Couch 184: Welcome to Zanzibar!

Worked 4 hours this morning, just put on a pot of lentils, and now starting laundry. My first weekend with no homework in awhile! Nice!!

Your still eating chili everyday? I applaud you. After I eat something for 2 days in a row I can’t even look at it.

Not every day anymore... but still several days a week. I still looooove it!

anyone on the couch have carpal tunnel pain and numbness??? I'm so tired of my fingers being numb

I did when I was pregnant. Hugs. I remember it sucks.

Im addicted to roasted garlic tuna. I am already pretty good at estimating the temperature outdoors, or of the pool - maybe other people will be able to look at me and read it? #mercuryoverload

Roasted garlic tuna? How do you make that?

thanks it's been going on for almost a year now

Jersey, how are you feeling? Are you getting over your cold?

Smoosh up some roasted garlic and mix it in with a can of tuna?

Just started watching "The Haunting of Hill House" on Netflix. I don't think I'll be watching this after dark....

I have symptoms of it off and on, I think because my job just involves typing on a computer. Like Echos said, it bothered me more when I was pregnant--I think the hormones do something to the ligaments or something like that. I'm sorry you're dealing with it--have you tried the brace things?

yea. it helps when I sleep. but the fingers in my hands are constantly numb and tingly

I am officially done Christmas shopping. I am out of money and out of patience with other humans. I have to wrap all this stuff and hope the cats don't snack on the presents or play in the boxes. It's almost over for another year yippee!

Happy Saturday couch, I hope you're all having more fun than I did today!

It comes like that. Starkist Selects, in a can only i think. "With roasted garlic in olive oil". I havent tried any of the other flavored tunas, like lemon dill or bbq or whatever.

That would work! But then you would have to cook!

I tried I think lemon sesame ginger—good, but spicy.

Artie, is it hard to cook lentils? I have a bag of them but I've never tried before and I'm not very brave in the kitchen.

I use the red lentils cuz you don't have to soak them first. They cook pretty quickly.

Do you just boil them as if they were pasta?

I usually do not bother to soak lentils - no matter the color. The bigger brown ones will take a bit longer to cook but that is all. You can soak them if you wish and then rinse them well. They don't need over night - just a couple of hours or so if you choose to do so.

For a simple brown lentil soup - saute an onion, carrot, and some celery. Add (chicken, beef, vegetable broth or just water) and some lentils, salt and pepper and simmer for about 45 min to an hour until the lentils are tender. You can also add in some or all of: a can of tomatoes, a potato or yam, some spinach or kale (I would not use mustard greens in this - too overwhelming in my opinion).
I use about 4 C of liquid to 1C of lentils but you can change this up if you want it more stew-like(a little less liquid) or more soup-like( a little more liquid)

I agree on not soaking lentils but you should rinse them in strainer/colander. Brown lentils with rice and onions is an easy, basic dish

They say to "pick them over" cuz sometimes there are stones and that makes for a surprisingly crunchy soup

Just made cookies

They look like double chocolate chip?