Welcome to Adventure
Hello Friends! (and Future Friends)
I'm trying to eliminate plastic from my life. I know. It's a big task. Many people have been *kind* enough to explain to me how I cannot succeed at this venture. But I'm not an absolutist. I understand on many levels this is impossible. But I believe trying is better than accepting our "fate" if you will. I believe in challenging this "plastic is here to stay" attitude is the only way we see any change. I believe in modeling behavior I wish to see in others--to show it's not as hard as one might fear.
Anyway, that's a little about me. Something else you should know about me is that I love to learn. I especially love to learn by doing. I love to challenge myself to come up with a solution when faced with an unexpected task.
This brings me to story time; the beginning of tonight's adventure. My Church is having its annual weekend at the local Christian camp. I'm really looking forward to it. I love spending time with this small group of lovely, dedicated, and interesting people. I love kayaking on the lake. I love seeing the stars. I love having a campfire and roasting hotdogs (I don't know why, but I LOVE hotdogs). I love singing together in beautiful nature. Let's just say, I look forward to this weekend each year.
So tonight a couple who had signed up to bring baked beans to our campfire pot luck texted me to check in and to let me know they couldn't make it Saturday after all. Sad day. At least they can still come for worship on Sunday. But moving on to the practical issue, I decided I'd bring the baked beans instead. I have a fantastic cookbook that I just swear by (More-With-Less by Doris Jansen Longacre for those who are interested), which has a recipe called "Basic Baked Beans." Can't go wrong with that, can we?
Well, one of the tenets of More-With-Less is the value of using dry beans in cooking. They're cheap and full of nutrients. The only difficulty is that they take hours to soak and cook into a soft, edible form. Obviously this requires planning. I've been intentionally developing the skill of planning since trying to eliminate plastic for the last few months. However, I'm still not the best at this--example: tonight I remembered to take my mason jars to the co-op to buy my beans in bulk, but I forgot my canvas bags. Fail. I decided to make this recipe at about 7 pm. My carpool to camp leaves at 10:15 the next morning. I do not have hours to soak the beans and then bake them for another 4-8 hours. It's not happening.
So what's a woman to do? Well, just so happens that one of my aunts gave me her old pressure cooker about a month prior. I've never used a pressure cooker and I couldn't remember the instructions she and another aunt verbally gave me with the pot. But they both told me to call anytime to get more help with it. Now, growing up, my extended family wasn't very close. I only saw my family about once or twice a year. So for much of my life I've been rather shy around them. As I've grown into a young adult I've decided I want to be closer with them and have real relationships with them. So, in the past I would have ignored such an invitation for fear of intruding. But not tonight! I called both aunts but was only able to reach one. She walked me through how many dried beans my pot can cook, and how much water to use. She gave me tips on what to do if something gets scary, and encouraged me to send her a report when the whole recipe is said and done.
Well the cooker worked lovely. The beans turned out tender and flavorful. The recipe called for the cooking water, but what was left over I put in a freezer container to use as broth for future recipes. I also learned how to make a delicious and easy barbaque sauce that I hope to replicate while creative cooking. But for now, the beans are in the oven. It's late. I should pack. I hope I'll wake up to check on the beans in the middle of the night. I'll keep working on this planning thing. Thanks for joining me tonight on this little, everyday kind of adventure. I'll try to give a report on how the baked beans turn out.
Until next time, take care.
I'm trying to eliminate plastic from my life. I know. It's a big task. Many people have been *kind* enough to explain to me how I cannot succeed at this venture. But I'm not an absolutist. I understand on many levels this is impossible. But I believe trying is better than accepting our "fate" if you will. I believe in challenging this "plastic is here to stay" attitude is the only way we see any change. I believe in modeling behavior I wish to see in others--to show it's not as hard as one might fear.
Anyway, that's a little about me. Something else you should know about me is that I love to learn. I especially love to learn by doing. I love to challenge myself to come up with a solution when faced with an unexpected task.
This brings me to story time; the beginning of tonight's adventure. My Church is having its annual weekend at the local Christian camp. I'm really looking forward to it. I love spending time with this small group of lovely, dedicated, and interesting people. I love kayaking on the lake. I love seeing the stars. I love having a campfire and roasting hotdogs (I don't know why, but I LOVE hotdogs). I love singing together in beautiful nature. Let's just say, I look forward to this weekend each year.
So tonight a couple who had signed up to bring baked beans to our campfire pot luck texted me to check in and to let me know they couldn't make it Saturday after all. Sad day. At least they can still come for worship on Sunday. But moving on to the practical issue, I decided I'd bring the baked beans instead. I have a fantastic cookbook that I just swear by (More-With-Less by Doris Jansen Longacre for those who are interested), which has a recipe called "Basic Baked Beans." Can't go wrong with that, can we?
Well, one of the tenets of More-With-Less is the value of using dry beans in cooking. They're cheap and full of nutrients. The only difficulty is that they take hours to soak and cook into a soft, edible form. Obviously this requires planning. I've been intentionally developing the skill of planning since trying to eliminate plastic for the last few months. However, I'm still not the best at this--example: tonight I remembered to take my mason jars to the co-op to buy my beans in bulk, but I forgot my canvas bags. Fail. I decided to make this recipe at about 7 pm. My carpool to camp leaves at 10:15 the next morning. I do not have hours to soak the beans and then bake them for another 4-8 hours. It's not happening.
So what's a woman to do? Well, just so happens that one of my aunts gave me her old pressure cooker about a month prior. I've never used a pressure cooker and I couldn't remember the instructions she and another aunt verbally gave me with the pot. But they both told me to call anytime to get more help with it. Now, growing up, my extended family wasn't very close. I only saw my family about once or twice a year. So for much of my life I've been rather shy around them. As I've grown into a young adult I've decided I want to be closer with them and have real relationships with them. So, in the past I would have ignored such an invitation for fear of intruding. But not tonight! I called both aunts but was only able to reach one. She walked me through how many dried beans my pot can cook, and how much water to use. She gave me tips on what to do if something gets scary, and encouraged me to send her a report when the whole recipe is said and done.
Well the cooker worked lovely. The beans turned out tender and flavorful. The recipe called for the cooking water, but what was left over I put in a freezer container to use as broth for future recipes. I also learned how to make a delicious and easy barbaque sauce that I hope to replicate while creative cooking. But for now, the beans are in the oven. It's late. I should pack. I hope I'll wake up to check on the beans in the middle of the night. I'll keep working on this planning thing. Thanks for joining me tonight on this little, everyday kind of adventure. I'll try to give a report on how the baked beans turn out.
Until next time, take care.
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