Ful Medames

We had received so many dried fava beans from our CSA we had a tub full of them on our counter and didn't know quite what to do with them.  Soup seemed like an obvious choice but now that the weather is warming up a bit that didn't seem right.  After some Googling I came across this recipe for ful medames which is a traditional Egyptian breakfast dish.

Making it was basically a cross between making refried beans and hummus.  I was a little worried when I got home after the beans had been in the slow cooker all afternoon because they didn't have the greatest aroma. However they tasted great, though I may have added a few too many cloves of garlic (LJ never thinks there is enough garlic in a dish so I usually at least double what a recipe calls for).  I cooked up some naan and we had a very filling dinner.

I've Been Sewing Some Stuff, I Swear

HH was the recent lucky recipient of another new Pendleton wool shirt.  He really should be set for the cold months for the rest of his life, but I imagine that the next time we get the chance he will probably get some more wool and subsequently more shirts. 

I was the recent lucky recipient of a big whiteboard to hang in the sewing room.  It has already helped me to get more organized and stay on track with my sewing endeavors.  In the past, I would pick a new project by whatever seemed fun at the time, and that usually meant dresses.  Now I have different categories of sewing projects, with the biggest category being "other" which includes mending, alterations, and sewing for others.  My rule is that I cannot sew from the same category for two projects in a row, which has greatly reduced the number of dress projects completed back to back.  I have gotten so many mending and alteration jobs done since I have been using this system, without feeling like I am depriving myself of the fun stuff that I actually enjoy doing. 

I also recently made some narrow leg denim trousers (no, not skinny jeans) and a very spring-y top, but haven't taken photos of them yet.  I'll post about them soon!

I'm not sure what this is, but it was good

This meal was the result of being hungry and trying to use some random ingredients we had acquired.  The first ingredient wasn't acquired so much as made, in the first attempt of The Year of Cheese. I didn't want the queso blanco to go bad so I came up with this meal as a good way to use most of it.  I made a small batch of black beans, chopped some avocado, and prepared some delicious Mexican chipotle vegan sausage.  It all got tossed together with some lime juice and cilantro and served with some chips.

We'd been introduced to the Field Roast vegan products by some friends recently so I picked up a package while at the co-op buying milk for the cheese-making.  It is tasty stuff, though a little spendy so probably better just as the occasional treat.