A long time coming…

Or so I’ve been told. 

Over the past few years, actually mostly during my graduate studies, I have become quite “food-obsessed.” I love to cook and more than anything I love to read recipes. How weird it that? When I open up the mailbox and a new Food Network magazine is there, my heart jumps and I can wait to get to my couch, cuddle up with a blanket and get to reading! Food blogs have more recently become a big part of my life; there are certain ones that I read at least a few times a week (depending the week, maybe even every day). With the invention of Pinterest (I was definitely a little late to this game—just started after the new year), my scope of food blogs has expanded and I keep finding recipes everywhere. So that brings us to today. Today is the day that I start my own food blog. The timing seems right because now I’m done with my Ph.D., have moved cross country to the cornfields of Illinois, and am spending a lot more of my evening with my nose in a good book (or cookbook) or watching television. That means my schedule has relaxed a little bit and I have time to experiment a little more in the kitchen. So when I proposed that I might start a food blog, my boyfriend said “I’m surprised you hadn’t already done that.” So here goes nothing. Thanks for reading and for coming with me on this adventure!

Please note that I’m taking the pictures from my phone and so there is no way the food will look as good as it tastes. Please no judgments.

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Let’s jump in head first with a recipe I made the other day. My first experience with quinoa last summer was not the best… I wasn’t sure how I felt despite all the great reviews of this little nutrient-packed grain. But since it’s not in my nature to give up, I tried again (and again and again…) and now I’m falling in love. It is super easy to make and can soak up lots of flavor. Especially in the following recipe with a honey lemon vinaigrette that was just perfect the other day when I left work at 7:00 pm and the temperature outside was a very humid 84. To add more, corn has been on sale for the past few weeks so it really is a perfect summer meal.

Honey Lemon Quinoa with Corn (adapted slightly from Iowa Girl Eats)

Ingredients:
½ cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
½ tbsp unsalted butter
1 green onion (green and white), sliced thinly
1 ear sweet corn, kernels cut off
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette:
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Rinse quinoa with cold water and then combine with the 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed approximately 15 min.
Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a mason jar and shake to mix.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and sweet corn and saute until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and vinaigrette to pan and stir mix. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

**This makes 2 servings. I had the leftovers for the lunch the following day and I didn’t bother to heat it back up and it was just as good!