back in the good ol' days, i posted a recipe for pistachio pasta sauce (if you want a copy, shoot me an email). today i wanted something a little "meatier", so i made a few adjustments with a few things lying around in the pantry.
melt 3 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. when bubbling subsides, add a bunch of green onions (sliced thickish) and a fair amount of minced garlic. saute until garlic turns straw-colored. add one can of artichoke hearts (rinsed and roughly cut up) and one package of mushrooms (sliced). roast artichokes and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until a good fond forms on the bottom of the pan. deglaze with about a tablespoon of worcestershire, a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar (or more if you like), some cracked black pepper, and some rosemary. if it reduces too quickly, lower or remove from heat. reduce until mushrooms have absorbed the balsamic. add chopped pistachios.
cook one pound of pasta (i used spaghetti), reserving about a cup of the pasta water before you drain it. stir in a little bit of pasta water at a time until it gets to a good sauce-y consistency. toss with pasta. nom.
i would have added a whole lotta parm, but i was out.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Fast Is the New Slow
I've had that moment that comes along very rarely, but when it happens, you feel like a rock star.
/begin brag/
After the marathon, I felt like all the run had gone out of me. No big deal, until I still felt that way four months later. My pace was ridiculously slow. The idea of marathon pace for a mere 3 miles was excruciating. I felt like I'd never get speed back.
I had stopped using my Garmin after the marathon, just running by feel while I recovered. My only reference for pace was the track workout. Where I had been able to consistently run 90-second quarters less than a year ago, I was now barely able to knock out a 1:40. Four months, and never got any faster.
I figured my tempo and long run paces had to be just as bad. In my mind, tempo=probably 20 seconds slower than marathon pace, and long run=9:30, maybe 9s. Ugh.
Last week I finally strapped on the Garmin to see just how bad it really was. Long run...
8s, minimum!!!! I had a hard time keeping it slower than 8s. But they still felt like I was barely moving, going way too easy, like I was doing 9s.
My tempo pace wasn't quite where it was prior to the marathon, but I was still doing strong 7:30s. The great feeling that came with my long run pace, my new "slow", was awesome.
Yay!
/end brag/
/begin brag/
After the marathon, I felt like all the run had gone out of me. No big deal, until I still felt that way four months later. My pace was ridiculously slow. The idea of marathon pace for a mere 3 miles was excruciating. I felt like I'd never get speed back.
I had stopped using my Garmin after the marathon, just running by feel while I recovered. My only reference for pace was the track workout. Where I had been able to consistently run 90-second quarters less than a year ago, I was now barely able to knock out a 1:40. Four months, and never got any faster.
I figured my tempo and long run paces had to be just as bad. In my mind, tempo=probably 20 seconds slower than marathon pace, and long run=9:30, maybe 9s. Ugh.
Last week I finally strapped on the Garmin to see just how bad it really was. Long run...
8s, minimum!!!! I had a hard time keeping it slower than 8s. But they still felt like I was barely moving, going way too easy, like I was doing 9s.
My tempo pace wasn't quite where it was prior to the marathon, but I was still doing strong 7:30s. The great feeling that came with my long run pace, my new "slow", was awesome.
Yay!
/end brag/
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Great Flood of 2010
I sustained minimal damage - so far. I have the sinking feeling that we'll have more flooding tonight.
Music fest was remarkably dry until I hopped on my bike to leave, and rained just a little on the way home. Woke up later to the sound of rain absolutely freaking pouring down and tons of thunder. First thought: I bet my neighborhood is flooding. Lo and behold. Despite all the construction for the past few months to alleviate the flooding problem, an absolute torrent came rushing through my back yard.
My back door is about three feet off the ground. The waterline is right at the threshold, and some water got in under the door and also up through the floor in the back bedroom.
Everything that wasn't on a shelf in the shed drowned.
A couple hundred dollars worth of yard work I've done in the past two weeks is gone. The hydrangeas I planted a few years ago that were looking so beautiful this year were torn up. I have a massive sinkhole in the back yard. My back gate probably needs to be replaced. And a couple hundred pounds of gravel from the drive washed up into one pile and took out the neighbor's fence.
On the upside, Bonnie has gotten much more comfortable with thunderstorms. She used to get antsy and shaky whenever there was thunder in the distance. Last night with constant, incredibly loud booms she just hung out by the bed.
Gee, it's starting to rain again...
Music fest was remarkably dry until I hopped on my bike to leave, and rained just a little on the way home. Woke up later to the sound of rain absolutely freaking pouring down and tons of thunder. First thought: I bet my neighborhood is flooding. Lo and behold. Despite all the construction for the past few months to alleviate the flooding problem, an absolute torrent came rushing through my back yard.
My back door is about three feet off the ground. The waterline is right at the threshold, and some water got in under the door and also up through the floor in the back bedroom.
Everything that wasn't on a shelf in the shed drowned.
A couple hundred dollars worth of yard work I've done in the past two weeks is gone. The hydrangeas I planted a few years ago that were looking so beautiful this year were torn up. I have a massive sinkhole in the back yard. My back gate probably needs to be replaced. And a couple hundred pounds of gravel from the drive washed up into one pile and took out the neighbor's fence.
On the upside, Bonnie has gotten much more comfortable with thunderstorms. She used to get antsy and shaky whenever there was thunder in the distance. Last night with constant, incredibly loud booms she just hung out by the bed.
Gee, it's starting to rain again...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Gulf Coast Here I Come!
I registered for Gulf Coast Tri today. I'm waiting to see what bones get broken between now and race day.
My lack of training is laughable. I haven't biked over 60 miles this year, been swimming sporadically, and haven't run longer than 8 or so miles since St. Jude Marathon. But it's just a half iron. No biggie. Been there, done that. Once. It counts.
The upside is that Nancy, Julie, Layla, Ashley, Laura, Joy, Damie, and all my other Memphis competition won't be there to kick my ass...
My lack of training is laughable. I haven't biked over 60 miles this year, been swimming sporadically, and haven't run longer than 8 or so miles since St. Jude Marathon. But it's just a half iron. No biggie. Been there, done that. Once. It counts.
The upside is that Nancy, Julie, Layla, Ashley, Laura, Joy, Damie, and all my other Memphis competition won't be there to kick my ass...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
swimmingly
the sun rises early enough now that it's easier to get up in time for swim. so i made it to the pool today after taking off, oh, a month or so.
the pool's typically crowded this time of year - gear up for race season! this year, though, there aren't many familiar faces. barb b. and i were the only ones from the old crew today. Ah, those were the days, when we sleepily welcomed each other twice a week, were all the same pace, and did our laps like clockwork.
the next slowest lane was crowded this morning, so one guy moved into our lane. apparently he'd been top dog in his lane, because he was quick to jump in and lead sets.
ahem. new guy, take it easy there. you aren't top dog here.
after running up behind him one too many times, i did a mid-lane turn to take the lead. and proceeded to lap him every hundred. pull, fins, swim, whatever. take that, dawg.
ok, i'm not really putting him down. my actual thoughts were: woohoo! i'm faster than somebody! that never happens!
but it makes me pine for the good ol' days. miss you nancy!
the pool's typically crowded this time of year - gear up for race season! this year, though, there aren't many familiar faces. barb b. and i were the only ones from the old crew today. Ah, those were the days, when we sleepily welcomed each other twice a week, were all the same pace, and did our laps like clockwork.
the next slowest lane was crowded this morning, so one guy moved into our lane. apparently he'd been top dog in his lane, because he was quick to jump in and lead sets.
ahem. new guy, take it easy there. you aren't top dog here.
after running up behind him one too many times, i did a mid-lane turn to take the lead. and proceeded to lap him every hundred. pull, fins, swim, whatever. take that, dawg.
ok, i'm not really putting him down. my actual thoughts were: woohoo! i'm faster than somebody! that never happens!
but it makes me pine for the good ol' days. miss you nancy!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Nancy's Update
I have nothing to contribute these days, and before Nancy starts harassing me, here's a post just to post something.
Nancy has a blog! Go check it out!
Nancy has a blog! Go check it out!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Random Recipe
Ok, so this blog is now aimless and intermittently updated. Someday I'll get it back to its former glory. In the meantime, I came up with a creation that I, personally, pat myself on the back for and thus must bestow upon my loyal readers (all two of you). The inspiration came from Blue Fin after a marvelous sushi dinner. They have a fabulous take on smores, which I highly suggest you try, but this is my homemade take on it:
Chocolate ganache (any recipe will do, but basically chocolate, butter, and cream. How can you go wrong?)
Souffle batter (start with a base recipe like one for Grand Marnier souffle. I just omitted the flavorings, but if orange or lemon or what have you floats your boat, go for it.)
Graham crackers
Fill a ramekin halfway with ganache, and the rest of the way with souffle batter. Bake according to souffle instructions. Lap it up with graham cracker scoops. Damn!
I didn't think about homemade marshmallows until I was already set on souffle, but I think that's what I'll try next time. The marshmallows look ridiculously easy to make, and they would be great for this fire-pit-perfect weather :D
Chocolate ganache (any recipe will do, but basically chocolate, butter, and cream. How can you go wrong?)
Souffle batter (start with a base recipe like one for Grand Marnier souffle. I just omitted the flavorings, but if orange or lemon or what have you floats your boat, go for it.)
Graham crackers
Fill a ramekin halfway with ganache, and the rest of the way with souffle batter. Bake according to souffle instructions. Lap it up with graham cracker scoops. Damn!
I didn't think about homemade marshmallows until I was already set on souffle, but I think that's what I'll try next time. The marshmallows look ridiculously easy to make, and they would be great for this fire-pit-perfect weather :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)