Spiced Carrot and Zucchini Quinoa

Surprise!

That's what went through my mind when I saw my wife had bought quinoa at the supermarket.

I'd seen pictures of quinoa on pinterest, checked out some quinoa recipes but never had the urge to look for it at the store.

To my surprise it ended up finding me.

Orange Cranberry Walnut Muffins

Somewhere, at this very moment, someone is in a grocery store or bakery purchasing muffins.

The muffins are baked, packaged and ready to eat. The only effort required of the person is buying them.

Meanwhile, I’m sharing a muffin recipe that requires...

• 10 minutes to mix the ingredients
• 2 minutes to get the batter in the muffin pan
• 18 minutes to bake
• And 5 minutes to let cool.

Of course making homemade muffins takes effort. The question is why bother.

Better taste? Healthier ingredients? Saving money? Love of baking?

Creamy Corn and Bell Pepper Chowder: Fend Off the Early Spring Chills

As I write this post I’m sitting in a café and the song “Good Thing” by Fine Young Cannibals is playing through the café’s sound system.

Remember that tune?
Good thing…where have you gone…
doo…doo…doobie-do
Good thing…you’ve been gone too long!

Right now it’s adding some much needed liveliness to this rain and snow mix day!

What’s been "gone too long" around these parts is the sun. Spring may have officially arrived on the calendar but with the sun hiding behind the clouds there’s still a chill in the air. That's reason enough to stir up a pot of this Creamy Corn Chowder.

Crunchy Pear Salsa

I was skeptical about using pears in this salsa because…really…who makes salsa with pears?

You never know until you try, right? Plus it’s about time I switched things up from the usual tomato version.

Savory Southwest Chicken Pizza

Earlier this week I prepared a Roasted Red Pepper and Jalapeno Steak Sauce and didn't have enough steak to use it all up. It's far too tasty of a sauce to waste so I've been finding other ways to make use of the leftovers.

I've already topped a Re-fried Bean, Beef and Vegetable Wrap with it (which was excellent) and used the remaining 1/2 cup as a savory pizza sauce! Hmmm, that's not exactly right.