Heaven is a Peanut Puff...

Oooh, Aldi has German Peanut Puffs on sale! They're like cheese doodles, only with peanuts instead of cheese (and all natural - practically health food!). For some strange reason, this is a pretty popular snack in Germany (although most Germans aren't big on other peanut snacks), and pretty much unknown in the USA. Might be a conspiracy of the American cheese doodle manufacturers. Anyway, they're delicious and I pretty much emptied the store. Yay!

Visit to Nebraska

Happy Birthday Hubby!

It's a Gugelhupf (Gesundheit!).

Quinoa? Gesundheit!

I only just discovered Quinoa last year when it started popping up in people's food blogs. My Whole Foods store carries it in the bulk bin, it's really easy to prepare (cook it like rice, but WASH it WELL before cooking, at least 1 minute, otherwise it'll be bitter) and it's absolutely delicious! Quinoa comes from South America, is more of a seed than a grain, super healthy (complete protein and whatnot), and when cooked, has an irresistible fluffy-nutty flavor that I actually get cravings for. Here's my favorite recipe, super quick and easy...

Quinoa risotto:

1 c quinoa (washed if necessary), 2 c water, olive oil, 1 diced onion, 1/2 to 3/4 pack of sliced mushrooms, 1 c peas, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan.

Saute onions in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking over medium heat for another 10 minutes.

While onions and mushrooms are cooking, combine quinoa and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is tender.

Mix mushrooms and onions with quinoa, and serve with Parmesan!

New Pier 1 ad

Ooh, spring-y. I LOVE that pink carpet! And is that a turquoise garden gnome? Squee!

Raisin Brahms!

This is a PSA I saw on PBS the other day, encouraging kids to learn about the arts. It totally cracks me up when he crashes the piano through the wall.

Nine Words

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1)Fine:This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2)Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3)Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4)Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
(5)Loud Sigh: This isn't actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6)That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. "That's okay" means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7)Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'. That will bring on a 'whatever').
(8)Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F--YOU!
(9)Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Last snow for the season?

In between spells of nice, warm weather (sitting-outside-at-Starbucks-nice!), we got another inch or two of snow... cat was quite interested in digging around in the cold stuff, but also QUITE happy to come back inside...