It’s Dinner!

I think I’ve said that, before…  it’s pretty much the theme of this blog. But, here we are…

As I said last Wednesday, I’ve had a chance for some classes and workshops for professional development. I’ve also had a busy work week. So meals have been rushed, life has been hectic, and this blog has been… neglected a little…

I’ve also been learning more about photography, which, in the long run is good – but right now, it means I’m in the learning curve – and taking some pretty bad and blurry pictures. So I don’t even have many usable pictures of the things I have cooked!

But this is what I did, to get some decent meals… I cooked a pound of blackeyed peas in the slow cooker, with some root vegetables. I soaked the beans overnight, then drained them, put them in the slowcooker, and covered them with water. I chopped an onion, and sauteed it lightly with garlic chili paste, and added it. Then I also added a chopped parsnip, and a chopped carrot. Covered the cooker, and set it on low for 8 hours. We ate some that night, and packed the rest in containers for the fridge.

(I have had a request to talk about cooking beans. I will say more about them in a week or so – but this is what I often do with them.)

The day I was getting home late, I thawed some ham I had in the freezer. And I had some cooked broccoli rabe from a few days earlier, and put rice in the rice cooker.

When I got home, I cut the ham into cubes. (If I had been thinking, I’d have asked RIch to do that when I was on my way…) I tossed the ham into a saute pan, and heated it, to brown it just a little. Then I added a pint of beans (rinsing the container out with a little water, and adding it to the pot.) I used kitchen scissors to snip the greens in little bits, and added them when the beans had come to a boil. While it heated, I put rice on the plates – and then served the bean mixture over it.

The sweetness of the carrot and parsnip,and the heat of the chili paste gave the mixture plenty of flavor. And the whole thing was ready in less than 10 minutes.

Really, I couldn’t have picked up takeout that quickly… it did what I needed. And it did taste good.

This week is hectic, too…  but then I should be back to normal. A little busier than I have been,  which is good – but not crazy like this. And home in time to cook!