JC Recipe 1 of 40: White Bean Dip

Recipe #1 of 40: Rosemary & Garlic White Bean Dip from the Joy of Cooking


A friend was in town and wanted to get together with some girlfriends for a night of snacks and wine. It was the perfect opportunity to make the first of my 40 recipes! I decided to make white bean dip from the Joy of Cooking. I had never really made a dip before, and haven't cooked much with beans - so this fit the purpose of this goal perfectly.

Here's how the process went:

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic
Rosemary
Shallot Pepper Seasoning
2 cans white beans
Olive Oil 


1. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. Then, saute garlic in 1/4 of olive oil over medium heat (about 5 minutes)

2. Reduce heat to Low. Add 1 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp dried shallots & pepper (this is my variation from the original recipe)

3. Add 2 cans of white beans (the Joy of Cooking says that various white beans will work: navy beans, cannellini, or white) I used small white beans & navy beans.

4. Mash or puree the beans - and that's all there is too it! What an easy and delicious dip!

5. Enjoy!

This dip was good with the cherry tomatoes, corn chips, and bread. It would have been great with carrots or other veggies.

However,  I also sauteed some mushrooms. The best combo was adding the bean dip on a small slice of french bread with the sauteed mushrooms. Amazing!

Happy 2015!! Goals, set.

There's a part of me that hasn't fully realized that it's 2015!! But it's here and will take off without me if I don't get on board. So time to get focused and start working on those goals! 

2015: I have 6 Goals that I'm striving to work on this year. As I've said before, I do not believe in resolutions. But I do believe in Goal Setting and working to improve myself.  So this year I have a 6 categories of areas in my life that I think I can improve if I work hard and stay focused.

1. Reading 

•  Total books: 12 (1 per month). I'm giving myself some flexibility with this because reading the classics is going to be my priority. I'd like to read at least two books from each category, but ideally following the number goal for each category set out below:

• Classics (6 classics) 
• History/Biographies (3-4) 
• Modern Nonfiction type books (3-4)
• Best Sellers/Fun (3-4) - This is the easy category so I am not reading all heavy/thinking required books. 

2. Biking 

• Maintenance Class or Fix a flat class (learn about my bike) 
• Go on a couple more group rides 
• Partial Century
• Complete a Century Ride (this may be a long shot this year, but I want to try)  
• Reach 500 Energy "points" in spin

3. Travel 

• Weekend trip with friends 
• At least 1 new state (already planned: Arizona) 
• More day trips out of town

 
4.  Culture 

• Kennedy Center free events - at least 4 events this year 
• See a play - at least 1
• Go to lectures or talks - at least 3
• Check at a new museum or local sites - at least 3 this year  

 
5. Career 

• Apply for a new Bar association (local)
• Join a networking group or association  
• Get Business Cards 

6.  Spiritual Upkeep

• Journal - at least twice per month
• Church - at least twice per quarter

Classic Book 2 of 40: Candide

 
Why Candide? 

My good friend Lauren told me about 3 years ago that I should read this book. I said, in passing, that I should read more classic literature. She said I should read Voltaire. I think my response was something like, "What?! Voltaire! I don't think so."

Lauren assured me it was not only good, I would like it. 

As usual, she was right.

My mini Book Review: 

Candide was the perfect book to read after Gone with the Wind. It was short! Super short. Just over 100 pages. The pages are packed full of adventure. With plenty of misadventure. It's philosophical as you would expect from, you know, a French philosopher.

The title, Candide or the Optimist. The book was not what I was expecting. There were gruesome parts and delightful parts. It was simple in language, in fact, it seemed like the story was simple. But it was rich in depth and lacked pretentiousness. It was a delightful read.

Recommended? Yes. For those looking for a good plot that's an easy read, and/or those looking for some philosophical contemplations. This book lends itself to being just a good story or something more for those who want to spend some time thinking about perspective on life.

Classic Book 1 of 40: Gone with the Wind

Why is Reading Classics is on the list in the first place?  
I had fallen out of the habit of reading, generally (except my beloved spy thrillers). But mostly, I feel there are so many classics that I ignore when I impulsively opt for the latest best seller or spy thriller (guilty pleasures - no shame about this).  Having only one classic novel on my 40 by 40 list would be fail in making a real new life experience. I figured it is only natural and fitting to read 40! That seems fine, right? 40 books in more than 5 years. pssh. That's nothing. Or so I thought, then I realized it means 8 classics per year.  Meanwhile, I am, of course, not reading exclusively classics for the next five years, so the challenge portion of this goal is to read 40 classics in addition to my other reading!

Why Gone with the Wind? 
This oft-referenced book creeps up in conversation constantly, in television and movie references. It's a famous movie that I hadn't seen and a famous book I hadn't read. I read about characters in books reading it and always felt a little ridiculous having not read it. That's all changed now! Finally, I understand Scarlett O'Hara. 

Mini Book Review: 
Amazing book. For those who haven't read it - I'll say that I was surprised how big the book was when it arrived. It's huge, but so compelling that at a certain point I was happy the book was so long - because there was more of the story to enjoy!

The characters lept from the page from the beginning. I felt the heat, the excitement, and the setbacks. I shook my head in frustration and wanted to shout at Scarlett. And chapter after chapter I thought, how could it get better? But it did. Gone with the Wind was intense and gripping.

Finally, I understand the epic nature of the novel and how it's stood the test of time. Simply gripping. Bonus: I finally know all the references outside of the famous, "Frankly my Dear, I don't give a damn!"

Conclusion: This was a book worth the hype, worth the time to read. Thumbs up!

Recommend this Classic? Yes. For those ready to sink into a story set in the South, a story with depth, with strong willed and frustrating characters that will take you on quite a journey. For those that love the movie and want more!