Quinoa with Vegetables

In a quest to eat healthier (at least on occasion), I attended a class on nutrition about a year ago. One of the food items meantioned was quinoa. It's a grain from South America that contains all the amino acids that our bodies need (or a complete protien, if you'd like to think of it like that). I bought some after the class and started feeding it to my family. We all liked it and have continued to eat it. In fact, when a friend brought us dinner a couple of weeks ago that had couscous as one of the items and my son insisted that it was quinoa.



1-2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 zucchini
1 large carrot
6 oz mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 c chicken broth
2 c quinoa


Chop all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Saute in 1 tbl oil for about five minutes. Then add garlic and saute for another two minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Bring to a boil then add quinoa, stir and cover. Cooked covered for 15 minutes or until quinoa is done.


We eat this as a main dish as you don't need any other protein to supplement it and the dish is full of vegetables. You could also serve it as a side dish.

Crescent Rolls

I love bread. Really, really love bread. I wish I could make bread, but I've never managed to make it turn out in an edible fashion. I can make rolls though. I got this recipe from a college roommate, Christina. It's the best roll recipe I've ever had. I've even managed to convert some of my husband's family who grew up on different rolls.



3 c warm water
3 tbl yeast
1 c sugar
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 c softened butter
1 tl salt
6 eggs
10-11 c flour

Mix one cup water with yeast and set aside. Mix sugars, butter and 2 cups hot water. Add to this salt, eggs and yeast water. Mix in flour to make a soft, not sticky dough. Cover and let rise 40 minutes. Pull off pieces about the size of two fists and roll out into circles and cut into wedges. Roll large end of wedge towards point. Place on baking sheet and let rise, covered, for additional 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Makes around eight dozen rolls.


This recipe makes about a million rolls. I actually can't even fit the whole thing in my mixer, so I usually half the recipe. Here's the half for easier baking:

1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1 1/2 tbl salt
3 eggs
5-5 1/2 c flour



This dough can be very sticky, so it does sometimes need a little extra flour.

Pumpkin Muffins

As the baby is actually sleeping and the other two penguins are outside not killing each other, I can actually do something I want to do. I think time for that may be in very, very short supply for the next year or so, until the newest little penguin starts to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

But anyway, while I was in labor with penguin number three, the other little ones and I made these muffins. And then they ate them all in the next three days and we've had to make them again. And those are almost gone now. And so I think we will be making them again soon. They are very fond of muffins, I've learned. Too bad they wouldn't eat the egg muffins I tried a few months ago. Oh well. I got this recipe, or at least the original incarnation of it, not long after I got married from my friend Vickie. The recipe was supposed to be for bread, but I like muffins better. And so do my children. Somehow they feel like they are getting more or a bigger treat when it comes in it's own wrapper!



3 1/3 c flour (I used half white half wheat)
3 c white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbl cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c oil
4 eggs
2/3 c water
2 c canned pumpkin (or a 15 oz can)
1 - 1 1/2 c chocolate chips


In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs then add water, pumpkin and oil. Mix in dry ingredients. Place about 1/4 c batter into lined or greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 f0r 18 minutes. Makes about three dozen muffins.


If do want to make bread out of it (I did while in labor because we had to leave before the muffins would have been done), the recipe makes three loaves. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes before removing from loaf pans.