AntSaint

Barefoot Contessa's Rosemary White Bean Soup Recipe

I might do the main share of the cooking in our home, but Jodie is tops when it comes to finding good recipes. Recently we raided the dry bean stocks at Winco, and came home with a hefty amount of white beans. We generally don't bother with soaking beans, but otherwise (well, add some cayenne...) this sounds like a good hearty soup for a rainy Oregon evening. Note that if you want to puree the soup, as per the recipe, you can also use an immersion blender (very handy). Or, if you'd like to leave the beans whole, add 1/2 to 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice, to help keep the bean skins intact:

Link: Barefoot Contessa's Rosemary White Bean Soup Recipe | Recipezaar.

Booze & Espresso - correcting my coffee

A Christmas gift moka espresso pot has made me and Jodie even bigger fans of this stovetop style of espresso-making. But what I really love? When we're in for the evening, whipping up some moka espresso, and doing what the Italians refer to as "correcting the coffee" (well, except probably in Italian). Or, in plain English, adding a wee dollop of booze. Jodie is partial to a wee slug of Bailey's Irish Cream; for me, there's nothing better than a bit of ameretto. Ah, yes, now we're talking.

Do you correct your coffee? If so, with what? And what type of coffee?

The Mathematics of Freelancing: What's Your Hourly Rate? By Rich Mintzer

How much time are you putting in for X dollars? This informative article by Rich Mintzer helps you break down what you do as a freelance writer, and how you should be charging for it.

Link: The Mathematics of Freelancing: What's Your Hourly Rate? By Rich Mintzer.

Freelance writing is a business, and like all businesses, if you are doing this full time, you should always be cognizant of the bottom line. To do this effectively, you need to first have a realistic assessment of how much work you can generate and how much money you are hoping to earn in a given year