Geography

Entries from Tucson

Photos · · Tucson

Derald

Portrait of Derald in his workshop

Portrait of Derald Nordbrock taken in his workshop

Cineclub · · Tucson

Kanopy

I am grateful for the movie streaming service Kanopy. If you have a public library card, you can access it. Just enter your library card information. You can watch five movies monthly. Some are good, and some are not. Many A24 films are on there, whatever that might mean to you. There are a lot of foreign films. Last night I watched an Argentine movie, Children of the Night. It's about a reporter who travels to a colony of vampire children run by a pious Catholic hemophiliac. It is awful. I would not have known this had it not been for Kanopy, so I am grateful.

Photos · · Tucson

Diamonds

Three Diamond brand baseballs

Three of the baseballs we have found in our yard this spring.

Recipes · · Tucson

Crock-Pot Cowboy Beans Revisited

I've eaten a lot of Crock-Pot cowboy beans since I first posted about them here back when. Since then, I've tweaked the recipe a bit, cutting back on the salt and adding onion.

  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 Large white onion cut into thin slices
  • 2 Cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Ms Dash Southwestern Seasoning
  • 2 Cups pinto beans
  • 6 Cups water
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 1/4 Teaspoon liquid smoke

Soak the beans you'll be cooking in this recipe overnight. In the morning, before you put them in the slow cooker, bring them to a boil in a pot of water on your stove for 10 minutes. 

While the beans are boiling on the stove, add the  coconut oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and the seasoning to the slow cooker. After the beans have boiled for ten minutes, drain them into the sink, discarding the water they boiled in. Add the beans, six cups of fresh water, bay leaves, and the liquid smoke to the slow cooker. Cook on low for approximately six hours or on high for approximately four. You can check if the beans are ready by spooning one out and blowing on it. If its skin cracks and curls, it's ready.