Easy Quinoa & Mixed Grain Salad

I've only recently discovered quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah," by the way).  I had heard about quinoa before, but hadn't tried it until a friend served it at a dinner about a year ago.  I was surprised by how much I liked it.  I'd read all about how good quinoa is for you, but frankly I was a little bit intimidated when it came to actually preparing it myself.

If you're a newcomer to quinoa, never fear!  It is so easy to make.  If you can cook rice, you can cook quinoa!

Here is a recipe I've come up with (tweaked from others I've come across), and it's really good.  There is a secret to this dish...It's great hot, but it's AMAZING cold, after sitting for a few hours in the fridge.

Here's what you need and what you do:

Easy Quinoa & Mixed Grain Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked mixed grains (I used a cup of quinoa and a cup of 5-grain mix of Italian farro, barley, brown rice, kamut wheat & oats).
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used a yellow pepper)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped herbs (I used cilantro, but you can also use dill, parsley, and/or chives)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lime (I didn't have a fresh lime on hand, so I used about 2 tablespoons prepared lime juice)
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• Garlic powder (optional)
• Season-all (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare mixed grains according to directions.

In medium bowl, toss 2 cups cooked grains with 1/2 red onion, one bell pepper, and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs.  Add 1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil and lime juice, and mix.  

Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste.  I also added a few sprinkles of garlic powder and season-all at the end, to give a little extra flavor.

As I mentioned earlier, this dish can be served warm, right after preparing, BUT the magic is in the waiting.  If you refrigerate this for a few hours or overnight, the flavors will blend into unexpected yumminess!  My family likes this hot or cold.  It works either way!

I served this with pork chops and seasoned green beans for this meal, but it also works as an alternative to rice with Mexican food.  Enjoy!

Crawly Experiment for Kids

Photo Source: The Telegraph

I ran across this photo at The Telegraph and was inspired to do a little experiment with my little guy.  Those look like huge colorful globs, but they're really just colored sugar water drops on a paper plate.  (We used red, yellow, green and purple.)

We didn't have this many ants, which was bad for the experiment but good for our backyard.  The original text with this photo said they found the ants preferred yellow and green.  Ours seemed to go for the red, but really they tended to just go for whichever color they came upon first.  We watched for a long time to be sure.

Also, I didn't think the little solid black ants in our yard would look like those in this photo.  However, after they drank for awhile, they did get big ol' bellies that went transparent like in the photo above, and you could easily see the different colors in them depending upon which drop they were drinking from!

While I'm not normally crazy about ants, the little guy and I had a lot of fun with this experiment, and he talked about it a lot.

Patriotic Wreath Ideas

Memorial Day is just around the corner, so now is a great time to get started on a MEMORIAL DAY WREATH.  The good news is that you can reuse it again soon for the 4th of July.  Here's a little inspiration to get you started.

I love this felt wreath from Naptime Crafts.  Get instructions here.

Cute rag wreath from Sassy Santuary Blogs.  Get the details and tutorial here.

This might be the one I actually try to make.  It's so cute, and should be pretty easy to do.  This ribbon wreath is from Landee See, Landee Do, and you can reach her blog for instructions here.

Flag wreath from Oodlekadoodle Primitives with instructions here.

Huge Creepy House For Sale!

The Carleton Island Villa in New York
(Built in the late 1800s)
The ultimate restoration/remodel project!

Source: The Carleton Island Villa

Source: The Carleton Island Villa

Source: The Carleton Island Villa

· History [The Carleton Island Villa]

· Carleton Island, New York [Historic Properties]

Catchin' Some Rays

I had to have a chair like this.  I really think I "invented" it 15 years ago in my backyard, but I didn't get past the idea stage.  Oh, well.  Someone else did all the hard work, and I get to enjoy the results.  If you like to read or use electronic devices while you're at the pool or beach, you know how hard it can be to do that when you want to lie on your belly.  Here's the solution!

The Ostrich Beach Lounger is currently $94.99, which might seem a bit pricey, but you will get so much use from this thing!  You can click here to view it on amazon.com.  

Dishwasher Pods

I just recently started using these little Cascade dishwasher pods.  It seemed like a great idea, until THIS happened:

I ran the dishwasher, and after the whole cycle completed, I opened the door to find sticky dishes and a pod that didn't dissolve properly.  This happened a couple of times, and I was just about to give up when I realized the problem.  If there's moisture in the little bin where you put the pod, it sticks to it and won't fall out when the latch opens.  Just be sure the bin is dry before you add the pod, and these work great!

Teacher Gift Idea

Last year I got my daughter's four elementary teachers all the same gift:  this lovely music box.  You can use the included monogram design, or you can insert a photo, drawing, letter, card, or other type of monogram to personalize it.  It opens to reveal a nice storage area, and it plays the song "What a Wonderful World."


This is a favorite to give and to get at a very affordable price.  I like these so much, I'm thinking I might get the teachers these again this year.  Different teachers, so it'll be a new gift to them!  Also this is a special song to me, so I might just have to get an extra one for myself!


(See this item at Amazon.com by clicking here.)

SwitchFlops

SwitchFlops are fantastic!  I own this product and have not been paid or compensated in any way for this review.

These shoes are cute and comfy, but here's the magic:  You change out the straps or embellishments to change up the look of the shoe.  Many looks from one shoe!

Now, if you're like me, you still might want more than one shoe for even MORE options. I have four versions of this brand's shoe (that's right, I said FOUR.  When I find something I like, I go for it.):

this wedge  

this espadrille 


this kitten heel


the flip-flop   

And my mom has the cork wedge  


There are other styles available too, including a slip-on flat and others.

Here are some of the straps and embellishments that can be switched out on your shoes. (Click each image to see more info about it in the store, or click here to shop all styles in my Amazon store!)

A sampling of strap styles:

       

A sampling of snap styles:

 

5-Year Journal

Early in March, I purchased "A Thought a Day Five-Year Journal."  The cool thing about this journal is that it does not require you to journal every thought, feeling, and activity you did each day.  You can put in a little phrase, draw a picture, write a couple of sentences, or even just a single word -- whatever gets your thought across.  It's hard to find an excuse not to write such a small tidbit every day.  Each page shows the same date for five years.  For example, today's page shows April 17 for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.  (You fill in the year yourself, so if you don't start until next year, that's okay!)

I think it will be fun to see how things have changed over the years.  I've written in mine every day for about five weeks now.  I just keep it on my nightstand and jot down something quickly each night before I go to go sleep.  So far this is the most convenient and consistent way for me to journal.  I highly recommend this journal to anyone, especially those of us who have a hard time committing to long journal entries.