This is essentially a gratuitous icon post

[holdouttrout]

annerbhp told me to be in bed no later than 38 minutes ago, but I'm risking her wrath to bring you the icon I used for this post (made by me, and yes, shareable) and a list of the things I did today:

• Went to the opera (Tosca, and actually a satellite feed of a live opera from the Met).
  
• shopped and bought myself an amazing new jacket, deep blue (almost purple) velveteen-y fabric, with the double buttons. It was LOVE, people.
  
• Made quinoa.
  
• Made cinnamon rolls.
  
• Watched SGU (needs more sauce (no, I don't know what that means, either)), Sanctuary (YAY!), and CSI (OMG WHERE IS MY GEEK LOVE???).
  
• Did laundry.
  
• Swept kitchen.
  
• Stayed up past my bedtime.
  

In the order of cool, I bring you: In B Flat, which is a youtube interactive experiment thing, and it's awesome. VERY video heavy.

Comments

[kedd.livejournal.com]

I bought some quinoa yesterday, on a spur of the moment Bulk Barn indulgence. Any tips on how to prepare it?

(Obviously, you can answer tomorrow... wouldn't want to risk Annerb's wrath any more than you already have.)

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Well, I just followed the directions on the package, but I did substitute chicken broth for water. I think if I did it again, I'd use half water and half broth. I might also put in a few veggies to give it some more oomph.

[besyd.livejournal.com]

(Chiming in because I love quinoa like whoa. -ggg-) Here is some good info and a basic recipe. Below is some more info I gleaned from the web. Good stuff!

- Before cooking, the seeds must be rinsed to remove their bitter resin-like coating, which is called saponin. Quinoa is rinsed before it is packaged and sold, but it is best to rinse again at home before use to remove any of the powdery residue that may remain on the seeds. The presence of saponin is obvious by the production of a soapy looking "suds" when the seeds are swished in water. Placing quinoa in a strainer and rinsing thoroughly with water easily washes the saponin from the seeds. In South America the saponin which is removed from the quinoa is used as detergent for washing clothes and as an antiseptic to promote healing of skin injuries.

- Cooked quinoa is excellent in hot casseroles and soups, stews, in stir-fries, or cold in salads. The seeds cook very quickly, in only 15 minutes. Uncooked seeds may be added to soups and stews as you would barley or rice and quinoa is often substituted for rice in rice dishes. Dry roasting quinoa in a pan or in the oven, before cooking will give a toasted flavor, and it can be cooked in fruit juice to add character to the flavor for use as a breakfast cereal or in desserts. Cold salads consisting of quinoa and chopped vegetables or cooked beans make a quick, easy, and nutritious dish. Quinoa flour is used in making pasta and a variety of baked goods such as pancakes, bread, muffins, and crackers. Quinoa seeds can be sprouted and eaten as raw, live food for snacks or in salads and sandwiches. To sprout the seeds, soak about 1/3 cup seeds in a jar for 2 to 4 hours, then drain and rinse the seeds twice a day for 2 to 4 days. When the sprouts are about 1 inch long, place them near a window for chlorophyll to develop, which will give them a vibrant green color. Another fascinating way of using quinoa is to "pop" the seeds in a dry skillet and eat them as a dry cereal.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you mentioned rinsing them... and that recipe looks delicious!

[kedd.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks very much both of you. I'm on (Canadian) Thanksgiving leftovers for the next few days, but this sounds delicious. Can't wait to try it out.

[katcorvi.livejournal.com]

Quinoa is great as a substitute for rice in stir fry and I adore cinnamon rolls. I need to think about making some, too. Good ideas!

Post a picture of the lovely jacket, preferably with the lovely Trout in it!

It's not a school night so you can stay up as late as you want.

CUTE icon.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

"As late as I wanted" was about 6:00pm. Which would've meant I woke up at 2:00am. Hee.

I got to finish the cinnamon rolls off this morning. Yum!

[besyd.livejournal.com]

Quinoa is great as a substitute for rice in stir fry

Ooh ... I'd never thought about that. Thanks!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Ahaha, icon love!

Ooh, jacket. Sounds lovely. Also cinnamon rolls. Hm...

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

:-)

The jacket is lovely! I forgot to use my coupon, so I'm going to see about getting that fixed if I can... it's loveliness distracted me. *grumps*

re: In B Flat

[jaelte.livejournal.com]

In a bout of insanity, I decided to try starting all of those videos. Oh my poor, poor NetBook.

Re: re: In B Flat

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Oooops. Yeah. Mine did fine, surprisingly. :-)

[mrspollifax.livejournal.com]

That website is REALLY REALLY COOL.

ETA: Also, I love the icon! :)

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? And thanks! *I* was amused, anyway. *g*

[besyd.livejournal.com]

I love your icon. Because he so did does.

(Making this small because it's spoilery .. for anyone who hasn't yet seen SGU.)I squeee'd like a little girl when Harriman Davis Jonesy said "We've got Colonel Carter" and Jack nearly fell over himself getting to the radio and THEY WERE SO SAM/JACK!STUPID!CUTE TOGETHER even if they weren't "together" together then. (happy sigh)

Mmmm ... quinoa.

Mmmm ... cinnamon rolls.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Because he so did does.

Totes.

OMG I know! I need to see that particular scene again. They interacted! It must be love!