Recipes and Running

Yesterday I noticed that we had a copious amount of fresh produce that was going to go bad if we didn’t make something with it soon. And so, I set off to find a few recipes to help use up all of the cucumbers, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, and green beans we had. Since I have to leave the house at 7:30 each morning for work, I like to have pre-made salads/meals available to pack up quickly as I head out the door. My favorites are usually tuna salad, broccoli and orzo, and turkey wraps but I decided to try out a few new recipes. I made two different side-dishes/salad type recipes and they are both delicious! They work well as a side-dish for a meal or as the main dish!

We had lots of these!

And these too!

Spicy Cucumber-Tomato Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
3 cups water
Salt to taste
2 cups diced cucumber
1 small red onion, finely minced
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain through a strainer, and rinse until the water runs clear. Bring the 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread. Drain off the water in the pan through a strainer, and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel, replace the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the finely diced cucumber in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the cucumber with cold water, and drain on paper towels. If using the onion, place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain on paper towels.
3. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs.
Yield: Serves six.

Green Bean & Fingerling Potatoes (Sorry forgot to take pictures of this one!)

2 lb. Bite-sized fingerling potatoes
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 med. shallots, minced
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T fresh sage, minced
1/8 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 lb. Green beans, trimmed

Dressing:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 T white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T fresh sage, minced
2/3 cup strong soft cheese, (I used gorgonzola)
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1. Toss potatoes, onion, garlic, shallots, rosemary, and sage in olive oil and roast uncovered at 350 until potatoes are tender.
2. Begin checking after about 15 minutes; stirring occasionally. Drain excess oil and set aside to cool when finished.
3. Steam or blanch green beans al dente; drain and set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
5. Add potatoes and green beans and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.


On a completely different note, I have decided that I am going to go for it and attempt to run the 10K rather than the 5K for the LifeBanc Run. This is a pretty lofty goal…thus far, I don’t think I have ever consecutively run that far. I do run at least 3-4 times per week, typically for a ½ hour (I am not sure of the distance…I just developed some courses at the park that take between 30-35 minutes) but I am guessing that a 10K would take me around an 1 hour to complete—nearly double what I am currently used to running! Tomorrow I am going to do a trial run at our Metroparks. They have a great path there that is 3.2 miles, so I am going to run it twice, which will actually put me at 6.4 miles, which is a little more than a 10K. My goal is to finish this run without having to stop and walk! I know that I will need to figure out how to maintain a good pace but I will work on that later; right now my goal is just to finish the course! If anyone out there has any advice/training tips for preparing for a 10K, I would definitely appreciate them!
Tomorrow after my pseudo 10K, I am going over to a friend’s house to make a variety of zucchini and banana breads—definitely a good motivator to help me get through my run! Will be sure to post the recipes/reviews after!

Whirlwind Weekend!

As always, I can’t believe it is already Monday. The weekends seem to fly by, especially in the summer, as I try to pack in as many activities, adventures, and expeditions as possible! I kicked off the weekend by going to the Irish-American Festival on Friday at the Berea Fairgrounds. We haven’t been to the Festival in a few years and I had forgotten how much fun it is! This year, a few of our favorite Irish bands were there so we took advantage of the entertainment and enjoyed listening to New Barleycorn, Brigid’s Cross, and John McDermott. My mom was especially excited to see John McDermott because she had chosen his song, “Dance with me Daughter” for her Father/Daughter Dance at her wedding just a few weeks ago (I still need a post about the wedding!) After listening to a few tunes, we grabbed some dinner. While the Irish are certainly not known for their cuisine, we still found a few treats to keep us satisfied, including Corned Beef Sandwiches, Cabbage & Noodles, and Kettle Corn. Unfortunately the skies decided to open right as we were about to begin shopping so I didn’t get to buy any Irish trinkets—they always have the cutest jewelry, household items, and baby clothes—so I was really disappointed! After making a mad dash to the car and getting soaking wet, we headed home and played a game of Trouble and then headed off to bed to rest up before our busy Saturday began.

Chris (my stepdad) has never been an animal person, add in the fact that he is a neatnik and we had a slight predicament on our hands...named Chloe, the cat. Despite our most earnest efforts, Chris would not relent and let us bring Chloe to live at his house (our new digs). Sean (my brother) and I tried every tactic we could think of but all of our efforts were useless, which left us upset and Chloe without a home. Luckily, my Aunt Lili offered to take in Chloe and take care of her until I get my own apartment next year. Since Aunt Lili lives in Columbus, about 2 hours away, I decided to make a day of it and take Sean to the Columbus Zoo since we would already be down there. And to top it off, one of my best friends, Jenni joined us at the zoo. So Sean and I set off at 6:45am with a cooler of PB&J’s, pretzels, apples, waters, Twizzlers, and assorted other goodies; a wagon; a bag of sunscreen, sunglasses, maps, and baseball caps; and Chloe and all of her supplies. We also picked up Sean’s friend Johnny on the way so that he would have someone to keep him company. After dropping off Chloe and saying our goodbyes, we headed to the Zoo—somewhat sad to be leaving Chloe behind but excited about our adventures ahead. When we arrived, we met up with Jenni and got situated; applying sunscreen, putting on hats, and making sure our sneakers were double-knotted!

While I have been to the Cleveland Zoo, I had never been to the Columbus Zoo before, which is actually the #1 Zoo in America (who woulda thunK?) As the 2010 #1 Zoo in America, the Columbus Zoo tops the list, beating out the San Diego Zoo, Baltimore Zoo, etc! I never would have guessed that, but I can see why it is #1. It was a super clean park, filled with unbelievably friendly zoo guides, and tons of activities and interactive exhibits to keep the kiddo’s and adults entertained.

From petting flamingo’s to watching polar bears wrestle, Sean and Johnny had a blast as did Jenni and I. The only snafu in the plan was the scorching heat—Columbus was actually under a heat advisory for the day and with temperatures at over 90 degrees, not factoring in humidity, it was a toasty day! Of course Johnny and Sean reminded us incessantly of how hot it was and the copious amounts of water, juice boxes, and sunscreen we went through reiterated that fact! As lunch time rolled around, we found a picnic table in the shade to eat at and let the boys head off to play on the playground while Jenni and I spent some time catching up. After lunch we headed to the African Safari and checked out the elephants and tigers and ended our adventure at the Aquarium, where we got to pet sting rays and hold starfish. As we headed back to the car, Johnny and Sean were sweaty, hot , and tired and of course we had to trek across the scorching, multiple-mile parking lot to get to the car. After coaxing them to keeping trudging along with the promise of Frosty’s we finally made our way to the car, said goodbye to Jenni, blasted the air, and headed to Wendy’s. After getting 2 vanilla and 1 chocolate Frosty to go we hit the road. With Sean and Johnny in the backseat enjoying a movie and me in the front with the cruise control set, we were making good time…until Sean’s usual bathroom antics set in. Of course I told him to go before we had left the zoo, telling him that we would not be stopping on the way home and of course he insisted he didn’t have to go…until we were about half-way through with our drive. He began by insisting how much he had to go, which quickly escalated to his insistence that he was going to “pee his pants,” which topped out at him screaming, moaning, and crying that he could not hold it anymore! Despite my gumption to hold my ground and keep driving, I was more interested in keeping the seats in my car clean and so, we stopped. I was not too pleased with the bathroom stop and so I turned off the movie, which ended up being more of a punishment for me than for the boys...Finally we arrived back home, exhausted and hungry. After a quick dinner of burgers, watermelon, and oven-baked potatoes, we were all in bed by 9:00!

Sunday was just as busy—we started off the day by going to church and then went to the Farmer’s Market. I love going to the Farmer’s Market, I love to support the local farmers, eat local foods, and find delicious local treats to enjoy. One of my favorite treats from the market is the homemade peanut butter. If you have never tried homemade peanut butter before, you are missing out! The taste is unlike any other; honestly it just melts in your mouth! I love it on toast, with celery, in smoothies, and even just by the spoonful! We also picked up zucchini’s, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and freshly picked flowers. After the Farmer’s Market we headed home and began our Sunday afternoon routine of cooking. Even though Sunday’s mean the end of the weekend and the imminent arrival of another long week, they are my favorite day. Sunday’s at our house are filled with lots of cooking, laughing, relaxing, and best of all—Sunday dinner. We always have a big meal on Sunday evenings and everyone is expected to be there. Sometimes we invite the extended family but usually it is just the skeleton crew of my stepdad, mom, brother, and I. Last night we had roasted chicken, green bean and fingerling potato salad, watermelon, and beer batter bread (my all-time favorite bread!) After dinner we relaxed and I worked on gathering a few things to get ready for heading back to school (ugh.) For a sweet close on the weekend, we had blueberry-peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

Another busy week ahead of me—I have a doctor’s appointment tonight, dentist on Thursday, and then on Friday we are heading to Atlanta for a long weekend to visit my cousins to wakeboard, tube, and catch some rays. What did you all do this past weekend? Anything good planned for this upcoming week? Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful day that God has given us!

Chinese Water Torture

This post has absolutely no point, so I apologize in advance. If you want to stop reading now, I would completely understand, in fact, I may even recommend it. So if you get about half way through and are questioning if this post is some kind of cruel Chinese water torture, just remember…you were warned.

1. Normally I am not all that into slapstick humor but lately I have been finding the most ridiculous things funny. What types of things you ask? Well let me try to explain. So as I am talking to my friend Becky on the phone (a feat in and of itself because I truly despise talking on the phone), she begins to tell me about the date she went on to a restaurant called Steak on a Stone. Naturally I ask her what type of steak and side she ordered. If it were me going, I would go with a filet and a baked potato covered in enough butter to make Paula Deen cringe and I would probably want a roll or two to sop up the steak juices and also probably dessert. But I digress. So anyway, Becky tells me that she ordered chicken and steamed broccoli. Thinking I may have misheard or her or perhaps been in a caffeine-induced coma (I had about 4 cups of coffee that morning) I asked her to repeat what she had gotten. No worries, my ears and fine and no coma to report—instead I got a full-fledged ab workout from laughing, at the fact that my friend ordered chicken and broccoli at a customized steak restaurant, where they grill the steak in front of you. About ten minutes later, after I finally recovered from my hysterical laughing, I asked her why exactly she chose chicken and broccoli and she claimed “I no longer like the taste of steak.” Which set me off laughing again. For at least another ten minutes. And that is only one example of the ridiculous things I have been laughing at.
2. We put our house up for sale last Friday and someone is doing a walk-through tomorrow. Apparently these said home wreckers (in case you are a bit behind on my posts, I am not too thrilled with this whole moving thing) are from New Jersey. Which has lead me to imagine a woman with a Bump-It in her hair and a man popping ‘roids walking through my house and snarkily commenting on the lack of any Italian paraphernalia or a built-in tanning bed. Disclaimer: I have in fact NEVER actually watched the tv show Jersey Shore, nor have I ever been to New Jersey. I am sure it is a great state with many wonderful people. And I am also sure the tv show details the lives of very down-to-earth, normal people—I mean it is, after all, reality tv.
3. I have a slight obsession with watermelon. It is my all-time favorite fruit and since it is in season, I am addicted. Seriously. I may need to be in rehab when the fall hits and watermelon is no longer available. I am cutting up one of these bad boys about every 3 days.
4. I think I may have overfed my fish Felix. I feed him ever y night before I go to bed and the other night I accidently dumped in about ¾ of a container of fish food. He is looking rather lethargic and even after I tap on the glass he is still just kind of floating around—NO he is not floating around because he is dead. I think he just overate and can’t figure out how to recover, kind of like how I feel for about 4 hours after eating on Thanksgiving…

To try and redeem myself I will try to wrap up with a few comments that may in fact have some sort of substance to them.

1. As I have mentioned a few times before, reading is one of my all-time favorite hobbies. Currently I am reading the book The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. It is set in the 1960’s and chronicles the lives of several different women living in the South. Specifically, it contrasts the experiences of 4 white women and from what I can tell so far, 3 African American women. It is a stellar read thus far and I am having a hard time putting it down.
2. While I love, love, love to run I have rarely tried out my abilities in a competitive context. I have run a few 5K’s here and there but nothing too serious. However, on August 14th I am training to hopefully run my first 10K. If you live in the Cleveland area and want to support a great cause, please sign up for the LifeBanc 5K/10K/1.5 Walk. LifeBanc is a terrific organization that needs help to spread awareness about all of the wonderful things it does to help support families who have individuals who are donor candidates as well as families who are donor recipients and of course the recipients themselves. Click here to go to the link for the event. My family is sponsoring a team called The Drewin Crew and would appreciate any runners/walkers/donations. Thanks in advance.

Well, if you made it through to here, kudos. I will try to post something more meaningful next time but I can’t make any promises!

Pledged Not to Pledge...Or So I Thought

When I began college, I was "pledged not to pledge." I had absolutely no interest in joining a sorority--of course at that point my only point of reference was the movie House Bunny... As formal rush rolled around my friend Jenni kept trying to convince me that I should sign up and just see what I thought. Finally, I relented, figuring that if nothing else, it would help me get to know a few more people on campus. Walking into my first rush party should have required a passport. Everyone was decked out in the same shirt, jeans, shoes, and quite possibly the same underwear. There was singing and small talk and endless heads of blond hair...Ok, while I might be slightly over-exaggerating, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Yet by the end of the first night, I was excited about joining a sorority. By the end of the week, I had narrowed down my top choice to Theta Phi Alpha and was thrilled when I finally became a sister! From getting my Big to getting my Little, it has truly been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only have I gained lifelong friends but I have also gotten a chance to take on new leadership positions and even discover a new hobby--sewing!

My Big and I--wearing my first two creations!

Big/Little Reveal--I became a Big!

Of course as soon as I joined Theta Phi, I wanted to sport my letters around campus. From sweatshirts to t-shirts to canvas bags, I was so proud to be able to wear my letters. The only snafu in the plan was The Greek House. The Greek House is a sketchy store about 5 minutes from campus that sells all of the Greek apparel and also houses a tanning bed (unregistered of course) in the back...I know it is college and the standards are a bit lower but this place is pretty shady! So as I ventured in and looked around I was a little skeptical. As I looked over the shirts, I could see that the stitching was loose, that the letters were not centered, and that in order to buy one I would need to take out another student loan. Turning to my friend Jenni, I jokingly said "You know, I could make one of these shirts myself." And so it all began.

If I am anything, it is strong-willed. Once I get an idea, I am off and running and I won't be stopping until I get what I want--sometimes not such a good thing. This time though, it worked out! After carefully investigating online, I discovered that I only needed a few materials to begin. So off I went to the craft store to buy fabric, shirts, patterns, etc. The first few shirts were certainly nothing to talk about but as I worked on more and more, I actually began to get pretty good. Eventually I braved actually wearing one of my creations and received a few compliments and so I decided to offer my talents up to my Theta Phi sisters.

Offering to sell the t-shirts for half of The Greek Store, I had orders flying at me. I was thrilled but also slightly worried--I didn't want to have people pay me for something I made them that looked like it came from Goodwill. I began the first shirt order with trepidation but as I got going, I was feeling pretty good. Holding up the shirt with the TPA sewed on, I could hardly contain my excitement. It looked good, great even--until I flipped it over and realized I had sewed the back and the front of the shirt together.Fortunately, the only way to go after a start like that is up. While my shirts won't be selling on 5th Avenue anytime soon, I am happy that I have found something that I enjoy doing and that my sisters enjoy wearing!

Two of my favorite shirts I have made so far--I cut up a Vera Bradley napkin for the pattern and even stepped out of my comfort zone and used turquoise thread!