Quinoa-king On Sunshine

Ultimate Beef Chili: jalapeno, kidney beans, sundried tomato, lean beef, cilantro, onions, green bell peppers. I decided to add a secret ingredient: Samuel Smith Tadcaster Bitter. To die for.

Carrot Salad: shredded carrots, dill, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon, salt and pepper to taste. I felt like the recipe needed something, so I shredded up two pieces of ginger, each piece about the size of my thumb.

Whole Wheat Bread: My husband has been on a bread making kick for the last couple of weeks, and it's amazing the extent to which it's enhanced our quality of life. No preservatives! I can't wait to pair this with the chili for tomorrow's lunch.  Recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad: Another extremely simple salad that can literally be thrown together in 15 minutes. Quinoa, black beans, scallions, diced red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

I Found Out About This New Thing.

Up until relatively recently, my cooking repertoire consisted of a few main meals: Shake n' Bake chicken, canned soup, spaghetti and English muffin pizzas. As certain people in my life can attest to, I virtually subsisted on English muffin pizzas during those dark days of post-college and pre-employment. I think I made meatballs once. Which prompts me to ask this question: how am I alive? How did I survive to the ripe old age of 32 on a steady diet of  canned sauce, boxed seasonings, meat and refined starches? Where were my vegetables? Why do I not have the gout?

They Make it Look So Easy.

Any New Yorker who has ridden a bike in this city knows that there's got to be a better way. I'm all for Janet Sakik-Kahn's new ideas on cycling infrastructure, but we have a long way to go until we can even come close to rivaling the Dutch.  This is the way it's supposed to be.

My First Treehouse

I was eight years old and on a massive Calvin and Hobbes bender. Calvin had a Radio Flyer; I wanted a Radio Flyer. Calvin had an old-timey wooden sled; I wanted an old-timey wooden sled. Calvin had a treehouse; and I HAD to have a treehouse. A treehouse!