lentil stew:)

It comes in handy to have a camera and use it amidst those normal everyday adventures. 

Like cooking.

Lentils are generally not my forte, but in this case, vegan suits me just fine for one meal. (huge smile and waves to all the vegan lovelies out there)

There are two lentil recipes we have tried for our family, and this one is the best. Even Caleb rated it a bit above 2 stars, I believe;) And for a meatless dish, that's a well-earned 2-and-whatever stars. Heh heh. Food critics of the families: rise. *snort*

So I'll load these pictures and type it up while sipping my Oregon vanilla Chai, 'kay?

;)

First of all: lentils. This time we had green ones, a good bit in bulk --haha, 5lbs.

I used 4 cups of water and 2 cups of these. But that's a meal and a half for a family of 9.

So maybe...split it in half, and you can freeze what you don't eat.

Then....ya want probably 6 peppers, all diced up. That's for our regular recipe, once again.

It's not that hard to halve it in your head, is it?

'Kay. Just checking. I mean, I don't like math either, but this isn't that difficult;)

Bwahahaah. Here's the recipe. That's Anna's handwriting and commands this time, baby;)

So. That's about 6 carrots, medium to large size. I sliced them longways into quarters, then chopped them like normal. Ya wanna let them mingle in some olive oil with those peppers.

Oh, yes, and don't forget a nice-sized onion, too. Dice that thing up.

Okey-dokey. Then, two things of chicken broth (or, probably any of your favorite broth would work) ...32oz each, these are.

Alright now...this is what it'll look like after a while steaming together. Make sure you salt this stuff enough, otherwise you'll just taste.....lentils. Ew. (laughs)

Pour in your lentils.

And yes. Your whole 64 ounces of broth gets poured in right about now, too.
Again, do the math for yourself. I don't have time --about to run upstairs to change into better fitting jeans for our evening walk (me and anna) because I tried on a really old pair I drew on with Sharpies and wore when I was 15. They're not that old, but a person does change between the ages of 15 and 19. Two words: snug thighs and too short for my personal taste. I must've grown despite coffee consumption. ;)

Now before you turn the burner up to medium-high and leave it alone, pour these in. :)

Now you can turn up the heat...but don't completely forget about it:)

Now, toast your bread, a piece or two for everyone, and if you do it right, it might turn out half as well, good-lookin' and yummy as mine:

(Psh, don't trip over my sarcasm, I'm just kidding. Not that conceited about my culinary creations.)

Mmmmmm. Now, let me tell you. It tastes as good as it looks, if not better (well, depending on your train of thought, alright?;)
I'm off for that walk now.
Oh, random news--last night and the first half of today, Blogger was down and I couldn't post, write, or comment. Darnit.
But....I did fine without. This morning Anna and I got to meet our friend Grace at a Starbucks and we talked about everything from church to outer-space to theology to Christians to her college life to Catholicism to living radically for Jesus to her lentil soup to coffee.
Of course that last subject was inevitable, right?
And can you believe she's farther gone than I am on that substance? ;)
It was awesome talking with her, though, (and listening a lot) because we only see her probably 3 times a year.
This afternoon, instead of taking the nap I felt like taking, I started Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann. And found myself thanking God it was still afternoon, because it's been a while since I've read a suspenseful book and it takes a bit to get used to it. Heh heh.
Oh yes! New paintbrushes! I love them. :) Aren't they pretty?