Red Quinoa with Grilled Summer Veggies

Quinoa is a tasty alternative to pasta or rice. And, for those who have those requirements, quinoa is gluten free* and one of only two plant based foods that provide all nine essential amino acids. All that, and little goes a pretty long way.

This recipe is a tasty side dish, that could be stretched with some protein (grilled chicken would be great) to create a whole dinner.


Red Quinoa with Grilled Summer Veggies


Ingredients
1 small yellow squash
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa
Salt and pepper
4 ears of corn

Directions
1.Chop squash, orange pepper, red pepper, onion and minced garlic and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper.
2. Grill in a vegetable grill basket.
3. Grill the corn.
4. Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package.
5. Cut the corn off the cobs.
6. Combine cooked quinoa with the grilled vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some fresh chopped oregano or basil from the garden if you have it!

Note: This works with just about whatever summer veggies you have in your garden. Experiment with different color and flavor combinations and enjoy!

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap! If you have a recipe to share, please join in the fun!


* Note - There may be some risks to gluten exposure with certain quinoa products such as flour and flakes. These products go through processing plants that may use machines for wheat products and quinoa product thus causing cross contamination.

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Before and After

We don't get many opportunities to see this:

The smile of a teenager. I had to take some shots (using my Canon Digital Rebel XTi with a 1.8 50mm lens), even though the lighting was atrocious.


And then I tried to adjust in Photoshop Elements. I cropped, lightened and softened. Adjusted the color. I was trying to get a light, airy, summertime effect.

Do you think it worked?


If you like my shots, you need to visit Pixel Perfect for more before and after fun! And if you want to play along all you have to do is show us your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then the edited version. Link back to Pixel Perfect and link up your post below! Feel free to share with us your editing program and camera gear too!

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Tuesday Garden Party - An Alternative to Drying Herbs

Many gardeners dry herbs from their herb garden, so that they'll be able to enjoy their fresh herbs for a few months longer. Drying herbs is an easy, efficient means to preserve fresh herbs, but herbs with a high water content seem to mold before they ever dry. To preserve herbs with a high water content, like basil, chives lemon balm, mint and tarragon, fresh freezing is a better option. The herbs will become limp in the process, but their flavor will be intact.

Frozen herbs will keep their flavor for several months. Unlike dried herbs, where the flavor gets more concentrated when drying, frozen herbs can be used in the same proportion as fresh herbs.
Method 1:

Harvest the freshest, healthiest leaves.

Wash, if necessary, and pat dry with paper towels

Spread the individual leaves on a small tray or cookie sheet. Freezing the leaves flat and individually will prevent them from freezing together into a brick.

Cover and place the tray of leaves into the freezer

When frozen solid, place in airtight containers and return to the freezer. Once frozen individually, the leaves will not meld together.

Method 2:

Harvest the freshest, healthiest leaves

Wash, if necessary, and pat dry with paper towels

Stuff 2-3 individual leaves or a spoonful of chopped herbs in ice cube trays.

Fill the tray half way with water. Make sure the leaves are down into the water, as best you can. They will tend to float, but we'll fix that with the next step.

Place the half filled tray in the freezer.

Once the ice cubes are pretty much frozen, finish filling the try with water.

The leaves will no longer be able to float and should be completely surrounded with water. Now place the tray back into the freezer to freeze solid.

Once the ice cubes are frozen, remove from the tray and store in zip closure bags.

When ready to use, toss the whole ice cube into your favorite stew or dish.


Have you ever frozen your herbs?

Next week I'll tell you The Mr's secret to a beautiful garden. In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.

What's in YOUR garden this week?

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Sunday Snapshot: Camp Friends

We took The Girl to camp this weekend. This is her sixth year of overnight camp! Time certainly flies.

The camp is in the mountains about an hour north of us. We have made some traditions over the years. The camp is outside of a little tourist town. We always stop at the Miner's Diner for chocolate malts before we head to the camp.


And most summers the chocolate malt is a welcome cooler!


And then we go the The Candy Mine. The Children LOVE The Candy Mine!



They do have some not so good candy there. At least I assume it isn't good. It may actually be the best thing on the planet, but I will never know. I can't get past the scorpion encased in the candy.

And then? On to camp! The Girl was extremely anxious to get to camp this year. Extremely anxious. To see some old camp friends.


Hmm. Old camp friends.


Wondering if I should think something is up...


Meeting "old camp friend's" parents.

"Old camp friend" went to senior high camp last week and is here to drop off his brother for junior high camp. That's The Girl's camp.

Which is probably good. The Girl is 12. I'm not sure she is ready for an "old camp friend" in senior high.

I'm quite sure we aren't.

Fortunately for us (but probably not for her) "old camp friend" left with his parents, and The Girl got to her cabin to find some other old friends.

She'll enjoy her week in the mountains.

I wonder if she'll meet any "new camp friends".... Heaven help us.

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On Being a Step Mom - Swim Meets with The Girl

Saturday swim meets. Be there at 7:15...

wait and wait until it is time for this:

Hopefully she'll remember these days fondly.

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Chilled Sour Cherry Soup

I love fruit soup. Nothing is more refreshing than a cold fruit soup on a hot day. When we cruise (my favorite form of vacation of late) we are offered fruit soup every night for dinner, and I always choose it.

This recipe for sour cherry soup is delicious. Despite the long ingredient list and number of steps, it is really quite simple and also fairly light. And a great way to use those ripe cherries you have on hand this summer! I hope you have the opportunity to try it!




Chilled Sour Cherry Soup with Creme Fraiche and Fried Ginger


Fried Ginger:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup thin slices of fried ginger
2 cups canola oil

Sour Cherry Soup:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
1 cup water
10 star anise, cracked
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3/4 cup black currant vinegar (available from gourmet food stores)

To Assemble:
3/4 cup creme fraiche
20 fresh sour cherries, pitted and halved
10 leaves fresh mint, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

For the Fried Ginger:
In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to s simmer. Add ginger and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Strain ginger and put it to dry on paper towels.

In a thick-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil to 350 degrees F. (A small piece of bread dropped in the oil should float to the surface almost immediately and brown within 45 seconds). Deep fry ginger until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

For the Cherry Soup:
Put cherries through a juicer, reserving both the juice and pulp separately. In a small saucepan, combine water, star anise, and orange zest. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasinally, for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a nonreactive bowl.

Stir in reserved cherry juice. Tasting as you go, slowly add vinegar, stopping when a balanced flavor is reached. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

To Assemble:
In a medium bowl, whick in creme fraiche until somewhat lightened. With a rubber spatula, fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved cherry pulp. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

In another medium bowl, combine the halved cherries, mint, and orange zest. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

To Serve:
Divide cherry creme fraiche, minted cherries, and fried ginger among chilled soup bowls. Gently ladle cherry soup around garnishes and serve immediately.

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap! If you have a recipe to share, please join in the fun!

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Before and After

My family has a wonderful annual family reunion. I think this year will be 41 years!

Naturally we need a group photo. But getting a great photo of everyone is nearly impossible.

This is the original photo. Hard to see faces, distracting stuff in the background.


To get to the "after" shot, I cropped. I chose a crop that I liked, not worrying if it were a "standard" size.

Then I spent some time with the light and the colors so that we could see some faces.

And then I removed the distracting playgroud equipment from the background. (not very well - if I were going to enlarge this photo I'd want to spend more time at it, but at least you get the idea)

What do you think of the results?

If you like my shots, you need to visit Pixel Perfect for more before and after fun! And if you want to play along all you have to do is show us your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then the edited version. Link back to Pixel Perfect and link up your post below! Feel free to share with us your editing program and camera gear too!

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Tuesday Garden Party - Evolution of a Backyard Pond

The Mr and I have wanted a pond in our backyard since we bought our house six years ago. And last week we finally decided to pull the trigger.

Let me show you how we put it together.

We planned for an "above ground" pond, so needed a frame. We purchased some 4x6 posts for this.


We also needed a pond liner.

The Mr sawed the posts into 20" segments (which is the height of the liner).

And we placed them into position under the liner.

Once all the posts were in position, we removed the liner...

... and numbered each piece.

Then The Mr drilled two large holes through each piece, and I strung them onto 20 foot long pieces of rebar.

That part was incredibly tiring. Much more difficult than I expected. After it was all threaded, we had to bend the long string of posts into the correct position. We chose rebar so that it would not deform when we filled the pond with water. That also has the effect of being difficult to bend into position. Ugh! ;-)

We got it formed, and then filled the space underneath the pond with rocks and sand. Another fairly strenuous task, but necessary. (And another task I neglected to photograph.)

And we finally got to fill it with water and install the pump!

We added some water lilies (the flowers floating on top are there only until the plants grow large enough to see).

Then we needed to finish the edge. We wanted to add plants to the edge, so The Mr put in irrigation...

... while I potted lots of plants.

And voila! A gorgeous backyard pond!

I just LOVE it! Looks wonderful and the sound is so relaxing!

Next week I'll tell you The Mr's secret to a beautiful garden. In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.

What's in YOUR garden this week?

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CSA Box and Menus

We picked up our second weekly CSA box on Friday. More good stuff!

• tomatoes
• several varieties of salad greens
• lemon
• plums and nectarines
• apricots
• green beans
• strawberries

From what I understand, we are really lucking out in the fruit department. Several of my friends who use different CSAs in our area get very little fruit.

Friday I made a tomato cream sauce with pasta with the tomatoes from our box.

We had grilled apricot sundaes for dessert last night. Delicious!

And these yummy green beans (with bacon):

Tonight we'll have a salad with the greens and some bell pepper and maybe some fresh herbs from my garden. And the plums, nectarines and remaining apricots for dessert.

Wednesday we'll be having brasied red cabbage (a recipe from our cruises which The Mr really likes).

And then we'll be out of fruits and veggies again! Can't wait until our own tomatoes and peppers are ready to harvest!

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