Backyard Farmgals

To celebrate summer and because it's just too darn hot to really do any cooking (or even much farming), I whipped up this delightful and cooling tropical salad.  It is loaded with all kinds of fruit, nuts, peppers, and super nutritious quinoa, one of my favorite grains.  My kiddos have gobbled bowls of this over the summer, it's sweet but only because of the fruit.  Even my hubby keeps asking for more! This is great for parties or just a light dinner out on the patio.  Make sure that you use really ripe mangos, they are the key flavor, sour mangos just won't do the trick.  Also, make sure you rinse the quinoa really well before you cook it, otherwise it will be bitter.  This makes a huge amount of salad, but it is great stored in the fridge for lunch the next day, and the flavors get even better overnight. TROPICAL QUINOA SALAD backyard farmgals printer friendly version 1 cup (dry) quinoa (I used 1/2 cup black and 1/2 cup regular), coo...

This is one amazingly healthy little salad.  Great for parties, we served it with Chicken Salad Sliders at a baby shower recently, and it was a hit.  This is a great fall salad and a wonderful example of how healthy food is great food - you don't need to add a bunch of junk to make something taste extraordinary.  This would make an amazing Thanksgiving side dish... This is an Ina Garten recipe that is simple, easy and fast.  I love her cooking, in the kitchen, she is one of my idols.  The other great thing about this salad is the colors.  I am in love with the contrasting colors that this salad shows off.  The dark purple-brown of the rice and the vibrant orange wedges...art in a bowl.  I really think that food tastes better when it is colorful...call me crazy! WILD RICE SALAD Ina Garten  "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" 1 cup long grain wild rice (I used Japonica Rice) Kosher Salt 2 navel oranges 2 Tbsp olive oil 2...

We had a baby shower yesterday for my cousin and her baby girl Ava, it was so much fun!  I love it when all of the girls in our family are together, it doesn't happen often enough, so yesterday, I was in heaven.  I hung back from the crowd for a minute and watched the buzz happening around me.  It really was like a bunch a bees buzzing away, everyone was talking and laughing and really enjoying each other...this is family and I love it!!! So the big question is what does a farmgal serve to a big group of gorgeous girls having a great time?  It's easy...farmgal food...no man food here!!!  Everything was light and pretty and darn delicious!  We served fruit skewers, wild rice salad, chicken salad sliders, and gigantic ultimate chocolate brownies (yeah...I ate a whole brownie...).  Mmmm...I could go back in time and eat it all again... It was all really easy to make, I think that the timing for cooking and preparation for a party is the ...