xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDay Thirteen

xxxxxIn Binghamton, I lived on the second floor, above my landlord. You may have seen those little bottles of root beer extract on shelves in the grocery store. I doubt that you could find them today but at the time, I bought one and in the spring of 1971, I started to make my own root beer in a gallon jug. All you have to add is water, sugar and yeast to the extract and let it brew for a few weeks. This I did according to the package directions, but I noticed that not much seemed to be happening. I added some more yeast.
xxxxxA day or two later, I went out to play softball. When I returned, the back door to my place was wide open and the floor was much cleaner than when I had departed. My root beer had exploded and the liquid somehow dripped downstairs into the landlord's apartment. He probably heard the explosion too. I had to do some explaining as well as cleaning up. I noticed some tiny fragments of glass, not much larger than grains of sand. It must have been some explosion! My landlord probably thought the house was being attacked.
xxxxxThe lesson from that episode is simple: follow directions. You can improvise for certain situations but not for others. The root beer directions also said to keep the jug on its side and capped with a cork, if possible. Had I done that, the cork would have shot out and there would have been some liquid on the floor, but certainly no explosion.
xxxxxDried beans are reasonably cheap and loaded with protein and numerous vitamins. They are also said to be a fine way to lower your cholesterol. You can make the next recipe with Great Northern, pinto, pink or black beans. Smoked sausage adds a zestful flavor.

Cajun Beans and Rice xxxxxxxx xx Serves 4

Soak the beans overnight. Drain. Place in a large Dutch oven, add the water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients, except for the sausage, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. You may need to add more water as the beans cook. Add the sausage and simmer for fifteen minutes more. Serve over boiled rice.

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