Shades of Sustenance

Girls on the Run

2011-11-02T20:17:00.003-04:00

Beauty and the Beach on Saturday!

Very excited.

I ran 7 miles twice this week already, and also hitting the gym for some strength training. Marathon expo tomorrow with Kat, and then yoga in Bronxville with Beebe. Friday night, heading down the shore, and picking up race essentials, and then running 5 miles with the girls (and picking up my 3rd place in the Dog Trot!) on Saturday. Sunday, running 10 and then heading to the "real" Bronx to watch some of the marathon. Hoping for good weather, lots of smiles, and getting through this work week!

Awesome, healthy chili for dinner, which will last through the week, so I won't have to worry about Brad since he's working late for the next 3 days. Also managed to make banana bread and pumpkin-brownies this week. And, we saw Rum Diaries last night (dinner and a movie Tuesdays!). Movie was ok, made me want a tan, rum, a tan, to be warm, to be in the Caribbean, and a tan really badly. Not nearly as wild as Fear and Loathing, and a little odd--not a comedy, not a drama, but I don't totally regret seeing it. Plus, the inexpensive salmon dinner at the theater (Studio 3) with a nice Sam can't be beat. Yardhouse is open, so we'll hit that up next Tuesday. Crazy week already. Trust me, I'm baffled at the amount I've managed to jam pack into this week already.

Power Outage Pumpkin Carving and Pie Making: Merry Christmas! Or, Happy Halloween, rather

2011-10-30T12:59:00.003-04:00

So, last night, powerless, I decided to prep pumpkin pie while I waited for the power to come back on. Unfortunately, the power never came back on. So now, I'm over at my parents house, watching football, baking said pumpkin pie. But this is what my kitchen looked like last night...

Then, since the power didn't come back on, we decided to take pumpkins to the next level and carve ours from Hinck's Turkey Farm down the shore. It was not easy to carve the pumpkins by candlelight, but they turned out ok. Can you guess Bradford's from Jamie's? Hehe.

So, if you want to make the best pumpkin pie recipe ever, c/o Martha Stewarts wholeliving.com, I'm including the directions. Very simple, simple enough to make on a snowy October night when you have absolutely no power.

As the website states:
"Pure maple syrup, rather than sugar, sweetens this holiday favorite. Canned pumpkin puree is quick and easy to use. Don't substitute fresh pumpkin puree; it will be too watery.

Per serving: 265 calories; 5 g protein; 12 g fat; 35 g carb.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

CRUST
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ice water
FILLING
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin-pie filling)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
TOPPING (OPTIONAL)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together flours, sugar, and salt until combined. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Stir in vinegar and ice water until mixture just comes together (add more water if necessary). Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, making a fluted edge. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake about 50 minutes or until set, checking pie after 30 minutes and tenting edges if browning too quickly. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool for an hour before transferring to refrigerator to cool completely.
To serve, in a small bowl stir together sour cream and sugar to taste. Serve pie with a dollop of cream, if desired."

GTL

2011-10-29T09:49:00.007-04:00

Gym, Tempo, Long

That's the story of our lives right now. I'm reading the most famous Marathon book in the game right now, which is "Marathon" by Hal Higdon. This is the 4th edition, and I picked it up at B&N the other day (along with Nancy Clark's "Marathon Nutrition") while I was attending a PD on Thursday (yes, on parent-teacher conference day). It's fascinating, informative, and motivational, although I think we're going to stick with Runners' World's training plan for now since that's what we used for the half and we felt really good about it. So, long runs on Saturday or Sunday (depending on weather and when we can fit them in). Short runs on Mondays, and longer midweek runs on Wednesdays (peaking at 10 miles). Then, gym on Tues and Thurs, with chest, tris, and shoulders on Tues (the worst!) and back, bis and legs on Thursday. And there's some scattered races on Saturdays which we'll add in for extra mileage.

The book has some great tips though, for half marathoning and marathoning, and makes you want to go the distance. It's interesting because it actually explains reasons behind things that other magazines/articles/novels just tell you to do. Now I know WHY. Plus, running will add 6-9 years to my life. And I love life. I would have read more, but I managed to cut my eye (again) and the pain has been too much to stand. Being at work was awful, as light makes it worse and all I wanted to do was put on a pirate eye patch and an ice pack. Only me. Sigh. Though, I have my follow up appointment today and it should be all better with the stinging antibiotics I've been dropping into my eyes every 4 hours. Which is awesome, because running with glasses in "wintery mix" and on trails with rocks and twigs is NOT fun. Imagine! Snow in October! Trick or Treat?

So, motivational quote of the day, "Tough times don't last but tough people do."
A.C. Green

Doogie Howser, M.D. End of Episode Message

2011-10-26T20:40:00.004-04:00

Cue: Blinking Cursor

So, today I learned something about myself. I am not fast. Brad and I challenged ourselves to run with the Bronxville Running Company Wednesday night groups, knowing that these young men would be much, MUCH faster than we are. They all qualified for the NYC marathon, legitimately. Like, by time. But, I had no idea that the people who attend this group were insanely fast as well. The lead pack dipped down to 6 minute miles at one point, and an old guy seriously called himself a straggler because he was running 7:23 minute miles. (This was a 5 mile run). Meanwhile, Brad and I were desperately trying to keep this just-under-50-years-old guy in our sights so we didn't get completely lost (since we had no clue where we were going). And then that guy, a very nice guy named Norm, told us that he was the last of the "slow pack." Right. I think we ran that in 40 minutes or less. And there were crazy, CRAZY hills. But, don't fret, Brad and I will be back next Wednesday, pushing ourselves to be stronger, faster, better. Plus, I found out they go out to dinner afterwards and split the bill. Maybe we'll make some new friends. And we may even attend the Sunday hour and a half run at the Rocky's at 8am with the Bronxville Running Co. Because how else do you get faster than by running with people who can blow you out of the water?

(Pause, cue blinking cursor again).

It was a good day, because I learned a lot about myself and my goals. And I will meet them.

Trick or Trot: A New PR

2011-10-23T20:47:00.005-04:00

Down in Long Branch, NJ, Brad and I ran our first 5k since the Woodlawn one on Sept. 17th. Beautiful day, helpful volunteers, and high hopes. After partying like it was 1999 the entire day before, we still had a positive attitude and expected to do well. I was aiming for 26 minutes. Well, we crushed that, coming in at 23:56 according to the clock, and we didn't cross the start line for at least 15 seconds (which brings our time down even farther). I was the 4th costumed female to cross the finish line (I was a jester), and I also found out later that I came in 3rd in my division (20-29 year olds). Holy crap! I'm hoping that JSRC can send me my award since I couldn't stay for the ceremony due to Melissa's bridal shower. But awesome! 2 awards! I'm going to need a new room for trophies. Even cooler, Brad came in 6th in his division (we finished together, as per usual) which is major-league impressive, and we were 38 and 39th overall out of a field of over 300. Boo-ya!!!

Fingers Crossed; I know it's cheesy, but I want my 3rd place kudos!

Planet Fitness and the Inability to Wash My Hair

2011-10-19T17:36:00.003-04:00

So Brad and I are taking a few days off from running this week to recoup from our awesome half. But we're not taking time off from exercise! Instead, we're back in the gym lifting 2 days a week in between our "Marathon" training Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sat/Sundays. Instead of the manly 3 days, we're doing shoulders, tris and chest and then biceps, back, and legs on Tues and Thurs respectively. Plus, my Thursday yoga. And long runs up to 20 miles eventually (like Christmas Eve!). Ah!

Therefore, my arms are so sore I can't even lift them. Running starts again Sunday. Oh boy oh boy! I'm already exhausted just thinking about this. And typing hurts!

Bradford's Fat Tuesday Celebration

2011-10-17T18:38:00.004-04:00

For some reason, television loves makeover shows on Tuesday nights. MTV's "I Used to Be Fat" coupled with "The Biggest Loser" make for some quality inspirational viewing. Last week, we saw this recipe on the Biggest Loser, and Brad thought it looked good, even though it had peppers and onions in it. So tonight, he made it. And it was delicious! I'm so proud.

Ingredients
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1.25 pounds of extra-lean ground turkey
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup low-sodium tomato sauce
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes, or until softened. Add extra-lean ground turkey to the pan. Season to taste with salt, then add garlic powder and ground cumin. Break meat apart and cook over medium heat for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned, no longer pink, juices are clear and meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken broth to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add chopped fresh cilantro or parsley to the turkey mixture. There will be about 2 cups of turkey mixture.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stem. Put in baking dish and spoon about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper half. Place all stuffed peppers on a baking dish and pour the rest of the chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. When done, sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories 140
Fat calories 20
Total fat 2.5 grams
Saturated fat .5 grams
Cholesterol 35 milligrams
Sodium 150 milligrams
Total carbohydrates 10 grams
Fiber 2 grams
Sugars 5 grams

(From: http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/exclusives/nutrition/contestant-recipes/hannahs-turkey-stuffed-peppers/ )

A Guaranteed Way to Win Your Age Group: Turbaned Tornado's The MAN

2011-10-17T07:37:00.003-04:00

Just had to share this story.... What have YOU done today?

Runners' World comment by Mark Remy:

100-Year-Old Finishes Marathon, Makes Me Feel Like a Lazy Bum
October 16, 2011 8:38 pm

I was supposed to run 18 miles Sunday. Instead, I ran zero.

Why? Because I woke up feeling groggy and "kind of nauseous."

So I was already feeling pretty pathetic when I rolled out of bed and wound up reading this:

(Article from )

100-year-old marathoner sets record in Toronto
Fauja Singh finishes in 8 hours to become oldest person to complete full marathon
The Associated Press
Posted: Oct 16, 2011 7:44 PM ET

'Turbaned Tornado' sets sights on age record

Play icon100-year-old Fauja Singh finishes Toronto's waterfront marathon in 8 hours, 11 minutes and 5.9 seconds and sets a world record. Turbaned Tornado sets record0:00
Beginning of Story Content

Fauja Singh secured a spot in the Guiness World Book of Records on Sunday at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

The 100-year-old accomplished an amazing feat, completing the gruelling 42.195-kilometre marathon and becoming the oldest person ever to complete a full-distance marathon.

It took Singh over eight hours to cross the finish line — more than six hours after Kenya's Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year — and he was the last competitor to complete the course. But his time wasn't nearly remarkable as the accomplishment itself.

"Beating his original prediction, he's overjoyed," said coach and translator Harmander Singh. "Earlier, just before we came around the [final] corner, he said, 'Achieving this will be like getting married again.'

"He's absolutely overjoyed, he's achieved his life-long wish."

Although event workers dismantled the barricades along the finish line and took down sponsor banners even as Fauja Singh made his way up the final few hundred metres of the race, a throng of media, family, friends and supporters were there when Fauja Singh made marathon history.

And Fauja Singh, who only speaks Punjabi, also surprised himself. Through his interpreter, he said he had set a goal of finishing the race in about nine hours.

"He said he achieved this through the help of God but even God must be getting fed up of helping him," Harmander Singh said, drawing chuckles from assembled media after the race.

Sunday's run was Fauja Singh's eighth marathon — he ran his first at the tender age of 89 — and wasn't the first time he set a record. In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in five hours 40 minutes and one second.

And on Thursday in Toronto, Fauja Singh — whose first name means soldier — broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5,000 metres.

Fauja Singh, a five-foot-eight, 115-pound British citizen and vegetarian, looked tired and spent following the race and organizers gingerly assisted him to the post-event news conference. After receiving gentle massages to his legs and calf muscles as well as cups of water from members of his entourage, Singh leaned back on a couch and spoke little to start the news conference.

But a short time into it, he began looking remarkably relaxed and fresh with his hands clasped behind his head. Then, he abruptly sat up straight and with a smile, motioned for the microphone, obviously getting his second wind.

"He says he's recovered now so he's going to talk," his translator said, again drawing laughter.

Fauja Singh, affectionately dubbed the Turbaned Tornado, began running roughly 20 years ago after losing his wife and child. The five-foot-eight centenarian said he's happy to see more minorities taking part in such marathon events and is hopeful his next project will be participating in the torch relay for the 2012 London Summer Games.

Fauja Singh carried the torch during the relay for the 2004 Athens Games.

Race director Alan Brookes struggled to find the right words to describe Fauja Singh's remarkable accomplishment.

"I'm speechless," he said. "Fauja Singh is a remarkable human being."

Seaside Half Marathon

2011-10-16T18:09:00.002-04:00

Fist-Pumping Half Marathon, and Jose's After-Run Glory

2011-10-16T14:31:00.002-04:00

Brad and I ran the Seaside Half today in glorious weather and a glorious time. Surprising even ourselves, we finished in under 2 hours, and that's without an "official" starting time, because we were towards the back of the pack and it took a while to cross the starting line. Plus, we ran negative splits, which means we ran the second half much faster than the first half of the race. And to top it off, after, this guy came over and told us we had a great race and he was trying to stay with us the entire time because we had such a great stride. He did end up passing (flying by, really) us in the last quarter mile, but for all of us it was our first half and it was cool that he thought we were experienced and had run a ton of these. We passed a ton of people on the back stretch, which was a real confidence boost, and the Honey Stinger/Sport Bean combo was a perfect breakfast--no cramps, and plenty of energy. The gu didn't help too much, but the volunteers had gatorade and water at every station, so that was nice. Definitely got some sun.

Afterwards, where else would we head to refuel than Jose's??? Me: shrimp and vegetable burrito. Bradford: chicken chimichangas. Love Jose's. My burrito had a lot of popcorn size shrimp, carrots, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, and celery along with the standard rice and refried beans. And thank goodness, plenty of ooey-gooey cheesy goodness. Brad's chimichangas were golden and covered in cheese, with refried beans and rice on the side and a little tomato/lettuce/salsa on top. Love it!

YUM. Would have taken a picture, but too hungry. Sorry! Will be posting half marathon pictures eventually.

Ursula's Dish on Dish

2011-10-16T14:25:00.004-04:00

By: Ursula T-C

To celebrate my birthday, my husband, Kevin, and I decided to try a new (to us) restaurant called DISH in Red Bank, NJ. After a short walk from our apartment to the place, we walked in to the cozy restaurant that was filled with amazing aromas and a very comfortable feel. As soon as we sat at a cute little 2-top against the wall, a bottle of my favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot, showed up courtesy of my wonderful husband. Because DISH is a BYOB, he had stopped by earlier in the day to drop off the surprise...a very happy little surprise :0)

I had already checked out the menu online before we went as I do with most restaurants, the happy burden of a true foodie. The menu is short and sweet but satisfies all tastes. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, DISH actually offers a prefixe menu which includes an appetizer (either a soup, salad or app), an entree (3 to choose from) and chef's choice on dessert all for only $25!

Since I had already read the menu online, I had basically picked what I wanted until I heard the specials...I heard blue cheese, lobster, and salmon and I was sold. I chose the wedge of lettuce with fresh, homemade blue cheese dressing with bacon bits and the lobster encrusted salmon with rosemary potatoes and asparagus and carrots specials while my husband chose shrimp wrapped in bacon and, as always, a meat dish - stout braised beef short ribs. My mouth is watering again even as I type this.

As we waited for our appetizers and enjoyed our champagne, I took a look around the restaurant. Its cozy, only about 15 tables, plates used as decoration on the wall. The restaurant looks like a store front from the outside with a huge show-window up front. Not too loud. Intimate enough for a romantic couple dinner but also feel comfortable with a bigger group of people..

Our appetizers came. My salad ended up being about 10 leaves of fresh, crispy lettuce with a TON of the homemade blue cheese dressing poured over it with bacon chunks sprinkled on top. Don't get me wrong, I love me some blue cheese dressing but the amount was obscene. I scraped off most of the dressing and still enjoyed the salad but wish there wasn't so much. I had such a big a pile of leftover dressing on the plate that when the waitress came to pick it up, she actually took my salad fork and poked in the blob to ensure there wasn't anything left in there! Hopefully they don't waste so much in the future.

On the other hand, Kevin's appetizer was glorious. The shrimp were each a very good size and perfectly wrapped in bacon. On the bottom of the plate there was a wonderful surprise...cheese grits. On the menu it is written quite small below the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp wording so it was forgotten until the plate showed up. Kevin is not very adventure and though he tried a small bite, I was the receiver of this deliciousness. The cheese grits tasted like Italian polenta but a cheesy version instead of a potato undertone...and it was wonderful. There was only a small amount and I savored every bite.

Next came out entrees, lobster encrusted salmon dish was beautifully presented while Kevin's short ribs were a splendid pile of meat. We dug right in and didn't speak for a good five minutes other than groans of delight. My salmon was great, the encrusted lobster actually ended up being kind of a lobster cream with chunks of lobster in it that was a layer on top of the salmon piece. I think it could have stayed in the oven about 5 minutes longer and it would have been perfection but it was extremely good otherwise - and a large portion as well. The potatoes and veggies weren't anything to write home about but a good side addition.

Now Kevin's dish needs its own paragraph. These short ribs were magnificent. Only a hair behind our amazing short ribs at Mama's Fishhouse in Maui. The food on the plate was a big mash-up but with every, bite you wouldn't wait to get another forkful in your mouth. The meat was perfectly tender and melt in your mouth good. The sauce had small cubes of beets in it so they sucked up the juices of the meat and the sauce. When you took a bite, they burst in your mouth creating pure joy. THEN when you add in the maple sweet potato mashed puree, you pretty much could say I died and went to Heaven tasting this dish. Amazing. It was so sweet and so wonderful. I actually took some of my rosemary potatoes and dipped them onto his plate to soak up some more of these amazing flavors.

After we thought there was no room, the waitress and Kevin convinced me to have dessert...I thought the Veuve was dessert the whole time! :0) I took a gander at the desserts and immediately saw Crème Brûlée. Any time this or flan is on the menu, I order it. So I did. The dessert was ok, I've had better. But it was good. It could have been heated or torched more. I still enjoyed it.

After my 3-course meal and bottle of champagne, I rubbed my belly and we very happily walked home to our apartment a few blocks away. I recommend a walk afterwards because its a lot of food, but absolutely amazingly delicious nonetheless. Go. To. DISH.

Image# 0389 - short ribs - blurry because the plate was steaming!
Image # 0390 - lobster encrusted salmon
Image # 0392 - creme brulee

Thursday Night Yogurt

2011-10-12T20:37:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I really mean yoga, but Bradford insists on calling it yogurt. For the past few Thursdays, I've been attending yoga at the Bronxville adult school. The lady who runs the beginner class is older and calm, and it's great because it is a true beginner class, full of people who are as inflexible as I am! Having once upon a time done ballet and acrobatics (gymnastics with a ballet slowness/twist), it's super, uber frustrating to stretch in poses I used to do no problem and now find myself hoping will end because I can barely purport to do them. But, it is more relaxing than I thought it would be.

So this Thursday, Brad and I have advanced screening tickets to the new Jack Black/Owen Wilson flick, so I can't go to yoga. So I Netflixed it tonight and did the Crunch candlelight on demand yoga. And demanding it was, much more so than the class. And it's even more frustrating because you see these people do the poses the way they were meant to be done--bent in half like pretzels. But if you can get over your ego, it's actually a very nice stretching video and rather relaxing in the end. Hoping it will help my running, since dynamic stretching got me all injured, and static stretching is more for after running rather than before... So go gurt!

MARATHON POLL! ------------------------------------------------>

2011-10-11T21:52:00.004-04:00

Take it!

Brad's Wild Idea While Kicking Butt On The Van Courtland Trails This Afternoon...

2011-10-11T19:17:00.002-04:00

Brad: "Jamie, is there any way we could run a full marathon before my birthday?"

Me: pause... thinking... pause...

Brad: "Maybe we could run the Charleston full marathon rather than the half?"

Me: pause... thinking... pause...

So, I bring this question to you, my loyal fan base. To attempt to run the full or not to attempt the full? Thoughts? Ideas? Just putting it out there.

Coincidence... Rockies!

2011-10-11T16:53:00.001-04:00

There is a 4 page spread with photographs of the Rockies running trails in the November Running World magazine.

Just saying.

Tapers, Rockies, and Dreams

2011-10-10T21:51:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday we took Shea for a walk at Rockefeller Park, otherwise known as the Rockies.

On Sunday, we ran our 9 mile taper in the same location.

Beautiful park with over 55 miles of wide, woodsy, shady trails, a gorgeous turtle-filled lake, cows, barns, and rolling hills. Wish we had run here earlier, though so glad we discovered it in general. Lots of runners and horseback riders. Felt like I was running through the countryside. Awesomeness.

Our half marathon is Sunday in Seaside. I think we're ready. Went to Dick's Sporting Goods today and picked up some new neon threads. Then stopped by REI, got free advanced screening movie passes to the new Owen Wilson/Jack Black flick, and loaded up on all kinds of fun gu and honey stinger bars. Can't wait to try the honey stinger energy bars, as that's something new. But I bought the jelly beans for pre-run and the gu for mid run. Definitely not trying something new the day of the half!

So, Brad and I have signed ourselves up for our next half! Charleston, SC during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The race is early Saturday morning, and we'll stay with Jimbo that weekend, so we'll also have access to a car, which will be fantastic. SOOOOO excited! A January half! Which means we need to keep our running going. And going. And going... At this rate, maybe my secret bucket list wish of running the NYC marathon will come true one day. Though, I'd need a few more halfs under my belt, I believe. But, super super super stoked to go to the motherland. Literally!

Dovetail: Monday Night Veggies

2011-10-04T21:19:00.003-04:00

Katherine and I had a lovely Monday night dinner at Dovetail on West 77th and Columbus. There is a Monday night tasting menu of vegetarian and semi-vegetarian plates where you can choose three. First, the chef gave us an offering of fresh snap peas and falafel. I love fresh, crispy vegetables, so no complaints here. Meanwhile, Kat and I shared a bottle of Stout beer, which was presented in a bottle the size of a wine glass, and kept "chilled" for us. I found this hysterical. The beer was awesome, so cheers to beer.

My first course of brussel sprouts, manchego cheese, and pears was fresh and tasty, though I felt the cheese was overpowered by the sprouts and the pears were sort of lost in the mix.

Next, I had pea dumplings in broth, which were, again, very fresh, and the little packaging held together well, but there seemed to be a flavor lacking in the peas. Slightly bland. The broth was a bit on the salty side for my tastes, but still good, don't get me wrong.

Finally, I had the gnudi, which were turnip-gnocchi and duck prosciutto with butternut squash. By far, my favorite of the night, sweet and tender. I just wish the portion size had been larger!

We ended with dessert, and my maple creme brulee with a salt and pepper shortbread crust was delectable.

Overall, decent restaurant. Reminded us of a '70s airport joint, with very modern decorations and a lot of silver on the walls. Company was awesome, so great night!

(Image from: http://www.zagat.com/buzz/dovetails-new-monday-vegetarian-menu which has a nice little description of the vegetarian Monday)

As American as Baseball & Apple Pie!

2011-10-04T20:03:00.004-04:00

What does one do with all the apples one picks at Indian Ladder Farms? Make apple pie, obviously. Lots of apple pie! While watching baseball playoffs. And waving an American flag. And singing "It's a Grand Ol' Flag." And wearing USA hats. And socks. And hugging your golden retriever puppy. And starting U.S.A. chants just for the heck of it. Go 'merica!

Found this apple pie recipe last year on the Wholeliving.com website. Found it to be delicious. Made it again tonight using frozen cherries instead of frozen cranberries (mostly because I couldn't find the cranberries). And figured it would cap off my lasagna. I have to start upping my carb intake? Yeah... something like that. :-D

Delicious. And sooooo easy. So I'm sharing.

Apple-Cranberry Pie

Prep: 30 minutes Total: 4 hours 30 minutes

The two types of cranberries in this recipe create a sweet and tart pie. Gravenstein apples work best because they hold their shape and have a delicious tart flavor. If you cannot find Gravenstein, try Pink Lady, McIntosh, or Braeburn. You'll also need a 9-inch pie pan.

Per serving: 324 calories; 3 g protein; 12 g fat; 54 g carbs

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings.

CRUST
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ice water

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together flours, sugar, and salt until combined. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Stir in vinegar and ice water until mixture just comes together (add more water if necessary). Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour.

FILLING
Juice of 1 orange
Zest of 1 orange
5 cups of peeled, sliced apples (approximately 5 medium apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (if frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
TOPPING
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons oats
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Roll pie dough out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in the pie pan and refrigerate while you make the filling and topping.

To make filling, mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. To make topping, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. The topping mixture should clump when pressed together.

Add filling to cold pie crust and scatter topping all over the filling. Bake at 400 degrees until the juice in the center of the pie is bubbling, about 1 hour. If the crust or topping becomes too dark, cover the pie loosely with foil.

Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely before serving.

Brad and I at Woodlawn 5k Run For A Cause

2011-10-02T19:23:00.004-04:00

With Seaside 2 weeks away, here are some happy running memories of when Brad and I rocked the Woodlawn 5K. Whooohooo!

Paine 2 Pain, Delaney Fit Camelbak, and Apples with Delaney and DHedd!

2011-10-02T13:56:00.005-04:00

Today we ran 12.3 miles on trails. A loop. From Thomas Paine cottage to Pain College in New Rochell. And we did it in 2 hours and 2 minutes. Up and down, through the woods, over slippery foot bridges, around and over rocks, through mud, through more mud, through insane mud... But we did it!

Path: Leatherstocking Trail to Saxon Woods, to Hutchinson River Trail. Follow the blue stars! And yay for the yellow flags, as the true Paine 2 Pain Half Marathon was run earlier in the morning, so we had a gingerbread trail to follow. Nature was beautiful with chipmunks, waterfalls, babbling brooks, bogs, fall foliage, and reservoirs to name a few highlights.

New Balance Minimus Trail 20, thank you.

Camelbak belt with water bottle and large pocket for my cell phone (in case we got lost, which we did, a lot!), gu, and energy jelly beans. Chocolate Raspberry Roctane 2x caffeine gu was very tasty. Watermelon beans were hard to chew mid run, definitely a pre-run snack. Water was lovely.

Yesterday we were up in Altamont (by Albany) picking Empire and Kendall apples off trees with Danielle and Eileen and Eileen's roommate at Indian Ladder. We had a lovely turkey, apple, cranberry-mayo and swiss sandwich inside, some delectable apple-cinnamon doughnuts, both cold and hot apple cider, and apple tea. Today, again I found myself fueling with fresh picked apples, and soon, if you're lucky, I will share a killer apple pie recipe that I plan on making again later this week. For now, time to put my feet up and make sure all my bones are still connected. Go Giants!

Tombolino's Lunch Special

2011-09-30T16:25:00.005-04:00

11.95 gets you: Eggplant Rollatini, Soup or Salad (neither is even close to skimpy, the soup is a meal on its own), dessert and coffee or espresso. Even on Saturdays. (Other entrees were 2-3 dollars more, unless you want steak which will run you around $22.) So is it good?

You bet your socks! The kind of socks that you need because you're suffering from severe blisters. So bet 'em.

First, the white bean escarole soup on display in the picture was hearty, and not overly-beany which I despise. Plus, the taste was fantastic. I wanted a whole jug of it to save for the upcoming winter months. Unfortunately, the soup by itself is $8.00 Boo. But I loved it. Adored it. Yet another reason why I need a food processor. Though, I probably don't for that type of soup. Tomatoes, onions, white beans, and escarole in a tomato-esque, chicken (I think) broth.

The eggplant rollatini portion size was small by appearance, but I was so stuffed from the soup and Addeo bread (best bread in the BX, maybe the country) that it was fine. Tasty morsel, with delicious broccoli (yes, delicious) and a giant tater tot creation that probably has a fancy French name I can't spell on the side. I took most of it home, and can't wait to eat it for lunch one of these days.

I opted for the espresso and the Italian vanilla ice cream sprinkled with almonds and topped with a maraschino cherry over the Italian cheesecake. I'm not a huge cheesecake fan in general, and the Italian version is a bit too cakey for my taste. Lovely, and the perfect topper to a great lunch.

But better than that was the company, my amazingly awesome 90 year old grandfather, who kept me entertained with stories the entire time. Lunch special was great, company was great, price was great. Can't go wrong!

Turkey Thursdays and Pumpkin Brownies

2011-09-29T21:42:00.004-04:00

So today I found a bargain that nobody could turn down. A 7 lb turkey for 99 cents a pound. So seven bucks and I had myself a turkey!

I put oven at 350, poured half a container of Chicken broth, tossed some Herbs de Provence, and put a little butter in the cavity. I covered it in tinfoil and left it in for an hour. Checked it, cranked it up to 400, removed the tinfoil, and left it in for another 30-40 minutes. When it said 165 on the thermometer, I took it out and let it cook itself to 180 degrees. Delicious.

Then, I made a dark chocolate brownie mix adding nothing but a can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix). No eggs, no oil, no water. Baked at 350 for 35 minutes in an 8x8 glass dish. Fudgey amazingness.

New Balance Minimus 20 Trail Running Sneakers & Gu

2011-09-29T15:08:00.003-04:00

Wowzers.

A. I ran 10 miles.
B. I did it in the new "barefoot" style trail shoe by New Balance.
C. I'm living to tell about it.

So, first of all, Brad and I signed ourselves up for the Manasquan Reservoir 5 Miler. We figured that we had to run 10 anyway, so why not run 5 with some other people, and then just loop around again? Trails are nice, there are gentle rolling hills, and we get a t-shirt and donate some money to the foundation that keeps the park clean and preserved. Win-Win-Win.

People were insanely friendly, the race was meticulously organized, and the t-shirt was pretty cool, with no sponsors on the back (all the proceeds go to the park), and a different, off-white color. (Sorry fashionistas, not sure if it's ivory, beige, or what. But it's cool.)

I promised I wouldn't race the 5 miles, and I didn't. In fact, I have some weird pacing monitor in my brain that I really can't explain. My goal was 10 minute miles, and when we looped around the first time, we clocked in at 48 minutes. Only 2 minutes FASTER than "ideal" pace. So I was stoked. My feet felt good, they announced our names and where we live over the loudspeaker when we crossed the line, and they handed me a water bottle. I casually threw a, "Thanks" over my shoulder, wearing a big grin, and we continued right around again. Some guy in a Rutgers hat pulled a Jamie and said, "Going again for good measure." Brad thinks he was proud of us. I know we were proud of us.

So, now let me interject with a quick review of the NB MT20. Awesome shoe. Supposed to fit tight, like a glove, and mine definitely do. There's a strange bottom with circles for traction, and while, unfortunately, some girl behind us WIPED out, we felt traction-y and safe the entire time. You can definitely feel the rocks a little more, with the thin Vibram sole, but it's not painful. Plus, the shoe only weighs 7.5 ounces. Insane. I bought the men's version, as did Brad. I can't get over how light weight they are, and they're pretty stylin' and profilin' on top of it. Now, the shoe does come with warnings about using it as only 10% of your running at first, because the minimalist style will force you to run more on your midfoot, which could make your calves burn and other such running injuries. However, I am no woman of caution, and I already have a mid-foot strike, so I charged right ahead. Brad opted to do the same. Both of us were fine after 10 miles, granted, fine as in that's the longest we have ever run in our lives and we were both still standing. My calves burned for two days after, and getting out of bed in the morning was more like the creation of Frankenstein's monster, but alas, that probably would have happened with my Asics as well.

So, around mile 7, we decided to Gu it up. Previous to the race, we consumed those new-fangled jelly beans that you can find at check-out counters at sports stores. They tasted pretty gnarly, but neither of us had breakfast before the race, and we felt pretty energized, so I think the beans did the trick. I had the fruit punch flavor, and while they tasted more like vitamins than anything else, they weren't completely awful. So, we saved the gu for down the stretch. The reason we brought gu is because after an hour and ten minutes of running, you're supposed to consume some semblance of calories. I went for chocolate, and Brad went for the Pineapple Roctane version. Mine had caffeine and his did not. Anyways, mid-race, this stuff tasted like brownie dough magic. It was insanely frustrating trying to rip open the stupid package with my teeth while running, but once I made a hole large enough to squeeze some of the Gu out, I was in heaven. Delicious heaven.

About 15 minutes later, Gu kicked in and I felt like I could go for miles.

Not long after that, a long hill stretch came and put me back in my place.

Anyway, with the half marathon only 2 weeks away, I'm feeling pretty confident. I know I can finish it, I know Brad can finish it, and I'm excited for the medal so I can hang it on my wall and scream "HOLLLLAAAAAAA."

Oh, and we finished in 1 hour and 39 minutes with the stop at the end of the 5 mile race included. Almost perfectly on track for pacing.

WOWZERS!

Baked Apples

2011-09-25T21:56:00.002-04:00

It's apple picking season! So here's the best, easy apple dessert/snack that's mostly healthy... Got this from Martha Stewart. I normally leave out the gingersnaps and definitely use a lot less butter... But surprisingly the sour cream and maple syrup concoction is fantastical! And love those dried cherries.

Ingredients

4 Gala or Rome Beauty apples
1/3 cup dried cherries, or golden raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons crushed gingersnaps
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples with a melon baller, making a 3/4-inch-wide cavity, stopping 1/2 inch from the bottom. Peel top inch of apples; fill with cherries and walnuts. Arrange in an 8-inch square baking dish.
Drizzle maple syrup over apples; top each with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Bake, brushing occasionally with accumulated juices, until apples are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
Transfer apples to a plate. Pour liquid from dish into a bowl; whisk in sour cream. Drizzle over apples; sprinkle with gingersnaps.

Blenders and Broccoli Soup

2011-09-18T18:40:00.006-04:00

Picture does not do this amazingness justice.

I need a blender. But, even without one, we had a delectable, creamy, healthy broccoli soup. And the best part? Sans cream.

I took a recipe from wholeliving.com and changed it just a little bit. But, in general...

In a pan, saute 1 chopped yellow onion with 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent.

Then, add 1 15 oz can of cannelloni beans and 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. The recipe actually calls for chicken stock, but Stew Leonards had organic chicken broth on sale... So broth it is.

A little salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Steam one package of broccoli florets. Add to soup after it's simmering, remove from heat, and puree in something that works better than the sad excuse for a blender I own until Monday morning garbage takes it away. Even not pureed, it's still delicious though! The beans add a nice texture. And it's healthy! I recommend serving with one slice of sourdough bread. Yum.