Make no beans about it...

making beans from their humble dried form is easier than...well, easy!

While I don't consider myself a novice cook, I've always been oddly intimidated by dried beans. The selection of dried beans is so awesome, not to mention very economical, but every time I made them, they never turned out. They were still really hard after hours of soaking and simmering on the stove to only dry out and burn, but still hard. A total disappointment.

So in an effort not only to eat local, but to also eat our pantry down, yesterday I looked a bag of dried pinto beans straight in the eye and opened it in an attempt to make beans! Now, I'm fairly sure that I've always looked at the bag before...but this time it had different directions/suggestions that I don't recall ever seeing (and grant it, I've never bought 10 lbs of beans at one time either). You can use your slow cooker to make the beans. WHAT?!??? I (think I) can do that!!!

After soaking the beans for 6 hours at room temperature (or 8 hours in the refrigerator) I put those bad boys in the crockpot, covered with about 1 inch of water, turned the sucker on low and let them do their thing for about 10 hours. Viola! BEANS that were neither hard, dry nor burned!

I hope this information not only expands your cooking knowledge and bean choices, but also your wallet with all of the money you will save!

Whew!

20 kids + 14 moms = organized chaos

That's how many people were at our house this fine morning for my first official, on the calendar, large group playdate! Thankfully some handy helpers (thanks ladies!!!) were right on time to get the place ready for the playdate...because of course it had to rain last night, and thankfully held off raining again until after everyone had left.

There was food and bevvie (of course, what's a playdate with out those things?!), lots of great conversations between moms and kids, flirting (amongst the kids), ball throwing, car driving, hand holding, sand digging, outdoor cooking, tomato picking, snack eating...really, all of the good things life has to offer.

Organized chaos is da'bomb. I'm so honored we are able to be in the thick of it.

*I'd post the pics I took, but to tell you the truth, they pretty much blow chunks.

Did you know...

that blueberries will turn your (or your small child's) poop almost black?!?! No? Neither did I!

I knew beets could put the fear of death into you, until you remember..."oh yeah, we had beets last night." And I knew if you eat a healthy helping of greens...well, you know what I mean.

I never guessed blueberries.

*There's always fun "surprises" while changing diapers.