Easy quinoa

To say that quinoa is becoming popular wouldn't be very accurate, because this trend is nothing new.
Why are people going crazy for this grain? Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH for those of you new to it) can be used as a substitute for rice in most dishes, it has a rich, nutty flavor (if you cook it right), and it's healthier than rice. It's even considered a complete protein!
Don't be intimidated by this awesome grain, it is so simple to make.
Ready?  Here you go:
You are going to need 2 cups of broth for every 1 cup of quinoa you want to make (that would yield about 3 cups, obv)
Measure out the quinoa in a dry measuring cup and then pour that into a fine mesh sieve.  Rinse it well, and then pour into a medium sized pot.
Turn the heat on and cook it until it is thouroughly dry, and then a little longer (it'll start to smell a little rich and nutty and the color might darken slightly) to bring out the flavor.















**These first 2 steps are so important!  When I skip the rinse, it tastes slightly bitter, and if I don't "roast" it first, it can taste a little bland)
Now that your quinoa is dry and crispy, pour the liquid in.  I'll do 2 cups of chicken broth, again for flavor.  If you are nervous about that, you can do 1 cup broth, 1 cup water, or even 2 cups of just water.















Heat on high until you bring this to a boil















Reduce the heat to low, cover with a matching lid, and LEAVE IT ALONE for 15 minutes.















After the timer's up, fluff it up a little and you're done!















You can see it's ready when the quinoa is translucent and the little spirals start to separate a little bit

Easy turquoise earrings

Made these as a gift for someone, and I can't wait to make them again.  I think using other stones would make great variations.  Here's what you need:
Sterling silver ear hooks
Small sterling chain
a bunch of sterling head pins, probably 22 gauge or similar
assorted small drilled through stones, I used turquoise

For anyone who has done any wire wrapping at all, this could not be easier!
Insert a stone into a headpin, then start a loop- feed through a section of the chain, and wrap the loop closed.
To get this look, I added only 1 or 2 stones toward the top, then in the middle section grouped a bunch really closely, then had about 3 stones spaced out at the bottom of the chain.
Slip the top hole of the chain through the ear wire, then twist the earwire shut.
Good job!