don't try this quinoa recipe at home

for health reasons i have tried to embrace quinoa on several occasions.

i think once i managed a hot breakfast cereal that was palatable.

today i decided to heat up some flakes in order to bulk up sprout's fruit and veggie purees.

there was an awful lot of warm, fluffy quinoa left over in the pan after i added some to sprout's lunch and put away what i'd use in his meals for the week so i decided to make pea and i an after-lunch dessert with the rest.

it sure looked pretty.

i had wanted to share a recipe consisting of some quinoa flakes turned hot cereal as per package instructions, with some vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground flax seeds, and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar. sounds pretty, too.

but. well. um.

i asked pea if he liked it and he said, "no. you taste it."

i didn't much like it, either, but couldn't tell if it was because it had grown slightly cold as we finished our lunch, because of the texture, or because i had mistakenly stirred it with the same spoon i'd used to stir my green chili stew.

sprout liked it better than he liked his pureed peaches and bananas but pea wasn't about to eat anymore.

i didn't want it all to go to waste so i finished my helping but let pea leave the table.
the taste and texture improved after i got over my initial gag reflex.


i want to like quinoa, i do. but aside from adding cooked flakes to the baby's food, i think i'll reserve them for baking.

Adventures in Craigslist™

it's been far too long since i last updated but i've been BUSY! not much to show for it, but i have successfully moved around the same piles of stuff several times.

and i'm keeping on top of the laundry, sort of. but without getting into a lengthy discussion of why i was even behind on laundry, to begin with, let's just skip to the humor to be found in not one, but THREE, Adventures in Craigslist™ i've had recently.

1. i listed a single, lonely oak chair. i even stated in the title of my listing that there was only one.

i had more than one individual email me to ask me if both chairs were still available.

2. i listed a very nice, solid wood bookshelf for $75. sure, i start my asking price slightly higher than what i'd accept because i know how craigslist works. today i get an email asking if the bookcase is still available and if i'd take $25 for it.

no. it doesn't work that way.

3. i am in the market for a minicrib and would prefer a modern, safe version without a drop- down side or folding "portable" (read: deathtrap) feature. i say as much in my listing but still agree to meet someone to see theirs, though i suspect it's not quite what i'm looking for. i suppose i shouldn't have wasted either of our time but the seller suggested we meet me about two minutes away from my house, so i took a chance. imagine my surprise when the lady pulls out a spray-painted flimsy minicrib with a drop down side, cracked and broken mattress platform made out of plywood that is maybe 1/4" thick with a date of manufacture of 1995. um. no.