I have trouble with forward motion

Dinner

2011-01-24T19:19:00.000-05:00

Random deliciousness: bulgur wheat + parsley, feta, dried cranberries, avocado, and tandoori toasted chickpeas. Just because.

Sugar

2011-01-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

I seem to suffer from a MAJOR sweet tooth. Or maybe it's a carb tooth since I've been going to town on the bread I've been baking, too. It's gotten to the point where I would seriously call it an addiction. When I have some, I just want MORE. And more and more and more and more...

Etc.

Anyone else suffer from the same problem? I mean, sure, we all struggle with sweets occasionally, but I'm talking full-on "I can stop myself once I start going" epic consumption. Do you know anyone who fights this battle? What have they (or you) done to beat back the demon of sugar? Even if the stuff isn't in the house, I'm attacked by it when I'm out and about, and the problem just seems to get worse.

My life has meaning again!

2011-01-17T16:29:00.000-05:00

The oven is fixed! The nice GE repairman came by today (on a holiday!) and replaced the glowbar. It turns out that out attempts to relight the pilot light were unnecessary- yet highly humorous looking back on it. There was no way we would have been able to fix this ourselves. A new (clean) oven would have been nice, but the repair was cheaper than a full replacement. I can't believe this thing is 20+ years old and just now had something break.

Oh, and the stuff underneath the stove? SCARY. There were not one, not two, but FOUR pens under there! None are mine because I've never lost a pen in the kitchen. There were pasta noodles, massive dust bunnies, a bottle cap, pills (?!), and a knife. ???? LOL. When I told my mom, she asked if it was a good one. OMG, I wouldn't keep anything I found under there! The only thing (other than possibly some of that food) that was mine was a lid from a yogurt container. The other funny thing under there? A dog treat. Since we only have cats...that's definitely not ours. Despite the grossness and mortification of a stranger seeing this filth (I'm sure he's seen MUCH worse), that area is now clean. WIN!

As soon as the GE man left, I fired up the oven so I could bake the strawberry fig newtons I put together yesterday. The recipe I used can be found here, but I added in some ~~criminally expensive~~ dried strawberries and used whole wheat pastry flour in place of the regular whole wheat. My dough didn't come out like hers- more like a cookie instead of the doughiness that a newton has. And since my dough would not yield to the rolling pin, I ended up pressing one disk into the bottom of a pan, spread on the strawberry/fig mixture, and then smooshed the remaining dough onto the top.

Despite these not turning out how I expected/wanted, they're still pretty tasty. Dangerously tasty...I had saved some of the strawberry/fig mixture to use on my oats this morning, which I sadly forgot about in lieu of some dark chocolate almond butter. Tomorrow perhaps! This recipe came at a good time for me as I was thinking about trying to make my own to "save" money. Barbara's Bakery has some awesome fig bars out there (if you can find them), but they're over $4 at Kroger, which I think is a little ridiculous for a package of cookies. After purchasing the dried figs and strawberries, that store price is looking pretty good, LOL. The berries I found at the Upper Arlington Whole Foods (the Dublin store didn't have them)...for $18.99/lb. Isn't that INSANE? I did try a couple to see how they were, and go figure, delicious! I really want a dehydrator now, but it's going to be awhile. Hopefully I can get one during the summer when we have all that wonderful fresh fruit at the farmers' markets. Another lesson learned from this experiment? I LOVE dried figs! I'm not a fan of the fresh ones because the taste isn't there for me plus they look creepy and alien on the inside.

I'll leave you with this (blurry) photo of Arwen taken yesterday while we were trying to sort out what was wrong with the stove. You know how cats are- if there is a space, they will fill it. Said space is under the oven where the broiler drawer pulls out. And who knew it got that dusty in there? Don't worry, it's all nice and clean now!

The worst thing that could possibly ever happen...

2011-01-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

The oven.

DEAD!

After spending the entire morning baking up Twinkies for the husband's birthday, putting rolls to rise, and mixing up a batch of strawberry fig newtons, the oven has ceased to work! It worked (thankfully) this morning when I baked the sponge cake, but after setting it to preheat for the fig cookies (and not hearing it not kick on because someone's Batman game is really loud)...I opened it up to find a cold, dark abyss. We googled the user guide (because no one left us the manual for the 20+ year old machine), and tried lighting the pilot light which seems to be the problem.

No dice.

The blasted thing won't light. J called the 800# and a repairman will stop by tomorrow. I feel like after his fee to just look at it, plus the cost of what repairs it may need, it seems like a new one might cost the same. I would think we'd get an estimate and go from there. I'd love a nice, new, clean(!) oven...but I really don't want that expense right now. Also, some of the models I was looking at online wouldn't be available until 02/06. WTF? I can't go that long without an oven!

I guess in the meantime (no matter what the outcome), I'll be kickin' it like Allie over at Live Laugh Eat and baking in the toaster oven. No longer just for toast, chicken nuggets, or garlic bread! Right now I'm trying to bake up my rolls that have been rising (too long). They're not getting very golden on top, but they seem to taste delicious. I can only fit in 3 at a time, so it's taking FOREVER.

Tomorrow I'll sort out what to do with my fig bars. I'd have grand plans today to make whip up a fresh batch of granola, too...but that will just have to wait. Bummed by my inability to bake, I don't even feel like making dinner anymore...I'd been planning on making Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes for J's birthday dinner. It's not fancy, but it's got to be better than the tv dinner version that he likes so much. I guess I'd better go start on the potatoes!

Some people take smoke breaks

2011-01-11T20:00:00.001-05:00

I take bake breaks.

I'd been wanting an oatmeal cookie for the past few days, and today the NEED to have one escalated to the point where I gave in and mixed up a batch of dough. I made Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, swapping the ratios of the white and brown sugars and using milk chocolate chips because they were in the kitchen and I didn't want to run into the basement to get the right kind. Most of the dough was scooped into balls and put into the freezer for later. Of the six that I did bake, I wish I had remembered to sprinkle a bit of vanilla salt on them, but they are still REALLY good.

Did you see "still"? Yes! I managed to not eat them all! (yet) Pictured above is how I chose to enjoy them- an ice cream sandwich cradling a small scoop of Jeni's (of course) Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream. Salty-sweet heaven! I can't wait to try this with their upcoming Bananas & Honey.

I also made use of the crockpot today (that lonely appliance that doesn't get much love around here), brewing up a batch of unsweetened applesauce. I've never made it before, but it seemed pretty simple. There were (still are) a ton of Winesap apples lingering in the crisper that needed to be used, and this seemed like the healthiest option. Read: not a baked good.

All I did was take:

8 apples- peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Toss all ingredients in a crockpot and let simmer for a few hours on low

It smells and tastes delicious. At first it didn't seem like it was doing anything, but after awhile they started to break down. Most recipes I found online called for 1/2 cup of sugar or more, but since I prefer unsweetened, I went with only a tablespoon. Next time I might omit it altogether. I wish I had tried this sooner! Once this batch is gone, I can start working with those remaining apples.

BAKESHOP!

2011-01-11T12:43:00.000-05:00

Splendid Parfait: goat cheese w/ cognac fig sauce,
chunks of gingerbread, caramel, and whipped cream

I can't wait to check out Jeni's this weekend (or maybe I can control myself until our Girls' Lunch the following weekend) because they are releasing some new flavors! Well, new to me; I think they had them last year.

Titled Bakeshop, the flavors are as follows:

BANANAS & HONEY: bananas, Ohio honey, vanilla bean

BRAMBLEBERRY CRISP: Ohio blackberries and black raspberries, black currants, and oven-toasted oat streusel layered with honey vanilla bean ice cream

HONEY BUTTER CAKE: Ohio-honeyed ice cream with chunks of honey butterscotch-soaked vanilla sponge cake

ROXBURY ROAD: dark milk chocolate ice cream, handmade marshmallows, crunchy smoked almonds, with caramel sauce swirl

YLANG YLANG HONEYCOMB: tastes of nectar, honey and spice with crunchy honeycomb

I got to taste the Bananas & Honey at the Splendid Holiday event- it's DELICIOUS! The rest of the flavors sound fantastic too. Definitely looking forward to cashing in my free Trio so that I can enjoy three of these at once. The hard part will be deciding which three...

Why did I buy this?

2011-01-10T20:13:00.001-05:00

Have you ever purchased an ingredient for a recipe only to forget what the recipe was? I did. It's a slab of Gruyere cheese I picked up at Whole Foods- I even had to ask an associate where it was! Gruyere is a nice melty cheese, but the question is, what was I planning to melt it on/with?

I have been going through cookbooks like crazy, marking any interesting prospects with a yellow Post-It. But...is it from a book, or is it something I bookmarked on the web? Have I even marked this mysterious recipe?

This same thing happened to me the weekend I got the yogurt maker. I had picked up a jar of chestnuts at Williams Sonoma (don't buy them, they are gross!) but couldn't recall what they were for. Before the end of the day, I was able to remember they were for a brussels sprouts recipe...that I still have yet to try.

So Gruyere...have you ever used it? In what? Do you ever find yourself buying random ingredients only to forget their purpose? Or is this old age setting in?

Go figure

2011-01-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Why is it that after it sputtered snow all day that NOW is when it starts to fall faster and really stick to the ground (and car)? Not cool, Mother Nature. Not cool.

I'm WAY behind on my 100 mile challenge, having logged only 5.25 miles in 6 days. Tonight I had hoped to get some miles in and try out a new kickboxing class at the gym. Since I don't feel comfortable driving the Neon in the snow, I'll be staying put. Plus, I don't want to deal with the start of rush hour with this snow falling and the roads probably aren't treated or cleared. Grr! Looks like I'll have to make do with some DVDs instead, although that doesn't help me track miles. I caved yesterday at lunch and tried a Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk via On Demand...not really my thing, but I sweated. I just wish there was something else to watch than her for 30 minutes!

Maybe I can haul myself out of bed early tomorrow and hit the gym. Hahahaha! I don't know how I managed all those months of 6:30 AM workouts with the trainer before- I can't even get up at 7AM anymore! Why bother when you can just roll out of bed, walk into the other room, and fire up the computer and get to work? Tomorrow evening I definitely plan to be at the gym for Dance!Dance! because the instructor is awesome and has promised us new choreography for the new year.

Anyone else struggling with their resolutions/goals to get more activity in? Sometimes I wish I had a treadmill in the basement, but I wonder if that would really make a difference. How do you stay motivated?

Holy Deliciousness!

2011-01-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

I know I just posted, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of this when I pulled it out of the oven. Too bad the photos are a little grainy, but I was shocked at how much this had puffed up and how beautiful it looked. Click here for the recipe. I used fresh spinach instead of frozen (didn't want to deal with squeezing out all that water!) and used thyme in place of the ground mustard since I don't have that spice- sounds like another trip to North Market Spices is in order! LOL, I was just in there today.

I sure hope this tastes as good as it looks.

Last Day of Vacation :(

2011-01-02T17:44:00.000-05:00

Ugh, I'm so bummed it's my last day before returning to work! Why can't adults have breaks like kids do? Rarely can we take more than a week off at a time, and most people can't even afford the luxury of a full week. Thankfully the company I work for lumps both sick and vacation time into one bucket so that all that time is available to you. It's perfect for those who don't get sick- more vacation time! And to start, we get FOUR weeks- who does that anymore? The last place I worked at, I only got 5 days my first year, and I couldn't even use them until I'd been there 6 months.

Right now I've got a Spinach & Cheese Strata in the oven in an attempt to use up the last of the bread I baked on Monday (Tuesday? SUNDAY?). I've stored it in a giant ziploc all week and it's neither stale, dry, or moldy. Amazing since there aren't any preservatives in it. It's made excellent french toast for a few days now.

As for two of the experiments I had going on yesterday...well...they didn't turn out quite like I expected. Aided by a brand new candy thermometer, I was able to get my caramels to turn color AND achieve the consistency I was looking for. The problem? They taste burnt. Not sure what went wrong, but it's possible when adding the cream/butter mixture the heat may have increased above where it needed to be. The last two recipes I tried only had me heat the sugar/corn syrup mixture to 248, but this new recipe said 310. I'll definitely be trying this specific recipe again, but I think I won't heat the sugar as high.

After the LOOONG wait yesterday plus time spent chilling in the fridge, I was eager to try my homemade yogurt this morning. I used 2% milk (from local Snowville Creamery) and Fage Greek yogurt as my starter. I followed the directions...but the end result was grainy. Yuck! All that time (and milk wasted) and not the finished product I wanted. Speaking to another girl today that makes her own yogurt (without a machine!) and consulting Google has me thinking that the milk was cooked too long/high...even though I followed the directions. I'm going to have to try this one again, too. Maybe I should try the dried starter that came with it this next time or order a dried Greek yogurt starter. I will prevail!

Today I had another volunteer shift at The Greener Grocer. Because the winter market bags are smaller, there seems to be less prep work (at least for me) involved. This was different than last Monday where I actually packed the individual market bags that are sold. On weekends they prep the items that go into the bags- boxing up apples, grapefruits, potatoes, etc. My task was to bag kumquats into 1/2 lb bags...106 bags to be exact. It sounds daunting, but it was actually kinda fun. A nice repetitive, easy task where I got to take in the surrounding hubbub of the market on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

A perk of volunteering on Mondays means you get your own market bag of goodies. I had scored some cider, brussels sprouts, apples, grapefruits, blood oranges, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. A generous offering that I hadn't expected at all- if more people knew about that, they'd prolly be flooded with volunteers!

Today I discovered something equally awesome: the Employee Bin! It's filled with fruit and veggies that didn't meet standards to hit the sales floor or may be past their prime. Sure, they're slightly bruised and not perfect (although some items seemed fine to me!), but you don't need perfect veggies to make delicious stock. Hopefully I'll get lucky next week, too! I had already made some purchases, so I only took one giant potato, some green apples, clover sprouts, a cuke, and a bag of cherries.

Mmm...I can smell the strata now, which I hope means it's going to be tasty! I'm off to enjoy the last few hours of vacation...which unfortunately include putting away laundry. :)

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

I hope all is well for everyone this first day of 2011! It's been a pretty low-key day here, which has been the case ALL week. I'm kinda down that vacation is almost over, but it's been great to do nothing all week- no responsibilities! Well, other than volunteering last Monday and then another shift tomorrow afternoon, I haven't had to be anywhere to do anything.

I didn't get to log any miles for the 1 Month, 100 Miles challenge because (go figure) my back started acting up. At least this particular unpleasantness is in the middle of my lower back instead of the "bad" area on my right side. I've been fine for weeks, but after last night's viewing of True Grit from the second row (almost like 3D!), it hasn't felt right. Grr. I do plan on getting into the gym tomorrow morning for 6 miles on the treadmill...which is going to take forever just walking it.

So am I the only person who passed out before midnight last night? I recall waking up because the neighbors were setting off fireworks, but I just couldn't make it to watch the ball drop. With less than 4 hours of sleep from the night before (no idea why, but I finished the Prisoner of Azkaban!), I was exhausted. We didn't do anything exciting other than have dinner at the movies...which consisted of popcorn for me and nachos for him...and then watched an old documentary In Debt We Trust...which I feel asleep during.

Today I ventured out to pick up the yogurt maker! Right now it's cooking up a batch of (hopefully Greek) yogurt made with Snowville Creamery milk. Using 2% milk take 9 hours! I'm going to be up past midnight! I also picked up an OXO mandoline, intent on recreating the homemade potato chips mom made for Christmas. I suppose the food processor could have sliced things up for me, but I've never figured out how those plates work. It's strictly used for blending/grinding things.

Actually, I've been reorganizing the kitchen (hope to have pics tomorrow!) and found a blender in a hard-to-reach cabinet. Does anyone use theirs? Mine never gets used. Might as well get rid of it since it's just taking up space.

I'm off to try making caramels while my heavy cream is still fresh. Looking forward to yogurt for breakfast in the morning!

Christmas Recap

2010-12-30T15:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day was spent at my parents' house with them, my husband, and my sister. Mom put up just a small tree, but it was festive and cute with the addition of the bears displayed next to them in the chest. The pile of presents was small, but it was clearly evident that a lot of thought was put into what was selected- and that's what matters most. Gone are the days where we overspend to show how we care about each other during the holidays. What's important is the time we spend together.

Besides, we make up for spending every other time of the year...

To start, mom made a feast of appetizers suitable for an army. No joke.

Savory Side...with homemade potato chips!

Dessert Side

Meatballs, Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs, & Filet Mignon Kebabs

Savory Palmiers & Steak Bruschetta

Not my ashtray...gross!

Seriously, there were only 5 of us! To start, I grabbed a bit of (almost) everything. My favorites were the eggroll, savory palmier, and the meatballs. Actually, everything was really good except for the stuffed grape leaves. Not enough flavor for me- I like them sour/tart and these were bland. Sorry mom!

Then there was this cocktail creation of hers that had blood orange in it, simple syrup, some sort of fruit juice, and some tequila. I mentioned it was too sweet, so dad added more tequila...which turned out to not be a good idea because I didn't feel well later on and passed out when I got home, LOL. Between multiple drinks and all the coffee I consumed, I wasted valuable stomach space for all the delicious food!

As for desserts, there were all those cookies I made, plus mom had carrot cake (yum!), mini pumpkin pie tarts (two of which are in my freezer now), and some Kahlua cheesecake. Normally I am not a fan of cheesecake, but there's something about the ones my mom makes that I actually like! I wish there'd been a photo opportunity of the original cake; she makes them bundt-style with a crunchy chocolate outer coating and a creamy sweet inside.

Now for the gifts! Like I mentioned before, I went pretty low-key this year and made an effort to buy locally made items.

For mom: Green & Black's chocolate, tea from Tea Forte, a jar of vanilla salt from The Greener Grocer, and a gift set from The Olive Orchard that contains: two bottles of (awesome) olive oil, herbs for dipping, and two dipping bowls (the set courtesy of Persephone's Kitchen where I won them- I'm trying to be frugal!)
For dad: a bottle of Syrah from Kinkead Ridge purchased at The Bottle and Barrel plus a bag of My Dadz Nutz (a joke, but these are really good)
For Jar: a makeup pouch handmade in a cute elephant print (she loves them) purchased during the North Market Holiday Open House and a gift card to Jeni's

I think all my gifts were a hit. They're practical and will be used and enjoyed. As for what J and I received, let's just say we were impressed, thrilled, and extremely grateful for all of it. J's gift was the best, hands-down, because of the thought that went into it. It's a framed photo of the grave site of one of his ancestors that served in WWI, died in the war, and was buried in France. The smaller inset photo is the grave marker and the larger image is of the cemetery. My husband enjoys genealogy research (spending LOADS of time doing meticulous work), so this was the perfect gift for him. And totally unexpected. My dad I think tracked this down for him and made it happen. J said this is the best gift they've ever given him.

As for me, I got some cool kitchen stuff, like this Darth Vader spatula. Yes, I shall use the Dark Side of the Force to flip my egg whites. Mwahahaha...

And then, the pièce de résistance:

Holy crap! I've been wanting a Le Creuset pot FOREVER. Who doesn't want one of these? Before mom left her previous employer, I kinda hinted I wanted one of these while she still had her discount, but I wasn't ready to shell out the money myself because it was still pretty pricey. I never suspected I would get it as a gift! And it's ORANGE. It matches the tea kettle I already own, my only other Le Creuset piece because the price was reasonable.

Overall it was a great holiday. Low-key and no drama. And the week of vacation since has been great so far. Doing NOTHING has been pretty awesome, but I have to keep reminding myself not to stress out about the fact that I haven't made some of the new things I want to try or that I haven't cracked open the HTML book.

I hope all of you had a fantastic holiday. Did anyone get anything cool/unexpected as a gift?

100 Mile Challenge

2010-12-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

In an effort to kickstart my fitness plan and get my butt to the gym more often than not, I've decided to try this 100 Mile Challenge set forth at the blog Chasing Davies that I first read about on Gigi's Gone Parental.

For the month of January, I pledge to walk/run/crawl 100 miles. Now, that could be roughly 3 miles EVERY DAY, or I can double up on other days if I can't make it to the gym for one reason or another. This will prolly be great for those times I want to go to a 6PM spin class where you need to sign up by 5:15 in order to get a bike. It will give me something to do to kill time.

I'm definitely looking forward to having a specific, short-term goal. Have you set any goals for the new year?

Get me to the Greek

2010-12-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

Yogurt, that is! I love Greek yogurt- it's thick, tangy, low in sugar, and high in protein. I prefer it plain, adding my own fruit, granola, or nuts to it. Amongst all the different brands I've tried (and there are a lot out there now), Trader Joe's is my favorite. Too bad they don't sell it in a 32oz tub like Fage does. Ugh, and $2.99 for a 16oz container? It makes me want to cry because if I put my mind to it, I can go through a lot of it.

During the great holiday cookie bake session

So tonight I was perusing the recipes on Snowville Creamery, noting the one for yogurt in particular. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have yogurt made with local ingredients? Now, it looks like I could make it without the use of a yogurt machine, but that seems pretty complicated. But do I seriously need another kitchen gadget? Where would it live? Counter space is at a premium (note: residue photographed on cabinets has been cleaned- gross!) and there's very limited cabinet space, some of which is unusable.

Oh, and I'm planning on adding some big glass canisters to the counter for bulk ingredients like oats, sugar, and bread flour that are getting a lot of action in the kitchen lately. Even less space now.

Automatic Yogurt Maker

But still...in the pursuit of eating more locally, what's better than making yogurt with locally sourced milk? Ooh...and topping it with some frozen black raspberries from the summer market?

For right now, I'm seriously toying with the idea of purchasing this yogurt maker from Williams Sonoma. The reviews for this particular machine on both the store site and Amazon have been very favorable, but I wish I could taste test the finished product to be sure. I've read a few other bits of info that for real Greek yogurt, I need a Greek yogurt starter because it works better than starting a batch with an existing Greek yogurt. I think I'd give that a try before shelling out for the starter, or even try the basic starter that comes with the machine.

The only thing to do now is wait. I cashed in some rewards points for a WS gift card- the first time in years it's actually going to me instead of someone else as a Christmas gift. So once I have that card in my hot little hands (in addition to another card I received as a gift), I may be making the purchase. Hopefully before the end of the week so that I have time to experiment before heading back to work.

Have you ever made yogurt? How did it turn out for you?

Sweet Deal

2010-12-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

It's pretty sad when you are 6pts ($12) away from a $25 rewards card at Talbots, and you aren't inspired by anything in the sale section to make a purchase. I have the very basic rewards card, so I only earn a half point for each dollar I spend- and I think I earned a lot of my points the hard way instead of cashing in during the double points times!

Due to frugality I've missed out on quite a few cool pieces, plus with working at home, it's hard to justifying purchasing a beautiful pencil skirt or jacket when you're not wearing it anywhere.

On a recent trip to Clothes Mentor (a women's resale shop), I scored this awesome Talbots cardigan NEW WITH TAGS (orig $179, now $97.49) for only $17.50. Well, that was before the 20% off coupon and the $9 worth of stuff I traded in towards it. $179 cardigan for $5? Yes, please! While I don't normally wear a lot of pink, I figured I could style it with one of my graphic tees or just wear it around the house...where no one can see how washed out it makes me look.

Cashmere striped boyfriend cardigan

I always seem to find a great piece for a great deal when I hit the resale shops, which is A LOT! Sometimes I buy things I think I really love, only to never wear it and end up reselling it back to them. I'm LOADS better at talking myself out of buying stuff than I used to be, but I still have my moments...like splurging at Eddie Bauer this weekend on a pair of jeans, cords ($19.99!), and two cozy cardigans. I've already worn half of the stuff, so I'd say it was an excellent idea! :)

Do you hit up resale shops often? Do you go thrifting? What kinds of treasures have you found?

2011 Resolutions

2010-12-28T18:04:00.001-05:00

2009 Cap City Half-Marathon

This week is where we all take time to prepare for the upcoming new year, making plans and resolutions for what we hope to accomplish and how we want to better live our lives. While mine are always the typical "lose weight" or "stop spending so much money," this time I thought I'd put it into writing and throw it out there into the blogosphere.

I really miss running, even though I wasn't all that great at it. I want to get back into it and get better than I was before my back injury. I want another photo like the one to the right- me after my very first half marathon. I survived! Unfortunately there are no good photos of the race, and I have yet to shell out the cash for a finish photo. Those things are expensive!

So I've been compiling a list this afternoon while my house fills with the aroma of baking bread. Here they are in no particular order:

Wellness:

Climb back on the Weight Watchers wagon- the new plan is fantastic. I need to focus on following the guidelines and tracking my food, even if it means I'm eating 5pt homemade bread or granola
Eat more vegetarian meals and be more mindful of where my food (dairy, meat, eggs, etc) comes from; aim to eat with the seasons and locally; also somehow encourage J to eat this way, too...
Workout at the gym consistently, expanding beyond spin class and the cardio equipment. That means more cardio dance classes, Zumba, and the new kickboxing class at the gym
Strength train 2-3 days each week, either at the gym or at home
Prepare for a spring race- either a 5K or quarter marathon in May- with plans to run the entire distance
Providing the spring race goes well (no pain!), prepare for a half marathon in the fall

Blog:

Learn HTML so I can jazz up the blog
Blog consistently
Develop a clearer vision for which direction I want to go with the blog- my fitness/nutrition journey, food, local stuff, fashion, or all of the above?
Learn some photography skills, working with the less than desirable camera options I have
Get organized- there's got to be a way to make the process more efficient
Create a header/logo that's uniquely mine

Kitchen:

Tackle the list of items I set forth under Kitchen Krusade (and possibly a better title for this endeavor...)
Keep pantry, dishes, freezer, and fridge organized so that I make the best possible use of all available ingredients plus use those serving dishes and specialty items that are rarely used
Prepare dinner more than once a week
Utilize the (few) cookbooks I have collected, trying out new recipes and finding out what works best for us
Serve more meals at the table instead of in front of the television

House:

Paint the rest of the interior of the house
Finish any neglected house projects like installing trim or towel racks...that have waiting for years
Plant a respectable flower garden and corresponding vegetable garden - and maintain them
Use the deck and new patio...because they weren't used this past year!
Light more candles; otherwise they sit around collecting dust, which isn't their purpose

Misc Stuff:

Visit a farm (or two)
Learn to use a sewing machine
Volunteer with Local Matters - already signed up for January/February @ The Greener Grocer!
Take a vacation to Washington DC
Spend more time with friends, not just a once monthly meet-up
Find new ways to spend my free time that don't involve wandering around the mall

I'm sure I'll think of more things I'd like to do along the way, but for now, I think that's a pretty good start!

The title of my blog "I have trouble with forward motion" started out as a bit of a joke between my sister and I because I liked running but was extremely slow. Looking over the parts of my life such as exercise, nutrition, organization...there's a pattern of making plans and not following through to become successful. An inability to move forward. I really want to break that pattern this year. I want to be healthy, fit, and stress less about mundane things that need to be done. I want to truly enjoy life and experience new things. Plus I want all these good habits to be in place and part of my lifestyle before my husband and I begin the next phase of our lives together: buying a real house and starting a family (don't worry, that's still a year or two off!).

Oh, and I found not one, but THREE white hairs on my head. Old age is settling in, LOL.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-25T17:59:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday!

This breakfast is brought to you by..

2010-12-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

Jeni's, of course! In all reality I was looking for something to act as a carrier for the delicious whipped cream left over from dinner, so I went with another fruit pie with a tiny scoop of ice cream. It's basically what dessert looked like last night sans the orange. Orange is healthy, no?

As I write this, the cats are still rolling around in the kitchen courtesy of the catnip they got in their stocking. Sorry for a blurry picture, but it's hard to capture two flailing furry bodies in action. While I have to vacuum the kitchen floor again, it's all worth it for the entertainment they provide. They also got a new cat toy that has an octopus dangling from a stick...in his drug-induced state, Ben was afraid of it! LOL.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas Eve Dinner

2010-12-24T22:53:00.001-05:00

For the first time EVER, the hubs and I are on our own for Christmas Eve. We've always been at some family member's house, usually my parents'. For some reason, this year my parents have opted to host us on Christmas Day. I think mom just wasn't up to making a big meal when she knew she would be working at the store. So instead of being mopey about being by ourselves, I set out to make my first ever Christmas Eve dinner.

The Menu:

Roasted Gerber Chicken with herb butter, stuffed with lemon, garlic, more herb butter, and the green part of a leek
Organic golden potatoes, carrots, and leeks roasted with garlic, rosemary and Greek olive oil from The Olive Orchard
Individual fruit pies made with puff pastry and Winesap apples served with a scoop of Jeni's Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream and a generous dollop of Snowville Creamery whipped cream
Römerhof Riesling

I'm fairly certain I've roasted a chicken before, but this felt like square one for me. Instead of carving the poor thing, I feel like I butchered it when it came time to serve. While the breast meat was tender and juicy, it didn't have near as much flavor as the dark meat. The vegetables were roasted in the same pan with the chicken, so they took on all that chicken-y goodness. My husband raved about how great they were and even went for seconds! I wish I'd thought to take a photo of everything still in the pan, but we were both eager to eat.

Green beans had originally been planned, but due to my inability to cook frozen veggies, I had to toss them. I even googled how to cook them, but I had trouble executing- they went totally limp. There are a TON of frozen green/wax beans in the freezer from this past summer's farmer's market. I had hoped to be able to saute them, but appears they will be relegated to soups and stews. :(

The biggest disappointment to all of you would be the lack of a photo of our delectable dessert. The ice cream was getting melty and I wanted to plate everything and eat it before it got worse. You can see the apple pies here. Maybe they'll make a reappearance in the morning at breakfast? Ooh, and then the lighting will be better! And would you believe I've never made whipped cream? My mom does it all the time because she has one of those dispensers, but I used the whip attachment on my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. It was SO good. There's still a bunch left even though I only whipped a cup of cream...I want to just eat is straight from the bowl!

The table was set fairly simply because I don't own any actual table linens...I haven't found anything that suits my tastes and actually looks right on our table. Instead of fancy china, my dinnerware is the basic Great White from Pottery Barn that I got ages ago when I used to work there. Actually, now that I think about it, 98% of what's on the table is from there, LOL. The silverware is the old Atlas pattern (not sure if they still carry that), PB Basic white wine glasses, orange & white napkins from the outlet, and the orange bubble dofs (PB) are a wedding gift from an old friend.

The centerpiece is actually a mirrored picture frame (PB) decorated with candles (PB), pinecones, and thrifted apothecary jars filled with mini pinecones (yes, PB!), tiny mercury bulb ornaments (PB), and real cranberries.

You know what? I can't remember the last time we actually both sat at the table for dinner. I loved it! The trouble is getting him on board with doing it more often.

Right after dinner I let J open his presents; I got him a pair of leather gloves and a Bodum stainless steel travel mug. Keeping it low-key this year because it's not about presents. Besides, I love practical gifts. I'll have to remember to take photos tomorrow of what I got my family.

I can't believe how late it is already! I still have to melt some chocolate to dip the macaroons in so they can sit in the fridge to firm up...but I don't want to wash a bowl to make a double boiler...I think I'll save it for the morning and watch J play Final Fantasy XIII. Neither of us have played in ages, so I figure if I watch his gameplay, I'll remember the story and where I left off so that I don't have to start over.

The List

2010-12-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

Last night I prepared a list of ALL the things I wanted to make today and this weekend. I've managed to cross off quite a few things...and one that needs to be repeated because it was a fail, but more on that later.

After preheating the oven first thing this morning, I successfully made the following:

Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Pfeffernussen
Lemon Rosemary Thumbprint Cookies w/ Strawberry Preserves
Coconut Macaroons (yet to be dipped in dark chocolate)
Sweet & Spicy Rosemary Nuts

I then tried these Coconut Date Walnut Truffles that I thought my mom would like since she loves those coconut covered dates from Trader Joe's, plus I had some dates that needed used because I think they're icky even though I know they're good for you.

The results were less than stellar for me, but I think that's more due to a failure on my execution than the recipe. If I were to ever make this again, I'd leave out the marshmallows, which seem like an odd addition to begin with. The mixture was so sticky that I gave up and put the rest of it in a pan, hoping that I can cut it into bars or something.

I can only imagine how long this really takes because I halved the recipe and there was still a ton of it. I rolled some in ground walnuts and the rest in unsweetened coconut.

My next project turned out pretty well considering it's something I've never tried before. I made some mini fruit pies with puff pastry and apples. With one sheet of pastry I managed to make four nice sized treats that I set aside for our dinner.

They were super simple: just mix together diced apple with brown sugar (and cook it a bit to soften, a step I totally left out but they were fine), spoon the apple mixture onto a piece of dough, wet down the edges, fold over and pinch the edges a bit, seal the edges with a fork, pierce the top a few times, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

They puffed up beautifully and smelled terrific. I forgot to take a photo of them at dinner where they were served warm with a scoop of Jeni's Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream and fresh whipped cream made with Snowville Creamery cream. Mmm...

My next project is one I've tried (twice) before without much luck. No, not the caramel, but granola. I used this recipe, following everything but using dried cranberries for my fruit add in. I think this time I had a winner. I'm always worried about it burning or smelling like it's burnt, but this time I lucked out! I filled two large mason jars- I might bring one to my mom tomorrow. Hopefully they'll like it!

Right now I'm torn between having this for breakfast tomorrow or another one of those apple pies with more whipped cream. Hmm...decisions...

My last experiment of the day before I shut the oven off until dinner was Chex Mix. My husband loves the stuff, but I hate buying that garbage. I've tried it one other time, using a recipe from the actual Chex site, but I burned it a bit and there wasn't enough flavoring to truly cover all the cereal. This time I tried a Martha Stewart recipe for Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix. I left out the pretzels and used Goldfish crackers. North Market Spices even had a Chesapeake Bay spice mixture. I guess it's supposed to be the same as the Old Bay seasoning, but I've never used that before. I also used half the amount of Tabasco sauce, but it still was
WAY too much. The end result is super spicy and he won't eat it. And since I'm not a fan of the stuff to begin with, I really don't want to eat it either. I might try to pawn it off on my family tomorrow, but they're not big on spicy. I hate wasting food! Especially when you consider I used that entire box of cereal.

I'll try again on Sunday or sometime early next week once I can get my hands on some cereal- I wasn't in the mood to leave the house today even though I was starting to run out of things. I'm going back to the Chex website for their recipe, using only the half recipe amount of cereal (which is all he really wants) and either doubling or tripling the regular amount of butter/seasoning. And being vigilant to not burn it!

Countdown to Dinner

2010-12-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

I am now officially out of almonds, peanuts, and parchment paper. All (6!) of my mixing bowls are dirty, too.

I guess this year instead of shopping (for myself), I'm tinkering around in the kitchen. It's a fantastic start to a 10 day vacation. I think the oven has been on since 8AM. The kitchen is nice and toasty but not overly warm thanks to the low setting we have programmed in for weekdays...which I haven't figured out to change except to manually increase the temperature each morning once I notice it's too cold in the house.

I've made a million things this morning while a Star Trek Next Generation marathon plays in the other room and squirrels (and blue jays) scamper about the deck eating the peanuts I left for them. Eventually I'll go check the mail and see if Basement Cat needs fed/watered. And I might leave the house to pick up the things I'm out of because I don't know how I'll survive without parchment paper.

Finally stuck something savory (Chex Mix) in the oven- gotta go stir it! I'll have pictures and recaps later.

Happy Holiday Eve!

2010-12-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone! Anyone else have the day off? Even though I do, I still couldn't sleep in! I was up sometime after 7AM, and since I didn't feel like going to the gym yet (dangerous since the longer it gets put off, the less likely it will happen) AND my back is sore from all that cardio dance this week, I opted to begin my holiday baking.

Tomorrow the hubs and I are heading over to my parents' house to eat, relax, and open a few gifts. Mom is planning on making a bunch of appetizers in lieu of a traditional meal. It's a good opportunity for her to try her hand at making new things, and for us to sample the results. I'm eager for her to try my Pfeffernussen (the white cookies at the bottom) and the new batch of Rum Balls I made with the extra rum. I figure dad will like the Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (at the top). I know he likes Diana's Lemon Rosemary Thumprint Cookies because I made some at Thanksgiving and he ate just about all of them. LOL.

Also already made this morning are the Sweet & Spice Rosemary Nuts featured in the latest issue of Edible Columbus. The only change I made was to cut the amount of cayenne in half so that it won't overpower my family. I'm so glad I have this massive 14" Calphalon pan mom bought me a couple of years ago for my birthday because the one pound of nuts the recipe calls for is A LOT and wouldn't have fit properly in my trusty 10" pan.

Sweet & Spicy Rosemary Nuts
Recipe from Edible Columbus:

1 pound of nuts (I used half almond and half pecan)
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used 1 Tbsp of dried because I love rosemary!)
1 tsp cayenne (I cut this down to 1/2 tsp)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
Kosher salt

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add in the nuts and toss to coat, roasting over medium heat until they start to brown- make sure they don't burn! Add the maple syrup and toss to coat. Add in the rosemary and cayenne. Cook a few more minutes, then turn off the heat and add in the brown sugar. Pour the nut mixture onto a cookie sheet in a single layer to cool. While still hot, liberally sprinkle the salt over the nuts.

Now, the recipe didn't say anything about stirring, but I stirred the thing constantly because I was concerned it would burn, stick, etc. Mine aren't fully cooled yet, but a quick taste tells me they're FANTASTIC. Sweet & salty with that nice rosemary flavor followed by the heat of the cayenne. I just hope my family likes it, too! I'll definitely have to try this out with a different combo of spices. I was kinda hoping to try these today, but I'm low on almonds. Ugh, I don't want to go to the store today!

So what are you up to today?

Jeni's Hats Off Hot Chocolate

2010-12-23T17:40:00.000-05:00

This is the way that hot chocolate was meant to be enjoyed. It was rich and chocolatey and smooth- I'd hate to think what type of milk was used, but I highly doubt it was skim!

I had been seeing postings on Facebook about this new hot chocolate that Jeni's was serving at only their Powell and Clintonville locations. They're calling it Hats Off Hot Chocolate and it's made with milk from Snowville Creamery plus a single-origin cocoa powder from Askinosie Chocolate. And of course hot chocolate is best served with whipped cream (also from Snowville Creamery) and chocolate shavings.

Look! I managed to take a photo AND pour without making a mess.

OMG, I totally have to order this cocoa powder. I don't think anyone carries it locally. :( And as for that whipped cream, I'm definitely making some with the SC cream I just picked up...also to be used in another [hopefully successful] attempt at making caramels. It was all I could do to not lick the little container clean!

The Powell Jeni's is really nice. I've only been to the Grandview and North Market locations, so the size of this new store is a welcome change. It's HUGE compared to those two. It's light and airy and it just had a cool vibe...especially when you're relaxing and indulging in some hot cocoa! I can't wait to return here.

Before leaving, I tried the Cocoa Zin flavor, which was okay but not really for me. Right now I have a pint of Bangkok Peanut in the freezer. I'm slowly working my way through tasting all the flavors. I think I covered most of the seasonal flavors, but I need to taste all the regular ones, too. I ended up purchasing a pint of the Honey Vanilla Bean...which I've never tried. I figure it's the most basic flavor and will pair well with the apple hand pies I plan to make tomorrow. Or maybe I can top it with a bit of the new Middle West Spirits Honey Vanilla Bean vodka. I hunted a bottle of that down last weekend, but I'm saving it to share with the family this Saturday.

Lots of baking expected for tomorrow, plus I'm making dinner for the hubs and myself...we've never been by ourselves of Christmas Eve! Roast chicken and potatoes- can't go wrong with that!

Oh, and I promise I'll post the photos of last week's cookies that I made for the holiday party. Actually, they'll look exactly the same as what I'm making tomorrow since I'm just baking up the leftover dough I froze.

Starbucks VIA

2010-12-15T13:42:00.000-05:00

Anyone every try one of these? I've only used them so far for baking projects in lieu of espresso powder, but I had requested a sample of the flavored kind to see how they tasted.

I received 4 flavors: Mocha, Caramel, Vanilla, and Cinnamon Spice. Right now I'm sipping the Caramel flavor because it's cold in the kitchen and I need some caffeine to get through the rest of the day. I'm going to try my first ever Zumba class tonight, and after that I need to run to the store to pick up a few things. And then after that I'm getting my BAKE on for tomorrow's holiday party at the office.

Here's the run-down of what I'm planning to serve:

Rum Balls (some rolled in sanding sugar, others in chocolate sprinkles- these are the ones with EXTRA rum)
Lemon Rosemary Thumbprints with Strawberry Preserves
Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Pfeffernussen
Coconut Macaroons (some plain, some dipped in chocolate- may even try CARROT ones...)
Cherry Rocky Road Fudge

The fudge may be in or out depending on time. Rum Balls are done, but I need to bake the remaining cookies that I prepped over the weekend. Macaroons totally need to be mixed together, but they're relatively easy. Anyhow, I was really just posting about the coffee.

Smells nice.

...

Yeah, that's all I really have on it. Maybe the other flavors will be better, but there's just something a little off for me. I think it's the added sugar, which you really couldn't be without when adding in the caramel flavor. I'm a plain cream in my coffee kind of gal, so the sweetness is really overpowering to me. Oh well, glad I got to try it instead of shelling out the cash for something I ultimately wouldn't like.

Anyone else try the flavored VIA? What are your thoughts?

Kitchen Krusade

2010-12-12T21:57:00.001-05:00

Inspired by Brown Eyed Baker's bucket list of recipes to master, I've compiled my own list of recipes/techniques I'd like to learn. I expect the list to grow as I find more kitchen projects to tackle.

In no particular order:

Everything in my Martha Stewart's Cookies book
Popcorn
Brittle
Candied/Spiced Nuts
Peanut Butter
Meringues
Whipped Cream
Pastry Cream
Homemade Butter
Homemade Cheese
Homemade Yogurt
Sandwich Bread
Focaccia Bread
Hamburger/Hotdog Buns
Dinner Rolls
Pizza Dough
Challah
English Muffins
Sprouted Bread
Donuts
Puff Pastry
Bread Pudding
Clafoutis
Pasta Noodles
Ravioli
Cake/Cupcake Decorating
Cookie Decorating
French Macarons
Fruit Pie
Cream Pie
Lamb
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Potato Latkes
Ice Cream
Sorbet/Gelato
Crepes
Quiche
Fudge
Gingerbread House
Truffles
Caramels
Onion Rings
Granola
Vegan Brownies
Stuffing
Corn Syrup
Hummus
Falafel
Pita/Naan
Marshmallows
Twinkies (for the husband!)
Citrus Brownies/Blondies
Petit Fours (I had originally left these off because they seem like a hassle, but last night I had the most amazing ones, so they're now on the list)