WE'VE BEEN TO THE BINS

On Friday, we took a trip out to the avenues because that's where the bins are.  I've been thrifting all over, from Apache Junction to Sun City, but I've never been to the bins and it sounded like a goldmine. 

Turns out "the bins" is just a Goodwill distribution center where they sell clothing and books and other items by the pound.  

I had a good time, but the stuff wasn't that great. It was a lot of poking around and pulling out and throwing back, like a singles bar on Friday night. 

Gloves were mentioned, but I didn't bring any because I don't own gloves. 

We waded through, dismissing and discarding, and then we waited for them to wheel out new merch which turned out to be more disappointing than the last batch.  

I only bought two books. There was an ancient copy of Jack the Giant Killer and Other Stories that I bought for the illustrations. The book itself is in disrepair, like most of the books I found in the bins. Ripped covers, torn pages, broken spines.  

I don't usually buy books that are in bad shape, but this was my first trip to the bins and I wanted to buy something.

The other thing I found was Mexican Cookery for American Homes, produced by the folks at Gebhardt Chili.  

To call it a cookbook is kind of a stretch.  The recipe for Arroz y Frijoles (rice and beans) instructs home chefs to heat a can of Gebhardt Mexican Style beans, add a half teaspoon of Gebhardt Chili Powder, some garlic salt, and two cups of cooked rice.  

It's all in the details, huh?

My favorite recipe in the book is for something called Bologna Cushions. Bologna Cushions? Is that like Beef Curtains?  

Take a slice of bologna.  Add some Gebhardt's Chili con Carne.  Top with another slice of bologna.  Pin the corners together and top with butter or margarine.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

Gotta hurry home after work today. We're having Bologna Cushions!

Serve. Eat. Vomit. Repeat.

After the bins, we drank some beer and watched a VHS copy of The Wolf Man.

It felt like a very productive afternoon.