Monthly Archives: April 2011

If I Knew You Were Coming, I’d've Baked a Peep Cake

Posted on by Run DMT
21

The cake I baked for Easter wasn’t homemade, natural, organic, gluten free, sugar free, or even low fat.

 

Shamefully, I used a box of Better Crocker yellow cake mix to form two 8 inch round cakes, two packages of yellow Peeps, two tubs of chocolate icing and a bag of milk chocolate chips to create this sunflower Peep cake .  Nope, there was nothing healthy about it and it was damn good.  In fact, it was so good that I ate a slice for lunch the next day.

After I finished this cake, my oldest daughter suggested I pipe on some green icing to make a stem and a leaf on the side of the cake which was such a cute idea, but I was too lazy to mess with icing and a piping bag.  I’ll try that the next time I make this cute Peep cake.

Also, I think next time I make this cake, I’ll use white icing, white chocolate chips and pink or purple Peeps so the cake has a brighter springtime Easter flavor appearance.

 

Photobucket

 

Now link up and see what treats If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.


 

*Also submitted at*

PhotoStory Friday

Empire State of Mind – God, I Hope I Get It!

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This Wednesday, names will be drawn for the New York City Marathon lottery. Running in the NYC Marathon this November would be a dream come true for me and I know it would make my NYC native parents proud to see me running through their home turf.

I’ve got my fingers, toes and running shoelaces crossed hoping to be picked. This obsession with the NYC Marathon has caused me to preform spontaneous and random interpretive dance moves during my runs to a number from A Chorus Line.

God, I hope it get it.
I hope I get it.
How many people does NYC need?

God, I hope I get it.
I hope I get it.
How many boys, how many girls?
How many boys, how many…?

Look at all the people!
At all the people.
How many people does NYC need?
How many boys, how many girls?
How many people does he…?

I really need this jog.
Please God, I need this jog.
I’ve got to get this JOG!

On Wednesday, I’ll be watching the lottery live at noon. Until then, excuse me if I seem a little distracted this week. I can’t help it.

I’m in an Empire State of mind.

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

Who You Calling Turkey?

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13

I love when this…

 

 

becomes this.

 

 

I love leftovers.  When I really enjoy a meal, I’ll dream of that delicious dinner and can’t wait to dig into it the next day.  I’ve also been known to eat leftovers for breakfast.

 

But sometimes after a turkey dinner, there’s too much leftover turkey and I’m just too stuffed on turkey and stuffing.  So, when life gives me tons of leftover turkey, I make turkey enchiladas.  And when there’s a ton of leftover turkey enchiladas, I freeze the leftovers for lunch or dinner for another day.

 

Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive  oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 serrano pepper (or jalapeno for less heat), seeded and minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

4 (8 inch) flour tortillas, or more if needed

1 Tbsp sliced black olives (optional)

1 Tbsp shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a 9×12-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and cook until the onion is translucent.  Stir in the serrano pepper and flour. Stir a few times to mix in the flour. Stir in the chicken stock, about 1/4 cup at a time.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Mix in the tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer.

 

While the sauce is simmering, combine sour cream, 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and turkey in a bowl. Place a tortilla down onto a work surface and spoon 1/4 of the turkey mixture onto the tortilla in a line down the center. Roll the tortilla around the filling.  Place into the prepared baking dish with seam side down. Repeat with the other tortillas. Pour the tomato sauce over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle the casserole with black olives and 1 tablespoon of Cheddar cheese as garnish.

 

Bake uncovered until the cheese topping is browned and the casserole is bubbling (about 30 minutes).

 

Makes approximately 4 servings.

 

Photobucket

 

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*

PhotoStory FridayI am a Food RENEGADE!

Counting My Blessings

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In lieu of giving up something for my Lenten obligation, I decided to count my blessings.  To do so, I made a list of 40 items (one for each day of Lent) to which I am grateful for and consider a blessing in my life.

  1. A wonderful husband and loving father
  2. Three beautiful, bright, caring, kind children
  3. A roof over our heads
  4. My DH’s job that affords me to be a SAHM
  5. Chunky baby legs and dimpled knees
  6. Baby giggles
  7. Boisterous belly laughs
  8. A home filled with laughter
  9. A home filled with music
  10. A sense of humor
  11. A pantry, fridge and tummies full of food
  12. Gas in my car
  13. Loving parents/grandparents
  14. My sister and her wonderful husband
  15. My parents
  16. A good relationship with my MIL
  17. Loving extended family and cousins to play with
  18. Family living close by
  19. Fantastic friends
  20. Witnessing beautiful sunrises and sunsets
  21. Folders full of gorgeous photos
  22. Hubbie’s mack-daddy back-up system to protect our files and gorgeous photos
  23. Vacations and weekend trips
  24. My “Me Time” set aside for running
  25. A wonderful church to call home
  26. Our health
  27. Family get-togethers
  28. Moms on the Go, the ultimate moms group
  29. A mommy brain that can still hold the most magnificent memories
  30. A safe neighborhood
  31. Wearing flip-flops all year round
  32. A smiley tap-dancing dog and her wagging tail
  33. Doggie kisses
  34. Butterfly kisses and lullabies
  35. Cuddles
  36. The presence of God in my life
  37. Water under the bridge, repairing and rebuilding relationships
  38. Date nights
  39. The means to help others
  40. A blog that people actually read and leave wonderful, supportive comments (hint…hint)

Reuse, Relove, Recycle

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Allana had the brilliant idea to make throw pillows out of her old dresses.  But she forgot one small detail: I don’t sew.  I can barely stitch buttons.

 

 

Fortunately, Grandma offered her expertise, taught Allana to sew and helped Allana fulfill her pillow dream.

 

 

 

Random Thoughts About Getting Serious

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3

“You’re just not being serious.  When you get serious about running again, you’ll get faster.  I’ve seen you turn it on, girl!” Like a tough coach, Jackie busted my chops along with my ass and legs after Iron Girl.

 

I thought I was being serious.  It’s been a struggle to juggle it all, squeezing in my runs while trying to squeeze back into my old clothes.  But Coach Jackie blew the whistle and called me out on my slacker running style.  She served me a reality check.

 

Haven’t I turned it on yet?  I felt on, but maybe I hadn’t really plugged into my training.  Allrighty then, it’s time to get serious and really push myself!

 

So after a week of recovery from Iron Girl, I decided to show my serious side with a fresh start on Saturday morning and 6 miles.  My goal was to finish at about an hour (10:00 minute miles).  At the beginning of my run, it was a cool spring Florida morning.  PERFECT running weather!  But then, it turned hot really quickly and my about hour goal was gone with the cool weather.  Oh well.  I’ll get serious tomorrow Monday.

 

6 Miles

Time 1:08:40

Ave Pace 11:27

Max Pace 8:00

 

On Monday, I hit the snooze button and slept in.  I’ll get serious on Tuesday.

 

On Tuesday, I really did get serious, thanks to my friend, Faith (@fmc3).  Unfortunately my Garmin died, so we had to estimate our time with a little help from the DailyMile.

 

3 miles, 38:00

Start time 5:32 a.m.

End Time 5:40

Ave Pace 12:40

 

As much as I hate to admit it, Jackie is right.  I really do need to get serious about my training again.  I would love to reach my old pace of 9:00 minute miles.  In the next couple of months, I face a few shorter distance races, so improving my time for those races is totally doable.  It really would be great to finish a 5K under 30 minutes again.

 

With regards to my training, I’ve got a few other things going on next month to help me get serious about my running again.  Thanks to @runningmom2boys, I’ve been roped into an abs/push-ups challenge cleverly called the #aMAYzingabs challenge.  I’m excited about this challenge because core training is so critical to improve your running.  So this timing of this challenge couldn’t be better!

 

Basically, all participants have to do 100 push-ups and 100 crunches every day and tweet it.  That’s it.  It sounds like punishment, but it’s really not that bad because you have all day to do it.  I started my challenge yesterday and my body didn’t complain one bit.

 

Then, if you noticed my nifty little Joggermom button in my sidebar, I’ve also joined Joggermom’s May Marathon.  The goal is to run 26.2 miles before May 31.  Again, that’s totally doable.  Piece of cake, right?  Well, between both of these challenges and improving my pace, I will have certainly earned a whole piece of birthday cake.

 

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Jesus Christ Superstar

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PhotobucketXmas Dolly randomly selected me for the spotlight dance for her Monday’s Music Moves Me blog hop today.  With Easter rolling in next week, Jesus Christ Superstar is the perfect song to get everyone rocking.

 

Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite rock operas because I have fond memories of my family and me watching it every Easter. It’s hard to believe that this production is 38 years old now, although the costumes might give away its age.

 

 

Thanks for linking up and rocking with me in the name of the Lord this week!

 

Remember to visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

 

A Black and White Sunday in My City

Posted on by Run DMT
12

Since I had forgotten to stick the memory card in my camera, I decided to snap a few photos with my Droid while waiting in line for the trolley at Iron Girl.  When I snapped this photo, I didn’t realize this would be the line we would wait in for over an hour. 

 

In the background you can see the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, the first bridge of three we ran over during the race.  Although it’s difficult to judge the height of the causeway, it’s high enough for large boats to pass under it.  Years ago, the Clearwater Memorial Causeway was once a draw bridge.

 

 

I also didn’t realize my camera was set to “black and white” until someone offered to take this photo of my friends and me.

 

 

While trying to find the “normal” setting, I learned my camera has all sorts of cool effects, such as sepia and negative, and settings as well like, landscape and sport.  See, you really do learn something new every day.

 

Unknown Mamithe long road

Slinging My Pasta Sauce

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23

PhotobucketI make a mean sauce, but then being half Italian, it’s in my blood.  If I didn’t make a decent sauce, I would be shunned by my family.  Disowned, I tell ya!

 

Now you might think a good sauce should cook all day.  But when you’re craving pasta for dinner, you don’t have all day to wait to eat it, especially when you’re a mom (or dad) on the run like me.  You may also think, “I’ll just pour out some Prego on my pasta and call it a day”.  *shudder*  Well, my friend, I would call that a very bad day.  Friends don’t let friends use Prego or any other pasta sauce in a jar, not when you can make my easy, tasty seven ingredient sauce.

 

 

 

Run DMT’s Seven Ingredient Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic minced

½ cup white wine

1 carton (26 oz) Pomi chopped tomatoes

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

 

Directions
In a large saucepan, warm olive oil on a medium heat.  Add garlic and reduce heat to a very low setting.  Slowly cook the garlic until it becomes a golden brown color.  Do not burn!  When garlic is golden brown, add the white wine and gently raise the heat.  Cook wine for about 2-3 minutes or until wine evaporates.  Lower heat again and add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Stir often until sauce becomes light and slightly thickened.  Then remove from heat to avoid the tomatoes from breaking down and becoming too acidic.

 

Serve over the pasta of your choice.

 

For variations, add chopped fresh basil or oregano and stir into sauce a minute before you remove it from the heat.

 

On a side note, I started using the mini bottles of wine for my pasta sauce to avoid wasting a larger bottle of wine.  The mini bottles in a 4-pack are just the right size for any recipe and I can enjoy a small glass while I cook.  But if you use a full-size bottle of wine and find yourself with a lot of leftover white wine after making this recipe, Alex of Ma, What’s for Dinner recommends making ice cubes with leftover wine.   This prevents you from wasting a whole bottle or adding a whole bottle to your waist!

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are slinging for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

 



 

*Also submitted at*

I am a Food RENEGADE!

What Tomorrow Will Bring

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13

Stairs today.

Mt. Everest tomorrow!

 

 

When Liam was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, his orthopedic pediatrician assured us that he would reach his developmental milestones on time.  However, his sisters were early crawlers and so you can imagine my concern when Liam wasn’t showing any signs of crawling at 6 months old.  Even though I knew babies crawl anywhere from 6 months to a year, I still worried.

 

 

Within a week, Liam went from a wounded soldier crawl to crawling on all fours to pulling himself up to climbing the stairs all at the tender late young age of 8 months old.

 

 

Now, I have a whole new set of worries and none of them are whether he will be a late bloomer any more.

 

 

PhotoStory Friday