nasty

Here's a real mess and I don't care.

365: Sky 27 - Hochtaunus

Hoch im Taunus mit Silvia (2002)

I took this photo while visiting relatives in Germany in October of 2002. That's my cousin Silvia. A bunch of us went up to the Cafe Sachs which is a pilgrimage made every time my mother goes over for a visit. It's a funny little story which must wait for another time. This is not a typical German sky although it does happen enough to be ordinary. It was a lovely day. We had a lovely drive up and spent a lovely couple of hours enjoying the coffee and pastries of the Cafe Sachs.

The Cafe Sachs (October 2002)

Very charming inside and out with great views. The cakes and coffee are excellent. How could they not be?

Black Beans with Yogurt

Black Beans with Yogurt and Sweet Pepper

Recipe

Half a bag of black beans

1 container Sheep's Milk Yogurt, plain

chopped red onion

3-4 strips of bacon

freshly ground white pepper

1 bay leaf

finely chopped sweet pepper (orange here but you can use green or yellow or red, too)

Put the beans in a slow cooker with the bay leaf. Pour over enough water so that there is double the amount needed to cover the beans. Run the slow cooker on high until the beans boil. Let it boil about 5-10 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker and let the beans sit over night.

Add bacon, chopped red onion and freshly ground white pepper. It's all matter of how much you like onions and white pepper. Run the slow cooker on high for about 4-5 hours. The beans will be cooked but not mushy. If you like mushy you may need to use a traditional pot and cook them all day.

Spoon the beans into a bowl. Put a generous dollop of yogurt on top (you can always finish up the container later). Sprinkle the sweet pepper on top.

Yield
You can probably make 4-5 servings if you have 2-3 containers of yogurt and another pepper.

Current Fads
Listening. Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan and She's Always A Woman - Billy Joel; mockingbird
Watching. Roger and Me (1989)
Activity. fixing stuff on the internet
Gadget. iPhone 3GS
News Source. the news feeds in Safari
Reading. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen; Shamanic Journeying - Sandra Ingerman; Ask and It is Given - Esther and Jerry Hicks; The Wall Street Journal
Writing. morning pages; Shamanic Journeys journal

The quest for a late breakfast

Waking late I looked out for a place to have a quick, cheap breakfast. Fast food restaurants came to mind. Trying to find out how late they serve breakfast, I browsed McDonalds, Burger King and Arbys in my quest to find out where the closest one is and how long they serve breakfast.

McDonalds has the worse site ever. Sure, you can easily find the menu and nutritional information but try to find a location near you or find out how late they serve breakfast. The site is clunky and slow loading (especially for a person on an empty stomach). I never did find a page in the site that listed the breakfast serving times. Even on the individual pages for locations, nothing was mentioned about breakfast times. I called four restaurants before one answered and learned from a surly employee that at 10:45 am breakfast was over.

Burger King has a beautiful site. It loads quickly, is easy to navigate which went a long way to distracting me from my hunger. Unfortunately, this site also refuses to tell you what hours they serve breakfast. I had lost patience by this time so I didn't bother calling any restaurants.

Next up: Arby's. The Arbys site focused on international flair (hey, we're global!!) by presenting me with four planetary zones to choose from. After choosing North American, I then chose USA. Keep in mind I'm starving for breakfast. They serve food, right? I did find a nice list of locations but, again, no listing for the breakfast hours. Stuck in my head is a sign outside Arby's saying "Breakfast All Day." Next to one of the six closest-to-me locations was a little "Breakfast" icon. I telephoned that location to learn (from a lovely responsive employee) that breakfast was over and lunch was coming up.

A quick Google for "breakfast anytime Richmond VA" turned up Liberty Valance, just "down the street" from me. I telephoned, was answered promptly that breakfast was available until 2 p.m. Liberty Valance did not meet the fast food cheap requirement but I was starving and they do make luscious fresh huge biscuits. My breakfast was heavenly - veggie omelet, bacon, sausage patty, coffee and biscuits. They also serve real butter! And I had enough leftover for breakfast tomorrow. Still not under the fast food price barrier (you have to tip, after all) but well worth having a breakfast cooked to order.

Problem solved! For me anyway. And fast food people - put some breakfast hours on your site and remember, when a person is hungry they're not interested in games or viewing corporate info. Best hide that and let us find what we really need!
Current Fads
Listening. Colour My Dream, Tony Gerber; humming space heater
Watching. nothing
Activity. updating portfolio
Gadget. cell phone
News Source. the news feeds in Safari
Reading. How to Get What You Want and Want What  You Get - John Gray; Story - Robert Mckee; Soul Mates - Thomas Moore; The Ballad of Frankie Silver - Sharon McCrumb
Writing. my fourth novel draft Cosmic Control: The Prime Locus Learns Something