Answers to Some Questions

I've had some questions about some of my previous posts, so here are some answers:

Pressure Cookers

• Buy stainless steel
• Make sure it's large enough. You can only fill them 2/3 or 3/4 full, so even though they look large, you will need a decent-sized pot to make a decent-sized batch of chili, or whatever. I think mine is the 7 liter size.
• You will have to replace the rubber gasket at some point, and you may have to replace other parts, so make sure you can get in touch with the manufacturer, or whoever sells replacement parts. I think I replaced my gasket after 2 years, but your mileage may vary. It's inexpensive and easy to do.
• There is no maintenance; just keep it clean and maybe rub some oil on the gasket to keep it supple.
• Yes, you can freeze cooked beans. Just put them in freezer baggies in 1-1/2 or 2 cup portions (similar to a can of beans) and freeze. Cheap and easy!
• Potatoes? Yes, here is a recipe: Cut a bunch of potatoes into bite-sized chunks and throw them into the pressure cooker. Any amount of potatoes, 1 pound or 2 pounds or whatever you have. Any kind of potatoes will work, though the starchier potatoes will fall apart more. Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Now you can add any kind of herbs you want; my kids like a few cloves of garlic, or you can add rosemary or whatever you like. Put on the lid on and bring it to high pressure. Lower heat and cook under high pressure for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, quick release and open the lid. I usually smash the potatoes around a bit with a spoon, add salt and pepper, you can add a drizzle of olive oil if you like, or minced fresh parsley. Eat. You will love these! I make them for lunch a lot; quick and easy and everybody's happy!
• Yes, I did have a pressure cooker accident ONCE. The vent got clogged with chickpea skin. It wasn't a disaster and no one got hurt, just some spraying of chickpea juice. It was my fault. First, I filled the cooker too full, and I knew it; I just wanted to use up all my chickpeas. Second, I did NOT add a tablespoon of oil to prevent sticking to and clogging of the vent, as I knew I should. Third, I had fair warning. The cooker was making a funny sound. I heard it, I ignored it. It won't happen again :-)

Yoga

• Yes, I do want to teach again. I'm looking for a place to teach and I'll keep you posted!
• I have many, many yoga books that I love. I will try to review some of them on the blog, eventually. One of my favorites is definitely The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffman. It is suitable for all levels, beautifully written, and will teach you a lot about yoga and different philosophies. Right now, I am working with Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit by Donna Farhi. It is also suitable for everyone. The thing I am especially enjoying about this book is that the approach is different from what I learned and usually practice. Donna teaches you how to approach the pose through and with the breath, which is different from the structural way I usually practice. She also emphasizes learning how to feel the pose in your body. I like this, since many people want to see themselves in the mirror!
• I do not regularly practice with yoga videos or dvds. I think they are great, but they just don't work for me. I don't like to constantly have to look up to see what's going on! On the other hand, I own several videos and have learned a lot from just watching them. I've gotten a lot of great ideas from videos. They are worth the investment, even if it's just for inspiration. My preference would be a video done by a "yoga person," as opposed to a "fitness person."

Knitting

• You are right, I haven't been knitting that much lately! (Okay, no one asked me about that:-) The skin on my right thumb got so dry that it just split open. It stayed an open sore for a few days, which was very painful and uncomfortable and not conducive to knitting! It healed, but then I had the dry chunks of skin, which caught on the yarn constantly. I'm happy to report that it's healed now and I'm back to knitting!
• Yes, I do have 2 of the Barbara Walker Treasuries, Volumes 1 and 2. I bought them online, used, and I love them. They are worth the price just for the sheer inspiration. In case you aren't familiar, the BW books were written...in the 70s I think. They are simply huge books filled with stitch patterns and black and white photos of each one. Barbara does comment on many of the patterns and offers suggestions, but it's basically just a springboard for your own patterns and imagination. Oh, FYI, there is now a website where people are posting color photos of stitch patterns from the BW books.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I'm posting without photos because Mike is "ready to go!" More soon, with pictures, I promise :-)