Spotted

Maybe I'm too quick to make judgments about people.

While driving home from the gym today a gal in a Prius turned left into the intersection that I was waiting to cross and I noticed that she was smoking a cigarette.

This gave me pause. This pause gave me a moment to rapidly piece together some broken logic.

Hybrid car = environmentally conscious = green = save the planet = down with global warming = ...smoker? Erm, hello...? Am I missing something? Isn't smoking in a hybrid sort of hypocritical? (Note: I am not an environmental activist of any sort past the usual "recycle your bits" sort of thing)

Right or wrong, that was my thought process.

Maybe she's in the Prius to save a few bucks on gas and isn't environmentally conscious at all. Maybe.

Ok, now that that's off my chest, please excuse the double cheeseburger I ate before going to the gym.
Kidding.

Comfort food for a chilly day

I've discovered a comfort food that is not only delicious but healthy as well. Who knew it was possible? Serve this up with some crispy sourdough bread and cuddle into a blanket. *drools* I wish I could claim credit for this soup but alas, 'tis not to be. This gorgeous recipe was found at epicurious.com.

Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeno

Makes 4 servings.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately.

I'm lucky they don't charge interest

As an adult (ok, stop snickering) I no longer carry cash on me like I did in years past. We're becoming a cashless society and I'm following suit (which annoys the nonconformist in me). The only time I seem to need cash is when I need to buy a bottle of water at work or at the gym.
Remember that part about me not carrying cash?
Guess who has cash and change pouring out of their little ears?
If you guess my little buglettes then you would be spot on. Where do they get their bits? In birthday cards and as Christmas gifts. Abby, who recently had her 6th birthday, is still swimming in 5's and 10's. She's got more dead presidents on her nightstand than I have had in my wallet in the last month.
I'd like to go on record as saying that it's rather humiliating to ask my 6 year old if I can borrow a couple of bucks till the end of the week.
*sigh*