Sweet Home...

Massachusetts, I'm back in town. Is it good to be back?
You bet.
I haven't done too much cooking I'm afraid, for a long time...
I did however get around to whipping together a simple Quinoa salad for an impromptu soiree with friends from  an earlier time. A better time? No, but a life I miss more deeply with every memory. The six of us enjoyed a bounty of grilled goods, citrusy salad, summer sweets and strawberries. Pounds of strawberries...
I missed home. I missed summer. Come fall, I'll be sick and tired and look forward to college but for the interim, I'll soak in all the sunny, sumptuous, and friended hours I can.

Quick Summer Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cucumber, partially peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and shopped
3 medium radishes, quartered and sliced
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp Evoo
Fresh chopped Organo
Pepper, salt, and spice to taste

Prepare quinoa according to directions and let cool. Combine all ingredients and fluff. Chill and serve!

Enjoi!

Black Beans and Quinoa in Cast Iron...

I got a shiny new Dutch Oven for Christmas but had yet to try it out. Then I came across this recipe at Post Punk Kitchen (A Great site!).

I Swear it's better than it looks!

I didn't have raspberries - frozen or fresh - so I used a very ripe mango on the counter for the puree and it came out well. I think using raspberries or blackberries which were evidently in the freezer, hiding... The mango was a bit light in flavor but it still tasted great. Tossing in some leftover chopped cauliflower and about a cup and a half of kale, it had all the usbstance I was looking for on a brutally cold January evening.

It's -2 degrees according to one thermomoter; -8 to this one (as of posting... It's one my roof too)

Too Cold!