Golden Days of Spring

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.~Albus Dumbledore

 

 

     This quilt has been in the making for about 5 years.  It started out as a neighborhood block of the month which fizzled out after a few months.  It was put away for a little while and retrieved again this past year to be finished up as part of my goal to use up fabric that I already had and finish up uncompleted projects.  I am so glad to have this one done.  I thought it turned out nice.

     On Saturday, May 10th, we celebrated the 145th anniversary of the joining of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad to form the Transcontinental Railroad.  We took a picnic lunch, some family members, including two grandsons to the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Point in Box Elder County in our beautiful state of Utah.  There was a nice program with speakers; the band from Bear River High School favored us with some musical numbers, and there was a re-enactment of the original ceremony featuring time period dress.  The weather was cool but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.  We loved seeing the Jupiter engine and the No. 119 engine.

     A couple of recipes that we like in the Spring and Summer months is Chicken with Quinoa and Veggies and Blueberry Muffins.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good quinoa is, especially when cooked in chicken broth.  This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.  The muffin recipe comes from Ourbestbites.com.  This recipe is my favorite for blueberry muffins.

Chicken with Quinoa and Veggies

1 cup quinoa                                                   1 zucchini, diced

2 cups chicken broth                                       1 tomato, diced

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided                                 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2 cloves minced garlic                                     8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped                                   1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Bring the quinoa and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan.  Simmer until the broth is absorbed, the quinoa fluffy, and the white line is visible in the grain, about 12 minutes.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet; cook and stir the garlic and onion until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chicken breast strips and cook until the chicken is nearly done, about 5 more minutes.  Remove the chicken meat and set aside.  Pour 2 more Tbsp. of olive oil in the skillet and cook and stir the zucchini and tomato until the zucchini is tender, 5 to 6 minutes.  Return chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with feta cheese, basil leaves, and lime juice.  Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and hot, about 10 more minutes.  Serve over hot quinoa.

Blueberry Muffins

             1 ¾ cups flour                                                 1 large egg

             2 ¾ tsp. baking powder                                   ¾ cup buttermilk

             ¼ tsp. salt                                                        1/3 cup canola oil

             ½ cup sugar                                                     1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

              2 tsp. lemon or orange zest

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and citrus zest in a large bowl.  Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and oil in separate bowl.  Add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

Combine 1 Tbsp. flour and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a small bowl and toss blueberries until well coated.  Gently fold blueberry mixture into the batter.  Spoon batter into lined muffin tin, filling 2/3 full.

Streusel topping:  Combine ¼ cup sugar, 2 ½ Tbsp. flour and ½ tsp. cinnamon in small bowl.  Cut in 1 ½ Tbsp. butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter in muffin tins and bake 18 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

 

     I really enjoyed this sweet story by Kimberly Willis Holt about a girl and her mentally challenged parents.  My Louisana Sky is a wonderful book about family love, support and loyalty.