Rebecca Writes

A how-to edition.

Tie a Scarf
Quick, before winter ends! (But you know, I’d think this spiffy yet simple knot would work with a silk dress scarf all year round.)

Cook Dried Beans
Do you cook your own dried beans? They’re a lot cheaper and better than the canned ones and not much work. Here’s a handy-dandy slideshow that’ll show and tell you everything you need to know.

Plus, it’ll answer some questions experienced bean cookers like me have always wondered, like, “Why should I pick off the dried beans that float to the top when I rinse them?” Floaters, according to this tutorial, are older beans.

While we’re on the subject, do you soak your beans overnight or not? I soak mine, just because it seems simpler than the quick soak method. But here’s what I didn’t know: Some people don’t soak them at all. That makes them more nutritious, apparently, but also—why am I surprised?—more gassy. I guess I’ll keep soaking mine. I have, after all, a mutt/german shepherd in the house. Enough is enough.