Kitchen Know Hows: Cooking Pinto Beans

In the south, we love pinto beans. We love them with onions and ketchup on top. We like eating them with cornbread and cole slaw. We like them in chili beans and taco soup. Pinto beans in a can are okay, but they are much better and healthier if you start with dry pinto beans. The only problem is how to cook the perfect pinto bean. 

It has taken me years to perfect the perfect cooking method for pinto beans. I have tried many ways of soaking them. I have followed the advice of the older women in my life. I have read other professional cooks advice and tried it. I have researched ways on the internet and tried them, but the pintos never came out just right. They were either mushy or still hard as a rock. However, over the past year, I have found the method that works for me. 

Here is my method for cooking pinto beans and what you will need. 

• dry pinto beans
• a large bowl to wash them in
• a large bowl to soak them in
• a large pot ~ preferably a cast iron or enamel pot

Pour the amount of pintos you want into a large bowl. Fill with water and stir a little. Hand full by hand full lift pintos out of bowl looking for blemished pintos and sorting out the broken beans, then place in the other large bowl. 

When the pintos have been washed and placed in the other bowl, pour water into the bowl making sure the pintos are covered with 1 to 2inches of water. Soak for 8 hours. 

After 8 hours, pour the pintos and water into a colander to drain off the water, then rinse off the pintos with clean water. Pour the pintos in the large pot. Cover the beans with 1 to 2 inches of clean water. Place pot on a burner and turn on high to bring the pintos to a boil. When they come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Let the pintos simmer for an hour and a half. After a hour and a half, remove the pot from the burner and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then you will have the perfect pintos to eat or add to a dish. 

This is the best way I have found to cook pinto beans. If you have a foolproof method or a tried and true method, I would love to hear it. I have found my way to be the best for me, but the pintos can still turn out mushy. So I am forever looking for ways to perfect pintos! 

Living life simply and enjoying simple dishes like pinto beans and cornbread! Enjoy!

Kitchen Know How's: Charring Bell Peppers

Over the next few days, I am going to share some kitchen know how posts. These are know hows are just simple little things that any wife and home cook should know how to do. Some of them, I have just recently learned myself. I also have a board on Pinterest filled with charts, measurements, ideas, and tips that have I saved to help me run my kitchen more efficiently ~ Kitchen Know Hows.

For years, I have watched people on their cooking shows char bell peppers on their gas stove top. They talked about the flavors its brings out in the peppers and that charring was a good way to help reduce the indigestion factor that is common with bell peppers. This was a great interest to me, because bell peppers is one of the things that cause DH to have indigestion and we eat a lot of them. The only problem was we didn't have a gas stove and I really didn't know that it could be done any other way. However, one day while watching "Pati's Mexican Table" the solution to my dilemma was solved by Pati Jinich. She said if you didn't have a gas stove you could char bell peppers under the broiler in your oven. A solution so simple, I am ashamed I didn't think of it. 

I was learning all of this as last fall as our bell peppers in the garden really started coming in. So I set about roasting peppers. It was surprisingly easy to do. It also did help cut down on some of DH's indigestion problem. 

Here is what you will need: 

• bell peppers
• a baking sheet 
• a baking pan that will fit over the baking sheet
• tongs to turn peppers with

To start with, you will need to turn the broiler on in your oven and get it good and hot. 

Wash off your peppers and arrange them on the baking sheet. When the broiler is up to temp, place the baking sheet in the oven. When the peppers turn black on the side facing up, turn them over using the tongs. When the peppers are charred black on all sides, remove them from the oven, then place the baking pan over the top of them for about 10 minutes. This helps them to sweat and will allow the thin skin on the outside to easily peeled or wiped off. 

All charred and ready to be sweated.

A pepper mostly peeled. 

When the thin skin is removed, slice the pepper in half to remove the seeds. They will come out easily by using a knife to scrap them out. 

Now the pepper is ready to be sliced and used in any dish. Or sliced to be put in a freezer container for use in the future. 

All sliced and ready to use.

Charring peppers do enhance their flavor and give the dish a hint of a smoky taste, which I like. Charring also seems to have reduce DH's indigestion a little. It is an easy thing to do and can be done when you are doing other things in the kitchen. Charring peppers is just one of those simple kitchen know hows every wife should know how to do!

Our Family Calendar/Appointment Board

In effort to keep everyone informed about appointments and family events, I made a bulletin board for our laundry room. Before this board, I would try to keep track of everything in my home management binder, however, I got tried of having to answer everyone's question about when this was happening or that was happening. So I came up with the idea to make a central board to put all the info, so my loved ones could look it up themselves. 

I started looking on line on how to make a pretty bulletin board. I got a general idea of how to go about, then went shopping for my supplies. I bought a cork board, 1 1/2 inch wide red gingham ribbon, and silver thumbtacks. Back home, I laid out a diagonal grid, then started laying down my ribbon and securing where it intersected with thumbtacks. The grid wound up being a little off, but I was still pleased with the over all look. 

On the board is a calendar page for the current month with all the family events and appointments written down on them. We also put any appointment cards for a particular month on the board as an additional reminder. We also put any business cards that we needed for a quick reference on there. I have also printed out all of our family's phone numbers and DH's work numbers on there for quick reference. 

The board isn't very full right now, but that doesn't mean we don't have appointments or plans. The bow is not normally there. I put it up to cover up any phone numbers that might could be seen.

This board has come in handy. I am no longer having to answer dozen of questions or hunt for a phone number. We also leave messages on there to remind of us things we need to remember, like recording a tv show or to run a specific errand. If you are part of a busy family and need a place to keep everything organized so everyone could access it themselves then a calendar/appointment board is simply just the thing for you and your family!  

Our Garden/Storage Shed And Cat House

Our garden/storage shed and cat house was once attached to our old mobile home and served as our laundry room. When we moved into our new home, DH saved our laundry room and with the help of my daddy attached to our outside storage shed, creating a bigger building with two separate sides. The old laundry became my garden/storage shed and the other building became the lawn mower shed. Years later when our rescue kitties came into our lives, it became their house where they sleep at night tucked safe away from the coyotes. With the help of DH's carpenter skills and my organizational skills, our garden shed has become a very functional tool in the caring of our simple home place. So today, I thought I would give you tour of the shed and how we organized it to work for us.

As you walk through the door, you will see a set of black metal storage shelves. We had used them in our old laundry room and were a perfect fit for our shed. I use these shelves to store a variety of items. I use various items to contain items. On the top shelf, you will see a coke crate full of small clay pots. We have an old radio to use outside. This is also where I store the cats canned food, which they get every night when I call them in for the night. The next shelf holds old glass bottles and other glass containers for fresh flowers to put the house. I have some of the small repurposed containers standing in old cake pans. I put old towels in the bottom to help them not wobble around too much.

The next shelf has seeds containers and gift wrapping supplies on it. I also have plastic containers that can be used for various things. The wooden box holds citronella candles for when we host an event outside in the summer. The pink crated holds old towels, sheets, and blankets. The cardboard box holds old dish cloths, kitchen towels, cloth napkins, hand towels, and wash cloths to be used for whatever they may be needed for.  

The bottom shelf is full of old coke crates that hold old sheets and pillowcases. It also house our rash can. A bucket for any leftover garden soil I haven't used, yet, and a bucket to hold the scooped litter from the kitties litter boxes. I have an old clothes basket stuffed full of old linens to provide a cozy spot for the kitties to curl up in. 

 

Underneath the window, between the black shelves, and the storage shelves DH built, he built me a potting table. As with most other areas I use, I have made it pretty and filled it with things that mean something to me. 

My sweet niece gave me the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign that is attached to the window, for my birthday last year. I love how it compliments the area ~ color, birds, and all. I found a pretty water can that sits on the window sill all year round. DH nailed some nails into the wall that separates the storage shelving from my table, so I could hang up all of my garden tools. 

On the right side of the table top, I have flower pots DD has given me as presents over the years. The watermelon one holds measuring spoons for measuring out flower food, etc. The bigger blue one holds garden markers I use to mark the veggies I sowed. The other small pot holds the cats' hair brush. 

On the left side of the table, I have two flower pots stacked on top of each other. The colors really don't well in our home, so I use them for tool storage. I lined the top one with old kitchen towels, then added my pruning scissors, pruning shears, and a other little items. Other either side are things I won when we were playing cards. I like candles in place I may need to see if the power goes out. The other jar holds a pair of old scissors and pencils. The little butterfly sat in my childhood room and just seemed to find a new home on my potting table. 

The potting table has a shelf where I have plastic storage containers that hold miscellaneous items and all of the baskets I use for gardening. The basket on the bottom with the orange towel in it is the basket I carry around with me as I work. I place all of my tools in it, as well as old hand towels to wipe dirty hand on and a bigger towel to place on the ground when I need to sit. The other baskets are what I carry to the garden when I gather produce. Below the shelf is an old toy scooter that belong to my brother. I am not sure how I wound up with it, but I put it to good use by storing Seven Dust, Miracle Grow, and clay pots one. The big white bucket holds dry cat food, which they nibble on all day long.

 

The storage shelves DH built are sturdy and hold a lot of boxes and tubs. All of our Christmas, winter, Easter, and fall decorations are stored here. The lowest shelf holds tubs that are covered with old towels, because the kitties like to sleep on top of them.  

DH's part of the storage shelves is much smaller than mine, but they contain a lot of items. His side doesn't always look that neat. I straightened them up before I took pictures. You can also see the cat have use of part of his shelves too. 

In the bottom picture, you can see a clean litter box and a little red wagon lined with blankets. I try to provide a lot of comfy, different places for the kitties to sleep. Underneath the wagon is another basket full of linens for them. In the right corner, you can see a little bit of white showing. It is my old play table that we keep around in case we need it. I store buckets and containers underneath it. I also separate the cats plates when I feed them at night. Miss Bashful gets her plate on top the table. Miss Cooper gets her plate underneath the table. 

I truly believe in decorating and making the places you use a lot pretty and meaningful. It makes work a little less of a chore when you are happy to be there. I even add decorative touches to the door of this room for different holidays. During the summer, I have a cute little welcome sign on it that puts a smile on my face. 

Well, that completes the tour of our garden/storage shed and cat house. This little shed and the pretty inside are just a simply good place to have at you disposal!

My DIY Coral Project

Ever since I decided to decorate our master bath with a ocean/sea theme, I have been looking for coral decorations to use. I found some at Hobby Lobby, but I wasn't going to pay $20.00 for one. Also, I could never find it on sale or in a color that would go well with my bathroom colors. I also looked at other stores, but to no avail. So while I was perusing Pinterest one day, I came across a DYI pin for making you own coral decorations using spray paint and a piece of coral bought from Walmart's aquarium section. I thought this was doable and I knew I was getting some money for Christmas so I could make my own. 

I ended up buying mine at Pet Smart. I just couldn't seem to find what I wanted at Walmart. I paid a little more than I would have at Walmart, but that is okay. I bought 4 pieces; 2 of these pieces and 2 of pieces similar to this one. (I can't find the actual ones I bought.) I then bought 3 cans of spray paint all in satin; Ivory Silk, Green Apple, and Eden at Walmart. I want to create an ombre effect. 

I started out with the Ivory Silk. I had to spray on several coats to cover the bright yellow/orange and bright pink. However, I didn't mind if small sections of those colors still shined through. 

The next step was to spray on the lightest green which was green apple. I started at the bottom and went about 3/4's of the way up on the pieces. 

Next came the darker green ~ Eden. I started at the bottom and sprayed about 1/2 way up. 

 

Pleased with the final product, I moved them to their home on the edge of our tub. I paired them with 2 white seahorses I found on sell at Hobby Lobby and candles I already had from Walmart.

I know I spent a little more than I wanted and only saved a little money, but I did get the sizes I wanted and was able to tailor the colors to our bathroom. I would call that a win! Besides DIY coral decorations is simply a good thing! 

Snapshots; Part 9

Here is a glimpse into life around here lately!

We have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks. As a result our garden is doing well.

Our squash plants. I am so looking forward to grilled squash. Yummy!

The last of our lettuce.

Bell pepper plants and volunteer tomato plants.

My flowers are absolutely gorgeous this year.

Bee Balm flower.

More of the beauty

I am trying to bring as many as I can in for us to enjoy.

After weeks of hard work, our flower beds are weeded and in good shape. Although, I will have to start round 2 of weeding soon.

I love our brick patio area.

A decorative touch.

 

My daddy takes old sewing machines and turns them into tractors. This is his latest one.

He built the engine part of the tractor along with the gears, seats, and axels.

He has built 3 of them so far.

The last of our lettuce.

Miss Oakley posing much to her chagrin with a pretty flower. An update on how she is doing is coming soon to "A Life Lived Simply's" FB page.

Living life simply and simply loving every minute of it!

Snapshots: Part 8

Snapshots of life in the Spring around here at "A Life Lived Simply."

Miss Oakley resting on her bed of our throw blankets and her blankets.

Since Doc Hannah okayed Miss Oakley eating people food, here is a pic of the food she gets to eat.

I am so far behind on my weeding of my flower beds. They are a mess.

However, I am slowly making progress.

It is sad when you can't see the pretty flowers because of the weeds in front of them.

A small victory, but lots more work to be done.

All the work is worth when you see these beauties; a bearded Iris on the left and a Siberian on the right.

Some wildflowers and blackberry brambles.

I love when I can bring in fresh flowers from outside in.

Wildflowers make me happy. The white flowers are new arrivals. I have never seen them before.

I have been working on a DYI project for a while.

I will put up a post about it and reveal the finished product in a few weeks.

DH has kept himself busy by replacing parts on my car...

and learning how to build transmissions.

I have been trying out new recipes; like oven roasted asparagus and sauteed mushrooms. Both of them were Yummy!

Although we usually don't celebrate Cinco De Mayo, we decided it was a good excuse for eaitng Mexican inspired food. So I made "Everything But The Kitchen Sink Nachos".

To go with our nachos, I decided to make "Agua Fresca" which I saw being made on "Pati's Mexican Table." You can find the recipe here. 

It was refreshing and something different.

You can't go wrong with watermelon and cantaloupe.

Our Cinco De Mayo meal.

Miss Copper was stalking me as I was taking pictures.

I got a pic of the elusive Miss Bashful. She had just finished bathing herself.Both of them have been naughty. I found a dead bunny in the garden shed where they sleep at night. DH had to remove the poor thing.

Our garden beds are still a work in progress. Our lettuce and radishes are up. The onions I set out rotted in all the rain we have had, but I am NOT going to complain.

Our peas are up and so is volunteer lettuce. I still have cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers to set out.

Springtime at our simple home is just beautiful.

We have been blessed with a lot of rain which has made everything lush and green.

I love our simple life out in the country.