Day #14 Announcing CONTEST, Sharing recipes, etc.

Announcing CONTEST! Guess how many views this blog will have by the end of my journey, October 11. Prize to winner: dinner for two at a restaurant within 100 miles of your home, redeemable not later than October 2014. See contest details below.

• Guess the total number of blog views without going over. The closest one wins. Guess exactly and theatre tickets will be added. Note: I have blocked any views I make to my own blog from the stats, so I cannot change the true view results.
• Only one entry per individual. More than one entry per household is permissible provided the individual has their own accounts, phone number, etc. and is clearly identified as a separate individual. (God will know if you hack into family member accounts to enter more than once!)
• Entries may be submitted via comment to the blog (requires a free Google account), comment on Facebook, email message, Words-with-Friends message, text message to 315-406-0940.
• Entries accepted until noon Eastern time zone, October 13, 2012.
• Use the following information to help you calculate your guess.
• 800 views as of today, 8/23/12,documented in the photo above. Note: Only the author of the blog has access to the blog stats.
•  The "Ahhhh..... Retirement" Blog has been made available to my Facebook, Google and email friends. However, the blog address can be given to others to access on their own.
• The adventure began August 10 and ends October 11, 2012. (Unless Southwest offers me a bump for a free ticket! In that case the contest deadline would be extended by me and announced through the blog.)
• I anticipate generating one new post per day.
• There were six preparation posts prior to departure.
• I will write and post my last entry on October 12 by noon, Eastern time zone, giving last minute entrants 24 hours to submit their guess on number of blog views.
• I will post reminders of the contest deadlines, but I will not post the number of views again until after the contest is over and the winner is announced. Note: I will verify the final count of post views in a similar fashion - a photo of the blog stats. Number of entrants, range of guess, locations of entrants, and any other miscellaneous information I deem interesting will be included on one last post for this particular blog on October 13, 2012.

Of course, I realize the winner could be someone from New York or Florida or California or Texas or New Mexico or Virginia or Connecticut or Massachusetts or Puerto Vallarta or New Zealand or Swaziland! Thus are the perks of my retirement!

Have fun and ask questions, which I may or may not choose to answer. :D

Recipes

These are the left overs from yesterday's cooking: Turkey Meatloaf made with Quinoa, Mango Salsa, and Brownies. I have not figured out to add attachments to the blog and intended to attach them here. (I can add links, but not attachments. Techies please help!) For now, email me if you are interested.

  For those not familiar with quinoa, courtesy Wikipedia:

Quinoa ( /ˈkiːnwɑː/ or /kɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish: quinua, from Quechua: kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

Quinoa (the name is derived from the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name kinwa or occasionally "Qin-wah") originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption, though archeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding some 5,200 to 7,000 years ago. ^[1]
Similar Chenopodium species, such as pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) and fat hen (Chenopodium album), were grown and domesticated in North America as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex before maize agriculture became popular.^[2] Fat hen, which has a widespread distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, produces edible seeds and greens much like quinoa, but in smaller quantities.
The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.^[3]
After harvest, the grains need to be processed to remove the coating containing the bitter-tasting saponins. Quinoa grains are in general cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes. Quinoa leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited.

The Turkey Meatloaf recipe specifically called for Goya's Adodbo seasoning. My sister swears by it and it is a staple in her kitchen. (Karen, this is a simple and cheap Christmas gift to add to my list!) I have never been able to find it and shopping here was the same. Tom was certain that I just didn't look in the right place, so he went back to the store. He could not find it either, but, instead found a recipe to make it by using his smart phone in the store  bought the three items not already in his spice cupboard and came home and mixed it up! Gotta love technology. Gotta love Tom. Best yet, he went back for seconds! It was good!

The rest of the day includes the pool, booking a mini-trip to Vancouver with Lorrie while I am visiting them in Olympia, the novel Mockingjay, bell choir practice and sushi with Tom, Bryan and Alison.

I pray God is happy with me and enjoying my adventure as much as I am!