The meat raffle

I won it. That brings my raffle winnings to two over the past 2.5 years we've lived in smallwettown. The previous win was of a year's membership to the local toy library. Our town is big on raffles. I began by never buying any. But the more I get involved in life here, mostly just by living here longer, the more I find I have a personal connection to the organisation selling, or the actual person behind the raffle desk. Lately I've bought a lot of raffles because I've got strong emotional links to a few groups who've been fundraising very intensely.

Here are a few pics from smallwettown last week:

Last week I lived in small-wet-nearly-blown-off-this-planet-town. The volunteer firefighters worked for 17 hours continuously and the next day busloads of people turned up in the worst hit areas to pitch in and help clean up. Friends without power prompted me to question whether I did want to store a year's worth of food in an electric freezer.

I found out today that only Solid Energy is ceasing residential coal sales after 2010. The other private coal mines will carry on supplying coal.

I was going to start a new dinner project/challenge tonight, based on finding my copy of the World Food Cafe recipe book and choosing a gorgeous South American bean dish to post about and then offer up the challenge that several of us try it out and report back.

But that kind of presumes I could find the book. And that I didn't come home at 5.30pm and tip cans of baked beans and corn in a pan and bread in the toaster and call that dinner. It was dinner. Most appropriately named. I even swirled balsamic vinegar on top of the beans. Bit posh aye? no? oh well. ...

So in the absence of
a) the aforementioned recipe book
b) the bill from the panelbeater so I even know if we should be eating this week
c) any opportunity for me to garden today

... then lets talk about another food option. Please post in the comments all your tricks with a can or two of baked beans. I have another flash option you know. Sometimes I add frozen peas as well as tinned or frozen corn to the beans in the pot/pan. Do tell me yours. I can never have too many baked bean tricks up my sleeve or down my gumboot.