Very recently Big Brother’s imagination has really taken off. We are enjoying it. He has been talking to himself and his toys much more than I ever heard him do before. It is a great window into his mind, and I am constantly amused by the things he comes up with.
Not too long ago, Big Brother was in his playroom by himself, while Lil’ Sis was napping. I overheard him say “Once upon a time there was a golden Snow Queen, and Santa was afraid to be alone. Then along I came.” That had me giggling.
Later on he was telling his toys “It is my job to protect my family.” And that pulled on my heart strings. I was reminded of that yesterday when Lil’ Sis had her doctor’s appointment, and Big Brother was very concerned about what was going to happen to her. His love and desire to protect his baby, as he calls her, always makes me smile from ear to ear.
On a completely different note, food! Recently I have seen on a few blogs I ♥ with some Quinoa recipes. I’m pretty sure I have had Quinoa before, but it isn’t something I have ever bought. It was in the back of my mind as something I should try making at home. Soon after that I received an email from wholeliving.com with Quinoa recipes. I browsed through them and thought that they looked interesting, leaving Quinoa even more on my mind.
Wouldn’t you know, the next day when I did my weekly grocery shopping I saw a display of Quinoa at Costco. Normally I don’t see a lot of new products because I end up going down the same isles trying not to get sidetracked, especially at Costco. At that point I knew I was meant to try it. Trying new foods and recipes is something I want to do more of this year.
Not too long ago, Big Brother was in his playroom by himself, while Lil’ Sis was napping. I overheard him say “Once upon a time there was a golden Snow Queen, and Santa was afraid to be alone. Then along I came.” That had me giggling.
Later on he was telling his toys “It is my job to protect my family.” And that pulled on my heart strings. I was reminded of that yesterday when Lil’ Sis had her doctor’s appointment, and Big Brother was very concerned about what was going to happen to her. His love and desire to protect his baby, as he calls her, always makes me smile from ear to ear.
On a completely different note, food! Recently I have seen on a few blogs I ♥ with some Quinoa recipes. I’m pretty sure I have had Quinoa before, but it isn’t something I have ever bought. It was in the back of my mind as something I should try making at home. Soon after that I received an email from wholeliving.com with Quinoa recipes. I browsed through them and thought that they looked interesting, leaving Quinoa even more on my mind.
Wouldn’t you know, the next day when I did my weekly grocery shopping I saw a display of Quinoa at Costco. Normally I don’t see a lot of new products because I end up going down the same isles trying not to get sidetracked, especially at Costco. At that point I knew I was meant to try it. Trying new foods and recipes is something I want to do more of this year.
In the near future, and because I have a big bag of it, I am going to try out some of those Quinoa recipes I saw. Yesterday after arriving home from the doctors it was a little later than we usually start dinner so I did not experiment with the Quinoa. What I did do is cook it in replace of rice.
We put the Quinoa into our rice cooker and cooked it just by following the white rice instructions. The only thing we did differently is use chicken stock instead of water. We added a tablespoon of butter to the stock and Quinoa as well before starting the cooker. I find with grains and brown rice a little bit of butter really helps. Spread over everyone it is not even very much per person.
I must say cooked in such a plain way, it wasn’t too bad. More flavors, such as a recipe would add, could really make the Quinoa a lot better. We try to eat brown rice more often than not. Although honestly, I love the flavor of white Jasmine or Basmati rice so much more. Brown rice is an adjustment so I thought Quinoa was worth a try.
Big Brother did not eat his. Next time I need to mix in more flavorful foods and maybe cherry tomatoes because he loves those. Anyway, just wanted to let you know in case you do have a rice cooker, even though it is not at all necessary, the Quinoa did cook well in it. That way you are a little more hands free for doing other things while it cooks.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Have you ever cooked with Quinoa?
Here are 2 Quinoa Recipe links in case you are interested:
http://healthylaps.com/2010/01/12/quinoa-with-oven-roasted-tomatoes/
http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/quinoa-recipes
We put the Quinoa into our rice cooker and cooked it just by following the white rice instructions. The only thing we did differently is use chicken stock instead of water. We added a tablespoon of butter to the stock and Quinoa as well before starting the cooker. I find with grains and brown rice a little bit of butter really helps. Spread over everyone it is not even very much per person.
I must say cooked in such a plain way, it wasn’t too bad. More flavors, such as a recipe would add, could really make the Quinoa a lot better. We try to eat brown rice more often than not. Although honestly, I love the flavor of white Jasmine or Basmati rice so much more. Brown rice is an adjustment so I thought Quinoa was worth a try.
Big Brother did not eat his. Next time I need to mix in more flavorful foods and maybe cherry tomatoes because he loves those. Anyway, just wanted to let you know in case you do have a rice cooker, even though it is not at all necessary, the Quinoa did cook well in it. That way you are a little more hands free for doing other things while it cooks.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Have you ever cooked with Quinoa?
Here are 2 Quinoa Recipe links in case you are interested:
http://healthylaps.com/2010/01/12/quinoa-with-oven-roasted-tomatoes/
http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/quinoa-recipes
