Silent Sunday in My City
19
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Irish You Could Taste This
For our New Year’s Resolution, Allan and I sworn off red meat and we have been eating more vegetarian dishes. About a month into the New Year and our commitment to a healthier lifestyle, Allan’s gallbladder and my high cholesterol would force us to limit our diet and menu selections even more.
Then on Tuesday, Allan underwent the knife laser to have his gall bladder removed just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and a traditional Irish dinner: Corned Beef with Red Potatoes and Cabbage. There went our New Year’s Resolution, along with my cholesterol and our vegetarian diet.
Oh well. We can always start over and go back to tofu tomorrow.
Corned Beef with Red Potatoes and Cabbage
(Modified Food Network Recipe)
Ingredients:
1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine with seasoning packet included
12 cups cold water
2 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 large head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cut into 8 thick wedges
1 ½ lbs small red potatoes, quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water.
Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, red pepper flakes and seasoning packet. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and braise until very tender (about 6 hours).
Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Add the cabbage and potatoes to the cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes).
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage and potatoes to a large bowl. Slice the corned beef across the grain of the meat into thin slices. To serve, lay the slices over the cabbage and surround it with the potatoes. Top it all with fresh ground pepper.
Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.
*Also submitted at*
Keep Calm and Rock On for Epilepsy
Kirsten of Gone Bananas is a Chick Gone Purple for Epilepsy Awareness and she is asking others to support this cause by posting a purple themed photo. Link up your purple picture post at Gone Bananas and you’ll be automatically entered in her Passionate Purple Day Giveaway.
The “rules” as stated on Gone Bananas
The only rule is to be creative!
You can take pictures of your family decked out in purple, purple jam, kids painting with purple, flowers, balloons, etc. The more creative the better!
The competition will run until March 28th, which is when Meg will pick a winner and we will send them a purple prize!
To show my love and support for Kirsten and Meghan, I’ll be a Chick Gone Purple for Epilepsy Awareness over the next two Wordless Wednesdays with purple themed photos.
I encourage you to keep calm and rock on do the same.
Random Thoughts about Surgery, Starbucks and Spring Break
I drafted this post while sitting in the waiting room if the surgery center. After weeks of suffering, Hubby finally went to the doctor and learned his gall bladder no longer functioned. After an ultrasound to confirm his diagnosis, the doctor informed Allan that he needed immediate surgery to remove it. Now he’s gall bladder free and feeling happy on painkillers and I’m feeling like a Starbucks for some liquid energy. Would it be wrong to leave my husband for a latte?
Speaking of caffeine, I think I’ve been drinking too many caffeinated drinks during the day because my sleeping pattern has been a disaster lately. For the past week, I have been waking up around 3:00 a.m. and I’m unable to go back to sleep. By 7:00 p.m., I’m exhausted and ready for bed. I am probably the only person grateful for the recent DSL time change so at least I am ready for bed at 8:00 p.m. now instead of 7:00 p.m.
The girls have off for Spring Break this week and Allan is off from work to recover from his surgery. We don’t have anything planned for the week other than building bigger and better leprechaun traps.
I didn’t weigh myself this past weekend so I don’t know if I lost any weight. With the half marathon on Saturday morning and a beer binge goodbye party that night, I didn’t want to cry the scale to yell at me. Honestly, I am not so concerned with the numbers on a scale any more, but more concerned with toning and building muscle because these bingo arms have got to go! It would be nice if they didn’t wave hello before I actually greeted someone. But besides ridding myself of bingo arms, being able to wear a bikini again is my ultimate goal.
I am so glad I decided NOT to run the Florida Beach Halfathon because my legs were so sore during the Pasco Challenge half marathon. (I’ll blog more about that race in other post.) Yeah, three half marathons in three months is plenty and I’ll tell anyone who disagrees to “Shut the Front Door!”
My legs were hurting pretty badly on Sunday, but thankfully they feel fine today. I think I’m ready for an easy 3 miles tomorrow morning.
Proudly submitted at The Un Mom’s Random Tuesday Thoughts, because when I blog about my runs, it’s usually pretty random.
Cheers! I’ll Drink to That!
Our good friends Julie and Jason decided to move back to Tennessee and we all went to the World of Beer to say our farewells over a few pints.
You would expect a farewell fanfare to bring on many tears, but quite the opposite was true. We laughed more than ever. Our faces hurt from all the laughing and smiling and it was a great way to say goodbye to some fabulous friends. The five years in Florida definitely ended on a high note.
But the celebrating and the beer flowing doesn’t end just yet, thanks to St. Patrick’s Day. I am looking forward to another fun night with my friends this week. And if my liver allows me, I’ll drink a whiskey drink. I’ll drink a vodka drink. I’ll drink a lager drink. I’ll drink a cider drink.
And then, I’ll erin go barf.
So, here’s to great friends, getting into the St. Patrick’s spirit and preparing our livers for all the festivities!
Cheers to being Irish for a day!
Who’s ready to get your drink on for St. Patrick’s Day?
Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.
Cross That Bridge When You Come to It
Perfect Pancakes
Although Tuesday was Pancake Day (Fat Tuesday), I decided to share my pancake pictures for our Friday Food Fight.
Iron Chef Allan makes perfect golden brown pancakes every time. They’re light and fluffy, not dense and thick like the kind from a pancake mix, which happens to be the fancy concrete pancakes I made for my girls’ classes on Tuesday.
But, I smothered those lead weights with enough syrup or powder sugar and lemon juice (a British Pancake Day tradition) so no one was the wiser. I think.
Over the years, Allan has mastered and fine-tuned his pancake recipe. His pancakes are so perfect that it has ruined us from enjoying in any restaurant even when they are free.
We flip over Iron Chef Allan’s perfect pancakes every time.
Iron Chef Allan’s Perfect Pancake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups King Arthur White or White Wheat Flour (180 g)
3 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
2 eggs
½ cup Sour cream (secret ingredient to prevent stiffening)
1 cup Milk (skim or 2%)
3 Tbsp Melted butter or canola oil
1 tsp Vanilla
Directions:
Set griddle to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Then, in a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients in the large bowl with as few stirs as possible. Let batter rest for 5 minutes. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto a lightly greased griddle. Flip when batter is bubbly and still wet. Cook for approximately one minute more. Serve with maple syrup.
Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.
*Also submitted at*
Raising Runners, Part 2
When Suncoast Running offered a children’s running class, I enrolled the girls. Over 6 weeks, Coach Lynn would teach the kids how to run a mile by demonstrating how to pace and the difference between a fast pace and an easy pace.
For the last class, the kids ran a ½ mile race…
and all the young participants received a medal.
The running class and the medals prepared the girls for the Gasparilla Jr. Race the following weekend. Based on their age groups, Emmalynn ran 1/8 of a mile and Allana ran one mile.
Both girls applied what they had learned in their running class and paced themselves beautifully. Coach Lynn would have been proud because Allan and I were definitely proud of our girls.
But I think Emmalynn and Allana were the proudest of their achievements.
Something Fishy About This One
I’ve previously mentioned about my slight obsession with manhole covers ever since my husband decided to collect cuff links that resembled city sewer works. While visiting Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Downtown Tampa for the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, my family and I stumbled upon another fancy manhole cover that I hadn’t noticed before.
Random Thoughts about Races, Pounds and Pounding Down the Pancakes
Today is Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, and my family celebrates the occasion by eating stacks of pancakes all day long.
For years now, I’ve visited the girls’ classes to cook pancakes and afterwards, we read and write pancake stories and partake in other pancake related activities.
But this week, I’m eating pancakes twice and I fear I may resemble a round golden brown shape and not the silver dollar kind, either. After the Pasco Challenge on Saturday, the local IHOP is serving pancakes to all the participants and their families, which makes running 13.1 miles totally worth the effort.
On the subject of breakfast foods, I keep forgetting to eat breakfast in the morning, which is such a bad habit. Don’t you hate it when people say they “forget to eat”? As much as I love food, it’s hard to believe that I would ever miss a meal, but I get caught up in other things in the morning instead of sitting down to eat something. I know that’s the worst thing to do when trying to lose weight and yet, for the past week, I keep skipping breakfast. Then at lunch time, I’m starving and lightheaded from not eating which is the WORST. But today is a new day and I PROMISE to eat breakfast today. But then, it will be easy to remember to eat today because after all, it’s PANCAKE DAY!
Eating or not eating, I lost 4 pounds last week. Thanks to the Gasparilla Half Marathon, I’m sure. I doubt this week’s loss will be as monumental with all the pancakes I’ll be putting away.
As for my attempt to complete four half marathons, I’ve decided to stick my tongue at my friend, John with just 3 half marathon which is 39.3 and close enough to 40 miles. But like my friend, Chrissy, said, I can always add in a couple 5K races which will put me over 40 miles before my 40th birthday.
After researching how to train for multiple half marathons, the internet running experts advised against it. With each half marathon, I need at least a week to recover from the race. With races back to back, like a half marathon March 12 and another on March 20, I would spend the week between races resting instead of easing back into running and while resting, I would be missing out on good work-outs. That is EXACTLY what happened last week! I only ran once and it is only 3 miles and not a very good 3 mile run at that. Lots of walking.
3 Miles
Time 37:55
Ave Pace 12:13
Max Pace 9:30
And now, because I have another half marathon this Saturday, I am supposed to rest before the race which means another week of little to no running followed by another rest week post-race. So the experts seem to be correct. With races back to back, I am missing out of days of good runs due to resting pre-race and post race.
Therefore, I’ve decided to not run in the Florida Beach Halfathon, as much as I really wanted to because the course looks spectacular. Instead, I’ll be getting back into a regular running routine again to train for the Iron Girl Half and I’ll be saving $70 in the meantime. And I’m o.k. with that. After all, I need beer money for St. Patrick’s Day next week.
Proudly submitted at The Un Mom’s Random Tuesday Thoughts, because when I blog about my runs, it’s usually pretty random.
