Thanksgiving eats

 

Delicious Spago's Apple Pie

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. It’s a great excuse to eat and appreciate each other without the pressure of shopping, gifts, and excess.

We spent our Thanksgiving with friends in Dripping Springs. They were responsible for the bird, pumpkin pie, gravy, and dinner rolls. We brought apple pie, sweet potatoe casserole, potatoe casserole, and green beans.

Our casserole dishes are family recipes and two that we haven’t been able to take off the menu since our move to Texas, nor do we have any plans on removing them any time soon. The green beans, well, they’re easy to throw together, and with small kids, “safe” food in that they’ve seen it before and doesn’t involve too many complicated ingredients for picky eaters. The apple pie is relatively new. This is my second time making it and I have to say, it gets better every time. It’s outstanding. Not easy to make, definitely more involved than your average apple pie, but worth the extra effort. A friend gave this one too me (in fact, the friend from Dripping Springs!), and it’ll remain on the menu for a very long time.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie – Spago’s Recipe

Makes one 9-inch pie
Serves 8

Equipment: Rolling pin, 9-inch pie plate, 2 baking trays, 12-inch skillet or sauté pan, small bowl, pastry brush

Ingredients

• Basic Pie Dough I used Pillsbury Pie Dough. Love it.
• 5 pounds (13 – 14 medium) Granny smith apples, peeled and cored, each apple cut into wedges I’m trying 8 apples next time because even 10 was too much this last time. I cut the wedges into 8ths.
• 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon)
• 1 1/2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons Calvados or brandy of your choice (I went to our local liquor store and asked for the cheapeast, smallest bottle of brandy; worked out fine)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream plus a little extra for brushing over pastry

Cinnamon Sugar

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Roll out the pastry. Butter, or coat with vegetable spray, a 9-inch
 pie plate. Divide the pastry into 2 pieces, one for the bottom of your pie, one for the top. Lay the bottom layer into the pan and press, removing all bubbles/gaps. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Make the filling: Cut each apple quarter into slices about 1/2 inch 
thick. You will be sautéing the apples in three batches. Melt 3 
tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet. Arrange 1/3 of the apples
in the skillet. Add 1/2 vanilla bean with its scrapings and sprinkle
 1/2 cup sugar over the apples. Over medium-high heat, sauté the 
apples until lightly caramelized and tender, about 15 minutes, 
turning often so that the apples cook as evenly as possible. Pour 
in 2 tablespoons Calvados and cook just until the alcohol burns
 off. (If the brandy ignites remove pan from heat or place cover 
over pan for a few seconds.) Pour in 1/4 cup cream, stir through,
and cook 1 minute longer.  Spread the contents of the skillet onto 
a large baking tray to cool while sautéing remaining apples. Wash
 and dry the skillet. Repeat the procedure 2 more times with remaining butter, apples, vanilla bean, sugar, cream and brandy.

3. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees [F].

4. Make the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl or cup, combine the 
sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.

5. Remove lined pie plate and circle of pastry from refrigerator. Pile
 the cooled apples in the pie plate, mounding apples slightly in
 the middle. Roll circle of pastry over rolling pin and unroll over 
apples. With a sharp knife, cut away excess dough and gently
 pinch together the edges of the pastry. Cut 3 or 4 slits in top of
pastry, brush with cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

6. Bake 15 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees [F] and bake 
until crust is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Cool
 on rack.

7. To serve: Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of 
Vanilla Ice Cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

ENJOY!!

Hope she got paid A LOT!

I seriously hope that Megan Mullally got paid a serious amount of money for this commercial. Love her, but bebe, you’ve got to consider your options a little harder next time, cause this is awful.

Do you agree?

Walking in SoHo

Day 3 of our NYC trip was largely focused on SoHo. It’s right outside my brother’s door and walking the neighborhood is a daytrip all in itself. My friend and I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon walking down Broadway, across Spring, and zig zagging the streets in that vicinity like Broome, Mercer, Grand, etc… The small shops, the large shops, we tried to hit as many of them as we could and lapsed AGAIN into more retail shopping therapy!! (We’re seriously not the type of women that shop on a regular basis (and there’s nothing wrong with those who do!! I live vicariously through you!) but when in NY we have to break with our normal habits. And you just can’t NOT find something in NY to love and buy.)

We hit Anthropologie where I found some super cute items. As well walked through Prada (gorgeous clothes, but just a tad out of our pricepoint), Olive & Bette’s. There were many but I can’t for the life of me remember them all now.

All that walking and shopping can poop a girl out and make her ravenously hungry. We ended up at Ray’s Pizzeria for lunch on Prince St. There is absolutely nothing like a slice of NY pizza. NOTHING! For a pizza lover like myself (I could eat the stuff every meal of the day, I kid you not), I had my little slice of heaven.

As one friend took off for home, another joined me. My best friend from college came in from Pennsylvania and again we stayed close to home, walking the SoHo streets for a pair of jeans. She was in need of a pair, and me being a fabulous friend, I had to ensure she didn’t buy anything I’d be embarrassed to see walking beside me. (For those of you DYING to know, Levi’s beat out the Lucky jeans.)

We closed out the night with dinner on the upper East side with my brother and his friends at El Porron. Que maravilla de comida!! It’s Spanish food and it was just divine.

The following morning it was all about food (SURPRISE! I think I gained a couple of pounds on this trip). I enjoyed breakfast with my friend at Le Pain Quotidien, and then lunch with my parents and brother at our favorite PIZZA place, Lombardi’s.

That there my friends, ended my fabulous NY trip. There was so much more to do, but I saved up lots for my next visit. I heart NY, always will.

I’ll meet you at the Plaza

Having a wonderful time in NYC. This was day-2 of our weekend here:

Museum of Arts & Design – absolutely fantastic! Two exhibitions currently featured at the museum are “Slash” and “Read My Pins.” Slash features work created purely from paper. PAPER!! That stuff that we throw away, read, recycle, write on! These artists take this everyday medium and produce these extraordinary pieces that you could not possibly think could come from a person’s mind, let alone be put together piece by tiny, cut, sliced, shredded, and torn piece! The other exhibition is “Read My Pins”, featuring Madeleine Albright’s pin collection that she’s amassed over the years largely during her tenure as Secretary of State. This exhibition made me want to run out and start my own pin collection!!  If you’re in the NYC area you just have to go to the Museum of Modern Design. It’s well worth it!

The Plaza’s Oak Room – after the museum we walked up 5^th Avenue to the Plaza where we sat and enjoyed lunch in the Oak Bar.. It was just lovely dahling!! The food was wonderful and the room was just rich in wood, history and elegance. Overlooking Central Park, it was just the perfect NY dining experience.

5^th Avenue – we just walked and walked (oh my tootsies!). We stopped in at Bergdorf Goodman (where among those many Manolo Blahnik and Valentino shoes can you believe they didn’t have Sketcher’s?!) and Takashimaya (eh, it didn’t make much of an impression on me). And then we walked over to Dylan’s Candy Bar and fought huge crowds for sweets and more sweets. (I had a sugar contact high from just walking around in there.)

We then headed downtown to where we were staying and walked around Broadway and Prince. We stopped in at Quiqlo and H&M for some light retail shopping therapy.

And lastly ended up at Bar Artisinal for dinner with one of my BFFs and maid of honor. Good friends are great for the soul. Love her.

In a NY state of mind

I’m enjoying a few days in NYC with some good friends and family. I just love NYC. The energy, the people, the many, MANY things to do. Have mostly spent day-1 walking and getting reacquainted with this incredible city. The highlights from yesterday …

National Design Museum – we were actually looking for a different exhibit, fell upon this one by mistake but nonetheless pleased with what we saw. Andrew Carnegie’s mansion alone is worth going.

Wicked– well worth the exorbitant price of entrance. Absolutely loved it!

Balthazar – just can’t beat a midnight dinner of Lobster risotto, pomme frittes, and a Cosmopolitan.

San Antonio Half completed!

I was hoping to log on a lot earlier and write about my half marathon but haven’t had a chance what with lots going on at home and work. Gosh I wish I had more time to blog!!

I headed out to the San Antonio half marathon Saturday afternoon from Austin. I had to get there by 5PM to pick up my bib and packet and so had the pedal to the medal to ensure extra time for my getting lost (not unusual, but happens less often with my trusty little GPS, my new BFF!!). I arrived there with an hour to spare and then joined a friend who was there with her running club at La Foccacia for some carbo loading. Enjoyed a real tasty veggie pasta with loads of bread and water.  (Well worth 10 weeks of running.)

I had a pretty crappy sleep. I don’t sleep well in hotels and it didn’t help that I had to wake up at o-dark hundred, 4:30 the next morning to mosey on out the door. So yes, at 4:30, I got up, showered (don’t usually do before a run, but I needed help waking up) and drove to the AT&T Center. I joined a few thousand other folks and camped out for the hour before we started. No one told me that the walk to and from the shuttle would be about a mile each way! HELLO!! Can we include that in the 13.1 miles because it HURT to walk that after 13.1 miles!

Because I was in corral 18 we didn’t actually get to the start line until about 8:15 (the race started at 7:30). And mind you, I think I was actually with corral group #22 or 23 as I had expected to have some calf issues and so thought I’d give myself the extra time to walk most of it.

To my delight, I had no calf issues! Nor did I have any knee issues which I was also expecting. I have to believe that that was in part to a couple of things, 1) my not running the week prior, and 2) my purchasing a neoprene calf brace. The latter I have to believe made a huge difference as I really don’t feel that I would have gotten even half way through the run had I not worn it. By mile 10 I was spent. Up until then I’d only been wearing one earplug on my iPod so I could still take in the moment and the experience. By mile 10 I had both earplugs in so I could lose myself in my head and music and pretend to not feel the tightness in my legs and discomfort in my hips.

When I hit mile 13 I was in 7^th heaven soooooo glad to not be running the full marathon! (Kudos to my friends who run full marathons. I am in awe of you!) After I crossed that finish line I only had one wish — to get the hell out of there and get back on the shuttle. For the amount of accomplishment it gave me, I was needing a shower, a couch, and some serious food. I made my way through the exit area and gathered up a banana, apple, chips, waters, and a bagel. I couldn’t eat them fast enough I was so ravenous. The walk to the shuttle was excruciating and I was afraid to sit down or stretch as I was worried I’d never get up!! It was a relief to see my fellow half-marathoners on the shuttle let out the same “Ooooo, ouch” as we all stood up in the shuttle to exit and walk back to our cars. I wasn’t the only one in pain!

But despite it all, I was so proud of myself and thrilled to have accomplished what I set out to do 10 weeks ago. It was tough, but oh so worth it. Right behind my youngest daughter’s natural childbirth, it was an extraordinary feeling of empowerment and pride. For all those nay sayers who complain about walkers in marathons or half marathons, or run/walkers, plodders … we’re here to stay! I ran and walked among a group of athletes of all different sizes, shapes, and ages and not one of them is less deserving of being there. Whether you walk it or run it, a half marathon is hard. If it were easy we’d all be out there doing it.

Will I do it again? Hell yeah!! In fact, already eyeing the Austin half in February or Zooma in March. I may opt for Zooma as that gives me time to incorporate some exercises and gym sessions that I gave up at the gym for fear of hurting myself. I’ve missed my gym!!

I’m grateful to my friends and family who have been so supportive and encouraging through it all. I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by people who always pick me up when I’m down, literally and figuratively.

One last thing, my favorite, FAVORITE part of the run … around mile 9, we came around a corner and a little guy, all of maybe 7, was shouting, “You’ve got to believe in yourself.” That I did little buddy. Hope you’re there again next year.

7 days and the calf is counting

My runs have been pretty darn good this last week. I ran 9 miles last weekend and was very pleased with it. My starts are generally the hardest, meaning, that those first 2 – 3 miles take the most out of me, but by the 4th and 5th miles I’ve found my rhythm and am able to step my runs up from 1 minute to 2 then 3. My longest runs have been 3.5 minutes long with a minute walk. Not exactly how I’d pictured my first half marathon but it’s been the plan from the beginning as anything more would be impossible (calf nerve issues, not muscle). That said, I’ve really come a long way since I’ve first started so I’ve been very pleased. I had another 5 mile run on Tuesday and then was unable to do my second 5 mile run on Thursday due to some conflicts (kids sick, work, etc…) and the calf was acting up.

Today I was going to go for my last long run. I’d had a few days rest without running and was optimistic, feeling good overall about the week and my half marathon a week from today. Last night I had a nasty little pain that ran the left side of my lower back into my left buttock. It was a nagging pain and didn’t feel like a muscle strain but more like a nerve pinch. Well, I stretched things out pretty well this morning before heading out and found that at a mile and a half, the calf started feeling a bit nasty. I could feel the tell-tale pain that stretched the length of the middle of my calf all the way up to the back of my knee. Not good. Rather than push myself, which would only do more harm than good, I decided to walk the short distance back home. That means that I was not only 8 miles short of my target run for the day but that I couldn’t even walk it for fear of making things worse.

A couple of things I think are contributing to it, and this of course is my non-medical diagnosis, I’ve gone back to work this past week and so have had to don the heels again after a much enjoyed respite. I think they’ve contributed to some of the nerve issues as the calf is having to work muscles that it hasn’t had to in several months. Secondly, that nerve pinch in my lower back is definitely related to my calf. It’s one of those pinches that just needs Troy’s touch, adjustment, to get it back in line.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I won’t let the calf win. On my walk back I did some thinking and have accepted the fact that I may not run the majority of this half-marathon. I’ve known from the beginning that I’d be running/walking it, but today I realized that I could be walking more of it than running, assuming the calf acts up again as it did today. I could pretend I’m not disappointed, but I’d be lying. I’m irritated. My options are to quit or accept the fact that I’m there to do my best and finish. I’ve chosen the latter. Walk or run, I’ll finish. Yes, I’m a plodder, but it’s not for lack of trying.

My goals: to be present in the moment, and finish. This human may be broken, but my spirit is not.

Day #16 – 19 training – “Your registration has been successfully completed.”

The biggest day of my training was on Sunday when I was scheduled to run 5 miles. It wasn’t a great run, but not because of my calves. On a high note, the calves held up just fine. I just felt sluggish and it wasn’t as easy a run as I would have liked. Chalk it up to the margaritas the night before, but I didn’t have lots of them, two small ones. I could complain, but the truth is that I’m thrilled I was able to finish it. I did add more time to my running intervals. So where I was only running 1:30 minutes and walking :30 seconds, I upped it to 2 minute runs and :15 second walks. You can see why I’m thrilled. (And yes, that may explain why I felt so sluggish.)

I have a 3.5 mile run tomorrow morning before my visit with Troy. He’ll be pleased that I was able to go longer on my running without any pain in the calves.

And lastly, it’s official. “Your registration has been successfully completed.” That’s the message I got when I submitted my registration for the San Antonio Half Marathon. It’s good. Before this I had an out. Now, my out will be a costly $95. I’m glad to have that added motivation. Who’s joining me?!

Day #15 training

I am pleased to report that my 3.5 mile run today went extremely well!! Of course with every run, in the back of my mind is “When during this run is that, or the OTHER calf going to flare up?” The thought creeps in, and then just as quickly, I try to rid myself of it. There was Field of Dreams and the famous “If you build it, they will come.” Well, I’m a firm believer in, “If you think it, it will come.” And I believe that to be true in more parts of my life than just my calves. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of these new-age thinkers stocking up on copper bracelets and dream catchers, but I do believe that success is as much a part of what you plant in your subconscious, as it is action. Believe in your abilities, in yourself, and that’s half the battle.

Anyway, I put the calf issues out of my head, and I went on to have a fabulous run. Ah, which leads me to another great article that I read in the August 2009 issue of Runners World. It was the one titled “The Big Hurt,” by Ben Cheever (which reminds me I need to reserve Dr. John Sarno’s book at the library, Mindbody Prescription).  This article reinforced yet another theory I’ve been tossing around in my head in that there’s more to our injuries than just the physical, i.e. there’s something else going on in your life that may be causing the back pain, hamstring pulls, or calf strains.

And therein lies yet another blog for you to look forward to my dear readers.

Holds all my millions

Kathy Van Zeeland purse

Check out my new purse. I’ve never been a big purse kind of gal. Not big into the buckles, bold colors and patent leather.

Well look at me now!!! I’m digging my new Kathy purse. And it didn’t cost me the suggested retail price of $89. Uh no, I can’t afford to spend that much money on a purse. Only cost me $39 at TJMaxx. Love my TJ Maxx.

What do you think?