Hi friends. I have been taking a break from this blog for many reasons. The break will continue awhile longer but I will be back with a brand new site; a fresh look and a new focus. I have high hopes for what will become in just a few more weeks.
In the meantime I have photos to share...on Flickr...
...and we recently returned from an adventurous trip to Guatemala where we traveled around with great friends...
best wishes for now...
leigh
Happy Birthday to my husband...this year represented many wonderful things and I am glad we shared them together. Here is to a lifetime of birthdays; good-bye to 28 and hello to the next. I love you.
Tikal, Guatemala. Lots of stories to tell and photos to edit. A wonderful trip.
We tucked in this weekend as we anticipated our first real snow storm of the year. We ran our errands early in the morning and put a hot-pot of chili on the stove to munch on throughout the day. Sometimes there is nothing more blissful than doing...nothing. In addition to making a pot of chili I cooked my favorite quinoa dish so I would have an easy lunch at my disposal all week. I thought I'd share the recipe with you to tide you over for the next week and a half.
I am taking a bit of a blogging break as I dig myself out from under the mountain of work I have to do before we depart on a mini-vacation this Friday. We will be headed south to meet friends in Guatemala for a few days. I'll be back to the blog in two weeks with many photos and stories to share.
Until then....enjoy!
Quinoa and Beans (from this recipe)
This is my favorite way to make quinoa but each time it is a bit different. It is a wonderful lunch or light dinner. I always have it with a side of blue-corn tortilla chips...but that's because I'm a tortilla chip junkie.
Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to a heavy pot
Add one onion and one red pepper, chopped
After 2 minutes add one minced chili in adobo and approximately 1 tsp. of the adobo sauce (these can be spicy but I love them!)
Once the onion and pepper are cooked and soft add one cup of rinsed and drained quinoa. (I find rinsing and draining the quinoa impossible because the grains are so tiny. I would love to hear how you complete this step, please!).
Stir in 2 TBS of chili powder, approximately 1 TBS of cumin and a bit of salt
Add 1.5 Cups of Water and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 14 minutes. Sometimes at minute 10 I add a chopped sweet potato, too. Mmmm...
After 14 minutes add a can of (rinsed!) beans and a handful of chopped cilantro. I usually add black beans but kidney beans work just as well.
Cook uncovered until the rest of the water is absorbed.
At time of consumption I sometimes add feta cheese or whatever is in the house. Today I added a tiny dollop of sour cream and that was great, too. Enjoy and be well!
I actually really love cows. We grew up with one cow living our our field...Betsy. Betsy gave birth to "Sylvester-Fred-Flinstone" and these two black cows would follow us around and often try to lick us, which was totally gross. But we loved them anyway. Then my Dad brought home Norman, who was actually a girl, and we loved her too. We have a funny story about Norman disappearing, too, but I'll save that for a later day.
On a different note, my great friend sent me a surprise package this weekend with a CD full of beautiful songs, all new to me. Surprise packages are absolutely the best. I was listening to it this morning and so touched by her generosity and her ability to expose me to new things; things that I love instantly.
Here is an old song that I was thinking about this morning. It's a beauty. Enjoy.
I have just discovered the Little Red Caboose and am enamored with Ella's photography and the pretty life she lives. I look at her photos and long to be walking in the woods, running on the beach, baking and embarking on creative ventures. I wish I could have littered my blog with all of Ella's beautiful photography but I narrowed it down to just one. This photo helps me remember how free the beach makes one feel, even in the winter.
...aren't you?
photo courtesy of Amy Bishop
email me at leigh [dot] dameron [at] gmail.com 
