Over the weekend I added to my stellar User Experience library with the help of Rosenfeld Media. After purchasing their Web Form Design book I couldn’t resist having their entire set of books. If you do anything related to UX these books are a must have. Use the promo code “LUKE” to get 25% off your purchase. You won’t regret it.
Black Bean Salsa
With the abundance of tomatoes and onions coming from the CSA, and my small garden, it seemed like the perfect time to make some salsa. This is a good spin on the traditional tomato salsa which is often quite time consuming to prepare. Next time I would add more tomato, a bit more spice, and maybe my own “mexicorn” concoction. This recipe is definitely worth trying out and it is so simple anyone can quickly make it.
- 1 can of black beans- rinsed and drained
- 1 can of mexicorn- drained. 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 peeled and diced avocado
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1 package of good seasonings italian dressing mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Adding cilantro and green onions is optional
Whisk good seasons with oil and vinegar, set aside. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing mixture all over and toss to combine. Add cilantro and green onion-if desired. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.
Childhood Heroes?
Every Wednesday morning Frank Deford takes the air on NPR for a quick rant on sports. This week caught my attention because he was looking at the sports world “childhood heroes” and how most of them turn out to be far less than a hero. Can the child today really call his favorite sports star his hero? Take a look at Tiger… Or just about any NFL player! I wonder if there will soon be a shift to heroes once again being firefighters, police officers, and war veterans?
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
I am pretty sure this video will surprise you. It has pushed me to really take into consideration the amount of sugar, sugar additives, and specifically high fructose corn syrup that I consume. In fact I have not had a can of pop in 8 weeks, unless of course you count a glass or two of home-brewed rootbeer… Another post to come about that later.
Homemade Spicy Dill Pickles
With the abundance of cucumbers coming in from our farm share I thought it would be interesting to give pickling a shot. So I snagged this recipe (below) from Epicurious.com and hit the kitchen. In 10 days after the pickling has pickled I will report back with how they taste… In the mean time I can say that they smell delicious.
Ingredients
12 pickling cucumbers
2 cups water
1 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 cups packed coarsely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup sugar
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 1/2 teaspoons dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Preperation
Combine all ingredients except dill sprigs in large bowl. Stir, let stand at room temperature 2 hours until sugar and salt dissolve. Transfer 4 cucumbers to each of three 1 1/2-pint wide-mouth jars. Pour pickling mixture over to cover. Place a few dill sprigs in each jar. Cover jars with lids and close tightly. Refrigerate at least 10 days. Pickles will stay fresh for up to 1 month. Keep refrigerated.
Considering attaching one of these to my house. Not sure the association would appreciate it though.
One of the most interesting products I have stumbled upon recently. It takes what I hate about most water bottles into account, they are hard to wash. With the glass interior that you can take out and put through the dishwasher this solves that problem. Smart.
