Rice & Beans

On Tuesday our family was all gathered together with the senior missionary couple that is serving the military families in our ward.  We were discussing gratitude and the story if Christ and the ten lepers. The question was posed to #1 "Why is it difficult to be grateful at times?" I'm sorry to say that after two days I've already forgotten most of our discussion, but I do remember #1 saying something about "If all you had to eat all the time was rice and beans..." I smiled when Elder S. said "Don't you like rice and beans?" #1's response was genuine, "I Love rice and beans, but if you only focus on having the same food again, you won't really appreciate all the hard work that went into preparing it for you."

You might guess that during the 10 years that my children and I supported my Hubband through college and dental school, we ate beans quite a lot. Fortunately, my Hubband has always been very encouraging of my culinary abilities.  Like many new brides I didn't know much about cooking and started out with frozen meals and a lot of baked goods. I LOVE to bake!!! Especially in the winter time when the house is cold.

The vey first meal that I learned to cook almost completely from scratch as a bride was Chili.  We had been given some ground venison that my brother-in-law had shot and shared. I had no idea how to prepare it, I'd never eaten deer before. I called my mom and she suggested chili, so I picked up my courage and drove to the store. I armed myself with a couple cans of red beans, and a chili seasoning packet; grabbed the fixings I needed to make corn bread and off I went to battle with my kitchen. It wasn't a flop, I was amazed. Our hungry bellies were fed and I was excited that I had a new recipe in my arsenal. It was a great confidence booster.

Over the years my recipes and skills have evolved, and I have become great friends with the Internet. Hubband loves when I invent a new recipe or improve on an old favorite. He asks me how sauces or cheesy soups can be made smoother, or what makes the cheese curdle in certain recipes. And I have my homework cut out for me to find the answer and practice my new knowledge. My new favorite form of encouragement came this weekend when Hubband presented me with a proposition. "If you make dinner, I will wash the dishes. EVERYDAY."

Anyone that knows me could tell you I didn't need to be asked twice. I love having him home at nights! In our whole married career, I have rarely had the opportunity to have him home to help me put the kids to bed at night, let alone actually getting to sit down for meals together. Now I have a clean kitchen and way more energy and motivation to "Kick it up a notch." (Sorry that's not my cute family.)

One of my favorite things I have learned over the years of cooking beans from dry is that you absolutely must salt your water before you start cooking them. The other is that if you are going to be seasoning your beans in your finished dish, just add the seasonings at the beginning with the salt so they can pick up the flavor while they are boiling. So, even though dry beans have to cook for HOURS, they taste So much better than canned beans. Yes I am guilty of letting my pot boil dry, and I've burned more beans (and rice) than I'd care to admit, mostly because I've lost count, but I am so happy that this is one of my family's favorite meals. They motivate my creativity.

Today I'll end with one of my dad's favorite quotes from when I was little:

"Beans, beans are good for your heart. 

The more you eat, the more you're SMART! 

The more you're smart, the better you feel. 

So eat your beans at every meal."