Notes from the Garden Spot of the World

Apple Minion

2012-01-15T16:03:00.002-05:00

I just ordered an iPhone. I'm blogging to you on a macbook so I figured it seemed appropriate. When I got my last smart phone my carrier didn't have the iphone so here's hoping the transition from Droid to iPhone4s is easy for me.

In other news school has started. I'm a wee bit overwhelmed ALREADY, but hoping that sorts out this week.

The cold that seems to be building in my head as I type may make that impossible. Time will tell.

So, all of you iphone users - what are your favorite apps. What's my must have? Dish!

Hope everyone is having a happy Sunday, and maybe once the phone comes I can share some pictures of my knitting projects and such. :)

Book Review: The Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2012-01-07T22:23:00.000-05:00

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great story - geared to the young adult segment, but this one will certainly hold adult attention too. The stories hero, Nailer, is a shipbreaker in a post-apocalyptic world. Life has dealt him some unlucky cards until the story begins when he saves himself from drowning, and a conniving crewmate. A shipwreck on the beach starts a whole chain of events that will keep you reading until the end. I look forward to any followups Mr. Bacigalupi chooses to write.

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Book Review: Amy Stewart's The Last Bookstore in America

2012-01-02T15:07:00.001-05:00

The Last Bookstore In America by Amy Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one may hop from 4 to 5 stars at some point. It's fiction, but a great commentary on the changes in the book industry, and just great satire overall. The story is set in Eureka, Ca - in Humboldt County - home of one of the last booksellers in the nation, a lot of pot growers, and soon the home of Lewis who has just inherited The Fire Breathing Dragon - a book store which in the wake of the electronic device overtaking books now survives selling a very special strain of pot. Anyway, it's a fun little read if you like satire, books, bookstores, or green things. Enjoy!

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More what?

2012-01-01T11:26:00.002-05:00

Do you subscribe to the belief that what you do on the first day of the new year signals what you will have a lot of in your new year?

OK, so what do I want to do today? I know we'll have dinner with the manmate's family - so more time with family. I'll talk to my family on the phone - more family - talked to friends some already, that's good - more friend time. More coffee? That's my next stop. I plan to knit a little, read a little and clean a lot today - and those could all use more time in my life in the coming year too. I may make a pie today or tomorrow. Who couldn't use more pie in their life?

What else - more walks, more games, more movies - what is on your "more" list?

Another thing I'm considering this year is a theme for the year. What word or theme will describe my year? I don't want straight out resolutions - I have my 34 in 34 for that (must get on that Harry Potter today - and maybe think about that ukelele!), but maybe a theme reminder for my year. I'm open to suggestion, and off I go to drink that coffee. I wish you and yours a blessed, healthy, and fruitful New Year!

Top 10 in 2011

2011-12-30T00:33:00.000-05:00

1. Going to an intro dive lesson and finding myself somewhat comfortable in the water. Some of you know that I've battled a fear of the water for a while now so that was a pleasant surprise. I look forward to trying it out again one day.

2. Vacation in Virginia with manmate and his mom - it was a nice relaxed birthday weekend for me. Got to do a little bit of sightseeing, and read a few books. :)

3. Getting into grad school. I did actually make a squealing noise when I opened that email. A graduate degree is one of those things that has been on my "bucket list" since I was a child. I can't believe I'm actually doing it!

4. Learning to make bread. It's a small feat for some, but I've never considered myself a baker. To find that I can easily whip up a loaf of homemade bread just amazes me. And to find that it's darn good? Awesome!

5. Volunteering for, and attending Type A Con with my Beverlies.

6. Getting A's. I wasn't an A student in my undergraduate career - far from it actually. To learn that I can study properly, and that no matter how scary that submit button is, I'll be ok pushing it - those might be some of the bigger things I take away from this first semester of library school.

7. Manmate going back to school too. this has been a goal for a while, and due to shortages in spots in a required class he needed it hasn't been possible for several years. Finally we came to a decision that it was time - he left his full time "real job" and went back. He still works as a bartender more hours than most put in at that "real job", and did great in school too. I'm very happy for him, and proud too.

8. Starting to learn to knit. I signed up for a knitting class after a Living Social deal popped up for the local yarn shop (LYS). I'm truly loving it, and meeting some great people in the process.

9.Getting straight A's - the word's in, and I got a 4.0!

10. I won a trip to the Becoming conference - what a refreshing conference! It was my first conference to attend solo - but I met some nice folks and learned some great things.

Anyway, that's my best of list for the year - I'm sure I'm leaving out some great things, and I know this is the shiny view of a somewhat rough year. To be perfectly honest I'm bouncing back and forth between looking forward to the new year and viewing it with pure terror. Here's hoping to smooth sailing for the year for all of us! What were your highs and lows? Any particular goals for the year? Do you do a recap each year?

Book Review: Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately

2011-12-28T19:23:00.003-05:00

Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A decent easy read - the story of Elsa, a Boston girl turned nurse and aid worker in Afghanistan. The story was a bit superficial, but I enjoyed the portrayals of women's friendship and the culture of women in Afghanistan. The ending was a bit spotty and abrupt, but not a bad read.

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4.0!

2011-12-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it - OK, I can kind of believe it but not totally. I got a 4.0 this semester! I don't think I've said that since the second grade to be honest with you. Multiplication ruined me, and math and a poor understanding of study skills kept me firmly in the mediocre to bad grades for the rest of my academic career. Woohoo!

To celebrate I'm cleaning our house in preparation for late decorating. Sounds exciting, no? Ha. May get to go or a little road trip to see a friend's new baby today, and other than that some knitting is on tap. Hope everyone is having a restful, joyous, and stress-free lead up to the holidays!

Master Procrastinator

2011-12-10T13:27:00.001-05:00

Right now, as I sit in front of my computer, surrounded by text books, journal articles, notebooks, and empty Starbucks cups I want nothing more than a nap. And a life that involves a clean and tidy house, dinner cooking, gardens in order, and a comfy chair next to a table topped by a good book and a part way finished knitting project. Vacation scheduled on the calendar, good health insurance for all, and money in the bank. My family and friends all happy, healthy, and secure in their own tidy little lives. And the sun shines overhead.

*sigh* Final exam delusions have set in.

Check, check, doublecheck!

2011-12-05T04:10:00.001-05:00

I'm in list checking mode right now. Not in the Santa kind of lists though - I'm still in school mode for about 8 more days. I did just turn in a giganto research project at the wee hour of 3 am. It was really done much earlier than that, but I just couldn't let it be. Tweak this, change that, rearrange the corresponding website. Gah, hope I didn't screw it all up with my tweaking, but I'll find out soon enough, right? *crickets* OK, fine - send good grade vibes if you've got 'em OK? :) Otherwise I'm working my way through my list of assignments that lie between me and winter break. Next up is a reflection paper, readings and responses for one last class, grant-writing paper, and a killer final exam. Then, and only then do I get to play, sleep, clean, organize, create, wrap, decorate, and frolic. Mmm-kay? OK, I did take a knitting class last week - the first of four. I got a deal - living social I think. I think I'll love it, but I came so close to losing my shit in class. Hope I wasn't too awful - I ended up with a migraine and PMS by the time I got home so I'm blaming it on hormones. Maybe I'll bring a snack next meeting? Anyhoo, just a middle of the night ramble for ya - I really should head to bed. In the meantime hit me with your favorite cookie recipes, OK? Immediately after school finishes I'm hitting a cookie exchange, and I need to dazzle!

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T21:36:00.001-05:00

Sitting here on the eve of Thanksgiving, 2011, I am trying to figure out what's missing. And as I start working up the green bean casserole for feast number two tomorrow, it hits me. Growing up, the evening before Thanksgiving was full of people - family, friends - really whoever showed up. Folks from out of town showing up throughout the week, or perhaps late into the evening. A variety of tasks being shared around my parent's large kitchen - peeling potatoes, peeling and cutting apples, stuffing celery, polishing silver. They never seemed too much like tasks to me as they were filled with laughter, and stories, shared recipes, wine, and snacks. (The wine came later for me - but I'll never forget the year in college when my cousin taught me her magic cramp cure - a beer and two Advil). God bless my cousin for the cure, and god bless my liver for that combination! (It works, but I'm no doctor so check with yours first - I'm pretty sure it is a bad idea!). We would stay up late into the night, laughing, catching up, sneaking illicit cigarettes (pretty sure I don't recommend that one either), and then all pile into bed for a few short hours before getting up to get the final business of dinner prep done. Dad often didn't really make it to bed - there was always his middle of the night cheesecake making to be done.

Anyway, that's what I'm missing - as I sit in my house alone with my kittehs, getting ready to make blue cheese green bean casserole (you can find the recipe at closetcooking.com - I'll let you know how it turns out.) I'm missing my mom. A lot. And the laughter and camaraderie of family. I'll get that tomorrow of course - in much smaller doses than years past, but tonight it is me and my memories.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be posting tomorrow - we do after all have two Thanksgiving feasts to attend - the manmate's family at noon, and my family at 6. There's a lot of eating, and hopefully laughing, to be done. In the meantime I leave you with just a few of the things I am thankful for:

Memories, family, friends, health, love, and a roof over my head. Two sweet kitties who are sleeping side by side right now. A part time job when many have none. School. The motivation to get that school done (please, I pray to keep that coming). And y'all. Just a short list that could and should take up pages.

Fear

2011-11-15T00:06:00.001-05:00

I fear the tired that has hit me. It's a sick tired. Fatigue.
I fear my house will never be clean again.
I fear that there is not enough time left in the semester to get it all done.
I fear that I want far more than I need.
I fear that I'm whining too much here. That is not the goal.

What's got you in a knot right now?

Losing

2011-11-06T23:23:00.001-05:00

I keep losing things.

I've lost my motivation a few times. I keep a close check on it and try to get back as quickly as possible.
Pens. I have bought and lost approximately 1 billion pens since the semester started. Where in the world are they? Good pens, bad pens, hotel pens, dollar pens, conference pens....all gone. Lost in some pen party that is not at the bottom of my purse.
My mind. Perhaps only temporarily - time will tell. The telling part of losing my mind was when I've freaked out for days, worked on and off for days, and panicked a little tonight when a project wasn't coming together. After all, it is due tomorrow at 9 am sharp. So halfway through the project I decide to clarify a point in the assignment and pull up the instructions (not the first time today) and note that the due date is in fact the 14th. 1 week from today. A combination of Livin' La Vida Loca, and Hallelujah started playing in my brain at that moment. I broke the news to manmate - who I negotiated with to move our movie going date night to tuesday tonight, and then turned into a giggling mess. Sigh.
Sleep. I lost a little sleep this week, which perhaps explains my previous point about my mind. I stayed up late Thursday finishing a project, and then Saturday I traveled to Asheville with music and Beverlies on my mind. I met up with some girlfriends, Dana, Jenny, and Megan, for a brainstorming session (great work ladies!), and then headed out with Jenny at Great Little Stories to listen to the band Big Daddy Love - if you ever get the chance to see them GO! You can also check out some of Jenny's pictures over at Dancing Lemur. They're such great shots! Great time had by all, but I'm a tad bit weary today. Ok, maybe just slaphappy tired.

Anyway, that's my lost things for today. What have you lost lately?

Can't Think

2011-11-04T01:05:00.001-04:00

It's 1 am on a Friday, and I can't think. I'm closing up a paper due tomorrow afternoon, and I can't seem to get there. Now I know that I could just put it to bed for the night, and come back to it in the morning - I don't work tomorrow. But, I can't seem to turn my brain off. I feel like there's more to this paper, and I can't quite get to it. Like an itch you're just not able to scratch. And I keep thinking about creativity, and how I miss it right now while I'm in school.

Want to read a cool post on creativity? Head over here for some interesting thoughts on creativity. The author is a pretty cool banjo player too, so if you're into that check out some of his early posts to find some tunes. Anyway, back to creativity. I've let (willingly) school take up most of my creativity right now. It doesn't often feel creative, but it does take most of my creative juice to keep up with the output required. I'm doing well, and I'll be honest with you - that fact surprises the hell out of me every single time a paper comes back to me with an A. Every time. Will that wear off? Will the fear of hitting the submit button on a paper wear off?

I've caught the procrastination bug a bit this week and I'm trying to get rid of it. And in perfect timing inspiration comes my way - this guy named Sam Spurlin that I follow on Facebook posts a link to an article that he falls back on when he's procrastinating. And it's sage advice in my opinion - so take another minute to check that out, OK? The link is to an article at 43 Folders, and I think you'll enjoy it. The link is here. And really it tells you that the number one rule is to care. It tells you more than that really but that's the takeaway for me. Mmm-kay?

In other news I'm continuing on my quest to pare down my Google Reader subscriptions. And I've finally taken off the facebook apps that allow me to waste hours playing really dumb games. Because they do appeal to part of my brain, but really I need that part for other things. In the next few weeks I plan to revisit my list of 34 Things. To be honest it has been far too long since I've reviewed the list. Jane at The Borrowed Abode goes over her progress on her 33 list (young'un!) in a post she put up this week. And man she's done well! In other words, I need to take stock. After all I have about a month and a half until I'm at the halfway mark for the year.

What are you thinking about right now? Have you taken stock lately? Are you feeling creative, worn out, or just flat out frustrated? I'm curious - let me know. And let me know if think links I dropped were of value. Have a great week!

Book Review: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

2011-10-30T15:48:00.002-04:00

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this will be my favorite book read in 2011. The character of Maisie Dobbs just sticks with you. A beautifully written mystery set in England during the years following WWI, this book follows Maisie, the daughter of a costermonger (go ahead, look it up - I did) who goes to work as a maid in a large house and then through a combination of intelligence and the sponsorship of her employers goes on to become educated, serve as a nurse, and then become a detective. This book covers her first case which brings her face to face with memories of her past. So well done that I couldn't put it down, and in fact stayed up late into the night reading after my homework was done. Go get it - now. :)

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Grey

2011-10-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

Grey skies pass above
Grey cat sleeping by the fire
Writing hand is still

crickets

2011-10-24T20:17:00.000-04:00

Not a lot of wordage going on around here lately and for that I apologize. This school thing keeps me on my toes apparently. Every time I breath a sigh of relief about turning in another assignment it seems there is another deadline barreling down on me. That said, things are going well for school. The house is still mostly a disaster, but maybe a little less gross at least. The yard/garden? Couldn't tell you - haven't been out there in ages. So I continue to look forward to winter break, but that's about all I have for you for now. I do want to suggest that if any of my autoimmune/chronic illness followers out there are interested we've got a great author discussion going on over at Shelfari. Come check it out - we're reading FibroWHYalgia this month, and author Sue Ingebretson is leading the discussion for us. We've got a bunch of lurkers this time, and would totally welcome any discussion people want to add in. :) Just click on the link I embedded above in the word Shelfari.

Monkey + Pants = Impending World Domination

2011-10-12T06:15:00.000-04:00

Harvest Time

2011-10-10T07:24:00.000-04:00

I've lost track of time, but I think these pics were taken last weekend. That's part of this year's harvest - my first ever pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and even two potatoes which is a miracle b/c I had dug up what I thought were all of my potato plants earlier and found nothing good. then when I was ripping up the garden I yanked on what I thought was a lone weed, and a potato came flying out. Happened twice actually. The lesson to be learned with the sweet potatoes is to pay attention where you put them in (or maybe don't go the jungle garden route that I did this year) so that you know exactly where to dig. A deer busted down my netting the last week before I had time to pull out the garden. The deer munched away at the sweet potato vines leaving me to guess where the potatoes were in the ground. Let's just say that I'm not a fan of unnessary shovel use so that won't happen again. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing some sweet potatoes so I'll need to get out there one more time with the shovel and see what I can find.

My other success in the picture is the pumpkins. Mystery pumpkins - no clue what kind or what to do with them but for volunteers they did pretty well. I think that I'll say that my lesson learned is that you don't need 3 volunteer pumpkin plants in a tiny little garden. One would probably be two much but we'll see if we get to test that theory next year. :)

How's your garden doing? What lessons will you take away from it this year? Share the knowledge or just say hello in the comments. :)

Goals for Next Week

2011-09-28T23:43:00.001-04:00

Have dinner with the manmate - like a date night or even just food in front of the t.v. - I miss eating with him.

Pull up the garden.

Paint a side table.

Either fix the vacuum or use the crappy one in the garage to vac the house.

Get ahead on school work.

Teeter Totter

2011-09-26T17:15:00.000-04:00

Remember the teeter totter of your childhood? Or maybe you called it a see-saw? For the most part it was great fun swinging back and forth if you found someone to play with you - unless one of you was feeling a bit malicious and started slamming the teeter totter up with force each time your turn came round, sending the other slamming into the ground.

Anyway, I kind of feel like my teeter totter is slamming a little - like I got to play with the big kids but wasn't quite ready for the game. School, we're talking about school. (I know, we don't talk about much of anything else these days it seems - I'm trying, but failing so far at having some sort of life balance during this school thing.) I emailed an advisor today to find out about the possibility of dropping one class. I can do four (I think) but it's turning out to be a tiny bit beyond my comfort zone. I feel like in any given week I can be really good at 3 of them, and I'm not really comfortable at rotating through which one gets shafted. Every time I make that choice I am somewhere on the teeter totter waiting to see if I slam to the ground. And every time I make it through another week with all of my assignments turned in I have an exhilarating moment at the top again before that feeling hits again. So.... I've emailed an advisor to see if I can drop a class. I've gone through the options, and I don't think this will effect the bottom line of how long it takes me to get through the program too much. And although I'm not really sure if it will give me some sort of balance in life I hope it will. I've not had a sit down meal with the manmate in days or weeks (it's starting to blur) and I can't remember the last time I took any leisure time to do anything - even chores like working in the garden.

I went out to the compost pile this afternoon to make a deposit in the garden bank, and noticed one part of the garden fence is down - some creature must have crashed through the netting finally. The thing is - I really don't know how long it's been down. There's not much left in there so all I can see for damage right now are some leaves missing from the pumpkin and sweet potato plants. I need to go ahead and bring the pumpkins in if they're still suitable after all of our rain, and then start pulling things out to get to the sweet potatoes that are hopefully hiding underground. It's my first year growing them, so keep your fingers crossed, OK? I've given up hope for a fall garden this year. One year I really will plant fall greens and such, but this isn't the one.

In other news the manmate followed up his cold with some sort of horrible stomach thing which he thought was a bout of diverticulitis. Until I started getting stomach pain last night - leaving us to wonder if we've somehow managed to catch a bug that only causes massive tummy aches for days? Only us, I mean, really?!

So to bring it back to the positive, I just want to say that a few times this week I had moments when two concepts from separate classes kind of converged together with an "aha moment". It was pretty cool to have a few things coming together. So, what was your positive this week? How's your garden? What are you reading? (I get to read fiction for class this week, and I've picked Dreams of Joy by Lisa See - I'm so excited!) Check in with the comments and let me know what's going on - I welcome the distraction and fellowship!

Thinking on Thursday

2011-09-22T00:07:00.004-04:00

I think perhaps next semester I'll need to take 3 classes instead of 4. I can do 4, but it's a stretch that I'm not quite comfortable with yet, or maybe ever. We'll see as I continue to adjust.

Wednesday night (which ended 3 minutes ago) I had an odd night at Starbucks. I swear they played Ethel Merman. And let me tell you - that's not the most study conducive music ever played. And the loudest group of rednecks ever came in - seems they're Wednesday regulars. Hmmm, picked the wrong location for my Wednesday it seems. I mostly tuned them out but ear buds would have been handy.

I need to learn to read faster while still comprehending. Haven't quite gotten the hang of it.

I think I may read Infinite Jest one page at a time whenever I'm in the library to study. It's right next to my favorite work table. If it's there I could just pick it up and read a page. It's huge so it could take me the rest of grad school. Is this insane enough for consideration? Or too crazy? I fear I'm getting a little slaphappy the further I get into the semester so feel free to set me straight!

One Day at a Time

2011-09-18T22:45:00.000-04:00

I got a wee bit behind in school this week due to lack of sleep from the all nighter at the ER, and the ensuing cold I caught from the manmate. One minor panic attack later, and I'm starting to get back on track. I think after an all day trip to the library tomorrow and a study date at a coffee shop tomorrow night I should be closer to being caught up.

Otherwise, I've added a post it note above my desk to read: "I will not be thin-skinned." I'd forgotten how personally I can take everything when in school. I hate getting back critiques, and am finding some of the online discussion board aspect of school to be a bit difficult. I know I can do this - just need to stop thinking about it too much. I think I'm over--analyzing some of my assignments instead of just jumping in, and I had a few rough response situations on the boards this week - mostly due to brain fog on my part. I wasn't on, I admit that. So, best to dust myself off and move on. So, any of you have good tips for school that you can share? Or even from your work life? How to handle critics, and move on? I'd love to read them in the comments!

3 am Waiting

2011-09-13T14:10:00.003-04:00

Nine hours past dinnertime - a bag of Bugles is tasty, but will only make you hungrier.
Pretending disorientation by debating the virtues of President Eisenhower, and telling tales of President Carter's supposed peanut thievery will not move you up the triage list, but well played, Sir.
Bringing a school text to the E.R. waiting room works from 6 pm until about 1 am, after which you cross into the realm of "Man, I wish I brought Harry Potter". Always bring Harry Potter.
The nifty ATM that dispenses 1's and 10's next to the snack machines also charges $3.75 in fees, and dispenses nothing less than $40. If you're desperate enough to be seeking health care in the Emergency room there is a strong likelihood this isn't feasible for you. Thank you for taunting us with possibility and Skittles.
Rocky is a pretty disturbing movie at 3:30am - who boxes raw meat?
The hospital at 3 am seems a lot like peopleofwalmart.com
It is OK to refrain from making eye contact with the man talking to the fish in the aquarium. Also, it is OK not to judge his pep talk letting them know that he's gonna be alright. Everyone needs to feel alright at 3 am.

Anyway, everything is fine, just accompanying a friend to the ER. 6 hour wait until she got called back, 3 more hours for treatment, and home in bed by 5 am.

Papering the World

2011-09-01T00:22:00.003-04:00

OK, not really, but I did write my first (very short) paper this week. I have to say that although I adore writing for y'all here I hate writing on command, and get mega-anxiety as soon as a paper is assigned. Why then grad school? Good question. LOL Just kidding, I think the end will be worth the drama to come, but I sincerely hope that I don't internally freak so much each time I have an assignment. It will get easier, right? *Crickets*. Fine. Toughen Up Cream puff, right? Until later....I'm off to read and head to bed.

Black Beans

2011-08-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

http://www.great-little-stories.com/Sitting here trying to do homework it strikes me that I owe Jenny over at Great Little Stories a recipe or 5. Now since I should be working I will just put one out there for all 2 of you followers out there - if and when the procrastination strikes I'll put another one up, OK?

Black Beans (with or without rice)

I'm not big on recipes - I like things that I can just whip up by pulling a bunch of ingredients from the pantry. Ones that can adapt according to our tastes and whatever we happen to have on hand. So we'll call this more of a cooking story than a recipe, OK?

My mother used to make this recipe when I was in high school. Something about the savory combination makes me want bowl after bowl of it - it is one of my ultimate comfort foods, and it's relatively inexpensive and easy to make. When I moved into my first off-campus digs in college this was the first thing I called Mom to ask about, and it turned out to be a hit with my boyfriend at the time and his friends. Plus it fit our budgets - well, except for that month that I ate canned corn b/c it was all I had left in the pantry that summer and I was between paychecks. Another story for another day. Anyway, when I make it I'm generally making it for myself or myself and manmate. This recipe makes enough for at least 2 or 3 leftover meals in that case. You'll see it's easy to shrink or grow the recipe if needed though.

I take 2 cans of black beans, rinsed. (I just open the can, run water in and use the lid to strain the beans - do it a couple of times to get the muddy residue out). 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes with chilies. I used the ones with habaneros last month and those suckers are tasty but HOT. I loved it but it might be a bit much for some folks. If you can't tolerate heat use one can of rotel and one of crushed or chopped tomatoes. An onion. A green pepper. Garlic clove(s) If you're a heat fiend you can add a jalapeno. Random spices per taste requirements. Chicken, sausage, or no meat are options. If sausage I usually use kielbasa. Over the past few years I've switched to low fat, low sodium kielbasa or turkey kielbasa. Both are just as good in this.

OK, in a large skillet, frying pan, or wok heat some oil (we use olive oil for everything - even if you're not supposed to) over medium to medium high. Whatever temp your stove uses for sauteing veggies. While heating the oil, cut onion in half and then slice. Again these amounts are negotiable so if you like more veg you can use more onion. Slice up a green pepper or two - two is really very good if you've got them handy. Saute, and add some sliced up fresh garlic. Salt and pepper, throw a dash of chili powder, garlic powder, thyme and oregano (I know - kitchen sink, but this is how I did it in college and the tastes stuck with me). If you like hot throw in some pepper flakes. When you've got the veggies started slice up your meat. We do chicken a lot but kielbasa also tastes nice as well. Throw that in to the pan and start cooking - if chicken get it almost done before adding the next ingredients. If kielbasa start it heating up for 2-3 minutes and then add next steps. Next up is the drained and rinsed black beans, and the tomatoes. Stir, stir, stir. Get it all mixed up - it's grown substantially by now. Cook on medium high for five minutes or until the chicken is done. Then cut down to a light simmer and cook for another 10 minutes - this isn't totally necessary but this is one of those dishes that tastes better if it has time to mix it up a little. Cut it down or off a minute or two before serving so it thickens up a tiny bit. Serve over rice (my favorite), or if you're doing the slow carb thing like we are now then just eat it as is. That's it - really fast, really easy, and fairly healthy. Great for a weeknight when you get home and forgot to thaw anything. By the time the chicken breast thaws in the micro you've got everything else prepped and started with very little stress.

So, let me know if you make it, and if you have any recipes to share drop me a line or a link. I'm particularly interested in higher protein, low carb recipes right now, but we do celebrate cheat days so I'm up for anything. And go thank Jenny for prodding me about the recipe. She's doing writing prompts this week and maybe you want to head over and check it out? Here.