The dud parents wash their hands

One of the many things Mom and I apparently neglected to teach you is how to wash your hands properly, which is a skill that is obviously more important now but that will serve you well for the rest of your lives. I've sent the New York Times video around, but several of you have confessed to not having watched it, so I'll try again by embedding this CDC video right here on UaKS, which I know you all read religiously.😄




At first, it seemed like a big drag to be washing my hands for at least 20 seconds at a time, over and over, every day. But now I've realized it's a great way to have a moment of Zen at various times during the day and really be mindful about what I'm doing while washing my hands. Lots of books say to take mindful showers, but I find the focus required to wash my hands properly is much easier to carry off. So watch the video and start washing your hands the right way so there will be one less reason that I'm a dud parent.

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Here is another dish, like the Greek Lentil Soup in a recent episode, that you can throw together in no time in the morning and just let it cook all day for a no-stress dinner. Auntie Leener swears by the simplicity and taste of these beans, which she and Uncle Clint served in yummy tacos at their house. I switched the original oven recipe over to the slow cooker, and we had the beans over brown rice to make a complete protein. Sprinkle some crumbled cotija (or feta) cheese on top (I listed the cotija as optional, but Brad and I think it makes the whole dish) and it's dee-lish.

Oaxacan-Style Black Beans

Adapted from Vegan Mexico (2016) by Jason Wyrick

Time: 13 minutes, plus cooking time

1 pound dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
6 cups water
1 large yellow onion (~8 ounces), cut into ¼-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
2 whole dried ancho, mulato, or pasilla chiles
1 dried chipotle meco chile or 1 chipotle in adobo
1 tablespoon cumin seeds or 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 avocado leaves or ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds

To serve: cooked rice and cotija cheese (optional)

    1a. To make the beans in a slow cooker: Place all of the ingredients except the serving items into your slow cooker's stoneware insert. Stir until well combined. Set the slow cooker to Low, and cook until the beans are soft and creamy. I forgot to check on them until 7 hours had gone by, and they were definitely done by then, so you should start checking on them sooner than that if you’re hungry.
    1b. To make the beans in the oven: Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Place all of the ingredients except the serving items into a large pot or 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Stir until well combined. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake until the beans are soft and creamy (the original recipe says 8 to 10 hours).
    2. I did my best to fish out the rehydrated chiles and cinnamon stick before serving. You can also mash the beans before serving if you like (I didn’t). Ladle the beans over cooked rice (preferably brown), then crumble some cotija cheese over the top, if desired. Serves 6 or more.