Shamrock Marathon Finisher

I know this post is not about me being creative, or crafty, but it is about accomplishing something that I have worked very hard on the past six months: Completing the Shamrock Marathon.  Combine this with the fact that this blog is called ThreadedTogether and it is an opportunity for me to share my story with the rest of my family.  So, to my family for their support, I say thank you, and in case any of you out there are trying to set a big goal for yourself…if you set your mind to it, you WILL do it!

I DID IT!!!

That’s right!  26.2 miles!  My first marathon!  The Shamrock Marathon 2011 to be exact.  Today, two days later, I am still feeling this overwhelming sense of accomplishment.  I. Really. Did. It.  I am also feeling an overwhelming sense of pain!!!

Yep, I cannot tell a lie.  I hurt.  Not all over, but I hurt.  My calves are completely useless.  I have never been so incapacitated from a run.  Clearly it is my lack of training the last two months because my legs never felt like spaghetti noodles after my 20 mile runs back in January.  I literally cannot walk up and down my stairs in my house right now, and even walking down small ramps is difficult.  No joke!

However, I do get to sport my cool pink 26.2 magnet on the back of my car now:

“Keep us warm mom!!!”  BRRRRRRRRRR!  15 minutes before the start I even ran back to our hotel and changed into capris and a long sleeve shirt (and I usually dress in as little as I can get away with the weather…I was wearing shorts and a tank top).

While lining up in the waves I decided to stick with the 4:00:00 (four hour) pacing group.  It was amibitious, to say the least, but I knew (even in the last few weeks) I could still easily run at least 9 miles at a 9:00 pace.  So I chose to start strong and see where it took me.  The guy and gal leading the pace group were awesome!  They really did a fantastic job and even kept the spirits of the group up.  I was enjoying the comradery and the company of all these people who I felt I had a lot in common with, even though we had never met.  Everyone had a story about their training, their injuries, there goals for this run (mostly talked about before the start of the race of course).  It reminded me that I was not the only person who had been planning for this event for the last six months!

Up hill and downhill the pacers trudged on and I did an okay job keeping up.  We BATTLED the headwind that we spent the first several miles running against, and still our pace was steady.  If it were just me, I would have let that wind push me backwards much earlier!!!  I chatted with a few people on occassion along the way and kept telling myself this was just going to be a nice, easy, LONG jog.

My body thought the jog should have ended at 13 miles.  We had run down the street, over a bridge (twice) and through a military barracks facility where tons of servicemen and women were routing us on, “Go four hours!!!” (the pacers have signs on their jerseys and they also run the whole marathon holding a flag with the time on it…that would bother the crap out of me to have to do!!!).

My family was waiting for me at the halfway point, or somewhere right before.  Armed with video camera in hand, my husband did an amazing job routing me on.  My kids ran down the road with me for a block screaming “Go Mommy Go!!!!”  It was truly heart warming and inspiring.  Talk about motivation!

 Again, though, my heart was stronger than my legs.  Something happened after that halfway point and my willpower lost to my lack of leg power.  I finally admitted to myself I would not be able to hold this pace for another 13.1 miles and I slowed down.  I thought I would only have to slow down a little, but that four hour pacing group left me in their dust in a blink of an eye!  As I watched the pack disappear down the street I needed to have a new mantra.  Instead of chanting “you can run a 9 minute pace in your sleep,” I had to start convincing myself I could KEEP RUNNING, regardless of what pace.  Oh my gosh that was one of the hardest things.  I tried reminding myself over and over that I could do this.  I had run 20 miles two times and had run 18, 17, 16, etc just as many or more!  But that was SO long ago.  Two months in running time is an ETERNITY, I now know.

After the halfway point I walked twice for no reason other than I couldn’t run any more.  I think that totalled less than half a mile.  I even took my cell phone out to text my husband.  Last time he saw me I was holding strong with the four hour group!  Now here I was walking at mile 15.5.  I wanted him to know not to be waiting for me at the finish line for too long!!!  Poor guy did such a great job keeping the kids busy all morning.  That was actually a big reason I was able to keep going!  I was thinking about my awesome husband keeping our kids occupied and how I had to get to the finish line to save him from their whining!!!

After this point I finally started walking whenever I stopped for water and had to stop to go to the bathroom three times.  At the water stops, I needed every drop I could get.  No more running and trying to get whatever I could in my mouth really quick!  I also ate a Carb BOMB gel pack at each station they were handing those out at (there were three stations but I didn’t finish any of the gels).  I am sorry, but I HATE those things!!!  Not just Carb BOMB, all of the gel packs.  They are disgusting.  But boy, let me tell you, at mile 23 when you are digging down for all you have left to give and it is all you can do to run a 11:30 pace, you will eat ANYTHING for energy!!!

As I was running the last 6 miles (I didn’t walk again after mile 20) I noticed a lot of my “friends” from my four hour pace group.  I was obviously not the only one to fall off the wagon.  I don’t know if that really made me feel any better at the time, but it definitely reminded me that I could keep going.  I hadn’t lost the race.  Nor was I going to, because the only way that would happen is if I didn’t finish.

Those last six miles are somewhat of a blur now.  I think my mind and muscles had shut down and my nerves were just telling my legs to keep moving…very slowly, but still moving.  I don’t think I rose above an 11:00 pace by this time.  But oh was it a sweet symphany that rang in my ears when I saw that sign:

“mile 25″

 OMG. FINALLY!  Almost there!

That was the longest mile of my life.  We went around a turn and were running on the boardwalk for about half a mile I think and I just remember how amazing it was to see the crowd of people grow thicker and thicker the closer I made it to the finish line: a big black blowup finish line at the end of the tunnel.  I trudged forward and crossed through it, my net time 4:29:13.

My family was there to greet me as were two of my friends who had conquered the half marathon earlier that morning.  I had a permagrin on my face for the rest of the afternoon.  After receiving all of my SWAG and stretching for a while, we entered the party tent and I was able to eat some stew.  This was the first race that I have not partaken in my two free beers at the finish line party.  I know, right???  I just couldn’t do it.  I didn’t have it in me to drink a beer after a 26 mile run. 

At this point my calves were already starting to seiz up and I knew I would have a long road of recovery ahead of me.  We’ll see how long that takes exactly.  But you know what?  I did it!!!  My calves will heal and I will ALWAYS be able to tell the story about how I ran 26.2 miles.  Now let the preparation begin for my second marathon…the Marine Corp Marathon in D.C.  I have a while to train for that one.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed for no injuries this time, huh???

Tags: goals, Marissa, running

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Or in English…”Let the good times roll!”

It is times like these that I really miss Pensacola (Florida).  Today is Fat Tuesday.  If you live anywhere other than Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi, this might mean a few beads and some masks.  However, if you are a true southerner, Mardi Gras season is a lifestyle.  The New Orleans’ influence spread throughout the south and it is not unusual for people to take a day or week off of work to celebrate.  Beads, beer, bushwhackers, beignets, and more are found in abundance at parties, on the streets, at masquerade balls, in parades, schools, and workplaces.  Mardi Gras is a time for everyone to celebrate life and happiness and for many, the preparation for Lent.  Fat Tuesday is a day of serious indulgence before Ash Wednesday.

You cannot throw a Mardi Gras party without the ultimate Fat Tuesday centerpiece…the King Cake.  This cake is a Danish creation rolled up jelly roll style and filled with cinnamon, raisins, and more.

The tradition is that each person takes a piece of cake hoping to find the plastic baby inside (I think my cake was cut perfectly…the baby reaching out for someone to pull it from the cake!).  Whomever finds the plastic baby in their piece is crowned King or Queen for the day.  They are also supposedly obligated to host the Mardi Gras party the next year and supply the King Cake.

You can order your cake from an authentic bakery in New Orleans or elsewhere in the south.  They are shipped all over the nation around Mardi Gras.  OR you can make your own!  It really is not difficult, though it does involve yeast and rising time.  I found an excellent recipe here at allrecipes.com.

Instead of doing all the proofing, rising, and kneading on my own, I stuck the ingredients in my bread machine.  For most machines you start with the liquids first (I did use warm milk and softened the butter in the microwave).  Then you put all the dry ingredients in and make a well in the top of the mound of flour.  This is where you put the yeast (no proofing and letting it bubble in with the sugar, etc.).  When using a machine you do not want to let the yeast and liquids mix (I also keep it away from the salt) until the heat is spreading through the dough.

You see though, I only have a 1.5 pound bread machine.  The most dry ingredients (I think all combined) you are supposed to put in the machine is 4 cups.  The recipe calls for 5.5 cups of just flour.  Guess what happens when you don’t follow directions?

Oops!  Hee hee, silly me!  Really though, I would probably do it the same way again, even though my dough tried to escape from the machine!  It was still a time saver and still rose perfectly fine.

After the first rising you roll the dough out into a rectangle and sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the rectangle.  Then roll it up jellyroll style beginning on a long side, pinching the seam firmly together.

Repeat the process with the second half of dough and place on a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet, forming a ring.  Again, press the two ends together on each side of the ring, firmly sealing the ring.  Here is the ring after cutting slits in it, and again after the second rising.

HOW DO I LET MY BREAD RAISE???  Thank you for asking!  I preheat my oven to 175 degrees and then turn it off!  Crack the oven door open with a wooden spoon and after it has had about 5 minutes to air out, put the dough in the oven.  This should provide the perfect temperature for the next hour or so to allow your bread to rise.

After it has fully risen, bake it in the preheated oven, cut a small hole in the bottom and stick the baby inside and drizzle the topping over it.  I let my cake rise for a LONG time.  This caused two problems.  One, I should have baked it for about 5 minutes less (possibly even shorter).  The outside was SO tough.  But the inside was still great and it tasted wonderful.  Two, I had to quadruple, yes, quadruple the icing recipe so I would have enough to cover the cake.

Make sure everyone knows there is a baby in the cake before they start eating!  These days with choking precautions, etc, a lot of people will simply put the babies on top as decorations.

Decorate it with some beads and Mardi Gras colorfulness and you are ready to party with the best of them!  So here is my ode to Pensacola Mardi Gras…I’m with you even if only in spirit.

Tags: King Cake, mardi gras, Marissa

Jambalaya, Zatarains’ Style

In honor of Mardi Gras, we had a New Orleans’ style jambalaya for dinner tonight.  It really turned out great and was worthy of posting before Fat Tuesday!  We will be celebrating tomorrow evening at a pancake dinner, so we had to cook our own southern recipe a day in advance.  The recipe, found here at allrecipes.com, is basically Zatarains’ jambalaya rice made with some shrimp, sausage, peppers, diced tomatoes, and onion. 

We did not follow the recipe exactly, though it is a good guide.  The biggest change was the amount of water called for it.  It was not enough.  Luckily, my husband caught that in advance and put the right amount in.  You just need to add  whatever amount the Zatarains’ box called for in their directions.

If you check out their webpage right now, they even have a cute count down timer to Mardi Gras.  Just a fun little extra something :). 

So enjoy your own reason to celebrate tonight and have a nice dinner with the family!

While looking at another blog I came across this military blog hop.  I am very proud of my Navy Pilot Husband and love sharing with other military spouses.  The button, however, was not working, so I will simply include the link to it below…

http://marineparents-blog.com/2011/03/military-monday-bloghop-week-sixteen/

Tags: Jambalaya, mardi gras, Marissa

Planning a Garden

It is that time of year again…the sun is shining a little longer, the days are a little warmer, and the birds are starting to chirp.  My green thumb is a-itching and I am ready to start my garden planning.  So early, some of you ask?  It isn’t even daylight savings time yet!

I am relatively new to the gardening world (I feel like I say that a lot on this blog for my various “worlds”).  At least to the “do it properly” gardening world.  I have, for many years now, planted herbs and flowers, and vegetables.  However, I basically stuck some seeds in the ground with Miracle Grow soil and hoped for the best.  I spent minimal time tending to the plants and took whatever they decided to bring to fruition.  Last year, I spent a little more time working in the garden and the results were amazing!  I had squash plants, peppers, basil and chives that went CRAZY!  Below are some of my peppers as they were growing last year.

We literally did not know what to do with the high yield of yellow squash we had.  Four of us could have each eaten one with dinner for months!  This has inspired me now to put a even a little bit more time into it this year, and see what happens.  I would love to eat fresh herbs and vegetables out of the garden every night instead of buying them from the store.

So, back to the timing issue I was talking about earlier.  The first thing I have learned, (well, already knew it, but never really cared) is that when and where you plant your seeds (I don’t buy plants) matters a great deal to the size and yield of your plant life.   For summer veggies you have to plant a certain number of weeks before the last frost.  I know, right?  How are you supposed to know when the last frost is before it happens???  If you live in a state like Virginia, as I do, then you have a fantastic website you can check to see the estimated last frost of the season based on your area.  The University of Virginia Climatology Office has published a website to look up such information.  You can look at the table for your area, choose the lowest temperature your plants are likely to tolerate, and the table will give you the likelihood of the temperature being that low after a certain date.  If you want to take a higher risk, plant earlier.  If you want to be safe, choose the lower likelihood of cold temperatures.

There is also another easier way to check things if you are going to purchase seed packets from a company like Burpee.  At there website you can search for the seed packets (and plants) that they sell.  Once on the page of a particular plant, if you select the “growing info” tab on the lower right, it will tell you when to plant your seeds (and whether indoor or out) and when to transplant them.

For instance, if I want to plant Burpee’s Cherries Jubilee Tomatoes I can search them on the website, click the Growing Info tab, put in my zip code, and the chart will show me that I should plant them indoors in mid April and transplant them outside in late May.

Since all the sowing and transplanting takes planning, I am getting ready early!  I also have more ideas for my garden that I thought I would be able to share with you today.  However, I have kept you long enough already so I will let you get back to your world and you can return for my gardening ideas another time.

Good luck with your garden blueprints!

Tags: garden, Marissa, planning, seeds, spring

How To Make Baked Apple Chips

I have recently found these awesome little treats at my local Walmart.  Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps (this is not a paid endorsement or advertisement…I just like them a lot!).  They are pure and simply, freeze dried fruit.  Nothing added, at all.  Just fruit.  No preservatives or color or anything.  And the package of apples, for example, is only 39 calories for one bag which says it contains 1.5 of the little buggers.  They really are a lovely little snack and totally do a good job at staving my appetite off between meals. 

 I also LOVE those little bags of apple chips you can find in the produce section of your grocery store.  But I think it is incredibly ridiculous to pay 3.99 for a small bag of baked apples!  I decided I would go ahead and make my own and see how it went. 

 You can see in the directions below, it was a relatively easy process.  I had the apples ready to go in the oven in less than five minutes.  But oh my gosh, they were in the oven baking for HOURS (I am sure I spent more than 3.99 on my electric bill baking these)!  I thought one hour would do the trick…it was closer to 3.5.  I clearly used too many apples (five) and should not have baked them on two cookie sheets at the same time like I did.  I also started baking them at 200 degrees and finally upped it to 250 after hour two.  Next time I will bake them at 250 degrees from the get go.

 So here I am including the recipe as I would follow it NEXT time I make these, and hopefully it will work.  Despite the ridiculous baking time, the results were fantastic.  Wonderful crispy apple chips that I have been snacking on these last few days.  So yummy! 

 How to Make Baked Apple Chips 

Ingredients

• 2 – 3 large apples
• 1 – 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

 Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Prepare one baking sheet by covering in parchment paper.  Core the apples and slice them using a mandolin or food processor.  If neither is available, slice the apples as thinly as you are able.  Spread evenly across the cookie sheet and evenly sprinkle with the rest of the ingredients (or as little or much as your taste desires).  Gently toss together before placing cookie sheet in oven on middle rack.  Bake for one hour at 250 or until apples are no longer soggy.

 Apples are such a declicious treat the sugar and spices are completely optional.  You can just throw the sliced apple in the oven to bake and it will be just as delicious.

Tags: apples, healthy, Marissa, snack

Baked Whiskey Tortes

Holy Cow, I have a new favorite cookbook!  Well, dessert book!  Recently, while searching for inspiration, I went to my local library and checked out a few of the cookbooks.  I have been looking for books that will not just give me recipes, but teach me how to bake.  Why baking powder and not soda?  Why eggs or just the yolks or only the whites?  Paddle attachment versus whisking balloon?   Though I LOVE to bake and can reproduce pretty much any recipe, admittedly, I have no idea how these people came up with this stuff.  I am tired of reproducing recipes and ready to start creating my own.  Why re-invent the wheel?  I don’t know…a new sense of ownership in what I am working so hard on all the time?  As you can see, I have a lot of questions when it comes to baking.

Well, now a LOT of them are being answered.  By Sherry Yard.  Although I do not know anything about this woman except what the biography in the book says and the little I have looked at online, I can tell you she is most certainly good at what she does.  Just Google her name and see what you find.  Her book,

is phenomenal.  Not only does it provide wonderful recipes, but for me, the main attraction is the fact that she gives you wonderful details about how to do things, why you are doing them, what you can do differently, and how you can personalize it to make it your own.  I enjoy the way she has the cookbook organized.  One recipe leads to the other with a great fluidity.  For instance, the ganaches are all grouped together, then categorized by soft, medium and firm.  All the recipes that are similar to ganache, or use ganache as a base to build on, are also put in these categories.  She recommends which recipes you can combine and how. It is simply fantastic!

This is no new book, in fact, it was published 8 years ago.  But it is new to me and I am in love!  I will be trying a great deal of recipes from it and checking it out from the library over and over again.

I will go ahead and post the first recipe I made from the book, but I think after this one, I will just continue posting a link to places you can purchase the book.  So go buy it, or go look for it at your local library!

Baked Whiskey Tortes

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (or Pam)
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I purchased the Ghirardelli chips)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons whiskey (I used Johnny Walker Black Label)
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• Whipped crème fraîche for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Adjust the rack to the center of the oven.  Brush the inside of four 6 – ounce (medium) ramekins with melted butter (I used Pam and it did just fine).
2. Using a serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate into 1/4 inch pieces and place it in a medium heatproof bowl (I didn’t do this since I purchased the bittersweet chips).
3. Bring the cream and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  Immediately pour the cream over the chopped chocolate.  Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate into the cream, then let it sit for one minute.  Using a rubber spatula, stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl and working out to the sides.  Stir until all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.
4. Combine the whiskey and eggs in a bowl.  Whisk them together then gently stir them into the ganache.  When the eggs are thoroughly incorporated, pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling them three-quarters full.
5. Place the filled ramekins in a large baking pan.  Carefully pour hot water into the large pan until it comes halfway up the ramekins.  Bake the tortes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they feel firm to the touch (mine took right around 30 minutes I think.  I started watching them at 20 and my finger was still sinking into the torte when I touched them.  I waited until it barely gave at all and didn’t stick to my finger when touched).  Allow the tortes to cool slightly before serving.  The tortes can be made up to one day in advance and rewarmed before serving in a 325 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve with a small dollop of whipped crème fraîche (I used vanilla ice cream and it was lovely!).

This recipe was VERY easy to make, even if you don’t know what you are doing.  The chocolate was so smooth going down and blended very well with the ice cream.  Prep and bake time took no more than an hour.  Any company you have will most certainly call you a gourmet baker if you prepare this for them!  Though, it should be noted that this is NOT a low calorie dessert!!!  The recipe makes 4 servings and each one is over 675 calories!  YIKES!  Glad I looked that up so I could plan my whole daily caloric intake around eating one of these tonight!

Tags: Baking, chocolate, Marissa, torte

Super Bowl Cake

Are you ready for some football??? Okay, so the game is really over and the Packers won already.  However, my big task of the day was creating a Super Bowl cake for a party and I wanted to share it before I got into bed tonight.  The party was for some die-hard Steelers fans.  Hopefully, they’ll atill be friendly people tomorrow after the loss!  It was a close, good game and fun was had by all, so I would definitely deem it a success!  Here is the Super Bowl cake I made.  I basically copied a cake I found on the internet related to Super Bowl 2009.  I made very few changes to work with what I had and this was the result:

I was pretty darn happy with the result and so were the people hosting the party.  No fancy flavors here…just one layer of chocolate and one layer of vanilla (11 x 15).  The icing is all fondant except for the black and white lettering.  This took four cake mixes, two batches of fondant and three batches of buttercream icing.  A LOT of sugar to deal with today!!! 

Maybe next time Steelers!

Tags: buttercream, cake, football, Marissa, marshmallow fondant, super bowl

Fancy Pears

Raise your hand if you are on a diet!  Me too!  Raise your hand if it has been super easy to follow!  Mine neither (either? neither? you know what I’m saying)!  I have recently (like, last week) started my first diet ever in my life.  Sure, I have had times where I have counted calories or made sure I was eating a lot of high fiber, low fat foods.  To be honest though, I never knew why.  Why high fiber?  Why fish?  Why not my favorite thing on the planet…BREAD?!  For goodness sake, why is everything that tastes to good SO BAD for us???  It just isn’t fair!

We all have our reasons for dieting.  Most of my friends would give me a hard time if they even knew I was “dieting.”  I, like everyone else, also have my reasons.  For the last five months I have been training for my first marathon.  Already a big deal for most, this is a really big deal for me because I have only considered myself a runner for about 8 months now.  I have used running as an exercise in the past, but the most I ever did was a once a week running club.  We ran a 5K and celebrated our 300 burned calories by drinking probably 3 times that in beer.  Not incredibly effective, though incredibly fun.

My first 5K race (3.11 miles), I finished in 44 minutes.  There was beer after that run too.  That is just over a 14 minute per mile pace.  When I told my mother, she told me she used to walk a 5K in the same time.  I was so embarrassed.  Not to mention, I was also running it with my boyfriend at the time, who loved me so much he left me behind so he could still have a good finish!  Yes, that is sarcasm you note.  Don’t worry, I broke up with him a week later.  Of course, he’s my husband now, so I don’t know how much that is saying! :o)

Last week I ran 20 miles in just under 3 hours and 4 minutes.  That is a 9 minute and 10 second per mile pace.  For 20 miles!  I am very excited and proud of how far I have come when it comes to my running.  I have dedicated myself to it and not only am I achieving my goals, but I feel healthier than I have in my entire life.

However, I have struggled with the “fueling” aspect of running.  Energy bars, protein shakes, before, after, all day…what to do?  I have recently thrown myself into researching what and when I should be eating for the different running exercises I do, which right now range from 4 miles of running up and down hills, to the 20 mile long run (the most I will do pre-marathon is 22 miles).  I finally found a diet that I think is working out wonderfully for my needs.

It is a 50-25-25 diet.  50% carbs, 25% proteins and 25% fats.  Carbs are split up into “good”: fruits and veggies; and “bad”: breads, pastas, you know…the GOOD stuff!!!  I have everything laid out into a spread sheet that I am living by day-to-day.  I count the calories for EVERYTHING I eat and place them into their proper categories.  No, of course I am not going to live like this forever.  But I am certainly going to do it for a while.  Long enough to teach myself how to eat properly on my own.  I’ll talk more about the 50-25-25 aspect of it during another post.  I should probably wrap this novel up for you right about now!

The point of today’s post is that I am already tired of eating all of this stinking fresh fruit!  And I LOVE fruit, I always have.  I am eating quite a diverse menu of it too!  But I’m bored with it already.  So tonight for dessert I decided I would add a little flair to my post dinner fruit serving and I came up with these fancified pears.  They were SO yummy and definitely filled me up, satisfying my sweet tooth at the same time.  They also made my kitchen smell wonderful!  A great winter fruit dessert!  By my account, one serving comes in at under 180 calories, mostly good carbs.

Fancy Pears (serves one, multiply recipe as necessary for multiple servings)

• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 1 pear (I used bosc), peeled, cored, and sliced as desired

Combine the juice, sugar and spices in a small saucepan.  Simmer on medium heat until lightly bubbly (I covered mine and it was simmering in 3 – 4 minutes).  Add the peeled pear slices and simmer 8 – 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.  Do not allow to boil rapidly as you do not want to overcook the pears.  Remove from heat and pour into serving bowl.  Serve warm.

Any kind of juice will work – apple, orange, pomegranate, you name it.  Cranberry just happened to be what I had on hand.  You better believe I drank all of the juice after I ate the pears too!  A great warm drink on a cold winter night – spiced cranberry juice!  DE-LISH!  Next time I will probably add some walnuts or pecans either during the cooking process or as a garnish on top…gotta get those fats into my diet too!

In case you are wondering, I totally kick my husband’s butt running now.  We can both maintain a decent speed for about 3 or 4 miles together, but then I can leave him in the dust.  Just had to throw that in there :).

Tags: dessert, diet, fruit, healthy, Marissa, nutrition, pears, running

Valentine’s Box of Chocolate Cupcakes

Don’t know what to get your Valentine for that special day this year?  Instead of the typical stuffed bear and box of chocolates why don’t you try this box of Valentine cupcakes?  It was super fun to make and a great excuse to play with all the different designing techniques involved when it comes to icing.  I had most of the materials on hand but did buy a few things like the chocolate hearts and the sugared jelly cherry hearts.

This, of course was very dangerous because every cherry heart that was not put on a cupcake was put in my mouth.  Ugh…so much for today’s calorie counting!!!  A few items I used to decorate: red hots, chocolate covered sunflower seeds in purple, chocolate hearts filled with caramel, and the m&m’s to fill the box. 

The cupcakes in this box are mint chocolate chip with mint icing and snickerdoodles with buttercream icing.  Since I knew I would be putting the time into the decorating, I took the “box shortcut” (as seen in the recipes below).  Of course, any flavors would be great.  If I were making several of these at one time I would make all sorts of flavors so there would be an assortment like a true box of chocolates.  Next time, I will also probably stick with four or five designs for the tops of the cupcakes and just repeat them over and over.  My inspiration for this came from the Hello Cupcake Blog.  I am very happy with the results and I think I did a pretty good job recreating it.  What a great, different idea for your important someone!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 1 box triple chocolate fudge cake mix and all ingredients box mix requires
• 1 teaspoon mint extract
• 11/2 cups chocolate chips

Follow recipe as given on box but add in extract and chocolate chips.  Bake as directed on box

Mint Buttercream

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 – 3 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening until smooth.  Mix in extracts and confectioners’ sugar.  Add milk until you have reached desired spreading/piping consistency.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

• 1 box yellow cake mix (I used butter recipe) and all ingredients box mix requires
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Follow recipe as given on box but add in cinnamon.

Buttercream

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 – 3 tablespoons milk

Which one is your favorite cupcake in the picture???

and Hoosier Homemade Cupcake Tuesday!

Tags: chocolate, Cupcake, decorating, dessert, gift, Marissa, valentine's day

Knit Potholder

Another week has gone by since I last posted and it has been filled with tons of awesome time with friends and family.  I love getting to relax and enjoy life in January after such a crazy month in December.  What sorts of fun things have you been doing and creating this week?  In the midst of all the family time we have been taking advantage of around our house lately, I have managed to find the time to get a little knitting done.  I have dedicated myself to work on Christmas (and all the other holiday) presents right away this year so I am not rushing around in November and December trying to get it all done!  I know some of the people who receive these gifts read this blog and a lot of times you will know that the gift is DEFINITELY going to be for you at some point.  Well, read it, and forget it!  I have just  resigned myself finally to the fact that you might see your presents in advance!

So for my first completed gift, I knitted some potholders.  It was a very quick and easy knit and a great gift to make for all the different families in my gift giving array!  I was worried they were going to come out looking like such a grandma type of gift, but I loved these so much I am already planning the ones that I am going to make for my own kitchen.  First I made a promise to complete at least one more gift before I knit for myself though!

Diagonal Striped Potholders

Materials: Caron Simply Soft (or any worsted weight yarn) in Country Blue (one skein knits 4 – 6 potholders depending on size), Size 8 US knitting needles, tapestry needle for weaving in ends

This is a beginners knitting project

Directions:

You will hold two strands together throughout the entire project…the double thickness is necessary for the heat aspect.  Holding two strands of yarn together, CO 30 sts.  Knit first two rows then begin Diagonal Pattern.  The first three and last three stitches of each row are all knit to create a border. 

Diagonal Pattern:

Row 1 (RS): K6, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3

Row 2 and all other WS rows: K3 then purl the purl sts and knit the knit sts until the last 3 sts.  K3

Row 3: K5, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K4

Row 5: K4, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K5

Row 7: K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K6

Row 9: K3, P2, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P1, K3

Row 11: K3, P1, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P3, K3, P2, K3

Row 13: Resume diagonal pattern from Row 1

Continue in Diagonal Pattern until piece meausres 8 inches from beginning, ending on a WS row.  Knit next two rows.  BO and weave in ends.  Knit an i-cord using 3 or four sts and attach as a loop on one corner of the potholder.

*Disclaimer: I did not check the flammability of yarns before knitting.  As with all items used in the kitchen, be careful around heat and flames!

Tags: Knitting, Marissa, potholder