Yesterday I decided to prepare a bean and pork dish for dinner tonight. For some strange reason this decision didn't cause me to understand that such a plan would require that I start soaking the beans at about the time the decision was being made. Instead I ended up starting the soaking process late this morning, only after I realized that I was really going to be pushing the limit on minimum required soaking time.
Obviously I pushed ahead, hoping that the six hours I had until I started cooking the food would allow the beans to be sufficiently soaked. Amazingly, by the time I was ready to cook this evening things were looking pretty much on track, the beans (Jacob's Cattle Beans) had plumped up quite nicely and were looking as though they were going to be pretty tasty.
Given this state of affairs I decided to proceed as though all was normal and that I had not only allowed the beans an abbreviated soaking period. Before long everything had been loaded into the pressure cooker and the appropriate level of pressure achieved.
After about an hour, just as the past and vegetables were ready to go, I released the pressure and started prepared the beans to be served. At first everything seemed to be under control. When I was a few bites into my meal I started to notice that something was a little off, a few of the beans seem not to have absorbed much water and were still quite firm/hard (making for a rather unpleasant eating experience). The whole thing reminded me of my pre-pressure cooker days when I couldn't cook beans, it was definitely a bummer.
Blog-off Score
Neil: 0
Cameron: 40
Showing posts with label Pressure Cooker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pressure Cooker. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 23, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 275
-Though we were lead to believe that we were in for a significant rainfall and storm late last night and this morning it didn't really materialize. Aside from a few hours of rain in the middle of the night (according to Environment Canada), we only had a small amount of precipitation during the day. Though we didn't get the promised storm, the day was pretty poor. The skies were overcast and the wind was up for most of the day, though on occasion the sun managed to break through for a few minutes at a time.
-A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had started using Google Reader to check the blogs that I regularly read. I am now just over a month in and am definitely quite impressed with the service. I definitely read a larger number of blogs than I did just a month ago, but I feel as though I spend less time doing it. I get the time saving by checking one location multiple times a day instead of checking a multiple of sites multiple times a day.
A feature that I particularly like, though it doesn't really have to do much with content is the Trends section of Google Reader. Not only can I ascertain how many posts I have read, but I can get a sense of at which time of day the most posts are made, when I read the most posts, and how many people subscribe to particular blogs. I am sure that I blow some of my time savings browsing through this feature each day.
-On a related topic, the blog-off seems to have boosted our readership, or at least made it more consistent. On the other hand, it may have nothing to do with the competitive element of the blog-off, but simply that we are posting more than we have in months. In many instances our posts also contain some form of audio-visual content, a perennial favourite with the childrens.
-Given my recent success with beans and legumes in the pressure cooker I decided to see if I could extend my streak tonight with a lentil and pork stew. Though I didn't really hear much from Rebecca and Neil, I know that I was quite pleased with the outcome. I was also pleased with the corn bread that I made to accompany the meal.
For some reason it seems that I had forgotten about corn bread for a few months until about two weeks ago. Since then I have made it on a number of occasions. Aside from the flavour, one of the things I like about it is that it is both quick to prepare and bake. Additionally, it seems to go well with these moderately spiced stew type things that I have been preparing.
-Neil and da missus is gettin' on da sauce now in a few minutes. Seems one a da b'ys from up to da school' got his missus in town and wants her to meet a few a da b'ys and get on da G.O. da same time. B'y, sounds half good to me, but if dem two comes back sauced der 'ill be werds. B'y, I don't want none a dat behaviour in dis apartment, we lives good and clean around here. Dat being said, I wouldn't half mind going on a tear wit da b'ys meself one a dese days, jayz, b'y, maybe I gets 'er done tomarrah.
Blog-off
Cameron: 28
Neil: 1
-A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had started using Google Reader to check the blogs that I regularly read. I am now just over a month in and am definitely quite impressed with the service. I definitely read a larger number of blogs than I did just a month ago, but I feel as though I spend less time doing it. I get the time saving by checking one location multiple times a day instead of checking a multiple of sites multiple times a day.
A feature that I particularly like, though it doesn't really have to do much with content is the Trends section of Google Reader. Not only can I ascertain how many posts I have read, but I can get a sense of at which time of day the most posts are made, when I read the most posts, and how many people subscribe to particular blogs. I am sure that I blow some of my time savings browsing through this feature each day.
-On a related topic, the blog-off seems to have boosted our readership, or at least made it more consistent. On the other hand, it may have nothing to do with the competitive element of the blog-off, but simply that we are posting more than we have in months. In many instances our posts also contain some form of audio-visual content, a perennial favourite with the childrens.
-Given my recent success with beans and legumes in the pressure cooker I decided to see if I could extend my streak tonight with a lentil and pork stew. Though I didn't really hear much from Rebecca and Neil, I know that I was quite pleased with the outcome. I was also pleased with the corn bread that I made to accompany the meal.
For some reason it seems that I had forgotten about corn bread for a few months until about two weeks ago. Since then I have made it on a number of occasions. Aside from the flavour, one of the things I like about it is that it is both quick to prepare and bake. Additionally, it seems to go well with these moderately spiced stew type things that I have been preparing.
-Neil and da missus is gettin' on da sauce now in a few minutes. Seems one a da b'ys from up to da school' got his missus in town and wants her to meet a few a da b'ys and get on da G.O. da same time. B'y, sounds half good to me, but if dem two comes back sauced der 'ill be werds. B'y, I don't want none a dat behaviour in dis apartment, we lives good and clean around here. Dat being said, I wouldn't half mind going on a tear wit da b'ys meself one a dese days, jayz, b'y, maybe I gets 'er done tomarrah.
Blog-off
Cameron: 28
Neil: 1
Sunday, February 22, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 274
-We seem to be in the midst of another relatively passable day. Again, I haven't really had the pleasure of experiencing much of it directly, most of my experiences have been mediated through my bedroom window. Unfortunately, the forecast is suggesting that we are in for a fair amount of rain tonight and tomorrow. Fortunately I don't have any obligations that will force me to venture out in less than ideal weather.
-As I should have suspected, we managed to lose our final Ultimate game of the regular season by over 20 points. Unfortunately, I can't say that I helped the cause all that much as a number of my throws were blocked and I was even slower than usual.
That I am pretty slow is really starting to get to me. It seems that there are only a handful of individuals in this league that are slower than me, the rest of much faster. Given the size of the court, this speed differential makes a huge difference and makes much less valuable as a player.
Apparently there will be some kind of play-off structure, though as of yet no one on our team knows how it is to work.
-A few days ago I Neil and I had some black beans that I prepared in my pressure cooker. My plan for dinner tonight is to repeat my bean based success of last week, though with a few modifications to the recipe. I think that the most substantial change will be to use less liquid, as not all that much is needed in the pressure cooker. Also, I think that I may be more generous with a few of the spices.
-If I get my act together later this afternoon maybe I will be able to go for a walk, though the way things are going right now it seems that I will probably manage to just continue wasting my time until I need to start preparing dinner.
-Earlier today I spent a few minutes reading yesterday's Globe and Mail and came across a story about high-end dog services in Toronto and the impact that the recession is having on these businesses. I was moderately surprised that most of the business owners interviewed seemed to suggest that things were still going well and that they weren't really all that worried about the recession. Given the number of stories that I have seen about people abandoning their pets because of financial problem I found this story rather surprising. This story seems to suggest the opposite of the previously reported trend and suggests that people are unwilling to sacrifice the comfort of their pets, and if anything, willing to allow their own quality of life to drop so that their pet's can remain the same.
One comment in the story that I found particularly strange related to pet daycare. The owner of such a facility suggested that she wouldn't really be impacted by a recession because people really didn't have a choice, they would still need to send their pets to daycare. I found this shocking for a number of reasons, most notably because the concept of pet daycare is relatively recent, so people in Toronto would have had to survive without it only a handful of years ago. Furthermore, there are many places in Canada and the rest of the world that don't have access to pet daycare facilities, though this doesn't seem to impede pet ownership to any noticeable extent. I guess I found the idea of pet daycare being necessary laughable. I imagine that this business owner, as well as the other providers of high-end dog products, will be in for a big surprise if this recession gets worse or goes for any period of time. These business owners will find that such expenses are considered luxuries by most pet owners.
Blog-off
Cameron: 26
Neil: 1
-As I should have suspected, we managed to lose our final Ultimate game of the regular season by over 20 points. Unfortunately, I can't say that I helped the cause all that much as a number of my throws were blocked and I was even slower than usual.
That I am pretty slow is really starting to get to me. It seems that there are only a handful of individuals in this league that are slower than me, the rest of much faster. Given the size of the court, this speed differential makes a huge difference and makes much less valuable as a player.
Apparently there will be some kind of play-off structure, though as of yet no one on our team knows how it is to work.
-A few days ago I Neil and I had some black beans that I prepared in my pressure cooker. My plan for dinner tonight is to repeat my bean based success of last week, though with a few modifications to the recipe. I think that the most substantial change will be to use less liquid, as not all that much is needed in the pressure cooker. Also, I think that I may be more generous with a few of the spices.
-If I get my act together later this afternoon maybe I will be able to go for a walk, though the way things are going right now it seems that I will probably manage to just continue wasting my time until I need to start preparing dinner.
-Earlier today I spent a few minutes reading yesterday's Globe and Mail and came across a story about high-end dog services in Toronto and the impact that the recession is having on these businesses. I was moderately surprised that most of the business owners interviewed seemed to suggest that things were still going well and that they weren't really all that worried about the recession. Given the number of stories that I have seen about people abandoning their pets because of financial problem I found this story rather surprising. This story seems to suggest the opposite of the previously reported trend and suggests that people are unwilling to sacrifice the comfort of their pets, and if anything, willing to allow their own quality of life to drop so that their pet's can remain the same.
One comment in the story that I found particularly strange related to pet daycare. The owner of such a facility suggested that she wouldn't really be impacted by a recession because people really didn't have a choice, they would still need to send their pets to daycare. I found this shocking for a number of reasons, most notably because the concept of pet daycare is relatively recent, so people in Toronto would have had to survive without it only a handful of years ago. Furthermore, there are many places in Canada and the rest of the world that don't have access to pet daycare facilities, though this doesn't seem to impede pet ownership to any noticeable extent. I guess I found the idea of pet daycare being necessary laughable. I imagine that this business owner, as well as the other providers of high-end dog products, will be in for a big surprise if this recession gets worse or goes for any period of time. These business owners will find that such expenses are considered luxuries by most pet owners.
Blog-off
Cameron: 26
Neil: 1
Monday, February 09, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 271
-After yesterday's above zero temperatures, today's below zero temperatures have had the somewhat unwelcome effect of turning large sections of the city into ice sheets. Unfortunately, it seems that a number of the city's sidewalks seem to be presently located below these ice sheets. Aside from this, and occasional blasts of cold wind, things were pretty nice today.
-On Saturday I finally prepared some beans/legumes in my new pressure cooker. The preparation of such dishes was why I was given the pressure cooker in the first place.
For my first attempt I decided to go with a lentil soup recipe from the cookbook that came with the device. Not only was the soup relatively straightforward, basically just vegetables and lentils, it turned out quite nicely. Even Neil and Rebecca seemed to think that it wouldn't be too bad if we had it again. Hopefully I will be able to try a few more such dishes in the coming days and weeks.
-For those of you who are into comedy podcasts, episode 46 of Mike Schmidt's The 40 Year Old Boy is great. As far as I am concerned, the highlight of the show is the extended story about Mike going to Lake Tahoe with a friend to run a sports gambling system that the friend devised. As one might expect of 20 year-olds try to pull something like this off, it quickly went south and Mike and his friend were soon forced to fend for themselves in a relatively unknown city.
-On Saturday night our Ultimate team was once again smoked, though we did manage to hold things together for the better part of the first half. As usual, we really let things get out of hand as the game wore on.
-A few days ago I noticed that one of the recipes on the same page as a biscuit recipe that I frequent use was a recipe for "Cowboy Coffee Cake." For some reason I found this name rather tempting and have been trying to come up with a reason/time to make a batch.
After finishing dinner this evening I felt that the time had come and that I would try to whip up a batch of Cowboy Coffee Cake. Now that it is out of the oven I can't quite understand why they tried to associate with cowboys, it looks like pretty standard coffee cake as far as I can tell. I guess I should try a piece while it is still warm.
-This morning I removed the 'stache (olibama) that I acquired on Friday. I was pretty sure that its presence wouldn't endear me to the class to whom I had to give a lecture this morning.
Blog-off
Cameron: 11
Neil: 0
-On Saturday I finally prepared some beans/legumes in my new pressure cooker. The preparation of such dishes was why I was given the pressure cooker in the first place.
For my first attempt I decided to go with a lentil soup recipe from the cookbook that came with the device. Not only was the soup relatively straightforward, basically just vegetables and lentils, it turned out quite nicely. Even Neil and Rebecca seemed to think that it wouldn't be too bad if we had it again. Hopefully I will be able to try a few more such dishes in the coming days and weeks.
-For those of you who are into comedy podcasts, episode 46 of Mike Schmidt's The 40 Year Old Boy is great. As far as I am concerned, the highlight of the show is the extended story about Mike going to Lake Tahoe with a friend to run a sports gambling system that the friend devised. As one might expect of 20 year-olds try to pull something like this off, it quickly went south and Mike and his friend were soon forced to fend for themselves in a relatively unknown city.
-On Saturday night our Ultimate team was once again smoked, though we did manage to hold things together for the better part of the first half. As usual, we really let things get out of hand as the game wore on.
-A few days ago I noticed that one of the recipes on the same page as a biscuit recipe that I frequent use was a recipe for "Cowboy Coffee Cake." For some reason I found this name rather tempting and have been trying to come up with a reason/time to make a batch.
After finishing dinner this evening I felt that the time had come and that I would try to whip up a batch of Cowboy Coffee Cake. Now that it is out of the oven I can't quite understand why they tried to associate with cowboys, it looks like pretty standard coffee cake as far as I can tell. I guess I should try a piece while it is still warm.
-This morning I removed the 'stache (olibama) that I acquired on Friday. I was pretty sure that its presence wouldn't endear me to the class to whom I had to give a lecture this morning.
Blog-off
Cameron: 11
Neil: 0
Sunday, January 04, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 254
-Today was a pretty beautiful day. Not only was there no precipitation, but the skies were clear and the wind was low. Additionally, while cold, it wasn't particularly unpleasant or unreasonable. It seems that our luck is not to hold as rain is predicted for later in the week.
-Much to my surprise I received a pressure cooker for Christmas. I guess the idea is that beans can be cooked rather effectively in such devices, though I have not yet tested this assertion, which might help me overcome my inability to properly cook beans.
Maybe even more importantly, it seems that, if the claims on the box are correct, such devices should really reduce the required cooking time. The recipe booklet included with the pressure cooker is even so bold as to suggest that it can cook potatoes in only 10 minutes (which would be pretty amazing). Their claim that they can cook a whole turkey in 25 minutes is also pretty impressive.
Anyway, today I managed to put the device into service when I cooked beef stew for dinner. Though I didn't notice an incredible reduction in cooking time I think that it is likely that in the future I would apply more heat, thus building the required pressure more quickly, and thus starting my time savings at an earlier stage. I think what may have most impressed me about the experience was how much steam was released once I eventually decided to release the pressure. If I recall correctly, steam spewed out of the valve for several minutes once opened.
-Neil and I had an Ultimate game last night. Almost as soon as the game started it was clear we were outmatched and were likely to lose the game. Anyway, the eventual result was that were beaten more soundly than we have ever been beaten as a team before. Hopefully next week's game goes a little better.
-Though the selections have not been formally approved by the Graduate Coordinator, as of this evening I have finally decided which courses I will be taking this semester. The unfortunate part of my schedule, aside from the back to back seminars, is the 8:30 AM class. Maybe I will be able to shake my aversion to mornings for the duration of the semester.
-Much to my surprise I received a pressure cooker for Christmas. I guess the idea is that beans can be cooked rather effectively in such devices, though I have not yet tested this assertion, which might help me overcome my inability to properly cook beans.
Maybe even more importantly, it seems that, if the claims on the box are correct, such devices should really reduce the required cooking time. The recipe booklet included with the pressure cooker is even so bold as to suggest that it can cook potatoes in only 10 minutes (which would be pretty amazing). Their claim that they can cook a whole turkey in 25 minutes is also pretty impressive.
Anyway, today I managed to put the device into service when I cooked beef stew for dinner. Though I didn't notice an incredible reduction in cooking time I think that it is likely that in the future I would apply more heat, thus building the required pressure more quickly, and thus starting my time savings at an earlier stage. I think what may have most impressed me about the experience was how much steam was released once I eventually decided to release the pressure. If I recall correctly, steam spewed out of the valve for several minutes once opened.
-Neil and I had an Ultimate game last night. Almost as soon as the game started it was clear we were outmatched and were likely to lose the game. Anyway, the eventual result was that were beaten more soundly than we have ever been beaten as a team before. Hopefully next week's game goes a little better.
-Though the selections have not been formally approved by the Graduate Coordinator, as of this evening I have finally decided which courses I will be taking this semester. The unfortunate part of my schedule, aside from the back to back seminars, is the 8:30 AM class. Maybe I will be able to shake my aversion to mornings for the duration of the semester.
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