File this under "D" for "DUH!!"

ME (answering the phone): Hi, this is the Pleasantview** Branch Library.

CALLER: Hi, is there a library in Pleasantview?

ME (mentally responding): *sigh*


Also seen this week--

Bumper sticker on a car: THE MORE PEOPLE I MEET, THE MORE I LIKE MY DOG.



**Name changed for obvious reasons. DUH!!

I'm honored

So, I got selected to be a Nielsen family for a week. Starting tomorrow, I'm supposed to record everything I watch on TV every 15 minutes. And I got paid five (5) whole dollars to do it!

But will the act of recording my TV watching actually change my TV habits? Will I suddenly start watching a whole lot more PBS or should I admit that I watch silly things like "The Big Bang Theory"?



At least it's not "The Bachelor"!

Tuscan Bean Stew

I got quite a bit of cooking done yesterday, which was nice. During the week, when I come home from work, I'm often so tired that cooking dinner is just about the last thing I want to do. So if I have the time on the weekend, I like to cook something, like a casserole or soup, that I can reheat later.

This time, I tried this recipe for Tuscan Bean Stew from Cook's Illustrated, and it turned out very good. I had to make a few substitutions, as follows:

--I didn't have any pancetta, so I used three slices of bacon instead.
--My grocery store doesn't sell dried cannellini beans, so I substituted two cans of cannellini beans, which I drained and rinsed.
--Instead of kale, I used escarole, because I like the taste of it. I just roughly chopped the head into pieces. You could probably use spinach or any Swiss chard too.
--I didn't put in a sprig of rosemary.
--I didn't bother with the bread, because I knew I'd be reheating the soup later.

Definitely would make this one again.