I cooked a big pot of beans with the frozen leftover Christmas ham. You know how it goes with beans. They either have to soak overnight, or you give them a quick boil and let them sit for a couple hours. I did the boiling on Sunday evening. Left them on the stove while we ate our supper of chimichangas. Then I rinsed those plump beans in a colander, added the ham that I'd put on the cutting block to thaw. All while Farmer H laid about in his recliner watching old westerns.
While Farmer H snoozed the sleep of the carefree, I tended those beans. Poured in some juice from a jar of sweet banana pepper rings, and some minced garlic. Ground some black pepper into the pot, which meant I had to add some peppercorns to the almost empty grinder. Let them simmer with the lid tilted. Checked on them every 20 minutes, giving them a stir to move the giant bone around. Then let them cool 45 minutes before hefting that pot into FRIG II. Which necessitated moving Farmer H's six-pack of Diet Mountain Dew to another shelf.
Monday evening, I was planning to make corn muffins to go with the beans, and slice an onion and some sweet banana pepper rings to add to our beans. When I got home from town at 5:15, Farmer H revealed that he would be LEAVING in 15 minutes to go meet his "LADY" at his SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2) about some inventory. The SUS2 is not just a 10-minute trip to town. It's 25 minutes down to Bill-Paying Town.
So... I was supposed to wait until he got back around 7:00 to have supper ready. Of course he sent me a text at 6:40 saying she was running late. So it was 8:00 before Farmer H got home and I started the corn muffins. I always make 12. We each eat two. So there was three days of corn muffins to go with the three meals that I planned to get out of the pot of beans.
Farmer H was done eating within 10 minutes! He came back to the kitchen before I'd even started on my beans.
"I'm having another roll. Them was good!"
Farmer H slathered butter on his third corn muffin. Which means I'll need to bake six more on our third night of beans, or go without one. Maybe more, if Farmer H decides to have more than two another night.
I figure that's a full 8-hour work day I have invested in those beans and corn muffins, including prep and clean-up. I hope Farmer H enjoys his three 10-minute eating sessions!
I think you need to make a week's worth of corn muffins and freeze them, then just thaw enough for each meal, two for you and three for Farmer H. Then of course he won't want the third one, so you'll get an extra.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteThat would work, UNLESS Farmer H decided he wanted FOUR! He has a way of disrupting my plans.
Tonight he thought he was being clever, sitting in his recliner for a while after he finished eating. So I'd think it took him longer than 10 minutes. However... I heard when he quit clanging his spoon against the bowl. And then he started his succession of 10-15 sneezes, which he always does after he finishes eating. So I was onto his ruse.
I thought about beans with the cool weather, but decided that The Patient might not do so well with gas producing food, given his adventures of late.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteThat was a wise decision.