and were back. sort of.

as you may have noticed (at least, i hope you noticed...), i have been absent for what feels like a very long time. this is because last friday our apartment flooded and we had to spend a grueling TEN days (as our landlord put it) "camping" in a studio apartment while they fixed the plumbing and replaced the damaged flooring (which was all of it). by the way, "camping" is a very nice but inaccurate word for what we actually did, which was trip over a giant pile of boxes while avoiding having to spend any time at home because this is what "home" looked like: 

obviously this has put me VERY behind in my blog schedule (i actually had several exciting posts planned for last week), so im going to do my very best to try and catch up now that were back in our regular apartment. but since im really supposed to be using todays naptime for cleaning and organizing i thought id just update you guys on this whole flooding situation.

first, the bad news:

1. ALL of the flooring in our apartment was flooded by a major plumbing issue that the building manager has been ignoring for a very long time.

2. management was NOT interested in fixing the long-term problem or replacing our gross flooded carpet (i feel that i should also add that they were flooded about a year ago with a previous manager who flat out REFUSED any kind of help cleaning it up, which i realize now was totally illegal).

3. as a result we had to spend a LOT of time fighting with the management to get both the plumbing and the floor taken care of.

4. and thus had to "camp" in the studio basically indefinitely while management jerked us around about what they were going to do for us and when.

and 5. i may or may not have had several major emotional meltdowns due to having my ENTIRE WEEK (and then some) of routines and meal plans all discombobulated and unorganized.

and now, the good news:

1. EVERYTHINGS FIXED!!!  well, except the bathroom sink which had to be ripped out and then got re-installed wrong but thats supposed to be taken care of today.

2. all our fighting with the management payed off. we got all new floors (that are even better than the old ones) and a discount on rent for the work we missed and the time in the studio.

3. the studio was tiny and hot and miserable and didnt have internet so we spend a lot more time out doing activities together as a family, and that was really nice (stay tuned for a post of all the fun things we did while we didnt have internet)

4. despite having my meal plan VERY MUCH interrupted, and a barely functional kitchen space, i still managed to make us some nice dinners at home (also stay tuned for a post about that).

and 5. i have come to the definitive conclusion that we own way, way, WAY too much stuff. way too much. i realized that its not our apartment thats too small, its that weve got too much stuff in it. we have three people living in a one-bedroom apartment and im still pretty sure we could do without at least half of what we have. so if anything this whole ordeal has been a BIG motivation in purging/organizing the house. also if you want to come over and see if we have anything you like, ill probably let you have it.

so that was our latest adventure, how was your week? anything crazy happen?

 

hey folks, just a quick update.

im not going to be around much for a while. dont worry, it's nothing bad, and ill be back eventually, i just don't know when that will be. see, the other night our apartment flooded and we've been temporarily displaced and for the time being our internet access is somewhat sporadic. 

so regular posts have been put on hold somewhat indefinitely, and for the time being any posts that i can manage will probably be text only. or only have low quality ipad photos. just thought I'd let you know.

if youd like to stay up to date on this most ridiculous adventure (and it IS ridiculous, once its over ill tell you the whole story), the best way to do so would be by following me on twitter, my username is @povertyluxe.

and feel free to say hi, im always in the market for new twitter friends.

rice and beans three ways.

despite the fact that i have owned a crock pot for nearly three years, i literally only use it for beans. i distinctly remember being at bed bath & beyond when we were spending our wedding giftcards, trying to figure out which appliance we were going to put back to make sure we could get a crock pot (i think it was the popcorn maker that got nixed), because it was absolutely essential that we have a crock pot. looking  back i have NO idea what my twenty year old newly married self (that, mind you, could barely make a quesadilla at that point) thought i was going to do with a crock pot that made it so important, because, like i said, i only ever use it for beans. 

but dont think that means that we dont ever use it, because we eat a lot of beans. and by a lot of beans, i mean A LOT OF BEANS. we have some kind of rice-and-beans combination for dinner at least once a week. why? because its a cheap, healthy, easy dinner that freezes well and most of the time alice will eat it. ok, sometimes alice will eat it. but thats more than i can say for most dinners these days. 

anyways, since beans are such a staple in our family, i thought id share my three favorite rice-and-bean combinations. the process for each is the same: 

beans

soak 1 pound of dried beans in a large bowl overnight. in the morning, rinse the beans and put them in the crock pot with any other ingredients listed and cook on low for most of the day (about six hours, unless you live on top of a mountain and then its more like eight), checking every couple hours and adjusting the seasonings as necessary. if you dont have all day or forgot to soak, theres always this method, which is also fantastic. 

rice

honestly i just use a rice cooker, following the factory directions for the rice/water ratios and adding whatever extra ingredients in the beginning. but you could also make it on the stove by combining 2 parts water with 1 part rice and seasonings in a large pot. bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. 

so here are the recipes:

black beans: for the beans, add 2-3 cloves garlic, salt, oregano, cilantro and bayleaf. for the rice add butter, salt and oregano. top with cheese if desired. i think this one is my favorite because its very similar to the rice and beans at wahoos, so obviously its a great accompaniment to fish tacos as well as a meal on its own. 

pinto beans: for the beans, add 2-3 cloves garlic, salt, 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1 finely chopped jalapeno, 1/2 an onion, cumin and chili powder. for the rice add butter, salt and cilantro. top with cheese if desired, or make into burritos or nachos or anything really, these pinto beans are by far the best ive ever had. (they also go REALLY great with chipotle mayonnaise, which just like the name implies, is mayonnaise mixed with canned  chipotle peppers). 

kidney beans: for the beans, add 2-3 cloves garlic, 1/2 an onion, 1 chopped green bell pepper, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons creole seasoning. for the rice just add butter and salt. this would also be really good with some spicy sausage, but thats not something we usually have around the house. 

making beans at home is not only easier than it looks, its also WAY cheaper (and less wasteful) than buying canned beans. 1 pound of dried beans generally costs $1-2, and makes the equivalent of FOUR 15 oz cans of beans (which generally run anywhere from .80 to $1.50), so even if you pay the higher price for the beans youre still saving a couple bucks AND ending up with MUCH better tasting beans. 

those are my favorite bean recipes, what do you like to make with beans?