A Great Thanksgiving

Well, the hubby and I didn't end up heading home to family for Thanksgiving...but that doesn't mean we didn't have a feast for ourselves! We ate lots of Thanksgiving deliciousness...which lasted us a few days, needless to say. Here were some of the highlights:

 We snacked on a cheese ball and some veggies/dip

Sipped on some lovely vino

And turned this:

Into yummy green bean casserole:

And this (don't judge, I love boxed stuffing):

Into delicious stuffing:

There was also sweet potato casserole (sorry, no before picture...I got into a cooking rhythm and forgot) :)

And...

Ham, all the way from a butcher in Hagerstown, MD. A friend of ours' parent's sent us this ham last year and loved it so much that we ordered one for ourselves this year. It was well worth it!

I left the carving to the hubby

And, finally...my Thanksgiving plate:

For some of you that have been a follower from the beginning, you'll notice that I have meat on my plate, yet I've been a vegetarian since January 2010...I recently made the decision to go back to eating meat (definitely in moderation...especially red meat). It was just something that I had been thinking about for awhile now. And plus, I just couldn't pass up this ham!! ;) 

Needless to say, we had a great holiday spent together! Now that Thanksgiving is over, we say goodbye to this little fella:

And hello to...

Christmas time!! My favorite time of year!

Surprise Package

I was super excited when I opened up the mailbox yesterday and found a package from one of my good friends, Jenn, over at Piles of Patterns! She has always been so thoughtful and knew just what I needed:

A thoughtful note, yummy Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark & some of my favorite yarn (this one's called "Sunshine Yams")...isn't it gorgeous?! Very pumpkin-y and fallish :) I can't wait to knit something up with it. 

Thanks so much Jenn! You're the best :)

"A Homemade Life" Indeed

After posting about my book purchase at Borders the other day, I told you that I would come back and give a review. Let's just say...I couldn't put this book down!! A Homemade Life was such a lovely read, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to cook/bake.

Molly, from Orangette, begins each chapter with wonderful life stories that can make you laugh out loud...make you shed a few tears, and definitely make you feel very "at home". You can tell that she really enjoys sharing with readers a little piece of her world. Her writing is incredibly inviting and each story flows nicely into the next one. One of my favorite quotes I took away from the book was a chapter entitled: "Whatever you love, you are". I mean, it makes so much sense (to me)...everything and everyone we love are pieces that make up who we are or who we have become.

And another thing I really enjoyed from her book was her take on sharing vs. not sharing recipes. She genuinely believes that cooking and recipes are meant to be shared (I agree!). How else do new recipes get created?? And recipes can always be tweaked or changed in just a little way to make it taste completely different...it's all about experimentation. I'm not quite there yet...I feel more comfortable following a recipe, but hopefully one day I will be able to look in my fridge and take whatever random ingredients that I have and make something magnificent.

Hopefully some of you will check Molly's book out...if nothing, at least get it for the recipes. I haven't tried any yet, but they all sound amazing!

Good Eats

Yesterday, the hubby and I decided it was a lazy Saturday...I didn't do much, other than watch TV, knit a little and do some laundry. I did force myself to get out and run, although I didn't make it very far. This Omaha wind is INSANE...I couldn't take it. Here's my breakdown:

Mile 1: 13:03
Mile 2: 26.08
Mile 3: 39.25
Mile 4/Total: 53.08
Avg min/mil: 13.24

So, although my run felt miserable, I definitely improved my mile time, go figure! :)

                                                                                                                                                                 

Well, I have been a cooking/baking-machine lately...and I've been trying to cook at least 1 meal each week. It's really hard with just two people, I've always said that (and been told that). After making a big meal, we end up with all of these left overs, and I am just not a left-over type person. But, I've been trying to cook some things out of my cook books and since it's been getting cooler, soups and chili have definitely sounded yummy. So, here are some eats out of our kitchen:

Okay, so this is the making of Trader Joes beer bread...now, this stuff couldn't be easier to make! And if you haven't tried it yet...you are missing out BIG time. Basically, all you do is combine the mix and 1 bottle/can of beer...SO easy. I have tried a few different types of beer over the years and Heineken is our favorite. Oh, and the baking of it makes your house/apt. smell incredible.

And...before I realized that I didn't have a picture of the result, we had eaten half of it. Haha, you get the idea!

[Disclaimer: ignore the messiness of the pan!] These are my stuffed mushrooms...I could eat them all day long, I swear. So easy...mushrooms stuffed with stuffing (that has been combined with the chopped up mushroom stems) and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Great combination of ingredients! I made these at Thanksgiving last year, as an appetizer, and they were gone in about 5 minutes...I learned that I should always make more!!

 This is homemade corn chowder that I attempted...but don't go being all amazed, I used a recipe out of a vegetarian cookbook I got a few months ago. But, I was very pleased with how this turned out. It is such a perfect soup for a cold, fall/winter day! I added yukon potatoes, broccoli, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onions and CORN, of course...lovely!

And, of course, you have to top it with cheddar cheese! :)

Okay, so I did NOT make this one...but I had to feature it. It's 'beer-cheese' lasagna from a local Italian place called Lanskys. This dish was SOOOO good...lasagna noodles, beer-cheesy goodness!! Mmmmm, I'd like to see if I can replicate a similar recipe!

And this week, it was chili. This is a pic of the pre-cooking...black/kidney/pinto beans, tomatoes, red onions, red & yellow peppers, zucchini and Mornning Star's meatless meat crumbles. It cooked on low all day and I came home to a great smelling apt. 

And, don't think that I forgot to enjoy a glass of wine with all of my good eats! :) This is a local sweet red wine we picked up, very nice!

Please don't think that I'm boasting about making all of this good food...cooking is enjoyable for me, but I really don't cook that often. I'm trying to branch out, try new recipes and makes some things that I can share with you all. And if you want any of the recipes, just let me know! :) Bon Appetit!

Blog Fanatic

I was super excited last weekend when I stumbled upon this book as I was moseying around Borders (I swear, I could get lost in there for hours):

Basically, I picked up the book, read the back and then realized that the author (Molly) is the founder of a blog that I follow, called Orangette. It's been listed on the side of my blog for quite some time now...so needless to say, I had to buy it. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I have really enjoyed her writing so far! The book includes recipes along with stories from her life in the kitchen. I can't wait to read more!

I just think the 'blog world' is so interesting sometimes...it's so welcoming, yet so overwhelming. And sometimes, after you have read a person's blog everyday for the past 2 months, you kind of feel as though you know them or at least know what their day has been like (which is a pretty personal thing to know). I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say that I know Molly, but it was a strange concept, picking up the book and thinking, I read about this girl's life...it's kind of like she is a 'blog celebrity'. Hehe :)

I definitely think it is beyond cool that people's blogs can start as something so small/simple and lead into books, movies, speaking careers, etc. I mean, how awesome is that?! I can only dream! Anyway, check out her blog and pick up her book if you like what you see/read.

Rockin' the Playlist

I just got back from, what's now becoming, my usual Saturday run. This morning was pretty chilly, but the sun was out which created a little bit of warmth. I bundled up (I hate being cold on a run), turned on my playlist and proceeded to run 6 miles. Here's where I hit each of my miles:

Mile 1: 12:14
Mile 2: 25:01
Mile 3: 37:17
Mile 4: 50:09
Mile 5: 1:03:18
Mile 6/Total: 1:16:24     <--------I ran a different trail (to the end and back) so I didn't run as far as last time
Avg. min/mi: 12:42        <--------MUCH better than last time

It wasn't easy...the wind in Omaha is ridiculous. It literally felt like it was pushing me back and I really had to work hard to keep on going. But, it feels so good now that it's over! :) I thought I'd share my "run" playlist with all of you, which is mostly new (and some old) hip hop/rap...yeah, anything upbeat keeps me going!

Strip Me - Natasha Bedingfield  <--my new favorite song

Not Afraid - Eminem

Love the Way You Lie - Eminem/Rihanna

Like a G6 - Far East Movement

Airplanes - B.O.B./Hayley Williams

Lips of an Angel - Hinder

Tattoo - Jordin Sparks

California Girls - Katy Perry/Snoop Dog

I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry

Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Lollipop - Lil Wayne/Static Major/Kanye

Secrets - OneRepublic

Disturbia - Rihanna

Umbrella - Rihanna/Jay-Z

Dynamite & Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz

Don't Trust Me - 3OH!3

Streetwalker - Delta Spirit

Piece of Me - Britney Spears

Uprising - Muse

Whip My Hair - Willow

Can't Be Tamed & Who Owns My Heart - Miley Cyrus

Take It Off, Tik Tok, Your Love is My Drug & We R Who We R - Ke$ha

Boom Boom Pow & I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas

And then mixed in with all of those are older rap songs from a mixed CD I made years ago and uploaded to my iTunes...includes Yeah (Usher), Bump Bump Bump (B2K), Right Thurr (Chingy) & Dirt Off Your Shoulders (Jay-Z).  Hehe, don't laugh...these songs all get me pumped up as I'm running, but okay, sometimes make me want to stop my run and start busting a move! ;)

Anyway, I just made some Trader Joes 'Reduced Fat' Brownies, ate some lunch and plan to enjoy the rest of this fall afternoon. I'm also hoping to get some sewing/knitting done this weekend, I have been missing my crafty time! Don't forget about Daylight Savings Time...so glad we get to add an hour onto sleep (I always enjoy more sleep) but not so glad about it getting dark so early in the day.

Happy Saturday

Run, Forest, Run!

About a month ago, I started running. Running and I usually have a "hate/hate" relationship, but surprisingly lately it's been lovely. Haha, I say lovely, but what I mean is...I don't really like to run, but I do it because it feels really good afterwards! :) Honestly, I am extremely slow...I used to start off pretty fast and then I'd get side stitches or start breathing funny and have to stop. So, I've been starting out slow and staying consistent throughout my entire run (but STILL slow).

We have some really nice trails behind our place and they actually run all throughout Omaha (total distance of trail = 24.10). The hubby, believe it or not, has been running about 12-14 mi. every Saturday...I don't know how he does it, but I'm always so proud of him. He will definitely run a marathon in the next year or two!

Me, I started out running about 2 miles when we first moved here, and just kept increasing my distance each week. This past Saturday was the 2nd time I ran 6 miles!!! 6.2 actually. Here's my time when I hit each mile:


Mile 1: 12:24
Mile 2: 25:58
Mile 3: 39:56
Mile 4: 54:35
Mile 5: 1:09:21
Mile 6: 1:23:58
Total time: 1:26:25
Avg. min/mi: 13.59


Told you I was slow! :) But, I'm still pretty proud of myself...and I intend on keeping it up. I don't know if I'll be running my hubby's distance anytime soon, but my goal for now is 8 miles. What has really helped me is having a "running" playlist on my iPod...without it, I would have wanted to quit so many times. It's amazing how much music can be motivating! Most of my playlist consists of rap and extremely upbeat songs. And my husband has introduced me to Gu which basically just energizes a runner before/during a run. I take some 15 minutes before I run my longer runs and I really think it helps to get me going.

Oh, and the hubby surprised me with a SPIbelt which carries all of my necessary items (phone, ID, key)...it's awesome, it doesn't move around at all while I'm running and it's black/hot pink! :)

So, get ready for some more running updates as running continues to kick my butt!