Doesn’t this pan lid look like it has big mean meanacing eyes!
So I made a HUGE blunder this weekend, and unfortunately this time the consequences were VERY high. I was cooking some dried beans to freeze for later usage. Well cooking beans takes all day. So I had soaked them over night and were now cooking them, they are supposed to simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. I left them on while going to work for an hour and when I got back they weren’t quite done, so I left them on simmer, what I didn’t realize was that I didn’t turn them off when I left the house to attend a recital and go out to dinner with friends. I remembered half way through the recital and made a mental note to run back before dinner and turn them off. Well I forgot. Tom and I arrived home that night to a house full of smoke and a pan full of charcoal.
grrrr! As Tom’s been saying: “We’re never cooking beans again- It’ll be cans from now on!”
Despite the 10 degree weather we opened up all the windows (because we literally couldn’t breath) and tried our best to air the place out. As fate would have it Tom had just done all the laundry and it was actually all still out plopped on our bed to be folded when we got back. As a result it all smells horridly of smoke, as does the rest of our house. We have been keeping the windows off and just sealing off our bedroom of office while we’re here to keep warm, but it is really quite bad. I was nauseous today because of the smoke in my clothes and singing was a little rough this afternoon with all the particles in the air. This weekend we will probably wash all our clothes again, and maybe rent a carpet cleaner. What a drag! If anyone has any great suggestions for removing smoke odors let us know!
Does that window look open? Well, it is. Does that look like 2 feet of snow? Why, it is!
4 responses to “The Bean Blunder!”
Kjirst,
I burn things all the time. One of my favorite sized pans is burned beyond repair. If you figure anything out to clean yours, let me know. I also almost never cook beans. They do take a lot of attention and I don’t feel like I ever get them truly soft. Maybe you should prepare a little cook book of all your exotic recipes and give them as a christmas present. I often feel like trying something new, but don’t want to waste the time or money with the ingredients if I’m not sure that it is going to be good. Just an idea. I can’t believe how much snow you have. Hope you are enjoying it. I’m certainly ready for spring. We didn’t even wear jackets today. Have you guys found any housing that you are interested in yet? Have you made summer plans. Are you really going to go to Tibet. I’ll be very sad if you can’t come see us all, but I will still love you. I was thinking about you and realized that we’ve used all our vacation time to go see family. We’ve never really gone anywhere together or as a family. We just can’t bear telling our family that we’re not coming that year. It was interesting to ponder if that was a good choice, or if alternatives would be better for our family. Mmmmm. I’d love to see you in Primary. I’ll bet you are great! Kids are so fun. I love you and so enjoy hearing from you.
Sabina
I just wanted to say, Count your Blessings! You could’ve burned your house down. My brother burned a spatula onto a frying pan a couple of months ago and the smell was atrocious as well. My mom washed the ceilings and walls with soapy water and just aired the house out with open windows the best she could.
You know, Tom’s right, beans in cans are not that expensive.
Dear Kjirsti,
Burning things is a dominate genetic trait that you inherited. Has something to do with the multitasking allele.
Love Dad
Kjirsti and Tom,
I have the perfect solution for you bean predicament: lentils. That’s right, lentils. I don’t even know where to begin listing their advantages. First of all they’re cheep. In our family that has always got to ring some bells. At 4.5 cents an ounce how can you complain. The only beans that can compete with that low price is pinto beans at 4.8 cents, but who eats pinto beans, honestly. If you want a dried bean that has any taste at all you are looking at 5.2 cents (red beans) and up. In addition, lentils are super healthy. They contain 10 grams of protein in every serving, not to mention 43% of your daily fiber. I know this is all sounding too good to be true but it is. Furthermore, lentils don’t require hours and hours of soaking. Give them about 20 minutes on the stove and you are good to go. No more waiting all day or over night before you can chow down. No more dangerous simmering episodes. Finally, lentils expand like crazy. I’m talking 1 and ½ cup fills a whole pot. I guess you could consider this a function of the cheapness advantage mentioned previously, but we like to give this perk its own attention (partially because if you think about it this means you only have to use a little to make a lot, which is always important to keep in mind when you consider food storage items). Oh, and I guess there’s one more thing—lentils taste great! I remember eating them back in my toddler and childhood years and hating them, but ever since I rediscovered the wonderful world of lentils in adulthood I have absolutely loved them. If your taste buds have matured as much as mine I’m sure you will love them too:)
P.S. Even if you are not convinced yet give us a call because Lauren just found the most amazing lentil vege soup recipe that we would love to share with you. Delicious!