So Much to do, So Little Time

Last week was a busy one; I started a new job, my stepdaughter converted to Judaism, my mother-in-law celebrated her 80^th birthday and it seems spring will be joining us in Minnesota soon – all good things!

Most of my cooking lately has been what I'll refer to as foraging. I have a rule that we can't put more things in our overflowing freezer(s) until we eat some of the things already in them, which means we've been doing a lot of soups, and stews that we froze a while ago. 

To celebrate my MIL birthday, the family gathered at a little bowling spot housed in the basement of an old church (the lanes were built in the 30's). We bowled and enjoyed a potluck celebration complete with poems and songs. Since I'm not a poet or a songwriter I opted to cook, which is something I can do.

I started with the recipe Moroccan Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Quinoa from the Closet Cooking website (see link below) and of course made a few changes.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/03/moroccan-roasted-carrot-and-chickpea.html

I tripled the recipe, and I roasted carrots, parsnips and rutabagas because I was looking for more than just carrots. I used tri colored quinoa (which I found at Whole Foods) and I backed the spice down a bit. I used 2/3rds of what was called for in the broth for the quinoa and when roasting the veggies and even less in the dressing to accommodate the range of palettes in the family.  Finally, I substituted pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds that were in the freezer (remember the foraging thing from above right?) from Trader Joe's. The result, well you be the judge see the picture below. 

As luck would have it we have some leftovers so guess what's for dinner?