KEEN - wah

Ever since watching the movie Julie & Julia, Becca and I have wanted to write regular posts about new recipes we've tried.  We had a hard time deciding on a cook book to use, or even if we should use a cookbook, so eventually our idea was more or less forgotten.  

Until Christmas.  Becca gave me a quinoa cookbook (and got one for herself, too) so we could try it out.  Maybe in health food circles this -- what do I call it?  It's not a grain, but acts like one -- stuff is well-known, but I had never heard of it before.  To tell the truth, while I was excited to try it out, I was also worried that my family (mostly Rob) would never eat it.  Maybe I would end up eating it all by myself.

So for my first try, I decided to go with a recipe where the quinoa is in the background, where the other flavours would mask its presence.  And I wouldn't tell Rob it was even in there until after he said he liked it.

Cheesy Spinach and Quinoa Stuffed Pasta

1/2 cup quinoa

2/3 cup water

1 box jumbo pasta shells

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups shredded mozza cheese (I'm sure I used a lot more than that, though)

1 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 package frozen spinach

1/4 tsp salt

pinch black pepper

3 cups tomato sauce (I also added ground beef to the sauce for my carnivore husband)

Cook quinoa in water, set aside to cool.

Cook pasta shells.

Beat eggs, add quinoa, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, spinach, salt, pepper.

Spread tomato sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish.  Fill the pasta shells and place on top of the sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.

So good that all of this was gone by morning!

I'm no chef, but you have to admit that looks tasty.

Since my first experiment was such a success, I've added quinoa to a lot of my regular cooking: spaghetti, Isabella's food, and I always put quinoa flour in my bread.

Does this make you want to try it?

Snow Day

I remember as a kid hearing about the mythical 'snow day'.  Apparently on this day the city sort of shuts down: kids don't have to go to school, buses don't run, many businesses are closed.  Growing up in the Okanagan, I knew that day would never come.  Living in a semi-desert does have its downsides.  Even here in the prairies, though, where we get more than enough snow and cold weather, it's such a norm that everyone just carries on regardless of the weather.  -50 degrees?  Whatev.  Two metres of snow?  Annoying, but no biggie. 

Today is the closest I'll ever come, I think, to getting a snow day.  It's been snowing heavily here for the last two days without pause.  While the accumulating snow could be dealt with with shovels and plows, the wind has to get a part of the action; it blows all the snow you just shovelled off your sidewalk right back over it again.  It piles the snow up in huge drifts. 

This is normal for Alberta.  Unfortunately.

I know you can't tell since the background it just all white, but the snow level  behind Isabella is above her shoulders.

Anyway, due to so much snow in so short a time, our church meetings have been cancelled today.  For the first time in my life, I actually can't go to church.  It's a very weird feeling.

Eventually we went back inside because I was too cold.  She was fine, of course, and was upset that I made us go in so early (1hour).  She just loves the outdoors, that girl!