My birthday!

My birthday was in the middle of VBS this year (and actually on Friday, when everyone was exhausted from having so. much. fun. all week), so it was very low key. Which worked fine for me.

Because...it meant that I got to extend the celebration! We celebrated that night with a fancy dessert (well, good; not so sure about fancy) that the family ate so fast there is no picture evidence.

And, then, a week later, I got to celebrate AGAIN with my mom. One of my favorite Athens restaurants (love me some Taco Stand. Even at its worst, it's very, very good), and cupcakes from this neat little cupcake store. Look at those cupcakes! They were HUGE and sweet. It took Will three days to eat his. He'd work on it a while, then put it back in the fridge. Too funny.

And we had fun at Honey's house playing dress-up, too. I can't wait to put this one in the senior yearbook!

Quinoa Salad

Don't you love how recipes evolve and change? I think it's fun. This recipe started with one that my friend Tammy enjoyed. She's gluten and dairy free, eating almost no processed foods, and she feels great eating like that. She's been a great encouragement for me in the last year being dairy free. So, she loves this recipe for Quinoa Taco Salad from the glutenfreegoddess. And she goes on and on about it so much that I knew I had to try it. I'm glad I did!

I had some black beans and leftover chicken hanging around, so I also added those. I used scallions in place of the onions. And, because we were eating this for a regular supper, not a light meal, I went for a heavier salad dressing. I borrowed the recipe from our beloved Mexican Chicken Salad. It's a balsamic chipotle vinagrette, and it worked very well with this recipe.

So, there you have it. Inspired by something new, anchored with something familiar, and creating something totally delicious.

Quinoa Salad
4 T balsamic vinegar
a little less than 2/3 cup oil
2 chipotles in adobo, minced finely
salt, about 1/2 teaspoon
Juice from 2 limes
1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water (just like rice)
1 3/4 cups cooked black beans
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 cup cooked, shredded or cubed chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1 avocado, diced
Lettuce for serving
Cilantro for serving

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, chipotles, salt, and lime juice. Add the quinoa and fluff with a fork. Add other ingredients, and carefully stir together. Serve over a bed of lettuce mixed with cilantro. This is good right away or, even better, after a couple of hours in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld.

I'm linked to Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Check it out!

Cow Appreciation Day

This is the first time he got his own kid's meal, and he was so happy about it!

Menu Plan July 11

Friday--take out burritos

Saturday--lunch: out; supper: Mad Men themed meal of utz chips, pigs in a blanket, and fancy sparkling limeade with basil

Sunday--brunch: eggs, toast, sausage, grits; supper: turkey hamburgers, Texas caviar, sliced cucumbers, fried okra (this was a new recipe and a fail)

Monday--stewed eggplant with andouille, white rice, roasted cauliflower

Tuesday--cooking class for Mama; quesadillas for everyone else

Wednesday--pasta with roasted savory vegetables, salad

Thursday--grilled jalapeno chicken, yellow rice, green beans, salad

As always, I'm linked to Menu Planning Monday at orgjunkie.