Treats from the Tipsy Turtle

Since the day after Christmas the guys and I have been going non-stop with stuff involving our house. It's been 15 months and 18 days and tomorrow we will finally, finally be moving back in. We were so fortunate to find this rental home and it was truly meant to be. It was literally the first one I found online and thankfully, it was the only house that we had to look at before knowing we found the right one. We were lucky that the home owner wanted us, too! I'm so glad to be moving back home but I will miss this neighborhood; people are considerate, friendly and there's always lots of street parking! Tonight I cooked our last meal here and chose a recipe that came out of "The Apple Lover's Cookbook" that Tom gave me for Christmas.  Here's tonight's cast. I like dishes that I can prep parts of ahead of time. I grated the smoked gouda cheese, covered it and put it in the fridge till I was ready to make the dish. I love gouda but when it's smoked it

I was completely cooked out after the holidays--that's partly normal and partly a result of just feeling so stressed out over the completion of our house and the impending move. I was also really missing the holiday gatherings with friends and family; last year we were out of our own house but we could still get together and share food and conversation with people. Anyway... I did have a socially distanced lunch with my very good friend, Marlyn, and she served this wonderful quinoa salad! I had to recreate it. Today's cast! I rinsed the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Then added it to the water. It couldn't be easier--bring it to a boil, cover it and lower to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes or till the water is absorbed. I always give it at least one good stir during the simmering process. When the quinoa is done cooking, I fluffed it and took it off the heat to cool. Since I was going to make the salad for dinner, I refrigerated the quinoa for a couple of hours. Marlyn