Friday, April 13, 2012

Baseball, Refried Beans, and A Book on the Horizon!

The photo on the left is just one of the reasons I have not posted anything on this Blog for I don't know how long.   Yes, it is baseball season and we just got back from the Varsity team's spring break tournament in South Carolina.  We were in Myrtle Beach and, for the most part, the weather was gorgeous and a great time was had by all.  It didn't hurt that the boys were undefeated...It has also been Lent - 54 days of no meat if you are an Orthodox Christian.  Right now I am boiling another big batch of homemade Refried Beans - delicious and easy, but quite time consuming.  After sorting, rinsing, and soaking the dried beans overnight in hot water, they are rinsed, covered generously with fresh hot water, and cooked slowly for 6 hours the next day, flavored only with chopped onion, garlic and salt.   To make sure they don't stick, they need to be stirred every 10 to 15 minutes.  But they are completely worth the effort.  I keep a good supply of tortillas on hand and voila!  Bean burritos that are ready to eat in 5 minutes.  Bean burritos that can be flavored with chopped avocado, salsa (traditional or verde), and cheese, if you are so inclined. 

I have also been working on a book that I started writing many moons ago.  When I am in the groove, so to speak, I will type for hours on end.  Other days, I just stare at a blank page for a while, type something that is cold and emotionless, highlight the whole thing, and hit "delete".  I have well over a hundred pages of random chapters that I am not sure how to organize.  Do I tell the story chronologically?  Or do I jump around in time?  I almost feel like throwing the whole thing up in the air and then putting the pages back together in whatever order I happen to pick them up.   I may even become brave enough one day soon to actually post my "Preface" on this Blog.  Anyway, that is what I have been up to these days.   Baseball, refried beans, and writing the next great American novel.   I wish...

I hope all is well with you.  Until next time, happy and healthy eating!   And, when you have the time, happy reading, too!