Quinoa, part 2

I just bought the Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef and I'm thinking it is going to change my life. The wonderful Chef that sold me the thing gave a cookbook away with purchase . . . . WOO HOO!!! Honestly, I don't think I would have bought it without the cookbook. It's not full of those recipes that only use PC products. Its actually really useful. (And yes, I checked it out before I bought the baker.)

Here is the quinoa recipe she has in there. You'll have to make adjustments if you don't have the baker but you awesome cooks can handle it.

Quinoa Corn Casserole

4 c Quinoa* cooked

2 bags of frozen corn

3 eggs

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar blended cheese

1 green pepper, diced (opt)

Mix all ingredients together in Deep Covered Baker. Microwave for 5 minutes, stir, then microwave for an additional 10 minutes.

Note from the cookbook: *Quinoa is a grain. It looks just a bit smaller than couscous. It's very easy to fix, is a complete protein and tastes great with a variety of foods. You have to cook it before adding to another recipe. 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water. Boil. It take about 30 minutes. There's a fine ring around the grain that comes off, don't worry about it.

Quinoa, Baby!!!

Ok. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you gotta keep reading. This stuff is so good!

First of all, it's pronounced "Key-Wuh". I think. (Feel free to comment and tell me otherwise.) I learned about it from my Dad and it's supposed to be the newest, best thing out there. A good grain and healthy as all-get-out. (I think that's Texan, but you get it.)

I have 2 recipes for you to try. Let me know what you think!! This one I made tonight but haven't got around to the other yet. I'll post it soon. I'm keeping it on the list though, especially since my oldest (and pickiest) child loved it . . . Go figure. I guess if you put maple syrup and cranberries in something, anyone will like it. Hope you like it too.

Smokey Pork and Quinoa

1 pork tenderloin (1 3/4 lbs)

1 Tbs smokehouse maple seasoning

1 Tbs canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 c uncooked quinoa

1 3/4 c chicken broth

2 Tbs maple syrup

3/4 c dried cranberries

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c peas

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Season pork with 2 1/2 tsp of the smokehouse seasoning. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in large nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork 2 minutes or until golden. Roast at 450 degrees for 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

(I must admit I cooked my pork a different way so I have no idea how this turns out.)

2. Meanwhile in medium-size saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, quinoa to saucepan. Stir in broth, syrup, cranberries, 1/2 tsp smokehouse seasoning and salt.

3. Bring quinoa mixture to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in peas and heat through. Slice pork; serve with quinoa.

4 servings

per serving: 529 calories, 14g fat (3g sat fat), 38 g protein, 63g carbs, 6g fiber, 821 mg sodium, 96 mg cholesterol (WOW, right?!)

Valentine's Lunch

Valentine's Lunch

Did I just pray for rejection?

So . . . this year I had a job over the Christmas holidays. I really enjoyed it even though it was the weirdest hours imaginable. I felt like a real person. Not just a mom or homemaker but a real person. I also didn't feel guilty about leaving my family to go to work. I was able to be with them during the day and work at night. Now, because I absolutely must have 8 hrs of sleep or I become a crab, my hubby helped out with the morning duties on my late nights. I don't think he minded. It seemed to give him special time with our kids too.

Early on in my job the management began talking about bringing me on after the holiday season was over on a part time basis. It would be early morning hours instead of night but basically wouldn't be different from the schedule I already had with my kids so I was excited about it. That was mid-December. I talked to Hubby about it and prayed about it too. All systems seemed a-go.

My prayer wasn't totally clear. I'm kinda a wimp when it comes to making decisions so I asked God to just make the choice for me. If the position was going to be good for my family and me, then let them offer it. If not, then don't. (Very spiritual, huh.)

Well, long story short . . . they didn't get the position. No one knew until the last minute but it was all off. Humph. My feelings were strange right from the beginning. I felt totally rejected. At the time, I was the ONLY person working seasonal that would not be returning. That, in and of itself, was a crushing blow.

However, I had this strangely peaceful feeling. I also immediately remembered my prayer. I knew God had gone before me and seen that it would be difficult for me or my family in the long run so he nipped it in the bud. He knew. He always does. All-in-all, I was disappointed but now, I'm glad to be back to normal again. (Or as close as it gets for our house.)

Care Bear Party!!

Today we celebrated my little one's 2nd birthday with some of her friends and their families. It was a Care Bear party because it is her nickname. I have been planning and thinking about this party since Christmas! Although not enough to actually order anything online so everything was what we could find.

Invitations: I looked everywhere for Care Bear invitations but to no avail. I made my own on my new computer: just copied/pasted a graphic from an online source and even downloaded the Care Bear font! Fun!

Cake: I got this idea from a Semi-Homemade magazine and from this site. (She has some great cake building tips too.) I altered it on the exterior with marshmallows (lg & sm) to mimic clouds. (The Care Bears on top were mine as a child.)

Other yummies:

Rainbow fruit platter - 1 fruit for every color of the rainbow: strawberries, oranges, pineapple, green apples, blueberries, and grapes. I wanted to make a rainbow with marshmallows on the ends like a pretty little rainbow, but I didn't have a platter big enough. I decided this would work just as well.

Teddy Grahams - mixed with marshmallows in the bowls and scattered on the cloud like cotton

Skittles Candy Bar - I separated a bag of candy and let kids put whichever colors they liked into colorful silicone cupcake wrappers.

Decorations:

My sweet hubby blew up 50-something white balloons and we created cumulus craziness in our living room. Of course, we had helium balloons, and crepe paper to make it look like a party instead of a house.

Game:

We played "Cloud Pick Up": the kids (in 2 different age groups) gathered cotton balls that were hidden under the white balloons. Even our 1 year old guests played. There were no winners just a celebration when all the "clouds" were picked up.

Favors:

Each guest took home a cello bag filled with their very own piece of a cloud (poly-fill), bubbles, and play dough. I tied one of the balloons on each bag.

The Truth

I'm really not a great blogger. I want to be. I think about my audience so much - all 5 of you. I often think about all the things I want to blog about. But, I just don't feel like I can post anything without a picture and that stresses me out. Sorry. I'm going to try to be better. How the heck do people do this for a living? Ugh.

Yummy Cranberry Chicken

Here's another yummy crock pot recipe for you!! I made this on Sunday and it was delicious!! I thought it might make for a good post-holiday recipe and it won't heat up the kitchen. (Clean up's a breeze too if you use a liner bag.)

Cranberry Chicken

3-4 lb chicken pieces
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c barbecue sauce
1/4 c minced onion

Spray (or line) your crock pot and combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs or low heat 6-8 hrs. Makes 4-6 servings.

Serve over stove top. (That only takes 5 min in the microwave.)

Hope this helps you stay out of the kitchen and play with the kids this holiday season!!