Neighbourly or not?
Cowboy Baked Beans Michael and Kenneth have kindly shared one of their favourite breakfast recipes, a recipe they like to call ‘Cowboy Baked Beans’ after it was originally served at their first pre-legal Cowboy wedding 11 years ago.
We all want to enjoy where we live. Good neighbourhoods are made up of diverse people representative of varying ages, household compositions, cultures – who are respectful of each other and our differences. In any community there needs to be a certain amount of tolerance between neighbours. Remember that you’re a neighbour and if you’re considerate of others, ideally your neighbours will be considerate too! We’ve put together some tips to help you consider how a situation might affect you and how you might speak to your neighbour to work out a solution.
Ingredients 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped 1 red capsicum, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely
chopped, or crushed 1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. fennel seeds 1 tsp. garam masala ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (less if you are not so brave) 1 tsp. of Vegemite (Kenneth’s secret ingredient!) 1 x 700gm bottle passata 2 x 400gm tins cannellini beans Salt and pepper to taste Handful of parsley, finely chopp ed Method 1. In a pot or large fry pan, heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, capsicum and garlic. Stir around and lower heat and cook, partially covered, for 10 mins or until soft, stirring occasionally. 2. Turn up heat again and add the spices and Vegemite, stirring for a couple of minutes. 3. Add passata, stir to combine and when starting to boil turn heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. 4. Drain beans, add to sauce
Tips on how to speak with your neighbour about a problem... • Stay calm and friendly • Be respectful, reasonable and pleasant • Plan what you are going to say beforehand • Try and find a good time to speak to them • Be clear about what the problem is and how it is affecting you or anyone living in your home • Keep to the point and
Things you can do if you have an issue... If you have an issue and would like to try and solve the problem yourself, it can be helpful to ask yourself: 1. Am I being reasonable? 2. Does the nuisance occur frequently or occasionally? 3. Am I the only one disturbed/annoyed by the nuisance or do other neighbours have the same complaints? It’s important to speak to your neighbour ASAP, don’t leave it too long. If you wait, then matters can easily escalate.
don’t bring up past events, focus on the current problem
• Listen to their perspective • If your neighbour
becomes unreasonable, end the conversation and remove yourself from the situation.
with salt, pepper and parsley. Stir to combine well, reheat and serve.
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