Missing Food

These are just a few dinner dishes that I had forgotten to post up. As far as I can remember, they were all delicious:)

Tilapia Tostada
Stuffed Salmon and Roast Potatoes
Spinach Lasagna

Chicken and Polenta

Whitewater Rafing - American River

River Fun

So, this year's birthday surprise for Les involved a whitewater rafting trip on the American River - South Fork. The sneaky folks that took part in the surprise were DonReid, ToraLee, Melanie, Steve and Marz. This was So. Much. Fun!

The planning started a couple of months ago and aside from the occasional "he knows something" scare, it went off without a hitch. All the way up until the night before, he didn't know what was going on. Marz came to our house, we had dinner and then headed up to Placerville to stay at Mom's. It wasn't until the next morning when we met up at the Mother Lode River center and that he finally figured out what the surprise was!

We spent two days on the river working together as a team to be the number one battle boat against the other rafts. There were three other rafts on the river with us and they were all afraid. Our battle cry was adopted from the middle east...use your imagination:) We camped for one night and spent great time together with beer, hookah and yummy, melty, delicious s'mores. Good times for sure!

More photos on the way, they have to be developed - old school style:) Here's a link to my Smugmug page with some pics that were snapped by our friends that aren't lacking technology.

If you're interested in doing this for yourself, our trip was booked through All Outdoors Rafting and they were wonderful. They cooked our meals (proper meals!) and made sure we had a fantastic time. We'll definitely go again next year.

The North Coast Road Trip

We spent our labor day weekend in the Mendocino area and although California's coastline can't be beat....the area left a bit to be desired. It was a very long road trip, four+ hours! Half of it was up 101 which is basically flat and straight, but the last half was treacherous Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) and made both of us carsick. Poor Huggy was a trooper, stretched out on the backseat trying not to hurl herself. She fared much better than we did.

But once we got there, we set up camp in the dark and got snuggled into our comfy tent with its comfy mattress and even comfier sleeping bags. In the morning, I woke up and started breakfast on our Thane Q BBQ. I have to tell you that I love this grill, it got really bad reviews and has been discontinued, but I love love love it. Not sure why it got such a bad rep because it's always been good to us. So, I made some eggs, onions and potatoes and it was truly yummy. We had some hot chocolate and coffee and got on about our day.

We stayed at the Manchester Beach KOA. Clean and well-run...the only thing I have to say is that kids should not be allowed within 300 feet of me at all times. I really don't care for them at all. That being said, they put us in the tent site right next to the freakin' playground!! We couldn't change this because the grounds were all booked up. So, I had to endure screaming and obnoxious children for three days straight.

Each day, we drove to a new place. The first day, we drove to Mendocino and then stopped at Jughandle State Reserve. At Jughandle there was this freaky guy that ran to our car asking to use our cell phone because he has a "situation" and his "client" had an accident in the porta potty. This guy was truly weird and we weren't sure what to do, so we told him our cell phone was dead. When he went back to the porta potty, he had thrown some clothes on the ground and there was crying coming from inside. So, we called 911 and they sent out the sheriff. We don't know exactly what happened, all we know is that it left us with an uneasy feeling.

The next day we found out that dogs are not allowed in any of the state park trails....all the places we wanted to go. So, we ended up driving and driving and driving as far north as we could stand. We ended up past Westport and pulled over to have lunch in the redwoods. Gorgeous trees they are, embedded in a forest of ferns and clover. Huggy found a creek and got all mucky - Huggy loves to be mucky. The drive back took us through Mendocino again so we stopped to see what all the fuss is about with this town. It's like any other quaint coastal town with specialty shops. We got some fudge, divinity and a carmel apple and took off.

All in all, it was nice to get away from laptops and cell phones for a few days, but I doubt we'll go back. I beat Les at his own card game (best out of 11 games, to be fair) and that was nice because I never beat him at anything. Note to reader....never ever ever play Monopoly with my husband....he has a freakish way of having no money and all property mortgaged and the next thing you know, he has ALL the money and you have nothing. You'll end up selling yourself to him to pay off your debts. It's a sad sad thing to end up a Monopoly whore.

Our digi cam is out of service, so we had to take pics the old fashioned way...it was so foreign to take 35mm photos. They have to be developed and all that bullocks, so I'll post them whenever I get around to it. It's amazing how much you don't realize you're totally into instant gratification until things start to become anti-instant!

Weekend Update 8/26-27

Saturday I woke up and made Les a proper English breakfast. Well...as proper as I can handle anyway...I just can't bring myself to buying/preparing black pudding (blood sausage) so I made him chicken sausage instead. Alongside was baked beans, tomato slices, toast and bacon. My breakfast was quite different because I am the healthy one in the relationship.

I ran six miles on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. My preparation for these half marathons coming up has been less than existent. If I want to even finish these races, I need to run at least three times a week, I'm lucky if it's even one. Too much time at the gym. I need to run. So I did:) And I broke Huggy in the process. She's getting too old to run with me any distance over three miles. Poor girl has very sore paws today.

We went to the last pool party of the summer at Shawn's house (no pics this time...camera was dropped on the floor for the last time of it's life...it doesn't want to work anymore) Was nice to see the usual suspects, the music was excellent as usual....it doesn't hurt that I'm totally doing the DJ, so I get to listen to the good music all the time:D The water was refreshing although I only like to soak and tan in the pool anymore, I think I'm done with actual swimming until next tri season.

Sunday, we went for a hike at Coyote Lake Trail with our friends Melanie and Steve. I think our trek took us just under ten miles. It was a great workout:) Afterwards we had In 'N Out Burger:D Melanie & Steve just moved here from Utah and are the active type, so we've got lots of things to show them. They also snowboard, so we're definitely going to take many Tahoe trips together.

Poor Neglected Cracklins:(

Okay, it's been months. Guess I just lost interest for a while. But I realize that this blog kept me kind of sane by giving me a place in the world to force my thoughts out of my head. So, here goes.

Things I've done since last post (in most recent order...because the memory ain't what it used to be):
1) Tour d'Organics 100K bike tour with Sheri. Beautiful ride, even better being with my buddy but the promise of local organic fare left a lot to be desired....there's only so much freakin' fruit you can eat during a ride...give me bread and meat please! I know it was a vegan event....I was in way over my head!

2) Les and I went to the new rock climbing gym with Larry and Sheri. They belayed us and it was so much fun, I'm fairly certain we are hooked and will do it every other week or so.

3) Training for TWO half marathons in October - The inaugural Rock 'n Roll San Jose half marathon and the Silicon Valley half mary on my company's team.

4) BBQ at the Carter's . Had some friends over, ate yummy food, opened the bottle of Absinthe we brought back from the UK in January. It sure smells pretty, but lights your throat/esophogus/belly on FIRE when you drink it.

5) Joined Bally Fitness Center and got myself a personal trainer to boot my ass into shape. I think muscle memory has gotten the best of me, so Lawrence is completely kick-starting the metabolism:) It's hard work but also a lot of fun because he's become a good friend too.

6) Pool party at our friend Shawn's house. Managed to work up the confidence to put a bikini on....and realized after seeing the photos that I really shouldn't have done that! Hence the reason for personal trainer.

7) Every Thursday is FHT again. This was a house music gig that Les started up four years ago, but it fizzled out. Now we're at SoFA Lounge in downtown San Jose and it's a perfect happy hour gig.

8) I got an "A" in the business class I took in college:) Will do more classes this fall. Shit! That's NOW! Guess I should register, eh?

This is where the memory fades...

Weekend Cat Blogging #52

The newly engaged Clare is celebrating an anniversary....one full year of weekend cat blogging! She's been bringing together all of us cat lover's each week and delighted us with very entertaining photos of her very own Kiri. He is an acrobat, a box chewer and he does the same weird upside-down-kitty thing that Stella does.

So, this week's celebration is supposed to bring all of our kitties out to party and show their favorite toys. I have decided to show you what Stella did the other day....her favorite toy is now a squirrel that torments her in the back yard. Similar to the way that this brushtail possum torments Kiri. This photo was captured as she was chasing the squirrel up the tree. Her first hunt, her first tree climb and the best photo op ever!


Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink to her in the WCB comments. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Did you know I love kebabs?

Oh yes, I can eat kebabs every single day and not get sick of them. Veggie kebabs are my absolute favorite, but you have to throw some meat on the grill too.

I soak the skewers in water for a few minutes so they don't burn up on the grill before the food has a chance to cook on them. After alternating zucchini, onion, mushrooms and red peppers, I rub them with olive oil and shake some veggie seasoning on them. I found this spice mix that is heavy on the lemon pepper and it makes the kebabs taste really bright.

I marinated the chicken in my very own marinade for a couple of hours. The citrus in the marinade tenderizes the meat and makes it super succulent and tasty-fied. I used chicken breasts for this, but dark meat would be okay too.

I put them on a hot-ish-but-not-too-hot-grill and let the fire to it's magic. Yum.

Carribean Spice Rubbed Chicken & Pineapple Salsa

Mom brought over the latest Fine Cooking edition and she wanted so badly to beat Sheri and Amy to the punch to make a recipe from this mag for once, we gathered all of the ingredients and had ourselves a nice dinner.

There are a few different rubs that this issue brings forth, but the Carribean spices seemed the most tantalizing to me. I love cumin and brown sugar together...so it was immediately a winner.

After pounding the chix breast, I coated them with the spice rub and threw 'em on the barbie. They cooked quickly, barely gave me enough time to make the pinapple salsa. I didn't follow the recipe for this, I gave it my own twist be leaving out the radishes and substituting black beans instead as this was an actual side dish, not just something to top the chicken.

Holy Cow, this blog needs attention!

So, here is my first post in a while....just in time for Weekend Cat Blogging #50:)

It's a look at the past and present lives of two very lazy cats. Stella the killer and Butterscotch the patriarch. The first photo was only taken eight months ago...look how big our Stella is already!

Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink to her in the WCB comments. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Hobo-Ghetto Ride 2006 - The Adventure of all Adventures!

The adventure goes as follows:

I attended a wedding in Sac the night before and was up all night with a couple of drinks in hand...so I got no sleep! My hubby and I stayed at the Hyatt downtown so the drive was a non-issue. I woke up around 7am and fortified with some breakfast (an egg, a croissant, fingerling potatoes, asparagus tips and orange juice - hey, I'm going to take advantage of room service whenever I can!) and headed out the door to meet my faithful training partner Sheri.

In the beginning

Sheri drove us over to West Sac to the start of the American River Trail (ART). We took our time getting ready because it was cold, gray and miserable...and I was a *bit* tired;) After the tires were all pumped up and we were packed with energy gels and gum, we hit the trail and were very excited.

Flooded ART

We got one mile and were faced with a flooded path. I mean...flooded big-time with nowhere to go but back the way from which we came. When we got back to the car we looked at the trail map and realized we could catch the trail from a bike path and footbridge in the middle of downtown. Then we realized that Sheri had a flat tire! So, because we are never beaten by flat tires, weather, floods or anything else for that matter. She fixed her flat and we took the five-mile detour to get to the ART once more.

Sheri through water

That detour led us over a couple of foot bridges that were currently being occupied by hobos with brown bags and although it was a *bit* scary, we trudged on with our super-fast bikes and got out of danger very quickly. At the junction where we were to hook up with the ART, we stopped to talk to the park ranger and he told us of a shortcut that would eliminate having to go through any majorly flooded trails, but there would be a *little bit* of water we'd have to ride through to get there. We can totally handle a little bit of water, so we carried on and followed his directions.

End of ghetto trail

6 miles later and at the END OF THE TRAIL.... we realized we had been led down the wrong path (literally). I guess the fact that we were nowhere near the shore of the American River should have tipped us off, but we didn't catch on. We're not that smart. We are in Rio Linda for feck's sake! We stopped for some more fuel at the corner market and high-tailed it back to the ART direction. We were almost to the junction to get on to the ART, when we encountered a freakin' train that was stopped and blocking our crossing!

Jumping the Train

Trains cannot stop us either, by the way. With very little coaxing, I managed to talk Sheri into jumping the train through a couple of boxcars! We are soooooooooooooo bad! Sha...like I'm really going to wait for a train to move before I do! Got pictures of that. The adrenaline coursing through our veins because we were scared to death that it was going to start moving at any second was i-n-s-a-n-e. Such a rush.... note-to-self.... don’t do this again...it was not a smart thing to do:D We saw a guy on the other side of the train that was trying to find a way around the train. We offered to help him jump the train like we did, but he declined.... we called him a weenie and went on about our business.

Sock Dryer

We eventually made it to the trailhead where we would eventually catch up to the river. This ride was cool. Because of the water we had to ride through, my socks were soaked and making my feet freeze off. So, we stopped and I took them off and put them on my aero bars to dry off. This is really what aero bars are for, by the way. We rode for what seemed like years. It was a beautiful trail and nice to see the river so high. The ART is not flat; it's got lots of rollers with switchbacks that make it completely fun.

Sheri and I have a habit of pushing each other beyond what we expect from one another, this is why we make good training partners. For example, when I wanted to stop and eat, she made me ride more. And when she wanted to stop and take a nap, I made her ride more. We did stop for lunch at a burger place near the end of Arden Road. We had chicken sammies and water. It was perfect for being 26 miles into our ride. We decided that since our detour from earlier tagged on an additional 12 miles to our ride, we were not going to be able to do the entire ART. So, we figured out that her grandma lives about 7 miles (as the crow flies) up the trail in Fair Oaks that would be a good place to turnaround. So we decided to pay her a visit.

Break at Nimbus Dam

For me, starting after eating is the toughest. After food, I want a siesta! But Sheri took the lead for a while and got us to 37 miles. I took the lead at that point and pushed us to 40 miles because I wanted to have an even number on my bike computer before turning around for the day because I'm OCD like that sometimes. And wouldn't you know it, the side road we went down ended at Nimbus Dam at exactly 40.00 miles?! I swear, freakish things like that happen to us all the time! We hung out at the end of the Dam for a while and took some pictures, had a snack and talked a little bit.

Sheri & Grandma

Then we got back on the ART and headed towards Grandma's house. She was so happy to see Sheri and it was good to sit in a warm house for a while. Her Grandma is very nice and even gave me one of her new tubes of chapstick because I was whining about my dry and wind-chapped lips. It was starting to get dark and the threat of rain that had been looming all day was slowly becoming a promise. We said goodbye to Grandma and made our way back to the ART.

And for the next 5 miles or so we lolly-gagged and messed about and got off our bikes and stretched. And we laughed and goofed around in delirium because this day was long and we were spent. Then the rain fell and it was time to get home. So, I told Sheri to get on my wheel and I'd take us all the way to the trailhead in downtown Sac. I threw my bike into a big gear and mashed for an hour straight and we averaged between 16.8-17 mph the entire time! That was hellish hard work but I was in the zone and completely proud of the fact that Sheri was mashing right with me while catching a nice draft:)

The last 5 mile leg into old Sac was fairly uneventful aside from the fact that we were soaked to the bone and so ready to get off the bikes. We got a *bit* lost at the very end because the trail disappeared, but when we caught sight of the park where the car was anxiously awaiting us, we squealed with glee and sang our silly little songs all the way to it. We loaded up the bikes and ourselves, changed out of our wet gear and hit the road for home. Was an absolutely brilliant day of riding. Can't wait to do it again:)

Total Mileage = 67 long miles
Total Ride Time = 5.5 hours
Total Time Out = 8 hours!

Here are the pics of the adventure

You probably need a nap after reading that! Just thought I'd share:)

I finally found chimichurri!

I absolutely and 100% l-o-v-e chimichurri sauce. Les and I get it from the Santana Row Farmer's Market on Sundays. Because it's been raining and we've had other things to do on Sundays, I've been without my chimichurri.

So, I was browsing around Epicurious.com - a site I don't normally like but Sheri pointed me to a recipe that I was willing to try tonight - parsnip and sweet potato puree....and I found a recipe for flank steak chimichurri sauce there! Oh I was so happy. Yes. Happy about chimichurri - you don't understand....it's like a wonder-condiment. You can put it on eggs and pasta and potatoes and everything else that you could think of.

Although it was drizzling outside, I started up the grill and threw the seasoned flank steak on it. I love the smell of anything being made on the grill. It takes me back to the days when I was younger and my dad would make us steak and ribs in Georgia on our grill. Happy times.

Kitty in the Window for WCB #43

She is a gorgeous little terrorist. Seriously...the cat must have ties to a splinter cell here in the bay area because she is 100% certifiable and wacky-do. But she is cute and she provides hours of entertainment;) Especially when she is in the window and chatters uncontrollably at all of the birds that fly by the window. Vicious killer she is.

Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink to her in the WCB comments. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Au Gratin Potatoes

Okay, during my long bout of PMS last week I was craving comfort food. This was the first thing that came to mind. Who doesn't love creamy and cheesy potatoes? I'm not sure if you can be trusted if you don't like creamy and cheesy potatoes!

This was my very first time ever making au gratin. I had always been terrified of it for some reason, but that was all for naught. This was simple. I used half a stick of butter, 2 cups of sharp white cheddar, 1 cup of muenster and 1 cup of heavy cream!!! That was as bad as I've ever allowed myself to be when cooking. I am not sure if I can bring myself to making that again. Unless of course, the PMS makes me do it:D

Spinach and Feta Pork Tenderloin

We all know that I am Sheri's Mini-Me...so when she made a version of this, I had to do it too. Admitedly, hers looks much better....but that's how it will always be because she actually follows recipes. I cannot conform to recipes. I am a rebel.

I made a dry rub for mine that was just a bit too spicy. I like spicy...but this was not enjoyable spicy. I also cooked it too long, so it was spicy and dry. Will not do that again!

Chicken Roulades

The very first time Sheri had the hubby and me over for dinner she made these for us and I was immediately hooked. Especially when she told me how easy they are to make.

Pound chicken breasts thin and season with salt and pepper. Place a layer of basil, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese over the chicken and roll them up. Secure with toothpicks and bake until golden brown and cooked through. So easy. So good.

Ok, I'm back on blogging:)

Man, that was a long bout of PMS. I actually got a bit depressed during that time and a bit overwhelmed with work and school. But I am back to bring you photos of food gone wrong as well as charm you with my banter regarding life as a triathlete and mom to furry childrens:D

I also want to let you all know that I have been very disciplined in my workouts for the past couple of weeks. It got a bit rough when I had no energy, but my faithful training partner, Sheri, made sure I was motivated and got the job done. So, feelin' good and starting to look that way too. My legs are shaping up from all of the squats, lunges and leg presses.

Hubby has been working out with our long-time friend Marz at the gym. I'm very proud of the two of them for getting their DJ arses in gear:D They go to a different 24 Hour Fitness than Sheri and I do. But for some reason Sheri and I decided to go to their gym last week and it was totally skanky! It was hot, humid and dank. Oh, but the best part was the 80's chick in the hot pink tights with silver thong up her ass. She also had a hot pink braided head band and the frizzy 80's bleach blond hair. The only thing that was missing were leg warmers....but I bet she does own some. She had a nice body, but she was seriously out of place and I felt sorry for her because everyone was laughing at her. You know she put those clothes on and looked in the mirror and thought she looked damn good. But someone forgot to slap her into reality!

I'm definitely off blogging

Just don't care for it much these days. Perhaps it's because I'm just too busy with work, school and training. I'll still check on all of you guys from time to time, but I don't think I'm going to update this for a while. Not unless there is something outrageously important - like a race report or something.

Ciao:)
KT

Clean Up

Thanks to Nytro we're making an effort to clean it up. And when I say "we're", I really mean I're and will force the husband to comply without making it seem like he's complying.

Nytro has consulted with a compound pharmacist about her PMS, raging hormones, illness and the possibility of estrogen dominance and adrenal fatigue. She posted up a few questions posed by Dr. James L. Wilson, the author of "Adrenal Fatigue". I was intrigued to say the least because I, by answering these questions positively, may be suffering from it. I think a lot of women might be suffering from it and not realize it. I have done some research on the world wide web...the in-ter-net, if you will, and have come to the conclusion that every damn doctor thinks they're an expert on this issue. I did come across a site that was fairly impartial..but also had a product to sell.

What I did learn, though...is that estrogen dominance is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the progesterone in your body balances it out at the right time. An estrogen imbalance causes lots of female issues like loss of libido, fatigue and increased mood swings. What we can all do to help out our friend progesterone (rather than take a progesterone pill) is take in less estrogen by switching to hormone-free and free-range/oranic products.

This is the first step I'm taking to see if I can get some things back to normal. I never even thought about it. If the cows and chickens are ingesting hormones and I eat them...that means I'm eating the hormones...and I don't need anymore of those, thank you very much. So, it's Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for all of our meat and fish from now on. I love those stores, they just aren't very conveniently located. Well, it's a small price to pay for my health, right? Right.

My Oma and Opa

I love finding old photos of my Oma and Opa from when they were a young couple in Germany. You could tell they were in love, this is such a great photo. Look how nicely dressed they were. Oma in a dress and Opa in a tie...they took the time to look nice.

They have been married for over 50 years and my Opa has some health problems. My Oma is still as strong today as I remember her as a young child. She takes very good care of my Opa and makes sure that he keeps up with her.

I have my Oma's chubby cheeks and stocky body. I have Opa's intolerance to stupidity.

Roasted Chimichangas

You know I'm about guiltless food, and this is one of those things that I will return to over and over again. Compliments of Sheri - as usual. You see, I can't think for myself when it comes to deciding what to eat. So, it's Sheri that comes through and gives me ideas.

I browned some ground turkey & onions and placed a little bit inside of a whole wheat tortilla. I topped that with a little bit of mozzarella cheese, roll it all up and place it seam-side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and then chow down:)

The reason I like this so much is because instead of frying the mini burrito, you bake it. It still gets nice and crispy without the horrible guilt that goes along with fried foods!