Spring is here! Spring is here!

After the most brutal winter on the Saskatchewan record books, I am happy to report we all survived and it seems to be behind us. Global warming is a cruel, cruel irony and I'm going to tell Al Gore next time I see him that I'm rethinking the whole theory.

Anyway, it's May now and everything is finally starting to turn green and the local population has emitted a collective sigh. We have had tulips peeking through for a couple of weeks now, soon to be blooming, and I'm even happy to see the dandelions so Andre can eat those instead of me paying $2 for a bunch at Sobey's every week. Today I'm wearing flip-flops, capris and a t-shirt and I don't plan to take them off for at least 5 months.

Life has not been boring around here since I last blogged. Poor little Carson had a two-night stay at the hospital recently; a nasty bout of pneumonia. He seems to be doing much better, thank goodness -- I even took him to the playground for a bit of fresh air today because it was so beautiful. He is such a talker -- every time I see him he seems to be coming up with new words to astound his Mima. What a little sweetie!

Chaeli has been sick on and off, too, and wasn't able to start soccer last week because it was such a cool, windy night and she was hanging on to a nasty cough. Hopefully she'll be able to play this week -- I think she will love it!

Mr X is working in town for a change. It's so nice that he doesn't have to travel at all, and he gets lots of days off so we've been able to do some renos and yard work already. This is going to be a wonderful summer if he manages to be around every day! I can hardly wait to get our camper on the road. Chaeli is going to be such a fun camping companion this year. Maybe we'll even get her in the boat -- she's been too scared up until now, which is just fine with me. I'm not much of a boat fan, either, but Mr X is dying to take her fishing with him.

Mr X's 19-year-old sister, Melanie, is moving in with us for the summer, starting tonight. I'm excited about having her here, even though she has an out-of-town boyfriend that will likely consume most of her free time.

I have a tattoo appointment booked for next Saturday -- not too sure what I'm getting, but it's going to be an add-on to the one I already have. I'm really excited!

I'm still discovering new and delicious meat-free recipes and I'm going to put another one in here. It's a handy place for me to keep recipes, I've discovered. I made this one for the first time last night -- it is just amazing and I think it's going to be a staple around here.

Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

* 1 cup quinoa
* dash of salt
* 1 3/4 cups water
* 1 or 2 TBLSP olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 onion, chopped
* 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
* 3 TBLSP lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
* salt and pepper to taste
* chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, about 1/2 cup of each
* thai-style hot sauce (I use the M&M brand -- it's our favorite!)

1. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water. Bring the quinoa, salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. While the quinoa cooks, saute chopped garlic and onion in the olive oil until soft. Salt and pepper as desired.
3. Mix cooked quinoa with the garlic mixture, stir in the garbanzo beans, cumin and lime juice. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve cold with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, top with thai hot sauce. Enjoy!
(I think this might be good with tzaziki sauce instead of the thai sauce. I'll try it someday and update if it's any good.)