A Trip to Maine

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weekend blotter

dirt jumping with mountain bikes in cunningham park.
late night korean food in sunnyside.
belmar seafood festival on the jersey shore.

NY Auto Show

Imagine my horror when I came upon this cheap imitation at Scion's booth at the Auto Show. I mean really! Not even real wheels!

Butch & Buck, meet Blayne & Blaire

They live! I put a bunch of snails that I found in the watercress into the avocado plant a couple months or so ago, and have just found out that they are still alive. And engaging in an age-old gastropodean past time—racing over eggshells!

And Blayne is overtaken in Mad-Maxean style!

Quinoa with cranberry, raisins, and almonds

I experimented a little bit tonight while vegetarian Jake played softball, and the results were good. Toot!

2 cups of quinoa
1 13oz can vegetable broth
handful of dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
handful of golden raisins
handful of sliced almonds
1 cup peas (mine were frozen)
2 reconstituted dried mushrooms
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp masala powder
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter vegan?
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 whole cardomom pods

On low-medium heat, toast quinoa for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a separate pan, fry onions in oil. Wait a few minutes and then throw in the rest of the spices, dried fruits, mushrooms, and butter. Stir-fry for after another 5 minutes to get the flavor out, then stir in the peas and quinoa until the mixture coats the quinoa. Stir for another few minutes. Then add the broth, and simmer covered for 15-20-25 minutes, depending on how tender you like the quinoa. Add a little water as it's cooking if the mixture gets too dry.

And that's it!

Jake says, "It's got a spicy sweetness. Delicious!"