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| Sweet Peppers |
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| Hot Peppers |
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| Sweet 'Taters |
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| Garlic Chives |
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| Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes- pictures don't do them justice! |
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| Garlic Cutie |
I'm trying to enjoy the fall harvest while it lasts. The farm has already had one night of frost!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
CSA Week 22
Happy 10-10-10! If I had been off of work today, I would've done something crazy to celebrate... like run 10 miles! Or more likely, make cookies with 10 ingredients and eat 10 of them ;o) Instead, I'll settle for a CSA post. I love getting local, seasonal produce every week. Things taste better when they're fresh and in season. And with the abundance of squash and sweet potatoes available right now, I'm also wondering if there's something about Beta Carotene that got our ancestors through a long winter. I plan on stockpiling, just in case.
I'm trying to enjoy the fall harvest while it lasts. The farm has already had one night of frost!
I'm trying to enjoy the fall harvest while it lasts. The farm has already had one night of frost!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Boys of Fall
We weren't disappointed. He caught a 37-yard pass early in the first quarter and he caught a touchdown pass later in the game. He was also instrumental in other plays but, well, I don't know anything about football. I just know my heart swelled with pride each time the announcer said Bobby's name.
We tailgated before hand and even had tickets for the game- that's how big of a deal this game was.
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| Ross and my mom |
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| So official |
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| Therese + Ross |
I paid one last visit to the Boys of Summer (Rosenblatt and all it's history will be torn down soon).
And then the boys of fall took the field.
Prep won this time (in 1960, the game ended in a 0-0 tie). Congratulations on a great game, Bobby. I'm so proud of you!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Squish Squash
I'm really loving winter squash. Roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut butter. Pumpkin pie smoothies. Acorn squash...?
I got this cute lil' guy in our CSA share last week, but I'd never cooked with acorn squash. I assume you can treat it like most of the other winter squash, but I looked up a recipe anyway and I'm so glad I did. The Pioneer Woman never fails. I obviously like my squash sweet, but the rosemary in this recipe makes it slightly savory and the butter makes it super rich. Plus, I was able to use some rosemary we'd gotten in the CSA and hung up to dry.
Click here to see the original recipe and far superior pictures!
Here's what I used:
1 acorn squash
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
pinch of salt
splash of olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. rosemary, minced
1. Cut the squash into wedges. (Or, you know, realize you're weak and clumsy and it'd be safer for your husband to do the dirty work).
2. Scoop seeds out.
3. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
3. Place squash in cake pan and roast in 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
4. Mix butter, brown sugar, and rosemary.
5. Remove squash from over after 20 minutes, rub with butter paste, and place back in oven for 30 minutes, until brown and carmelized.
6. Realize you should've tried savory squash a long time ago!
I got this cute lil' guy in our CSA share last week, but I'd never cooked with acorn squash. I assume you can treat it like most of the other winter squash, but I looked up a recipe anyway and I'm so glad I did. The Pioneer Woman never fails. I obviously like my squash sweet, but the rosemary in this recipe makes it slightly savory and the butter makes it super rich. Plus, I was able to use some rosemary we'd gotten in the CSA and hung up to dry.
Click here to see the original recipe and far superior pictures!
Here's what I used:
1 acorn squash
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
pinch of salt
splash of olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. rosemary, minced
1. Cut the squash into wedges. (Or, you know, realize you're weak and clumsy and it'd be safer for your husband to do the dirty work).
2. Scoop seeds out.
3. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
3. Place squash in cake pan and roast in 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
4. Mix butter, brown sugar, and rosemary.
5. Remove squash from over after 20 minutes, rub with butter paste, and place back in oven for 30 minutes, until brown and carmelized.
6. Realize you should've tried savory squash a long time ago!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Just What I Needed
After all that talk yesterday, I fell asleep on the couch instead of going out for a run beneath the brilliant blue fall sky. But I was so tired mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Today I told myself that I'd go out for a few miles, focus on my posture, and run how I felt. Apparently I felt like my tail was on fire. I ran the second mile in 9 minutes and 22 seconds! The song that made the difference between mile 1 and mile 2? Beautiful by Christina Aguilera (don't judge!)
Yesterday I really needed a nap. Today I really needed a run. Sometimes I talk about running toward something or away from something. Today I was definitely running away from something. I was running away from the guilt of not running the miles I should have this week. Guilt from not volunteering to work overtime when the NICU admitted triplets and two other babies last night (will our census ever normalize?!). Guilt from not being the perfect housewife and keeping our apartment clean all the time.
A good run usually involves good music, good thinking time, or all the stars aligning to obtain that elusive runner's high. Today's run involved good music and led to good internal dialogue:
You have no self control. You ate too much cookie dough yesterday and too much pumpkin bar batter today.
You are beautiful.
You're eating like you've been running all week, but you haven't earned it.
You are beautiful.
You are so unproductive on your days off.
You are beautiful.
You are such a hypochondriac when you get any little ache or pain.
You are beautiful.
I am not sure where I first heard this, but when you're talking badly to yourself, you're supposed to imagine saying that same thing to a child. Would you say it to your 5 year old self? No? Then why on earth are you saying it to your 25 year old self?
I really regret getting so down on myself in high school and college. I was doing the best I could at the time and beating myself up all the time didn't help matters. Likewise, I know that in 5 years I'll look back and be so sad at the way I talk to myself some days. I love how the Desiderata puts it: Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
My name is Therese. I love to bake and lick the bowl afterward. I like to run slow and pretend I'm fast. I like to write things out to clarify them, even if no one else reads it. I like to lay in bed reading Harry Potter while my awesome husbands makes pancakes. I like to take care of the tiniest human beings, even though the "work" part of my job overwhelms me sometimes. I am beautiful.
Today I told myself that I'd go out for a few miles, focus on my posture, and run how I felt. Apparently I felt like my tail was on fire. I ran the second mile in 9 minutes and 22 seconds! The song that made the difference between mile 1 and mile 2? Beautiful by Christina Aguilera (don't judge!)
Yesterday I really needed a nap. Today I really needed a run. Sometimes I talk about running toward something or away from something. Today I was definitely running away from something. I was running away from the guilt of not running the miles I should have this week. Guilt from not volunteering to work overtime when the NICU admitted triplets and two other babies last night (will our census ever normalize?!). Guilt from not being the perfect housewife and keeping our apartment clean all the time.
A good run usually involves good music, good thinking time, or all the stars aligning to obtain that elusive runner's high. Today's run involved good music and led to good internal dialogue:
You have no self control. You ate too much cookie dough yesterday and too much pumpkin bar batter today.
You are beautiful.
You're eating like you've been running all week, but you haven't earned it.
You are beautiful.
You are so unproductive on your days off.
You are beautiful.
You are such a hypochondriac when you get any little ache or pain.
You are beautiful.
I am not sure where I first heard this, but when you're talking badly to yourself, you're supposed to imagine saying that same thing to a child. Would you say it to your 5 year old self? No? Then why on earth are you saying it to your 25 year old self?
I really regret getting so down on myself in high school and college. I was doing the best I could at the time and beating myself up all the time didn't help matters. Likewise, I know that in 5 years I'll look back and be so sad at the way I talk to myself some days. I love how the Desiderata puts it: Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
My name is Therese. I love to bake and lick the bowl afterward. I like to run slow and pretend I'm fast. I like to write things out to clarify them, even if no one else reads it. I like to lay in bed reading Harry Potter while my awesome husbands makes pancakes. I like to take care of the tiniest human beings, even though the "work" part of my job overwhelms me sometimes. I am beautiful.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Far from 7th Heaven
I had a 7 mile run planned for Saturday. I got all ready and managed to psych myself up even though it was the last thing I wanted to do after my busy stretch of house-sitting, traveling to and from Omaha, and working 3 shifts in a row.
The first 3-4 miles were okay, besides the fact that I was going a full minute/mile slower than I did in my 10k the week before. But I think I was unknowingly setting myself up for injury.
You see, I've had a side-stitch for about a week now. It's been waking me up in pain at about 5am most days, but once I'm awake it hurts the least when I'm hungry right before a meal, and hurts the most about an hour after eating. And, as I found out, it hurts more when I'm running. It hurt so much that I was running hunched over without even thinking about it. It hurt so much that it caused me to hurt my left back, hip, and knee by running with bad form.
At 6.4 miles, I literally could not run another step or something inside my left knee was going to snap. I walked the rest of the way home, slowly and dejectedly.
Part of me knows that 6.4 miles is absolutely amazing and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I'm darn proud I made it that far! But I'm mad at myself because my back and knee still hurt. And my side-stitch hurts just enough that I really don't want to go through that all again on a run today.
I've been putting my run off all day, and I can't decide if my back of my side hurts more.
BAH. Sob-fest over. Sorry for whining. I'm going to cover 3-4 miles somehow today, be it running or walking. Anything is better than nothing. It's a beautiful day. I am just waiting for the cookie dough I ate to digest and the Advil I took to kick in. Then it's onward with half-marathon training!
The first 3-4 miles were okay, besides the fact that I was going a full minute/mile slower than I did in my 10k the week before. But I think I was unknowingly setting myself up for injury.
You see, I've had a side-stitch for about a week now. It's been waking me up in pain at about 5am most days, but once I'm awake it hurts the least when I'm hungry right before a meal, and hurts the most about an hour after eating. And, as I found out, it hurts more when I'm running. It hurt so much that I was running hunched over without even thinking about it. It hurt so much that it caused me to hurt my left back, hip, and knee by running with bad form.
At 6.4 miles, I literally could not run another step or something inside my left knee was going to snap. I walked the rest of the way home, slowly and dejectedly.
Part of me knows that 6.4 miles is absolutely amazing and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I'm darn proud I made it that far! But I'm mad at myself because my back and knee still hurt. And my side-stitch hurts just enough that I really don't want to go through that all again on a run today.
I've been putting my run off all day, and I can't decide if my back of my side hurts more.
BAH. Sob-fest over. Sorry for whining. I'm going to cover 3-4 miles somehow today, be it running or walking. Anything is better than nothing. It's a beautiful day. I am just waiting for the cookie dough I ate to digest and the Advil I took to kick in. Then it's onward with half-marathon training!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Oktoberfest and Old Friends
And old high school friend invited me to an Oktoberfest party on Saturday, and was stoked to catch up! I can't believe we've lived here for almost a year and haven't seen Dan and Kelly yet. I didn't take pictures at the party because, well, we barely knew anyone. However, I did photography my contribution to the German-themed dinner: German chocolate cupcakes!
I made these a while ago with my mother- and sister-in-law, but never posted the recipe. Here is is, courtesy of the culinary genius David Lebovitz:
For the cupcakes
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup boiling water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1. Preheat the open to 350ºF. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. (I made 20 mini cupcakes and 6 regular cupcakes with this recipe).
2. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate, and stir until melted. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg yolks and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.
5. Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then add the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until blended.
6. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the two egg whites until stiff, then fold one-third of them in to the chocolate batter, then the rest. Fold just into there are no streaks of white remaining, but don’t overfold.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes, until the batter feels just set in the center. Remove from the oven, then let cool for a few minutes.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
For the German chocolate frosting
3/4 cup 2% or whole milk evaporated milk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Whisk together the evaporated milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the butter, then cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula over medium heat, like a custard, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spatula. Do not let boil.
3. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the chocolate, stirring gently until melted. Then stir in the coconut, pecans, and vanilla. (If using unsweetened coconut, you can add an additional teaspoon of brown sugar if it’s not sweet enough, to your taste.)
4. Let cool to room temperature, then use the frosting to ice the cupcakes, topping the cupcakes with a bit of toasted coconut as a garnish after you ice them, if you wish.
I topped mine with some extra pecans and coconut. These were even better the second time around! I definitely recommend the mini-cupcakes. To me, cupcakes are just vehicles for frosting, and this frosting is amazing. You can heap the minis with extra frosting and still get it in your mouth without making a mess :o)
I made these a while ago with my mother- and sister-in-law, but never posted the recipe. Here is is, courtesy of the culinary genius David Lebovitz:
For the cupcakes
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup boiling water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1. Preheat the open to 350ºF. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. (I made 20 mini cupcakes and 6 regular cupcakes with this recipe).
2. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate, and stir until melted. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg yolks and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.
5. Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then add the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until blended.
6. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the two egg whites until stiff, then fold one-third of them in to the chocolate batter, then the rest. Fold just into there are no streaks of white remaining, but don’t overfold.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes, until the batter feels just set in the center. Remove from the oven, then let cool for a few minutes.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
For the German chocolate frosting
3/4 cup 2% or whole milk evaporated milk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Whisk together the evaporated milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the butter, then cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula over medium heat, like a custard, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spatula. Do not let boil.
3. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the chocolate, stirring gently until melted. Then stir in the coconut, pecans, and vanilla. (If using unsweetened coconut, you can add an additional teaspoon of brown sugar if it’s not sweet enough, to your taste.)
4. Let cool to room temperature, then use the frosting to ice the cupcakes, topping the cupcakes with a bit of toasted coconut as a garnish after you ice them, if you wish.
I topped mine with some extra pecans and coconut. These were even better the second time around! I definitely recommend the mini-cupcakes. To me, cupcakes are just vehicles for frosting, and this frosting is amazing. You can heap the minis with extra frosting and still get it in your mouth without making a mess :o)
Friday, October 1, 2010
A New Month
Hey look... I'm famous! Well, I guess that's a stretch since I'm hardly the only one they interviewed. But still. It's a fun way to celebrate my blog's one-year anniversary.
Besides being the first day of a new month, today is also World Vegetarian Day! I can see Ross cringing and rolling his eyes already. October is actually Vegetarian Awareness Month. I'm not vegetarian and, despite Ross' greatest fears, I never will be. I love pepperoni too much. However, I probably go about 3-4 days a week without eating meat just because cooking raw meat grosses me out. I do love a good veggie burger, but I don't necessarily think it's better for you than a grass-finished beef burger. I guess I'm more "pro-plant" than "anti-meat."
That being said, during October I'm going to try eating vegetarian 6 days a week, just for kicks. I'm not trying to lose weight (after all, cookies and brownies are vegetarian) although I am curious to see if my running really does improve like some people claim it can. I'm not trying to transition to being a life-long vegetarian, not even secretly. Who wants to join me in pretending for a month, though?!
Besides being the first day of a new month, today is also World Vegetarian Day! I can see Ross cringing and rolling his eyes already. October is actually Vegetarian Awareness Month. I'm not vegetarian and, despite Ross' greatest fears, I never will be. I love pepperoni too much. However, I probably go about 3-4 days a week without eating meat just because cooking raw meat grosses me out. I do love a good veggie burger, but I don't necessarily think it's better for you than a grass-finished beef burger. I guess I'm more "pro-plant" than "anti-meat."
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