Ian’s driving along seeing barcodes
In the stands of denuded trees Continue reading
Driving Through Bar Codes
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Monthly Archives: November 2010
Cuban Black Bean Soup
I love black bean soup, probably as much as any soup I know. This time I thought I’d take it away from the Southwestern palate I usually go for and try something more Cuban or Caribbean. Considering the ham hock I threw in, I’m not sure exactly where it wound up being from.
Word is that it turned out pretty well, though.
click on image for slide show
Images:
- Today’s soup, Cuban black bean, though I’ve kind of got a yen to add some chipotle chili (didn’t do it though).
- Oh yeah…and a ham hock.
- Today weapon of choice…my Presto Multi-Cooker. The world’s fastest slowcooker. Seriously, why use a crock pot when you can saute and simmer in the same pot?
- Damn sexy onion.
- Damn sexy pepper. Edward Weston, eat your heart out.
- Onion, green pepper, garlic, happily sauteing some olive oil.
- Great little ham hock. Worth puffing and puffing that little house down for.
- One lb black beans, soaked overnight and drained
- Put it all together, add six cups water.
- We get it to a boil. Then back down to a simmer and skim the foam…
- Salted, simmering for the next three hours. Got to pop out and get cumin…
- One heaping teaspoon cumin, making a late arrival to the party. Cuban black bean soup recipes often call for oregano, but I’m not feeling the love.
- Black bean soup isn’t really black. Do you think I could add some octopus ink?
- A teaspoon of vinegar for brightness.
- A swoosh of sour cream to finish!
Romancing the Character
Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Sometimes I wish I’d gotten an education, rather than a bunch of degrees. Maybe I’d understand more about what makes people tick if I had. Take the business of romanticism, which I’m convinced is at the heart of genre fiction, particularly SF and Mystery.
When I was in high school, I had no idea what “Romance” meant, except that was about being in love. Then I read Heinlein’s “Tunnel in the Sky” and got my first clue. Continue reading
November 2010 Bookbrowse
I could easily spend half a day wandering up and down the aisles in Barnes and Noble checking out books and magazines. Once in a great while I actually buy one. Here’s November’s browse, including the three shelves of New Science Fiction. See if you can spot your favorite authors there.
Why Can’t Detroit Build A Corolla? Don’t Be So Sure They Haven’t.
Driving home listening to Marketplace on NPR, which makes me feel smart, even though my real brilliance lies in letting my wife handle our money, a story about GM’s IPO brought me up short when the President asked why we couldn’t build a car as good as a Corolla. Because I’m pretty sure I was driving one. Continue reading