Some thoughts on habits

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;

watch your words, they become actions;

watch your actions, they become habits;

watch your habits, they become character;

watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

This quote is attributed to a whole lot of people, but the most likely seems to be Frank Outlaw, in 1977, although the general idea of it spans generations in multiple countries and faiths.  And whether the whole thing is really true could probably be argued.  But there's a good lesson in it about the power of what we meditate on, fill our minds with, think about, and talk about.

For October, let's look at habits - specifically creating good ones that will help our days go more smoothly.

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To think about... 

Have you already created a morning routine for yourself?  How about an evening routine?  If you have, what's on it?

What is one habit you would like to really work on implementing in your life?  On the flip side of that, is there a detrimental habit you'd really like to remove from your life and replace with something good?

Do you feel like you are modeling good habits for your family, or are you trying to control theirs while struggling with or ignoring your own?

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Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is write down your answers to these three questions, post them where you can see them daily, and to implement and track one specific habit every day for the next thirty days.

1. What your morning and evening routines are and how you make them happen;

2. What habit you would like to reinforce and whether you have a plan to reward yourself for success; and 

3. What habit you would like to remove and what you plan to replace it with. 

Vintage Cookbooks: Feed Your Family for $12 a Day (2002)

Red Beans and Rice
Serves a large crowd

Prepare 2 pounds dry kidney beans.  Sort through beans and eliminate "duds." In a large metal pan, cover beans with 2 inches of water and soak overnight.

The next day, drain liquid from beans. Set beans aside. 

(Note:  You can also use canned kidney beans in this recipe.)

Heat 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil in a large frying pan. Over medium heat, stir in and cook until tender:

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced

Add beans. 

Stir in:

• 1 small ham hock (or bits of ham)
• 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon molasses or honey
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste; plan to add quite a bit

Add enough water to cover everything in the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender. Serve over brown rice.

"Implementing one small step at a time can make a significant difference in the amount of money you're spending on groceries."

Rhonda Barfield (Feed your family for $12 a day : a complete guide to nutritious, delicious meals for less money, 2002)

(Available free online at the Internet Archive)

 

Baked Kidney Beans (Three Ways)

My husband and I grew up with different ideas of what "baked beans" meant.  I had only ever had white beans baked with pork and molasses, but he had red kidney beans made with bacon, molasses, and mustard.  I've done some experimenting, and here I have for you a recipe for red kidney beans that will work at least reasonably well in three different ways.  (This probably won't excite the gourmands in your life, but it's an easy meal, or they go really well as a side dish for a barbecue!)

You can make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the bacon, but I would add just a bit of olive oil to replace the fat.

Baked Dark Red Kidney Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cups red kidney beans (dried) or 2 cans red kidney beans
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup brown sugar

Option 1: Oven method, using dried beans

Prep required if using dried beans:  

• The night before: Wash beans, Soak beans overnight in cold water (or for at least 2 hours). 
• In the morning: Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Finely chop the onion and cook until soft.  Chop the bacon finely and add to pan.  Cook until the bacon is cooked (but not crunchy) and the onions are translucent. 

To make the sauce: In a separate bowl combine molasses, salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. 

Mix the onion & bacon with the rinsed beans and place in a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the sauce mixture over beans.  Add just enough water to cover the beans. 

Cover the dish with a lid or foil. Bake for 2 hours, until beans are tender.  Check after an hour and add more liquid if necessary to keep it just over the top of the beans. (This will keep them from getting too dry.)

Option 2: Oven method using canned beans

You can also make this same recipe using canned beans - substitute two cans of red kidney beans (I used two 540 ml cans and it worked out).  Skip the pre-soaking step.  Rinse well and continue with the recipe.  It may take less time to bake, so check on the tenderness and remove from the oven when you are happy with it. 

Option 3: Stovetop method using canned beans

This one may offend a few purists, but if your oven is out (or you don't have one), this will work!   Fry your onions and bacon in a large saucepan.  Add the beans and stir.  Add the sauce mixture and stir.  Cook over low heat, covered, until beans are tender.  This took about 40 minutes using canned beans. 

Vintage Cookbooks: Family Fare, Food Management and Recipes (1950)

Molasses Snaps

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup smoothly beaten cooked potatoes
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add potatoes and continue creaming. Mix in molasses.

Sift together the flour, soda, spices, and salt. Stir into the first mixture.

Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Flatten to a thickness of 1/8 inch, using a greased flat-bottomed glass.

Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) until the cookies are lightly browned-about 15 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Family Fare: Food Management and Recipes, 1950

(Available for free online at the Internet Archive)

Butter!

Did you know that making your own butter is so easy you can do it by accident?  True story!  Years ago now, I was trying to get whipped cream "just right" and left the mixer running for too long.  Instead of getting perfect peaks, it started to separate.  I had no idea what I did wrong, but a friend said not to toss it but to mix it even longer and add a bit of salt to it.  Voila.

What you'll need, if you want to do this intentionally...  

• Mixer
• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Bowl
• Spatula
• Heavy cream (ideally 36% fat or higher but 33% will work)

What to do: 

• Let the cream come to about 50 degrees F (lower than room temperature but warmer than your fridge)
• Attach your mixer's whisk attachment.  Pour the cream into the mixer bowl.  Put on the shield if your mixer has one, or cover the mixer with a towel or plastic wrap.  (This will keep you from getting cream all over everything nearby.
• Mix on medium-high for 5-7 minutes.   It will look like whipping cream at first, then start to get chunky and separate, then it may start turning yellowish (this depends on the cream you are using), before fully separating into curds of butter and liquid whey.  When the butter and liquid have fully separated, turn off the mixer.  
• Strain the butter into a bowl, making sure all the liquid runs out.  Set the liquid aside - you're going to want it later!
• Rinse the butter with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk and make the butter last longer.
• Knead/press the butter with a spatula for a minute or two, just to bring together the curds.   If you want to salt your butter, sprinkle it with a bit of salt before kneading.
• Press the butter into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks. (not that it will last that long!) 

The buttermilk has a shorter lifespan, so use it up within a week to make a batch of pancakes or biscuits!  

You can also make butter by putting heavy cream into a jar and shaking it until it separates.  This takes a while, but kids do get a kick out of it.