a day of lists

I am a list maker.  No doubt about it.  And a list re-maker. And a list maker-again. And a list crosser-offer.  I love the feeling of getting things accomplished, even if they're little things, and being able to shout "woo-hoo!" ala Blur.  Silly and kind of sad, but true.

But today's fun with lists wasn't about me, it was about C.  So after school, she was hungry, of course, aren't they always hungry after school?  And she reached into the cabinet for one of the boxes of crackers, grabbed a few handfuls, and starting reading the ingredients list.  Now these are fairly healthy, average, run-of-the-mill multigrain crackers, not too many unpronounceable ingredients.  And C. is a good reader, a great reader in fact, but when she comes to something that she can't pronounce, she sounds it out like your grandmother talking on the phone long distance, to someone who doesn't speak English so well, in that voice.  You know that voice?  So I start to hear "RI-BO-FLA-VIN" and "TRI-TI-CA-LE" and "MO-NO-CAL-CI-UM PHOS-PHATE" and the 2 of us just start cracking up.  Tears in our eyes.  It was one of the funniest moments we've had together in a long time.  Not sure why it struck us as so funny, but it did.  So if you're in the mood for a laugh, grab your 8 year old and a box of crackers, and get yourselves reading.

Today's recipe is for beans.  The same beans as in "I had beans for breakfast".  So just take a good cupful of dried beans, any beans, these were a 16 bean mix from Goya, and soak overnight in cold water to cover.  Easy enough.  Only takes a tiny bit of planning.  Drain, rinse, put in a pot with cold water to cover, some celery and onion if you have it or want to.  Bring to a boil, then turn it down and cover for an hour or more, until really tender.  Drain (and save the broth, more on that later), and mash lightly with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.  Eat for breakfast, and save the rest for tacos.