As a fan of Pinterest, I enjoy trying the recipes I find. I have fallen in love with Quinoa and have a board dedicated to recipes.
One of my favorites is the Quinoa Patty. I have adjusted the recipe slightly:
1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
6 scallions, thinly sliced
15 ounces cooked chicken (This is where I tweaked the recipe)
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
Directions
1.In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quiona, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
2.In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3.Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
Aioli Sauce:I use this Aioli recipe! So delicious!!!
½ cup light mayonnaise
1 head of garlic, roasted
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
For the aioli: Place all ingredients into a food processor, season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and serve alongside the warm quinoa cakes.
I love to watch politics, as is well known. But the last several months have provided a numbing experience as the GOP has battled their way through their own ranks, fighting for the top position as the candidate for president. I'm not interested in the GOP enough to watch them fight amongst themselves.
But we are at a place where the clear GOP candidate is Mitt Romney. I met Mr Romney when he was here in Salt Lake for the Olympics. I was an interpreter for the Chilean team at the Paralympics and he and I watched one of the events together for a few minutes. He was genuinely a nice guy. I know that he came in and cleaned up the disaster the Olympics were quickly becoming, and I had a lot of fun as a result of the time. But that doesn't weigh too much with my politics.
Romney: As a society, I think we’re better off if we encourage the establishment of homes with a mother and a father. Interviewer: I asked Romney how much weight religion has in his opposition. Romney: I indicated that’s based entirely upon a civil understanding of the needs of a society like our own. Interviewer: So it doesn’t have any weight? Romney: It’s not a religious decision. It’s based upon what I believe is right for a, the nation, and the building of strong generations for the future.
Let's go line by line: Romney: As a society, I think we’re better off if we encourage the establishment of homes with a mother and a father.
Why? How are we better off? Based on what evidence is this the case? A home with two parents (straight or gay), and even single parents are not without their trials and difficulties, but, AS A SOCIETY, in what way is it "better" if we encourage straight households....and evidently not just single parent straight, but mother and father straight.
Romney: I indicated that’s based entirely upon a civil understanding of the needs of a society like our own.
I'd like to know what needs, specifically, he's referring to. They may be valid, but he didn't clarify anything specific. It's too vague. What "civil understanding" are we talking about here. A civil understanding based on religion or the religious right? Civil understanding, to me, means 'under the law.' And under the law, we should all be entitled to the same exact rights. If we’re speaking of a civil understanding only, then the parents should have EQUAL rights to a civilmarriage. I’m not referring to common law marriages, which do not provide the same rights under the law as civil marriage. So, I'd like to know what he means by "needs" and "society like our own."
Romney: It’s not a religious decision. It’s based upon what I believe is right for a, the nation, and the building of strong generations for the future.
"It's not a religious decision." I gotta call bull on this one.
Moving on to : “...the building of strong generations for the future.”
I really want WAY more info on this one comment. Hmmmmmm...... strong generations for the future........ SO......... gay = not strong. There is not a shred of evidence that suggests that gay parents produce weak minded children...not any more than straight parents. Gay communities produce strong economics all around the nation, but we are not talking that kind of strength, are we? We're talking morals........religion.
Something about they way he says "strong generations for the future" invokes thoughts from a religion I've released from my life. I hear echoes from the Book of Mormon......and I can't help but feel the contradiction to his previous 'civil understanding' based comments.
But let's take him at his word....that this is a civil based decision, that religion has no part in his stand against the right for gay American citizens to be married. I want to know in what way gay individuals are not strong.
Aside from the obvious strength it takes to stay true to yourself against society and, in many cases, your own family. What would make someone think that a civil marriage would not produce strong generations? Based on what?
I have many friends who happen to be gay. I don't see them through these eyes, though. In fact, in the same way that many times they forget I'm brown, I forget they're gay. It's a non issue.
Putting that aside, these friends are hard working, tax paying, society contributing individuals. They lead their families with honor and love. They serve their country with all the patriotism as any American from our history. They teach their children and friends what true love and acceptance looks like. They are funny and witty and angry and just as crazy as any other person I know.
If my straight friends, who live these same standards are building "strong generations for the future" in what way are my gay friends NOT building "strong generations for the future"?
Comments in passing like this create ananimosity. Words of animosity are not of strength or building up a strong nation. These comments are the comments that create ugly wedges of hatred and loathing and destroy any strength we might have combined as a nation.
One cannot say the words: “...the building of strong generations for the future" and be thinking civilly. They come only from a place of religion.
I clearly believe that it is the right, under the law, for two consenting adults to marry regardless of their gender. Just as we should not force religions to change their ways based on civil rights (because, God forbid), religion has no place in the civil matters that will decide the fate of civil rights such as the right to marry who you love.
I believe in a stronger nation who accepts people of all faiths, nationalities, and backgrounds. History is full of the results of hateful, fear mongering groups who indiscriminately destroy in the name of God and love.
It's Allergy season again…..and I’m beginning to feel the misery, even through the veil of medications I take on a daily basis. What sucks is that although this is "allergy season" for people with spring allergies, I have allergies year round…they just get worse in the spring and fall.
It’s a bit ridiculous, really. I’m allergic to the earth!!!
Trees:
Ash
Cedar and Juniper
Linden
Russian Olive (here! in Utah!?)
Birch & Alder (same family)
Mulberry (thanks, Brigham!)
Sycamore
Elm
Oak
Tree of Heaven (LOL! For real!?)
Weeds:
Firebush
Found everywhere! right!?
Pigweed
Russian Thistle (another Russian?)
Cocklebur
Lambs Quarter
Plantain
Sagebrush
Marshelder
Robbit Bush
Everything else!
Grass - all the grasses in Utah
Cats
So sad, because I really like cats. The symptoms are too severe.
Dogs!
Dogs!? What!!
'tis true!
Although the symptoms can be frustrating, they are nowhere near as severe as with cats.
Shellfish
Symptoms
The spring symptoms are those of hay fever: sneezing, sniffling, itchy eyes...nothing too severe. They make me wheeze a bit and I KNOW it if I've forgotten to take my Zyrtec! Although Singulair is an asthma medication, it has helped me with allergy symptoms as well.
Summer symptoms usually affect my eyes the most. Even with medication, I usually end up falling asleep with an ice cold wet washcloth on my eyes (held down by a sleep mask). Eye drops are my friend at this time of year.
Autumn symptoms are by far the worst! The weeds are pollinating and I am miserable! My eyes have been known to swell shut. Sneezing is the least of my symptoms but after a while it hurts to sneeze so much! I keep Kleenex in business at this time of year. Hives are a common issue at this time as well. .... Miserable!!
I get some reprieve in the winter, although I am allergic to some of the Christmas trees, wreaths and such. There's dust in the air at this time of year, as we pull out the decorations from their dusty closets.
My worst symptoms are with cats and shellfish. I have had to go to the ER three times for anaphylaxis and no matter how hard you try to keep calm, when you aren't breathing and you feel your insides swelling up and collapsing, there is no calming down.....it's pure panic mode!
Last year I was given a prescription for an Epi-Pen and although I haven't had to use it, it's a nice relief to know I have it if I need it. I am hyper vigilant with foods prepared by others (for parties and potlucks) because many pasta salads are made with shell fish or a lobster juice and that's no good.
My biggest peeve when it comes to the severity of my symptoms is when people think the word allergy means "hay fever" symptoms. Yes, I do have those symptoms for some of my allergies. But if we're talking cats and shellfish........I skip right past the sneezing to life threatening.
Treatment
I hope to begin the allergy shots soon. My allergist is including dog and cat into my serum in hopes to reverse the dog allergy and minimize the cat allergy. There's nothing to do about the shellfish allergy.
We watched The Avengers this morning and I loved it. I want to call our dogs "The Avengers" but Eric doesn't like that idea so much. It makes me smile. As a compromise, I now say to them, "Puppas, assemble!" LOL!
Here are this weeks video selections.
Another summer movie I'm looking forward to is G.I. Joe...and it helps that The Rock is in it.
The City of Samba.......I seem to be drawn to these type of time lapse videos:
Mr Happy Man, as described on Vimeo: Come rain or shine, 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes devotes six hours every day to an endearing traffic ritual that has made him one of the island’s most cherished citizens.
Another inspiring video...and add, but I liked it. Voices from the Field:
As I mentioned last week, I really want to get a star trails photo, but how about a video of this magnitude!? Truly incredible! And the music with the clips......well, it's inspiring! What a world we live in!
March 8: Eric and I drove from our "home" in Virginia to Washington DC. We knew we had only a day, and that we wouldn't be able to get to all the sites in that time. We created our priority list. Eric wanted to see Arlington Cemetary and I wanted to see the Korean Memorial. We were unfamiliar with the layout of the city but quickly saw how close they are in proximity.
One word sums up our time: emotion. There was a lot of emotion.
We began our journey in Arlington. I have seen the photos for years. The same ones we've all seen. As we made our way, I was overcome with emotion. I didn't expect to feel such strong emotion for a place I've never been.
We were able to arrive to the tomb of the unknowns minutes before the changing of the guard. It was a reverent experience to see the soldier going back and forth and then hear the click of the heals at each end. The greatest moment of pride and reverence struck when the soldiers soluted the tomb of the unknowns. It struck the heart strings, for sure.
We also stopped at the tomb markers of the Challenger and Colombia disasters. Both explosions were such shocking moments in our history. We paid our respects to those explorers.
Having never understood the layout of Washington DC, I was surprised when I realized how close the Pentagon is from the White House. The memory of 9/11 is never far from any American's mind, even all these years later. When I stood on the mountain near the tomb of the unknown, the view of the city was striking...and then there was the realization of the proximity of the two famous buildings.
After spending time in Arlington, we crossed back over the bridge to visit some other famous monuments: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean memorials, and Martin Luther memorial. I was dumbfounded by their size. More than that, I was in awe of how connected I felt to history...the history I didn't realize I was so familiar with.
As the afternoon grew into evening we made our way to our vehicle which was parked on the other side of twon. We traveled via the Trolley Tours, which I highly recommend. The guides are clever and witty. We were unable to go to the White House but did pass it on the way back to our car. I took a few pictures as we passed. There were several motor cycle cops on the street corners waiting, resting, relaxing, evaluating. The guide mentioned that when they are like this, it usually means a motorcade will be coming through soon. When I looked back at my photos, I noticed that in front of the White House, there's a line of cars preparing to leave. When we left our parking not long afterwards, the roads were closed off as the motorcade was close to passing. We didn't have time to stop and wait (and wave) but it was pretty cool to see.
We enjoyed a very nice dinner with Eric's Uncle Dan and Aunt Peggy. We briefly talked with his cousin and met their new baby boy, Joseph.
I can safely say that I will be returning to our nation's capital in the near future. I will spend more than a few hours touring and visiting the monuments. The emotions of the day were draining and as we left the city (at midnight), I was ready to face the world of the living and not so much the world of memorials and past lives in history. The rest of my photos are found here.
It brought back to me the scene from Dead Poets Society: Carpe diem. Cease the day.
March 7: Eric and I left Virginia in the early morning hours to make the drive to North Carolina, to his old stomping ground.
He spent a chunk of time living and playing in and around Havelock and Morehead City while in the Marines. He's been wanting to take a trip back for a long time and it seemed as good a time as any.
Once we arrived, he was surprised to see that base housing had been upgraded significantly from the hole he'd lived in. After touring his neighborhood and town, we drove to Atlantic Beach. It wasn't super warm, but warmer than we'd had so far on the trip, so we rolled up our pants, took off our shoes and socks, and walked along the shoreline. It was a pretty empty beach.......just the way I like it.
We soaked in the sights and did some shopping and then drove further south to have dinner with Eric's cousin Dusty. I don't know Dusty too well (really, at all) and it was fun to talk with him and see a different side to Eric's family than what I know. Certainly, we will make another trip that direction and spend more time enjoying family and the sites.
Here are my favorite pictures, but the rest of the shots can be found on Flickr.
