Revenge

Seeking your opinion. 

I booked and paid for return flights for next school holidays on one of Australia’s busiest flight paths – Sydney to Coolongatta. There’s tons of flights a day. And it is school holidays. And the school holidays are 6 weeks away. 

My mistake: I booked the flights for the same day. Tried changing online. No go. Have to phone. 

Phoned: it was going to cost me more than the original cost of one way and $20 more than the others main carrier would charge me if I bought yesterday when I phoned to change. No, they wouldn’t price match. 

What if I cancelled? $80 cost and difference given to me in a voucher to use for flights in the next 12 months. 

Yes, totally my fault but it is not as if they won’t be able to sell the seat I am not using. 

So here’s the thing. I bought a ticket on the other main carrier and I won’t cancel my original return ticket. Then they can’t make extra money out of the seat. 

But is this too much?

The flight I land is only two hours earlier than the flight I erroneously booked. I could check in.  

I was thinking of even checking in some luggage that I don’t want and then walking out of the airport. 

That’d cost them!!! They would have to delay the flight to remove my bag. 

OK, writing it down I see how immature it is. 

Part of me wants to put a message in the bag – “It would have cost you less to change over my ticket.” Let them know why the bag was unaccompanied and the ticket holder could not be found in the airport. 

What price my stupidity? I would have paid $50 and accepted my error. But for the same cost the airline was charging for a new ticket and more than the other airline, that’s too much!

So should I seek my revenge? How far is too far?

Mimi’s refried beans

Mimi is a cook on a forum I belong to. She comes up with wonderful and often cheap recipes.

This was wonderful, quick, yummy, cheap and healthy. Mimi put smoky paprika but I prefer sweet.

Ingredients

2 cups dried red kidney beans
1 cup red lentils
3/4 cup olive oil
6 cups water
1 onion diced
6 cloves of garlic, sprinkled with a touch of oil and roasted for 15 minutes in a moderate oven (more or less according to your love of garlic! I make extra to use in other dishes, eg salsa.)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 Bay Leaf

Method

1. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of it’s papery shell.

2. Combine everything in the crock pot, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can also simmer this on the stove top for 2-3 hours.

3. Remove the Bay Leaf.

4. Empty into a food processor and blend until smooth.

How to serve?

1. Soft tacos
I made guacamole – mashed an avocado with a fork, squeeze of lemon, spoonful of Greek yoghurt (I make my own yoghurt with Easiyo).

And I made salsa – chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped coriander, couple of roasted garlic, half a cooked onion.

Warm tortillas, put small spread of refried beans, some lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sweet chilli sauce. Wrap and eat!

2. Dip
Serve as a dip layered with salsa and guacamole with corn chips.

3. Wraps
Heat a heaped tablespoon of refried beans and a stalk of broccolini in microwave for a minute. Place two pieces of Mountain Bread on board. Spread beans thinly down middle of slice, put on broccolini and grated cheese. Roll bread and put in sandwich press until cheese slightly melts.

Of course you could use it for nachos, hard tacos etc but these were the three ways I served it. Yum!