Hump Day and Bonus Recipe

Well, it's officially Wednesday, and my shoulders are killing me from working out last night. The last portion of every Jazzercise class involves various arm moves with hand weights. I have a pair of 5 lb.-ers. Something we did last night really worked the muscles from the base of my neck to the joints of my shoulders.

I still haven't started my period yet...*hopehopehope* that I won't! To give you an idea, I was expecting to start last Thursday (I'm pretty much like clockwork, even off the pill). So either my cycle has gotten longer and I'll start this week, or I'm knocked up. I'm desperately hoping for the latter.

That gets two things crossed off the list, the second one being finding a new job. Since I have made prior arrangements with my current boss to do my job from home with our eventual baby, if I am preggo, I'll stay where I am.

This is ideal, since I already have good insurance and an established 401K. I'd only have to work 20 hours a week to keep contributing to the 401, and since I can do most of my work from home, I'll only have to come to the office once a week or so.

THAT part is what I'm most excited about- being away from the High School That Is My Place of Employment. It's a crying shame; twenty-something women who think that a good life consists of bar hopping and forming cliques in the office. They turn their noses up at women like me who enjoy cooking and actually like our husbands, not think of them as idiots to be tolerated, and who want to raise our children, not dump them in daycare for strangers to raise.

For a bonus recipe today, I present you with Bob's Beautiful Blessed Brown Beans.

It's my Pawpaw's recipe. When I asked him for it, of course, like all good country cooks, he had no measurements of spices to impart, only ingredients and a "taste and see" attitude. He uses bacon instead of ham. He uses store bought chili powder and plenty of Tabasco.

I like the chunkiness and texture of ham, personally, and since he gave me some of his dried peppers last week, I used them instead of chili powder and Tabasco. This dish can be made mild or spicy. You could use red beans instead of pintos and andouille sausage instead of ham for a more Cajun flavor.

Bob's Beautiful Blessed Brown Beans
Serves 4-6

1 lb. dry pinto beans
1-1.5 lb. cooked boneless ham, cubed
1 tsp. garlic granules (not powder- granules are stronger)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Pawpaw's Peppers (his own homegrown mixture of dried and ground peppers- I assume cayenne, jalapeño, some others)
~or~ substitute chili powder from the grocery store and a few drops of Tabasco sauce
1-2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the beans in a colander and remove any pebbles. Soak the beans in about 7 cups of water at least overnight. I soaked mine for a whole day. Rinse again, discarding the soaking water. Pawpaw says this helps "take out the farts" from the beans. LOL

In a large stock pot, combine the beans, cubed ham, and spices. Add enough cold water to cover by a good inch. Bring to a boil, stirring periodically. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced to the level of just covering the beans. Cooking a little while longer will make the spiciness of the liquid less intense, as it cooks into the beans.

Remove from heat and let the pot sit, covered, for about 20 minutes. Test for salt/spices.

Serve with hot cornbread and fresh sweet tea.