:)
Becky, he was outside because that's where I brought the pot of beans when I realized what had happened. It did smell good, but the smell was STRONG!
ReplyDeleteEmily, in the interest of full disclosure, my mom finished fixing it while Pat and I went for a run, so I can't claim full credit.
Christie, I would recommend making it the day before and sticking it in the fridge. I had the leftovers for lunch yesterday and they were WAY better the second time around. It's funny how that works out.
haha! Caraway seed! you crack me up!
ReplyDeleteKelly - Christie shared your blog with me and I have enjoyed your humorous posts - you have one faithful reader in Austin!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I do love to get feedback as much as you. Everyone that writes has an audience in mind; it is nice if the audience talks back on occasion!
Thanks, Angie! You made my day. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't burned beans, but I did set our oven on fire when I was first learning to make apple pie from scratch. That should make you feel better. Haha!
ReplyDeleteShauney, wow! All I got from that was "from scratch"! I'm actually impressed. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks! It was hard at first(hence the part about a fire in the oven...), but now I can make it in an hour and a half ( including peeling the apples, slicing them, and making the crust). If you want the recipe I can send it to you. It is fairly cheap too! You can also freeze them (pre-baked) for later.
ReplyDeleteWell, I sent a long-winded comment, and then lost it because of the stupid "select profile" thing, so I guess I'll say it all again and just put anonymous, but this is from Aunt Vira!
ReplyDeleteI asked if I could come live with you because I love beans, and my family won't eat them. (P.S. I'm a pretty good baby sitter, too!) I haven't burned beans in a very long time, but I usually boil them over at least once, and sometimes more than once, because I try to multi-task at the "bringing to a boil" stage and I forget that I've put them on to cook. That irritates the stew out of me, because then I have a big mess to clean up. Becky, you don't have to soak them. If you forget to soak them overnight, just cover them with water, bring to a boil, turn the pot off, and let them sit there, covered, for about an hour. Then pour that water off, rinse them, cover them with more water, and cook. Works real good. Kell, I don't obsess about comments and "likes" because I usually don't remember that I even posted anything. That's a hazard (or blessing?) to getting old. Some day you'll understand. Love your blog. Keep it up!
Shauney, I'd love the recipe! I'll send you a FB message to get it, and the next time I'm feeling ambitious I'll give it a shot. After double checking our smoke detector. ;)
ReplyDeleteAunt Vira, we've got a bed waiting for you! I lol'd at your reason for not obsessing over "likes". :)
Thx for the comments!
After all the refusals to eat beans while growing up, I am thrilled you are trying to acquire a taste!! Mom
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