The news shows have started lying about what their programming is going to be in order to trick us into watching more about Michael Jackson. I guess once every single news show has had its chance to weigh in with their own special version of his life things will settle down.

Last night the second half of 48 Hours Mystery was supposed to be about a married couple, man and wife body builders in Las Vegas who murdered their personal assistant and burned their Jaguar out in the desert with her body in it. Their defense was that she died from self-inflicted drug overdose and they panicked when they found her body. One of the witnesses against them was the guy who helped the man buy a gas can to carry the gas out to the desert. So I set my DVR to record it because both of the body builders were supposed to be interviewed and I wanted to see what they had to say. The first half of the hour was supposed to about Michael Jackson, so I know you've guessed what happened - forget the body builders, it's all MJ. I was tricked.

I've been avoiding live network TV, sticking to my recorded cable shows about cooking, Gene Simmons, and Ren and Stimpy.

There are a bunch of challenge cooking shows where they give the chefs a mystery ingredient that is hard to figure out what to do with. It's like cooking around here when I don't feel like going to the store, have to make do with what's on hand. That's also the way we should all operate to save grocery money, buying what's on special that week instead of walking in looking for certain ingredients to make a particular recipe.

The other day walnut oil was on special, marked down to a fortune, and I decided to splurge on it. I'll use it to make salad dressings for one thing, so I'm telling myself it's a savings from buying bottled dressings, and there are other uses in desserts, vegetables, and entrees. I get tired of the same old oil and vinegar with some Italian seasoning herbs in it. I had some basil growing in a planter but the deer ate it.

Smoked paprika was another sale item. It's very trendy right now, so I'm excited to try it out. Of course I have to find a spot for it in the spice cupboard. I'm thinking of taking one of the old paprikas next door in case the visitors want to make deviled eggs.



This is my dried bean collection. I mix them together to make soup that we have at least once a week. See the big white ones second to the right? Those are called Mortgage Lifters, and they are huge, beefy things that would fill up a family for cheap. I don't think I could face a bowl of them by themselves, but they are okay in soup.



I think it's important to have a bean meal every so often to remind us that there are people in our country struggling to feed their families. Of course, here I am eating beans and thinking good thoughts while those families are digging between the sofa cushions for change so they can take their pudgy toddlers to McDonalds for supersized French fries and soda pop. If someone gave them a bag of dried beans they wouldn't know what to do with them.

Comments:

So sick of MJ. I was toooo old to be one of his fans and don't remember my sons being one. Oh, well, the news can only beat him for another two years. Guess, I will stick to Medical Mysteries until then. nena h

Be sure and post your bean soup recipe. It is one of our favorites. It brings a whole new dimension to beans.

Yes I like beans but don't make them because I will have to learn how. It's the way I live my life.

comment by tealstar on July 2, 2009 6:01 AM ()

Just put your dry beans in the crock pot with plenty of water in the morning and by nightfall they will be ready. Laura's bean soup is so good. I will leave it to her to give you the recipe. They now have assorted beans for bean soup in the grocery store. Ellie just buys canned beans and mixes them altogether.

reply by elderjane on July 2, 2009 6:37 AM ()

PBS is a really good place to go to escape the MJ stories, too. I don't think it's reached Anna Nicole Smith insanity yet, but hey, there's still time.

I envy your cupboard space! Wowee. I have maybe one quarter that space. Storage is at a real premium in my tiny apartment.

Lately I've been on a garbanzo bean kick. And I also just bought some smoked paprika, but my first effort, a dry rub for steak, my own concoction, didn't quite work. Off to read recipes.

Yes,they are getting carried away with all of the hoop la there.
The man is dead so let him be.Not let us get on with our life.
Beans anyone.

I love beans. I eat them because they rock...
And good point on the couch surfing for change for Mc'D's... SAD but true...