so...you have beer...and have to do something with it...and it's only monday....

LISA'S EASY BEER BREAD RECIPE>>>>>>> 3C self-rising flour>>>>>>> 1 can beer>>>>>>> mix>>>>>>> add cheese, if you want (dribs and drabs of whatever leftover cheese good here)>>>>>>> dump into pammed/greased 9x5 loaf pan>>>>>>> bake 350 for 50 minutes>>>>>>> let cool in pan>>>>>>> slice and enjoy toasted with butter or cheese or just crumble onto chili>>>>>>> also makes good muffins (easier to serve than slicing bread)>>>>>>> use whatever beer...old beer....that can/bottle that someone left at your house...that beer that you find in the back of the fridge from who knows what old celebration>>>>>>> can use soda instead of beer....ginger ale better than orange soda but any will work>>>>>>>

the good, the bad and the ugly about being with the same person for 30+ years

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MARRIED FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS>>>>>>> I have been married to Joe, the LOML (to use Dedra’s favorite hashtag), for 30+ years. For those who envy that or wonder what that would be like, let me tell you this. >>>>>>> It’s not all easy and rosy, like the beginning of a love affair.>>>>>>> So, let me tell you what it is like to be married for years and years and years. And, to be efficient, I must number them.>>>>>>> 1. Being married to Joe since i was in my early 20’s means that I’ve never been to a restaurant by myself. Yes, i did go to Wendy’s twice (take-away) while on an educational week with my church but eating a baked potato, sitting on the bed in my dorm room doesn’t really make for a “gourmet dining experience”.>>>>>>> 2. I have never bought a movie ticket to see a movie alone....or even with friends. I have been to movies with Joe and with our kids but never without them.>>>>>>> 3. I have only traveled alone once (see: education week with my church) and it was lonely.>>>>>>> 4. If Joe is asleep or sick (like today), i can go the entire day without speaking. It’s that or talk to the cats (see: crazy cat lady).>>>>>>> 5. Joe chose our first home in Charlottesville,VA and has predominantly done so for the other homes that we’ve bought. I have never sought/negotiated a mortgage.>>>>>>> 6. I get up every morning, before Joe, do my quiet/alone yoga and have breakfast. I make his coffee. I make his breakfast. I go in and quietly, gently wake him up. Every morning. For 30+ years.>>>>>>> 7. He cannot make his own coffee...he has me.>>>>>>> 8. He doesn’t know how much cereal he has in the cupboard.>>>>>>> 9. He doesn’t know where in the supermarket to find his “favorite” cereal or which one that is (which brand do I like again?).>>>>>>> 10. He never has to refill the supply of coffee, milk, or cereal b/c he has me.>>>>>>> 11. He doesn’t have to wake up and wonder if it’s time to get up or just roll over and go back to sleep. If I don’t come in, he can lounge, laze, and go back to sleep. Without worry that he’ll be late to the gym.>>>>>>> 12. I have never known what our mortgage payment was, what we paid for houses or cars. I’ve never spent more than $500 on anything except his first iPod...$600 from my Mary Kay account. Every “big” purchase has been handled by Joe.>>>>>>> 13. I don’t speak Spanish and live in a country where Spanish is the national language. Joe does all the translating and interacting to “get things done”. I do “grocery and restaurant Spanish”...basically, i know the names of the foods/veg that i eat and can find those. Beyond that, I rely on him to do everything.>>>>>>> 14. I cook. He does the dishes after lunch/dinner. Every day. >>>>>>> 15. Joe hasn’t done a load of laundry since before we got married. I started doing our laundry before we got engaged in 1990 and have done so ever since. I wash it, hang it on the line, retrieve it, and fold it. He puts his away. >>>>>>> 16. Joe does all the finances. Always has. I’ve never balanced a checkbook, bought or sold a stock or fund, refinanced a house/mortgage, done anything with retirement accounts. >>>>>>> 17. I have never done anything to do with the IRS. He has done our taxes since we got together. Are we getting money back this year? Are we paying this year? Darned if i know!>>>>>>> 18. Joe doesn’t know where anything “goes” in the kitchen cabinets. He does the dishes but, if he empties the dish drainer, puts a stack of “orphans” on the counter for me to put away. We have lived here for 3+ years.>>>>>>> 19. Joe picks all the vacation spots that we’ve been to. Always has. After our many years together, he knows what i would like. I’ve never been on a bad vacation. >>>>>>> 20. I have no idea what my income was any year that i worked. I had automatic deposit and gave the paystubs/receipts to him when i received them. I didn’t manage my retirement withdrawals except to know that i put the maximum into retirement each year. >>>>>>> 21. Joe has no idea when it is time to flea-treat the cats, go to the dentist, get the house sprayed for bugs (necessary living in the tropics!).....my calendar takes care of all of that.>>>>>> 22. I maintain the house calendar to keep track of when the housekeeper is coming, when we are getting together with friends, which date is the doctor/dentist appointment and can we accommodate another appointment or is that day already booked?>>>>>>> 23. I have never sprayed a wasp/hornet nest, climbed up to empty gutters, cut down the big bunch of bananas in the tree or moved heavy furniture. Joe does all the he-man lifting.>>>>>>> 24. I have no nose so i changed the majority of the diapers (he had to do a couple with Alessandra when i was working the first year at night but rarely...never with Christian). And i empty the litter box...and always have. Puking kids? That would be my job too. >>>>>>> 25. Last, but not least, i never have to worry who i will have dinner with, play games with, travel with, and generally do all the fun things in my life. I live with my bestest friend...every day is like a playdate. >>>>>>>

go to your room

When i was young and misbehaved, my mother would do the "wait until your father gets home" thing. Upon hearin of my offense, my dad would always say..."go to your room". Then, he would finish whatever he was doing (eating dinner, watching a TV show, changing clothes, who knows?), and come up to fuss at me. Tell me how disappointed he was with whatever i had done. How he thought that i was better than this. How i was less than he had thought that i was. Often, this was bad enough. Just thinking about it now is making me stomach tense and flip. Anyway, then he would inflict whatever punishment seeme appropriate to him.>>>>>>I am a lot older now but still hate the "we need to talk about this" delay that sometimes comes up in relationships. I have that going on now and have been sick with worry for days...>>>>>>>I had a friend that i saw every week. We had her and her husband over for lunch/games or we went to the their house. We went on walks, just the two of us. But, mostly, we sat on her porch and chatted. It was a good friendship. But, every so often, she would just disappear. We wouldn't hear from her for weeks on end then she would be back with a glib excuse of "i got bogged down with financial stuff" or "we have family coming to visit so i needed a couple weeks to get ready...then their visit....then a month to recover..."(happened three times, even when we entertained the family at our home or hosted them at a restaurant). And, she has friends that don't like me (different story for a different day). So...her ghosting me lately is not an extraordinary event. But it has been over six months.>>>>>>>So, having seen an article in the Washington Post about a friend repeatedly ghosting the writer, i sent it to her and asked what was going on with her.>>>>>>>She responded "we need to talk...and this will be more than a 20 minute conversation...when can you do this?" When i offered that day or the next, i was told.."no, too soon...i might be able to do three days from now...but only in the morning...or any day the rest of that week".>>>>>>>So, essentially... "go to your room...i'll talk to you later"...So,.....i wait....and fret....I honestly don't know what i could have done or said, what i could have not done or said, that would have meritted losing this relationship. I have given up on it being restored...i just want to know what happened so that i don't similarly offend others going forward.>>>>>>> So, Monday afternoon will bring, maybe, some clarity.>>>>>>Maybe.>>>>>>>But at least i won't be as fraught with nerves and nauseated.....maybe. Joe thinks that i'm overreacting (and i am) but i can not just let it go. I want this to be over, one way or the other. I have never outgrown the want/need for "everyone to like me" and that there is someone (not just her but her friends as well) that doesn't like me makes my dread even worse.>>>>>>>Sigh.

Ruby Noodles from Nigella Lawson...and me

RUBY NOODLES is a recipe from Nigella Lawson...that i "improved" and served today, after wanting to make it for over a month. The stars finally aligned and i had an opening in our schedule of meals to shoehorn it in. I am so glad that i did. Both Hubster and i loved it and it is certainly pretty. Fancy and "company worthy"? Maybe not...but definitely going into our rotation..especially as it can be a "desperation dinner"-- what to make when the fridge/cupboard look a bit scanty....>>>>>>>RUBY NOODLES>>>>>>> 8 oz fettucine pasta>>>>>>>1-1/2 C beet juice (used the leftover water from steaming beets in my IP, i always have this in the freezer)>>>>>>>1-2t chopped ginger>>>>>>>1-2t chopped garlic>>>>>>>1T soy sauce and fish sauce (yes!! you _need_ the fish sauce!)>>>>>>>1 lime or lemon, zest and juice>>>>>>>1T cornstart and water slurry (for later, not with beet juice)>>>>>>>topping: 1T sesame seeds...and 1-3 chopped green onions>>>>>>>bring pot of water to boil, add fettucine and cook for ONLY 3 MINUTES, drain and set aside (yes, it is still really stiff and not cooked...work with me)>>>>>>>add rest except the sesame seeds and green onion, bring to boil, reduce to simmer, add parboiled fettucine, cook until done, about 5-7 more minutes>>>>>>>make a slurry of 1T cornstarch and 1T water, dump into cooked pasta to "firm up" the remaining beet juice liquid>>>>>>>cook 1 minute to thickened, serve with topping of sesame seeds and green onion (and dash of sesame oil or plain oil, if you want to be fancy)>>>>>>>i served mine with a side of veg and Hubster's with a side of sauteed sausage. Sosososo yummy! And quick! And RED!! Try it and you'll start saving beet juice all the time just to make this recipe!

ROYAL HAWAII'AN RESORT "RESORT FEE" BANANA BREAD

Honolulu's Royal Hawai'in Resort charges $49/night in resort fees. This covers access to the fitness center, WiFi, and a pair of their "signature" banana muffins. Here is the recipe...saving you $49/night....and allowing you to have as much banana bread as you wish. Aloha!>>>>>>> Royal Hawaiian Banana Bread>>>>>>> Makes 1 loaf>>>>>>>> Note: The Royal Hawaiian traditionally welcomes guests with its signature banana bread, still warm from the oven.>>>>>>>> 1 cup sugar>>>>>>> 2 large eggs>>>>>>> 1/2 cup shortening or vegetable oil>>>>>>> 4 to 5 ripe bananas, mashed>>>>>>> 2 cups all-purpose flour>>>>>>> 1/2 teaspoon baking powder>>>>>>> 1 teaspoon baking soda>>>>>>> 1/2 teaspoon salt>>>>>>> 1 teaspoon vanilla>>>>>>> Cinnamon to taste>>>>>>> 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped, or nuts of your choice, optional>>>>>>> 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8-by-4 inch loaf pan.>>>>>>> 2. Combine sugar, eggs and shortening. Add mashed bananas and mix well. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanillato to form a thick batter. Stir in nuts.>>>>>>> 3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.>>>>>>> — Courtesy of Quirino Domingo, pastry chef, Royal Hawaiian, Honolulu>>>>>>>

LISA'S LENTIL AND LEGUME LOVE

How easy is it to make lentils? Easier than Kraft macaroni and cheese! Seriously.. really really. Cheap, easy, and fast-- bad in qualities for your son's girlfriend, good in qualities for your cooking!>>>>>>>HOW TO MAKE LOTS 'O LENTILS>>>>>>> 1 C lentils (brown, cheap, ~$1/# bag).......3-4C water.......1 bay leaf (optional).......bring water to boil, put lentils and bay leaf in boiling water and turn heat waaaay down until the water is barely trembling with a low simmer.....have a life for 20 minutes (no longer!!).......drain lentils and remove bay leaf....that's it!!.......toss with BBQ sauce and put over a baked white/sweet potato.....put on rice with whatever other veg you might have in the fridge/freezer (free-form rice bowl).......or, do what i'm having tonight, and make a packet of Sloppy Joe mix *(.59 packet from Kroger/Smith's) using lentils instead of ground beef, served over toasted Hawaii'an rolls or hamburger buns.....use 1/2 and 1/2 in chili or other recipes that call for ground beef (more protein and less cost and the sauce/spices will make so that no one knows the difference-- double happiness!)>>>>>>>Let me know your lentil/legume success stories!!

LENTILS ARE JUST WAITING FOR THEIR HUMMUS MOMENT...and how to get more a more "lentilly legumey life"!

WHY AMERICANS SHOULD EAT LENTILS EVERY DAY...OR AT LEAST MORE OFTEN! >>>>>>> Lentils conceal their superpowers with a dowdy exterior. Pound for pound, raw lentils have more protein than steak. While not as protein-dense once cooked, they pack even more iron than meat, in addition to other vitamins and minerals.>>>>>>> Fast to cook, easy to store and exalted enough to be buried with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, these seeds have sustained empires. Roman soldiers lived on the essential portable protein over their long campaigns.>>>>>>> Today, the lentil is again on the front lines. This time, against climate change. While start-ups scramble to engineer a sustainable protein, from lab-grown meat to fake burgers, lentils are a ready solution, one with a proven record. The rest of the world has known this for millennia. From India’s red lentil to the French Le Puy to black “beluga” lentils, so named for their resemblance to caviar, the world grows about 6 million tons every year. Unlike corn and other grains, lentils can thrive on arid lands with little water where many other crops wither — while building up the soil. When it comes to combating climate change, the lentil may be the perfect legume. They’re also, as the caviar mention implies, delicious. So why do Americans eat fewer lentils than almost everyone else?Here’s how you can return the lentil to its rightful place at humanity’s table.>>>>>>> HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO LENTILS HAVE?>>>>>>> Lentils are pulses, or the edible seed of a legume plant. This category of dry beans or seeds — as opposed to fresh green beans — encompasses everything from black beans to chickpeas to pigeon peas. They’re older than agriculture, as archaeological evidence suggests humans collected wild varieties more than 13,000 years ago.>>>>>>> There’s a good reason. While not as dense or digestible as meat once they are cooked, lentils become a complete protein similar to meat when combined with many grains. They’re also a slow burn, satiating hunger for hours. And unlike red meats, particularly those that have been processed, lentils have none of the saturated fats and additives that raise the risks of cancer and heart disease. They also contain iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B, as well as most of the essential amino acids. “That’s one of the beauties of lentils,” says Bruce Maxwell, a plant ecologist at Montana State University. “It’s really high in the precursors for human health.”>>>>>>> HOW MUCH LEGUMES (BEANS) AMERICANS EAT:>>>>>>> Yet legumes remain sparse in the American diet, says Tim McGreevy, CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, a trade group. While Indians consume about 40 pounds of pulses per person annually, and Spaniards come close to 20 pounds per person, Americans remain in the low teens. One study estimated just 8 percent of the U.S. population eats pulses on any given day. That’s changing, as Americans expand their knowledge of lentils beyond the ones most people know: green, brown and red. Hundreds of varieties grown around the world, each with its own terroir, or characteristic flavor imparted by local soil and weather, are making their way to the United States, including the black “beluga” lentils; speckled, dark green French Puy; and large, lighter green Laird gaining popularity. McGreevy is just waiting for lentils to have their “hummus moment.”>>>>>>> For anyone not in the legume industry, the impact of hummus on American pulse consumption is hard to appreciate. While the general profile of legumes has risen alongside the popularity of plant-based food, particularly the Mediterranean diet, it was hummus that ignited Americans’ love of chickpeas, and the pulse family more broadly, says McGreevy. U.S. acreage devoted to chickpeas soared from virtually nothing in 1995 to around 1,200 square miles, more than twice the size of Los Angeles, by 2017, though it has since come back down somewhat. “Hummus was a paradigm shift. It was amazing,” says McGreevy. “Hummus is the gateway pulse.”>>>>>>> In March 2020, pulses received another boost when much of the United States shut down. During the pandemic, they flew off grocery shelves, and lentils were in particularly high demand. Sara Mader, CEO of Palouse Brand, one of the largest online pulse retailers, says the era of lentil sales can be divided into times before and after the pandemic. Annual sales of its brown Pardina lentil rose 860 percent after shutdowns in March 2020, compared to a year earlier. They haven’t slowed much since. Lentils are now one of Palouse Brand’s top three sellers, Mader says.>>>>>>> What’s good for you is also good for the land. America’s most popular crops, like wheat and corn, often degrade the soil over time. Legumes like lentils rebuild it. That’s what happened on Mader’s family farm, which grows crops under the Palouse Brand name. For 125 years, the family has farmed the rich soil of Washington state’s eastern flank, which has sediment deposited there after the last ice age. But after a century of cultivation, the region’s fertility was eroding fast. So in the 1930s, Mader’s family tried something different. They rotated chickpeas, peas and lentils into their wheat fields. By the 1980s, they also adopted no-till farming, leaving organic matter on the surface instead of plowing it.>>>>>>> While uncommon at the time, the Mader family’s embrace of legumes in Palouse, Wash., was prophetic. Today, about a third of the farm is always planted with legumes. And farms like Mader’s in North America now produce more than half the world’s crop of lentils in fields stretching from the Pacific Northwest to Canada’s interior. That’s rebuilding the region’s soil, and lowering carbon emissions. Lentils, like almost all legumes, pull nitrogen out of the air and deposit it underground, thanks to bacteria on their roots. Not only does this fertilize the legumes, it enables the soil to hold more nutrients and water for the next crop, displacing carbon-intensive nitrogen fertilizers. Even better, lentils generally need no irrigation, surviving on rainfall alone.>>>>>>> Farmers across the region now rotate lentils into their former monocultures of wheat. Mader says the soil health on her family’s farm is better than it has been in anyone’s lifetime. And we’ll need more farms like hers. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission, a collaboration by dozens of leading scientists, designed a diet capable of sustaining 10 billion people and the planet by 2050. The findings, peer-reviewed by the respected British medical journal Lancet, recommended doubling the amount of legumes in our diet, roughly equal to the amount of animal protein. “Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth,” the scientists wrote.>>>>>>> HOW TO EAT LENTILS;>>>>>>> If there’s a challenge for lentils in the United States, it’s that their biggest fans don’t live here. McGreevy says North American farmers are still shipping about 55 percent of their crop overseas, often to India and Europe. To expand lentils across the United States and Canada, farmers need a stable domestic market.>>>>>>>(still reading? send me a note telling me that you read this and i'll send you lentils..or a gift certificate to Ruth's Chris to get your bloody meat instead) Steve Sando, the founder of Rancho Gordo, is proving it’s possible. The founder of the heirloom bean purveyor, he has turned the humble bean into a coveted crop. Growing up in California’s wine country, he wondered why legumes weren’t accorded the same regard. So he started Rancho Gordo, sourcing and selling tasty beans from around the world. His “Bean Club” started as a joke, inspired by Napa’s pricey wine clubs. It now claims 20,000 members, with even more people on the waiting list. Yet as a child, even Sando disdained lentils. “I grew up on old bins of brown lentils at the food co-op,” he said. “I hated them.” That echoes many first impressions of the pulse: mushy, tasteless and boring. But new varieties and exciting preparations are on hand.>>>>>>> Fresh lentils are better, but you can store dry ones almost indefinitely (reportedly, they were still edible after thousands of years in Egyptian pyramids, says Tim McGreevy, CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.) Lentils are fast food. They cook in 20 to 40 minutes without soaking. You can brine them in salted water (4 cups water, 1 tsp salt for one hour) before cooking for extra flavor and to avoid bursting. Make one pot of lentils on Sunday. The same pot can be added to multiple meals, from a ginger-coconut soup to a mint-feta salad to curried onions. If a recipe calls for brown lentils, substitute other varieties (except red lentils, which break down rather than hold their structure). There are many lentil recipes. Here’s a collection to get creative. And of course, my favorite: braised lentils with red wine, heavy on the pour.>>>>>>> There’s the lentil-rich burger at the Burger Stand in Taos, N.M., topped with feta and roasted red pepper sauce. Refried lentils have been a crowd favorite at Viva, a Las Vegas Mexican restaurant. Barbecue lentils. Chocolate lentil brownies. Old-world classics like lentils and carrot salad with mustard vinaigrette, and lentils mushroom ragout. And of course, my favorite: braised lentils with red wine, heavy on the pour. Sando is a convert. Not only does Rancho Gordo sell multiple varieties of lentils, Sando eats them regularly as an indulgence — never as a sacrifice. “I’m an omnivore, but I love them so much I just eat less meat,” says Sando. “Food should be joyful, not penance.”>>>>>>> Could they ever become as American as apple pie? McGreevy says it’s just a matter of time. Not a day goes by when he doesn’t have a bowl. “I really have lentils for breakfast every morning,” says McGreevy, who cooks a pot each Sunday, enough for the entire week. “It sounds crazy, but my wife and I put a little butter and salt and pepper on them with an egg. I can go well past lunchtime before I need a snack. They just carry you a long way.”>>>>>>>