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Chocolate Peppermint Ganache Cookies
The holiday season has officially begun, and even though we likely all overate this week5, today is nevertheless a day when I feel like celebrating by breaking a few rules. I try pretty hard all year, but no matter what I tell myself, I know that at Christmas, I will feel slightly cheated if I don’t get to enjoy making and eating a few cookies with a bunch of butter and sugar. Not “breakfast cookies,” not “date-sugar” cookies, not “sneak-in-a-vegetable” cookies, just regular old nostalgic Christmas cookies. BUT! Since this is to be treated as a celebration and a rare occurrence, when I do make some naughty cookies, they have to…
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Ina Garten’s “16 Bean” Pasta e Fagioli
When pasta and soup come together, I’m really very much in heaven. And Ohio, I know I say a lot of stuff about your winters, but you know I’m just messing with you, right? I didn’t mean it. Without Ohio winters, I wouldn’t get so many chances to eat soup, and I really stinking love soup. Now that we’re in the thick of fall with winter fast-approaching, I think it’s time to start using this opportunity to make the best of our miserably cold existences and eat some damn soup. With the return of Netflix’s Stranger Things tonight, I’m gearing up for a cozy night in, and a few consecutive…
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Pomegranate Pineapple Sparkling Water
The minute the weather gets nice in Ohio, I start to feel like summer is here, and just as quickly I start to worry that it’s passing me by. I just love summer so much, that I sometimes forget to appreciate it because I’m busy worrying about watching it slip through my fingers. It’s the same way I feel on the weekend. I’m SOOOO happy it’s Friday, but by Saturday morning, I’m already starting to lament the fact that time is progressing towards Monday. Or, in the case of summer, I worry that we are progressing towards winter. When I spend a perfect sunny day stuck inside, I silently curse,…
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Let’s Talk about Track Etiquette
This morning’s workout was a little tempo run at the local high school track. It was one of those perfect mornings – already hot enough that my muscles were warmed up before I started, but just this side of too hot. (And too-hot is definitely bound to happen later today.) Running at the track has a special appeal to me (as long as I don’t overdo it). Every time I’m there, I’m reminded, whether consciously or subconsciously, of being in the 7th grade. In 7th grade, you see, I ran on the track team for the first time, and it was then that I learned the proper etiquette of running…
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Garlic Hummus with Roasted Jalapeños
I’ve been a little bit obsessed with anything spicy lately, maybe because summer’s here. It feels appropriate. Roasted jalapeño garlic hummus is pretty much the perfect solution. I’ve been consuming it at a truly irresponsible rate ever since I came up with it, and now every trip to the store involves stocking up on chick peas and jalapeños. All summer meals should really involve something on the grill. Charring jalapeños is a low maintenance way to create an excuse to be outside by the grill without needing to set down your wine. I don’t care for activities that require me to set down my wine. Personally, I’m enjoying this…
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Everyone Gets a Trophy
Today, in the “Everyone Gets a Trophy” society that is often condescendingly critiqued, I get nervous about falling victim to the entitlement mentality. “Doesn’t this teach kids that they don’t have to try that hard?” we say. “This is why young people these days don’t know how to work hard!” “Won’t they feel entitled to disproportionate success despite having put in less effort than their peers?” Uh… I don’t know. I’m not really trying to take a stab at answering those major psychological questions. But they’re good questions worth asking. I, who barely qualify as a Millenial on the cusp of having been a Gen-X-er, don’t see myself as…
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Races: Traverse City Bayshore Half Marathon
It’s Monday afternoon, Memorial Day, and although I’ve just now begun to move on to those tedious and slightly depressing “end of the weekend” chores… (you know – laundry, groceries, making a decision about whether to vacuum or try to keep “not seeing” the tumbleweeds of dog fur for another few days), I am nevertheless still basking in the happy glow of what was a really phenomenal race weekend. I almost didn’t get a spot in the Traverse City Track Club’s Bayshore Half Marathon. By the time I got wind of the race, it had already filled to capacity. I was listening to the Runner’s World podcast and editor,…
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What’s Your Sub-2:00?
In the middle of my night Friday night, or early in the morning on Saturday as the case would be for the runners in Italy, some terribly talented runners took off on a quest to break the world record for the marathon AND the 2 hour barrier. Sponsored by Nike, these exceptional gentlemen were chosen from amongst the best in the world for their qualifications for this unique pursuit, and they were given every training advantage anyone could hope to have – the best trainers, doctors, coaches, nutritionists, and other fitness professionals in the world converged to optimize their health, get them to their peak fitness, and plan a race…
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Derby Day Bourbon Chocolate Walnut Bars
Derby Day’s a-coming! Ok, let’s review why I would care about that. I don’t have a horse. I don’t ride horses. I don’t attend horse races. I don’t live in Kentucky. There are associated foods that I like. Oh yes, that’s the one. It’s because there are foods I like. Even though I’ve never been to the Kentucky Derby, and I know virtually nothing about it, I’d like to ride the coattails of this pseudo holiday and take advantage of the opportunity to make some food that I may otherwise have never tried. So, let’s call these Derby Day Bars. Whatever you call them, you DON’T call them…
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Why I Love Long Run Sunday
Despite the way I sometimes ruminate anxiously over an impending long run long before it’s begun, I secretly wish every day could be long-run Sunday. Each day of the running week brings something special to the table, but long-run Sunday is possibly my favorite. To begin with, long-run Sunday actually starts on Saturday. In my 30’s I’m finding that I’ve gotten less “fun.” In a good way. And as I get less “fun,” I actually look forward to turning in early on Saturday and focusing on hydrating instead of dehydrating. I enjoy thinking about how my carb intake will come in handy and those few extra calories are actually going to serve…
