Friday, December 4, 2009

Beans and Greens Risotto

My husband Stan and I have gotten some really horrible eating habits in the past ten years. I hate cooking and usually screw up everything I try to cook (although I do love to bake!). Stan is in school and working, so he doesn't have time for much else. So we have spent a lot of time and money eating out. It's time for us to learn how to cook and eat fresh, healthy food at home. I check out a lot of books from our library and have been working through some cookbooks. My new favorite is Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers. While we are far from vegetarian, vegetables are more economical than meat and generally healthier.

This is the Beans and Greens Risotto. It's simply rice with pinto beans and escarole and of course, Parmesan cheese. This is my first try with risotto and also with escarole. It turned out very good. With the rice and cheese the calorie count was a bit high for our general 500-600 calorie dinners, but it was very rich and creamy and I loved it. It kept me full for the rest of the night and reheated well for leftovers. I'll definitely make it again.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Crafts


Today I spent all my bee researching time messing around on Etsy looking at all the neat handmade bee related stuff there. So, didn't learn much, but definitely wishing I had some artistic talent! Here's one of my favorite paintings I found on Etsy by Emily Martin.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Beekeeping

I am beginning a blog about my beginning beekeeping. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, but I figure I'd start writing about it. From what I've read, the best time to start a new hive is in spring, so I've still got some time to plan. Currently, I'm reading books, researching a grant and talking to the local beekeeping association about a class. The class doesn't start until February, so I would really like to be more prepared by then. The contact for the class, given to me by the Clemson extension, is not very reliable about getting back to me when I ask questions. So, in the mean time, I'm going to keep reading and go to the State Fair next week where I hear there is a bee display.

My main questions are the basics. How do you build a hive? How do you extract honey? How do you keep from being stung? What happens if I abandon my hive? How much will this all cost? I'm beginning to get an idea, but I still need lots more research.