Super simple dish can be served many ways

Dried beans start out as the seeds of a bean plant that grow inside long pods. Those seed pods are dried in the sun until the water inside the beans evaporates, making the beans dry and hard.

Drying beans this way allows them to last a long time on your pantry shelf. To turn them tender again, dried beans need to be cooked in liquid, or rehydrated, which can take hours and hours. One way to speed things up? Brine the beans.

Soaking dried beans in a saltwater solution does two things: It softens the beans’ skins (the seed coats) and it shortens

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: BBQ burgers & jumbo dogs, coleslaw, dessert $10/plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

▢ Elmira Legion's Take Out Spaghetti Dinner. Pick up from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Menu: spaghetti with meat sauce, Caesar salad, roll, dessert. $13 per person. Order in advance call Donna Vervoort 519-669-5894.

MONDAY, JANUARY 30

▢ Tops-Take off Pounds Sensible. Every Monday 6:15 p.m. weigh in, 7 p.m. meeting at the Woolwich Memorial Center, The Hub. Take off pounds with healthy eating. All ages welcome. Contact Mary Jordan at 519-500-2820 for further information.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Simple White Beans with Garlic

▢ 4 cups plus 5 cups water, measured separately ▢ 2 1⁄4 teaspoons plus 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, measured separately ▢ 8 ounces dried cannellini beans ▢ 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin

1. Day 1: Add 4 cups water and 2 1⁄4 teaspoons salt to a large bowl. Stir to dissolve salt.

2. Transfer dried beans to colander. Search through beans and pick out any small stones or broken beans and discard. Rinse beans with cold water.

3. Add drained beans to salt water in bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let beans soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

4. Day 2: Transfer brined beans to colander and rinse with cold water.

5. In a large saucepan, combine drained beans, remaining 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 5 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

6. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook at gentle simmer (small bubbles should break occasionally across the surface of the water), stirring occasionally, until beans are tender but still chewy in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes. the time it takes to cook them. The skins of beans contain pectin, a molecule that “glues” plant cells together. As the beans soak in the brine, sodium ions in the dissolved salt weaken the pectin in the beans’ skins, making them softer and able to expand (instead of explode) as the beans absorb water. This gives the beans a hydrating “jump start” and means you won’t have to cook them for quite as long. ↆ

7. Turn off heat and cover saucepan. Let beans steep until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

8. Drain beans in colander set in sink.

9. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine oil and garlic. Cook over medium heat until garlic begins to brown lightly at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.

10. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

Add drained cooked beans and stir gently to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley (if using) and serve.

▢ STOP 47 at the Junction, Elmira. Weekly drop-in, 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Stop by with your coffee or lunch. Sit and relax, chat...books, puzzles, pool, games, crokinole and more available. For more info: Call Marilyn at 519-589-5356

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

▢ Jam at The Junction, Elmira, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Musicians are welcome to come and join the "base" band and play some fun music with us. If you can play or sing, bring a song or two that you can take the lead on, or just play/sing along. Popcorn, coffee and pop are served for anyone who wants to just come and listen, or meet friends.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

▢ Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: Quiche, salad, roll, dessert $10/plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

▢ Senior's Community Dining at Wellesley Community Centre. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost $12. Must register by noon on February 3 by calling 519-664-1900.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

▢ Woodside Evergreen for Seniors at Woodside Church, Elmira, 10:30 a.m. "Eating Well for Less" by Amy Sonnenberg, Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Music by Joyce Ruppert and Encouraging Words by Pastor Daniel Moes, Woodside. Suggested donation $10 includes hot lunch. Preregister by February 5 at www.woodsidechurch.ca/evergreen or 519-6691296.

▢ Senior's Community Dining at Breslau Community Centre. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost $12. Must register by noon on February 3 by calling 519-664-1900.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

▢ Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: Turkey a la King, salad, dessert $10/plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

▢ Seniors Valentine's Day Dinner and Dance at Hygate Active Senior Living, Waterloo from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. $22/person. Menu: 1 pc fish and chip dinner. Live music, dance and door prizes. Call Stacey to buy your tickets 519-501-1131

Don’t believe everything you hear about colds.

MAYO CLINIC: Getting the “facts” stone-cold wrong

The best advice I have is to rely on the most common safe behaviors to avoid falling ill:

„ Wash your hands. Clean your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water. If soap and water aren't available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

„ Disinfect your space. Clean kitchen and bathroom countertops with disinfectant, especially when someone in your family has a cold. Be diligent about wiping down doorknobs and frequently touched surfaces.

„ Use tissues – and masks. Sneeze and cough into tissues. Discard used tissues right away. Then thoroughly wash your hands. If you are wearing a mask, discard the mask and replace it with a clean one.

„ Don't share. Don't share drinking glasses or utensils with other family members. Use your own glass or disposable cups when you or someone else is sick. Label the cup or glass with the name of the person with the cold.

„ Practice social distancing and safe behaviors, especially if others are ill. Avoid close contact with anyone who is ill. Consider wearing a mask if you are going to be out in public or around a lot of people in an inti- mate setting. Since COVID-19 is still a threat, it's important to practice safe behaviors regardless of whether you have been vaccinated for COVID-19. And cold and flu germs are still prevalent.

„ Take care of yourself. Eating well, getting exercise and enough sleep, and managing stress might help you avoid getting sick. You can rest assured that if you go outside with wet hair, or without a jacket, you won’t increase your chances of getting sick, but it may cause temporary discomfort.

ↆ Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www. mayoclinic.org.

Join Us

Downtown Elmira Business Improvement Area (BIA) Annual General

Meeting

Thursday, February 2, 2023 7:00pm (6:45 casual meet & greet) Zoom Video Call

•Call Annual General Meeting to Order

•Introduction of the Board of Management (including changes of Board positions), Sta & Guests

•2022 Year in Review: Mill Street Community Seating, Downtown Greenery Project, Facade improvement Grants, Seasonal Decor, Bench Revitalization Project

P.O.