Music for Cool People: 12/11/12

Last year, in light of the fact that he doesn't like many Christmas songs, Ryan decided that this tune was to be known henceforth as a "Christmas" song because it mentions pine trees. Good enough for me...

Happy Holidays from me and AA Bondy!

Music for Cool People: 11/29/12

Come on, everybody. If Bing and David can get along like this, we should all be able to do a little better.

The Tale of Old No-tail

So, I have a new friend in the neighborhood. No, it's not some other lame Mom - it's a special friend. Ok you guys, it's a squirrel. This is him:

Notice anything unusual? Yeah, me too.

Of course, I spotted him immediately the first time we crossed paths a couple of years ago. My eyes are basically magnet-trained to spot any and all animals that I encounter (living or dead), so his jaunty, tail-less waddle was like a beacon among the typically foggy and mundane neighborhood goings-on.

I immediately felt sorry for the little guy. I mean, come on! Just look at him! He's so ridiculous looking - I wondered what the other squirrels thought of him. I imagined squirrel birthday parties that he wasn't invited to. I imagined him being laughed off the squirrel high jump team. I imagined lady squirrels shooting down his advances.

Yeah, Disney movies pretty much ruined me.

Then I tried to conjure up what had happened - had he survived a narrow escape from a predator? Our neighborhood did have more than its fair share of natural predators for him to fear (Can anybody say red-tailed hawk? How about coyote?) A run-in with a train? A trap? I actually spent quite a bit of time amusing myself with concocting the details of his life - it was like a relationship, except only I really knew about it.

In truth, I sort of assumed that was the last I'd see of him - either he would be moving on due to the ceaseless mocking or possible ostracizing from his peers, or he'd die from lack of balance, pride or both.

But guys - that little dude proved me wrong.

Not only is he still kicking, he's bigger than most of the others now. I see his cropped behind all over the place and usually it's smack dab in the middle of a big pile of food.

Clearly I was wrong about him - I had assumed that his missing appendage was a sign of weakness, but maybe it was something else altogether. Maybe it was a battle wound, a badge of courage. He walked among the others and they backed away in awe - it's him! The guy who survived. The one strong enough to not only get away but to thrive beyond the threat.

It made me wonder what other perceived weaknesses I might be misinterpreting. Could there be things about others or even about myself that I had misjudged?

I am glad to know this squirrel for a lot of reasons - but chief among them is that it is never a bad idea to reconsider your position on things, and he reminded me of that.

Thanks, little buddy. I'll leave some extra bird seed out for you, you know, just in case bravado fails and you need a friend.

Music for Cool People: 11/18/12

This opening riff is so good it makes me want to destroy something.

Music for Cool People: 11/14/12

Oh my God. I love this song so MUCH.

Dig it. This is tragedy.

Recipes: Allison's Black Bean Enchiladas

Over the years I have managed to become a pretty decent cook - this recipe is one of my best. It's filling, vegetarian, and makes for great leftovers. It is also full of options and can definitely be tweaked to serve to the health-conscious or vegan by removing the cheese and spot-checking a few ingredients...

So, here it goes - let's make some Mexican (ish) food everybody!

Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 bunch of green onions (chopped, green parts only)
2 15 oz cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 slice of fresh lemon (remove any seeds)
1 TB cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8-10 tortillas (around 8" diameter)
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 10 oz cans enchilada sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Coat hot skillet with cooking spray and add green onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add black beans, diced tomatoes (liquid included) and stir until evenly mixed. Then add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon. Stir well and bring to a low simmer.

2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently (ish - just don't let the beans stick to the bottom too much) and remember to scrape down the sides as well. After 5 minutes, remove the lemon slice. The filling will start to thicken a bit over time but in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking I also smash a few of the beans with the spoon to add more thickening. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 8.5 x 11.5 x 2in baking dish (or whatever you have that's similar in dimension) by coating it with cooking spray. Put about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of bean filling into a tortilla and sprinkle with 1-2 TB of cheese. Fold in the ends and sides of the tortilla to make a sealed pocket. Place each enchilada (seam down) in the baking dish. I can usually fit 8 or 9 enchiladas in my dish (so I pack 'em in pretty tight) - don't be scared - they smoosh together nicely. I'll pack 6 or 7 along the length of the pan and then 2 or 3 horizontally in the empty space below them. Next you cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce. Just make sure all the tortilla parts are covered - you may not need to use all 3 cans of the sauce. Use your judgment - cover it all up, but don't fill it to the brim (or you'll be dealing with drips). Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browning. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

You can totally tell from this picture that I was guilty of overfilling my pan with sauce. What can I say, we like things saucy around here. 

Serving suggestions? Well, I usually serve it simply with sour cream and salsa, but we have also enjoyed having chopped avocado as a topper. Really, you can serve it with whatever you want, you guys. I hope you enjoy it if you try it! 

Music for Cool People: 11/12/12

Today is the first truly cold day. All the warm overtones are gone. 

So, an Arcade Fire for you.