Meatless Monday - Italian Quinoa Patties

Alrighty then! I've been gone so long from my blog that I took Google by surprise. I will have to start posting more often. Anyhew, I'm baaaack! From moving and getting a big garden in to baby chicks and tearing out flooring to chasing stuff from room to room so the new flooring could be installed..... to tearing out cabinets and having to find a place for everything that was in the old cabinets to painting and more, I've been way too busy to even think about blogging. We are almost at normal now, and am so happy with the results. Will post pictures when all is done.
For now I want to share a recipe I found on Pinterest and tweaked of course, that filled the bill for our meatless Monday plan. Quinoa is a super food grain that is also very versatile. We had these delicious patties, accompanied by fresh from the garden salad and baked potatoes. I made a creamy spicy mayo to top the patties with and even Nature Guy went back for seconds. We will do this again, perhaps as little meatballs for marinara. So yummy and easy as well!

Italian Quinoa Patties
1/3 c. quinoa cooked in 2/3 cup water according to package directions.
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon each fresh minced parsley and basil
3 tablespoons each fresh minced chives or green onion, and yellow onion
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Rinse your quinoa and add to small pan with the water. Bring to boil and turn the burner to low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool. After cool beat eggs and add those along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let sit 5 minutes. Using wet hands form 4 patties about 1 inch tall. In a frying pan place 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and turn burner to medium low. Once hot add patties and cook covered for 5 minutes on each side. They should be golden. Serve with spicy mayo, recipe below.
6 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon spicy chile sauce, and teaspoon sweet chile sauce.Whisk together and serve with patties.

Enjoy!

Here Chick, Chick Chick.....

We recently acquired some little chicklets, that started out cute and tiny. They were just little balls of fluff and super sweet. Betsy is the black one, and Prudy is the one up front, with Penny behind her.

 We also added two more, who are growing quickly. Here's Bella, the terror of tiny town, although I think the other chicks are putting her in her place without me having to put her in time out as you see her here. You can tell she's not happy...lol.

Here's sweet Daisy, the quietest and prettiest of the flock. 

Betsy has grown quite a bit in the last week, with full feathered wings and a tail to boot. Chickens aren't much different than humans, in that they like company, like to be noticed, and love to eat. These little darlin's are all laying hens, at least we hope they are all hens. Penny was stretching her neck earlier, looking as if she was going to crow, oh dear! If any turn out to be a rooster by mistake, they are looking at cold storage, but that's the way of the world on a small farmette. We have two Gold Sexlinks, two Ameracaunas, and one black Austrolorpe. All are purportedly good layers of large eggs, and supposedly good natured and hardy. Hardy I believe as they took a 600 mile journey with me last week. I hope they are as sweet as they are supposed to be.
So the fun begins, with heat lamps, changing bedding daily, poop patrol in the brooder at least twice daily and water changing. I figured out that if I elevated their food and water a bit, the feeders tend to stay cleaner. Bella and Daisy love to scratch and toss things behind them with their feet so this has been great. I've found a great forum for getting questions answered regarding raising chicks at Backyard Chickens Forum. If you have started a similar journey into Chickendom I'd love to hear from you!

Breathe

Sometimes we need a reminder to breathe as we dash through our day tending to our tasks. Here's an uplifting and pretty reminder, complete with pearls and lampwork beads. Find this at:

Simply Sheryl's

Tropical Breezes

Palm trees and breezes...

shells on warm sandy beaches,

wait to dress pretty girls.

Simply Sheryl's

Broken China Heart Pendants and a Statement Bracelet

 Reality has limits, imagination is boundless.... a great way to lift your spirits any day! This bracelet can be sized to fit anyone.

Amongst all that junk mail,
It feels so divine
When someone cares enough
To send a Valentine!

Have you thought about what you could give that special someone? Well, I'm hear to give you some ideas. So for all you see here, and more stop by Simply Sheryl's

Pretty in Pink Bracelets and more...

 Leather and glass are a great combo in this pretty bracelet. So pretty in pink! Here's the link Simply Sheryl's

A beaded cuff bracelet that is made to match anything. Another lovely one of a kind you can find here: Simply Sheryl's

Sweetheart Jewelry

 Filling up my shop for Valentines Day, with sweetheart deals on hand crafted earrings...

 a hand woven bracelet...

and necklace. You can find these at Simply Sheryl's