Well. I seem to have let the blog go for awhile. My apologies. To be perfectly honest, life has gotten very much in the way, and I dropped the ball.

Which is part of why the plan for tonight is beans. Specifically “this bean recipe”:http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_beans_primer.htm with cannellini beans (from Rancho Gordo). The beans were a gift from a woman I met at Edible Institute, “Jill Richardson”:http://www.lavidalocavore.org/ who raved about them. I’m excited to be trying them, I have to admit. The founder of Rancho Gordo, Steve Samdo, made me more interested in beans than anyone else ever has, back when he spoke at Edible Institute.

What does this have to do with life getting in the way, and my dropping the ball? Mostly that it’s a really simple thing to make, and it doesn’t take a lot of ingredients. Most importantly, it takes only ingredients we have on hand.

I think sometimes we all need something that simplifies our lives like that. Since my cooking gets so complicated sometimes, it seems I’ve needed a break.

Obviously, my cooking isn’t always complicated in the act of cooking. But the act of digging out every cookbook, or deciding which cookbook gets attention this week, figuring out which recipes look good, trying to remember what my kitchen contains? Oh, that’s a bad one.

Top this off with us knowing we’re heading to Dallas, but we don’t know when or for how long, and have been waiting for the “go” for a week or more now, my new volunteer position that takes as much time as a part-time job, Bill’s work taking a pile of extra time, and, well…

A simple, tasty meal of beans sounds pretty good. Something that uses up ingredients in the house sounds fabulous.

Anyway, mostly I just wanted everyone to know I’m still around, and I’m still cooking. Some. I’ve hit a lot of delivery and eating out recently. It doesn’t always feel good, to be honest. It doesn’t feel bad when it’s a new-ish, but very good by now, friend’s birthday lunch. It does when I just know I can just whip something together, but it’s not happening.

Still, Bill and I are moving forward and we’re figuring it out. Our CSA starts delivering again in mere days, we think. So, just as with everything around us, there’s signs of growth.

Thanks.