Dinner and a Movie Saturday followed by a Sunday Kind of Love

Last night I enjoyed an evening of quality entertainment, including a dinner of popcorn, chocolate truffles, wine. Scent of a Woman has to be one of my top five favorite movies ever, so any evening that I can spend a little time with the antics of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade and the sensibility of Charlie Simms is a good night indeed. Ho-ahh!



I had a sofa snuggle partner. She missed all of the quality entertainment last night because she exhausted from trying to convince me she needed some popcorn and truffles. I gave her one piece and then proceeded to finish off the bag.

I woke up ravenous this morning. After scrounging around in the fridge I managed to pull together enough ingredients for a hearty veggie omelet. Spinach, onion, and tomatoes sauteed and added to my two-egg omelet with just a tad bit of cheese. Topped off with salsa...MmmmMmmm!

Now that I am fueled for the morning, I'm off to start the laundry. Laundry stinks. It's the chore I procrastinate on the most.  Everyone needs a little fuel to get through that chore.

And in honor of the great Etta James, I'll leave with you with this.

Sunday kinda love to you all,



Blogging a go go.

Entering the world of mobile blogging. Watch out.

Tasty Veggies- No Kidding

I wish I had a functioning camera right now. If I did, I would share the most beautiful food pictures with you. The pictures don't do the recipe justice though, so I'll just share the goods with you now.

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Stack

1 Pablano Pepper cut in matchsticks
2 Red Bell Peppers cut in matchsticks
1/2 Head of Cauliflower
1/2 Medium Onion Slice
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Cumin
1 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups of salsa verde
1-2 cups of grated cheese
Corn tortillas
Fresh Spinach

In a casserole dish or cookie sheet place all of the chopped veggies except for the spinach. Drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, and cumin. Stir to coat. Roast in over on 425 for about 20-30 minutes or until veggies are tender. While the veggies are roasting, brown some ground turkey and season with garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. (Or just use a taco seasoning packet).

After the veggies have roasted, layer your ingredients in a casserole dish in the following order:
Salsa Verde
Corn tortillas
Roasted Veggies
Hamburger meat
Spinach
Cheese

Repeat and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browning on top. Serve with sour cream.

Y'all- my kid ate cauliflower! Make this dish. You won't be sorry; I PROMISE!!!

Happy Eating,

SA Rock N Roll Race Recap

Last Sunday I ran the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon. It was a fantastic experience, although my training this go 'round left much to be desired. I vowed to do my best in spite of only completing about 70% of my training. Justin wavered on actually running the race, but his last minute decision to run with me had me pumped and motivated to get through all 13.1 miles.

After hearing about the insane crowds and logistical nightmares with parking and shuttle,  Justin and I set out to arrive super early in order to avoid too much stress on race morning. It was a great idea, until the alarm didn't go off and we were an hour behind schedule. So much for avoiding stress on race morning. It was just nuts from there.

We ran late, sat in traffic, stood in line for the shuttle, ate on the shuttle, walked a mile to get Griffin set up at the finish line tent, walked another mile to get back to the start line, stood in line for the port a potty FOREVER, and jumped straight into a corral to begin the race.

Mile 1- The crowds were crazy! We were running easy and I was taking in the crowds and the atmosphere of the race.
Mile 2- Justin timed our pace. Remember, there was no goal of a glamorous finish time, just to get through the miles and cross the finish line.
Mile 3- We were at a 10:00 minute pace. Faster than I would have liked for the beginning. Justin was chomping at the bits to move a little faster.
Mile 4- Justin started easing out it front of me, but would turn back and shoot me an encouraging and motivating smile and thumbs up ever now and then.
Mile 5- I spied Team Determination Coaches! One of them jumped out and ran with me for bit. She offered up all kinds of supplies, but the only thing I took was a wet wipe. Who knew that thing would be so amazing on a run?!?! It was so humid and the sweat and salt was beginning to feel cruddy on my face. Being able to wipe it off was refreshing.
Mile 6- I lost Justin by this point, but was so thankful he was feeling good enough to take off and run a little faster. We entered a historic district and one of the homes had a table set up with free beer. At the beer table I spotted a runner that was nothing but pure entertainment for the next several miles. Dressed in neon, 80's workout attire, he downed a beer and pulled off a few dance moves.
At the 10K point I was at 10:16/mile pace
Mile 7- 80's dude had been entertaining the crowds with his dance moves and even replicated the Flash Dance water scene, when he grabbed a spectators water, assumed a somewhat sultry position, and poured the water over his head. He then headed over to another crowd watcher for a little smoke time because filling your lungs up with toxins always helps when your running. Good entertainment,guys!
Mile 8- DONUTS! The sweetest girl was standing in the crowds holding a box of the most amazing, fresh, glazed donuts. Guess who headed straight in her direction? It was so sad to lose sight of 80's guy shortly after this point. The sadness was short lived because in the most perfect timing, my love showed up! My legs were feeling a little achy at this point, but otherwise I was feeling great! Justin's calf was acting up and he was really having to push through some pain.
Mile 9- Justin had to stop due to the pain, but he encouraged me to keep going. The roads got narrow and the crowds started to get a bit thicker here. The encouragement of the cheering crowd was great.
Mile 10-12- The Alamo! Bands!, Cheering crowds! But, of the lactic acid build up in calves was intense. It was so painful, but I never started cramping up and my breathing was under control and not labored at all. I kept thinking I should be moving faster, but I was only slowing down.
Mile 13- I was hurting and knew there was one last hill coming right before the finish. But, the crowds were incredible. I spotted ahead of me a lady in a pink shirt that said " I run because______!" My mental chant from here to the finish was every reason why I was running. Which is actually a good thought for another post, another day. But, to give you a hint, because I CAN is on the top of my list. We rounded the last corner and faced the hill. It was a moment where I was actually thankful for all of the hills I have encountered since moving to San Antonio. About 1/3 of the way up the hill my pink shirt stopped and doubled over to grab her leg. "Oh no you don't," I said as I grabbed her arm and forced her up. "Your shirt has gotten me through the last mile and I need you to keep going to the top of this hill." She quickly got on board and resumed her run across the  finish line.

My legs were burning as I shuffled through the finishers maze. I made it back to the Team Determination tent and was immediately hit with the leg cramps. During my stretching, as soon as one muscle would stop another would start. It became quite comical for a moment.

Just as I got my legs back in order, Justin appeared with a finishers medal in hand. It was a terrific moment to know that we finished. He would probably beg to differ with you- the idea that I finished ahead of him was enough for him to commit to another half marathon in the spring. The idea of hanging up the towel on long distance running has been in the forefront of his mind pre-race day.

Here we are Race #1 in 2010 on the left and the most recent on the right. I'm 10 pounds heavier than I was the first go around, and definitely less trained than before, but even with the leg pain, I felt stronger and better post-race than my first time. I do attribute some of that to the northern terrain of San Antonio- THANK YOU neighborhood hills!

For this race, I joined Team Determination of the American Cancer Society with a group of co-workers. The experience of getting to know some new faces in the office and fundraising for a good cause gave me a different focus at this race. I wasn't just running for what I could accomplish, but for a multitude of other reasons. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to run with such a great organization and group of people!

And you, my lovely readers, still have the opportunity to support my fund raising efforts. Although race day has come and gone, Cancer has not! We have left our fundraising open a little longer for those of you who would like to make a contribution. Please click here to make a donation! Help me meet my fundraising goal!

Off and Running,

It's that time

Sun sets, a full moon rises

before each is done twilight glows

This crossing of a season into the next

begins with the crossing of day into night

Taken from a BHLDN advertisment. I have the Starburst Pleated Shift and love it.

Week 2- What's been cookin' in my kitchen?

I'm a little behind schedule on getting this posted, but I've had some stuff come up the last couple of days that needed some immediate attention. I'm popular and when people need me, they need me. What can I say?

So last weeks cooking endeavors where well intended, but I took the easy way out a couple more times that I would have liked last week and dined out. But, we started off well and it's the intent that matters most, right???

Monday: Roasted Chicken Quarters, pan sauteed veggies, and mashed potatoes.

How'd ya do that? Skin-on chicken quarters were on sale this last week at the store, so I snagged up a family size package so we would have leftovers, of course. I rubbed them down with a blood-orange olive oil (but any old olive oil would do) and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Threw in a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, a quartered onion and added a bulb of garlic (which I cut the top off of and rubbed with olive oil )to the pan and roasted everything on 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

Boiled the cut washed red potatoes until soft. Drained the water and added milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste.

For the veggies, I melted a little butter in a saute pan and added some pine nuts until they were toasty and brown. To that I added the following leftover items from my fridge; steamed green beans, roasted asparagus, jar of pimentos. Just cooked until heated through and added a little salt and pepper.

Tuesday: Creamy spinach dip, chicken croissant rolls with salsa for dipping with chips and fruit salad.

How'd ya do that? Remember that left over spinach dip?? Well, it came in handy. I spread it on a package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and shredded up some of the leftover roasted chicken from the night before. Rolled them up and baked according to the package directions. And the fruit salad was my favorite medley of sliced bananas, strawberries, and blueberries.

Wednesday: Willie's Ice House

How'd ya do that? This is where we started to go downhill. But, it was a celebratory meal of sorts. Griffin had a tennis match that he won. He won!! This was cause for celebration and what better way to celebrate such a victory than a savory burger from Willie's.


Thursday: Homemade pizza. This started off with good intentions of being a veggie pizza, but the Italian sausage and peperoni's in the freezer caught my eye and stole my heart.

How'd ya do that? Click right here for The Pioneer Woman's easy, cheesy, pizza dough recipe. It makes plenty for a family of 5-6 or leftovers for a family of 2, like mine. Topped with some leftover jar pizza sauce hanging out in the fridge and browned Italian Sausage, Peperoni's and Kraft Pizza Cheese Mix.

P.S. I had leftover browned Italian Sausage to be used in a future meal. Love.

Friday: Boiled crawfish from Repka's. We had cause to celebrate again. It was the weekend. We live for the weekends.

Their motto is: Good food. Good friends. Good fun. I like these people and their motto.  It's a hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere. And if you think I'm exaggerating, I dare you to drive there. Only be prepared to wait on a Friday night. Because a lot of other people dare to drive all the way there too. It's just that good and that fun. Pool. Crawfish. Dollar bills stapled on plywood ceilings. Juke boxes. Peackocks and guineas out back with a fire pit. Open kitchen crawfish purging and boiling. Picnic tables. And they even moved up a little last year and got a credit card machine. Whoa. You have no excuse to go.



Many Happy Times,

What's been cookin' in my kitchen?

This last week's menu went a little something like this...

Monday: Cracker crusted chicken strips with mashed red potatoes and oven roasted broccoli.

How'd ya do that? Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips. Dredge them in melted butter and dredge them in a mix of crushed crackers, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake them in the oven on 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until done. I used Ritz crackers, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Tuesday: Spicy Dr. Pepper pulled pork, leftover mashed red potatoes and roasted broccoli.

PS. I froze a lot of the leftover pork. That will surface again. I give it a two thumbs up. But, boy is it spicy!

Wednesday: Fox's Pizza with Caesar Salad.


How'd ya do that? Pick up the phone and call your nearest Fox's pizza right now. You won't be sorry. I promise. While your waiting, wash and tear up some Romain lettuce leaves. Toss them with creamy Caesar dressing, Caesar croutons, and Parmesan cheese. I bet you will eat one or two less pieces of pizza if you throw this salad together while you wait. A little roughage and fiber never hurt anyone.

Thursday: Gorton's Fish Sticks, steamed green beans, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Don't judge. Just don't. We do the quick and easy and totally processed diet from time to time. Especially when the 14 year old is in charge of dinner.

Friday: Pork Chops topped with mango, apple, habenero salsa, garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes, and oven roasted asparagus.

How'd ya do that? The pork chops were seasoned with a little salt and pepper and grilled stove top in my grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side. Then, I placed them in a casserole dish topped with the Mango Salsa and finished cooking in the oven. For the potatoes I boiled and mashed potatoes and added milk, butter, grated sharp cheddar cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Tossed the asparagus with olive oil and sea salt and roast on 350 degrees for about 7-10 minutes.

This weekend has left me with a large helping of leftover spinach and artichoke dip. I've got my thinking cap on and  getting creative about how to use it and can't wait to share it with you. Hope you all have fabulous weeks planned!

Munching away,