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loving:
Maybelline Express Finish nail polish in Plum Intense
The color turns out more red than the bottle suggests, but I love the outcome. It’s a nice balance between plum and wine, and is dramatic but not too dark against my pale skin. A reviewer at Makeupalley.com said the color turns out very much like Vamp. Also, the quick dry formula really does, and I managed to avoid bubbles even though I put on three coats.

using:
Bambu compostable, single use veneerware
An eco-friendly alternative to plastic silverware, and it’s awfully cool looking. It’s equally good for twirling sesame noodles and spreading Nutella on baguette while lounging on a picnic blanket.

looking forward to:
Bottle Shock
A movie about the 1976 Paris Tasting that rocked the wine world? Starring Alan Rickman? Oh, yes please.

watching:
Ultraviolet
An old UK mini series about a secret part of the government that fights vampires. We’re half way through and the V-word hasn’t been used yet. It’s good despite being a bit dated, and it’s filling some of my X-Files nostalgia. (Note for anybody who might Netflix it – the sleeve it comes in describes the Milla Jovovich movie, but the disc inside is the BBC series, very confusing.)

disliking:
red quinoa
I love regular quinoa, and an egg over quinoa has become my standard breakfast. But red quinoa? Yuck. Here are words that were used our table while trying this: “dirt”, “tastes like hippies”, “socks, dirty socks”, “it tastes… good for me”. Sorry, red quinoa, I gave you a shot.

· comments [29] · 06-23-2008 · categories:up to ·

29 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Susan // Jun 23, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Oh my goodness….I have a friend who describes plain soy milk as “hippie-flavored”. Was he at your house??

  • 2 Rhiannon // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:26 am

    oooh, can I hear more about this “egg over quinoa”? Do you just fry an egg and put it on a bed of quinoa?

  • 3 Victoria // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:05 am

    oh i just saw red quinoa at my local coop. i was very curious. not so curious now. thanks!

  • 4 Jessica // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Bottle Shock is going to be awesome good fun. And I think I’ll need a picnic with some wine afterward (and that bamboo flatware).

  • 5 megan // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:17 pm

    Rhiannon – Yes, just that. I make a 1/4 cup quinoa and top it will an egg fried over easy. It’s filling and doesn’t give me heartburn the way oatmeal sometimes can. I would like to use a poached egg because it would be that much healthier, but I usually don’t have the time, or pots and pans, to do one poached egg.

  • 6 megan // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Susan – Hee hee, maybe. Though, I was raised on soy milk so I find it quite acceptable.

    Victoria – A lot of food blogs have posted red quinoa salad recipes and I think I should make one with my remaining quinoa before I decide it’s definitely not for me. But red quinoa alone was yucky.

  • 7 Sarah // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Much thanks for the quinoa tip. I can only handle the brown kind if it’s paired with super-strong flavors, so I shall avoid the red stuff. It’s my least favorite of whole grain products. Buckwheat, however, I could eat masses of and not tire of it.

  • 8 PK // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Long-time lurker, first-time commenter!

    Ultraviolet was on the UK’s Channel 4, a commercial terrestrial network, so you won’t find the DVD on the Beeb’s site if you’re looking to buy. (If anyone’s wanting to make sure they have the right one, it’s got Jack Davenport in it.) They never use the V word, but if you think about how you’d write ‘Code Five’ with a Roman numeral…

    Glad to see it’s getting the attention it deserves; hopefully lots of people will hit up Netflix!

  • 9 megan // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    PK – Thanks for the correction, I’ve taken the BBC name out of the entry. I’m a big dumb American and figure if it’s television in the UK, it must be the BBC.

  • 10 Jenny // Jun 23, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    Tastes like hippies, haha! I actually like the red quinoa. I should try tasting a hippie sometime, I might like it!
    I like to mix it with chopped cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh mint and a little bit of oil and vinegar. This would probably work for the non hippie flavored quinoa too. :)

  • 11 Jocelyn // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    Did you “pop” the quinoa before you cooked it?

  • 12 Carolyn J. // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    An X-Files type show you may also like is one called Fringe, coming this fall on Fox. I’ve seen the first episode and I’m interested enough to watch another one.

    http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html

  • 13 Mei // Jun 23, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    no time nor the pots and pans for a single poached egg? if u can fry an egg u can do it. try poaching with the cling film method. http://www.andy-coates.com/blog/2007/06/04/how-to-poach-an-egg-a-different-way/
    a pot of boiling water must be easier to clean than an oiled pan for the fried egg!
    mei

  • 14 megan // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    Mei – Every single time I’ve tried that method it’s turned out horribly. Really the trouble lately is that I’m down to one pot that I have not ruined yet, so I cannot have hot water going in two pots. I keep hoping to find time to research pots, until then I’m adapting.

  • 15 megan // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    Jocelyn – I tried that once and I only managed to make the bottom of my pot look like it’s on it’s way to scorched. I really need to buy some good cookware.

  • 16 Misy // Jun 24, 2008 at 5:23 am

    I believe the DVD sleeve Milla Jovovich confusion is because she was in a a movie of the same name.
    I haven’t seen either, but perhaps the movie is inspired by the tv series as imdb says it’s about humans with modified genes that act “vampire-like”.

    The movie appears to have sucked, but I’m totally adding the tv show to my Netflix queue!

  • 17 Erica // Jun 24, 2008 at 5:41 am

    One thing that may help with the odd taste of the quinoa is to rinse it really well with hot water before you cook it. I put it in a fine sieve and run hot-hot water over it and you can smell that “dusty” coating washing off and it seems to help removing that strange taste.

  • 18 megan // Jun 24, 2008 at 8:43 am

    Erica – We did do that, and the box proclaims it’s pre-washed. I think there is just something about it I don’t like. Maybe I don’t like the pre-washed red variety, maybe red quinoa would taste better if I were to rinse it myself?

  • 19 Erin // Jun 24, 2008 at 8:55 am

    here is what my nine year old said at the dinner table when we tried red quinoa:
    “mama, this tastes like a butt.”
    always a bad sign.

  • 20 Emma // Jun 24, 2008 at 9:13 am

    If you like non-hippie flavored quinoa, have you tried this stuff?

    http://altiplanogold.com/index.htm

    It’s like instant oatmeal without the oat/gluten/dairy part:) Good sutff.

  • 21 Dorothy Stahlnecker // Jun 24, 2008 at 11:57 am

    Sounds interesting especially the dirty socks part.

    Dorothy from grammology
    remember to call your gram
    grammology.com

  • 22 Lisa // Jun 24, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    The first (and only) time I ever tried Quinoa was the red kind, and I was not compelled to try it ever again. Good to know this may be particular to red quinoa only, guess I’ll have to give it another shot–thanks!

  • 23 Elana // Jun 26, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    The Bambu stuff? They make killer baby utensils. We were given them as a baby gift for our second, and they’re now our basic baby gift. Always appreciated. And the kid is now using them and I LOVE them.

  • 24 julee // Jun 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    thanks for the watching suggestions. we cut the cable ever since netflix on demand. i feel like i’ve gone through almost everything on tv, and ultraviolet looks like fun. bottle shock looks fantastic too.

  • 25 McAuliflower // Jun 27, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    weird on the red quinoa front. Mine’s never tasted bad (bought in bulk).

    I toss it into my no-knead bread all the time.

  • 26 Lin // Jul 1, 2008 at 7:34 am

    I agree on the red quinoa. I kept thinking I should like it since it’s the red version of the pale quinoa that I love….but no – it’s just hasn’t been good. i think i will try it again with more dressing, maybe something lemony and with some avocado… I’ll keep trying over time until the bulk bag I bought is gone! but truly I won’t ever buy it again.

  • 27 Esther // Jul 4, 2008 at 3:04 am

    ah Ultraviolet…super super series and some really good plot. My old flatmate once pointed out however, that as the letters appear in the beginning credits, they look as if they are about to spell ‘ravioli’. Which would have made it a very different series!

  • 28 Kerry // Jul 4, 2008 at 8:39 am

    Being a quinoa enthusiast, I must insist that you give it another try! One of my favourite types of the grain is the black variety. It has an amazing nutty flavour, and goes well with any dish that you would accompany with rice; like tasty vegetarian chili! Last I had it, I boiled it with some veggie stock, then served it with glazed pecans, fresh blackberries and some basic salt and pepper. The pecans really brought out the sweet nutty elements of the grain and it was a nice grain to enjoy alongside any meal!

    Don’t give up on quinoa!

  • 29 creativecat // Jul 7, 2008 at 6:41 am

    I actually really like the red quinoa. It tastes a bit nuttier than regular.

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