Finally the weekend!

Saturday night is one of my favorite nights in the Team PirateFrog household.  DT works Tues-Saturday thus Saturday night is our Friday night.  After he gets home, DT normally goes for a run, then we have a nice sit down dinner.  Tonight I found inspiration from two places.  On my 45min commute to CSCC's campus I like to listen to audio books.  Right now I'm listening to Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews.  One of the characters, Andrea, has lunch at a BBQ pit.  She professes the reason why the ribs are so tasty is due to the brine.  Brine?  I brine chicken breasts and turkeys but ribs?  I broke out the Google-fu and found Jason's BBQ Adventures.  It looked so tasty so I followed the recipe for brine and rub.  It's in the oven now and smells wonderful!

Dinner did take a bit longer than normal so I decided to treat DT to deviled eggs.  This pin has been floating around Pinterest and this is the second time I have baked my hard-boiled eggs.  The recipe states that you have to use fresh eggs and it's correct.  I used two older eggs and 6 that I had just purchased tonight.  The older ones cracked and when we went to peal them the shell stuck and they were not conducive to deviled eggs.  DT hoovered his eggs up while I made the coleslaw and cornbread. 

The Plum and Bourbon ice cream turned out well.  I was lazy and used store purchased jam.  I thought the ice cream base had too much of a custard feel but DT loved it.  After sampling the recipe I can say that if you like bourbon, add a 2nd shot to the base.  The ice cream still froze nicely with the extra alcohol.  Next time I think I will use a vanilla base recipe if I go the store bought route for the jam.  Plums just aren't in season in Ohio year round.

Pinspiration: Holiday Window Decor

One of the cutest holiday pins was this little gem.  Simple, elegant and EASY!  I mixed it up with jingle bells I had in my craft room and for $3.00 I had window decor.  I used my gun on the ribbon and the bells are jute twine.  I will re use this next year and maybe extend it to other windows in the house it was so cute.

Swim, cook, sew - the new triathlon?

It's been a few days since my last update.  With the semester starting I've been busy with classes.  On the workout front  I've been spinning at Breakaway Cycling on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights to help loosen up my knee.  I tried running yesterday but decided after 2 miles that discretion was the better part of valor.  This morning I made it to my first Master's Swimming practice.  It's so nice to be back in the pool.  My goggles kept fogging up which annoys me since they are new.  I normally spit in them and that does the trick but today the SCUBA trick just wasn't working. 

This morning workout:
Warm up:  100 Swim, 100 kick, 100 pull and 100 drill
Workout:  10x50yds pull and 12x50yds swim.  I did these one 1:10 to let the clock count for me.
Cool down: 250yds

I felt like a big wienie, the cool down was the hardest part!  

Cooking wise I've been experimenting with a Plum and Bourbon ice cream recipe and plan on freezing the custard today.  We had a great time taste testing which of our three house bourbons to use.  We have Maker's Mark 46, Woodford Reserve and Ohio's own Watershed Distillery Bourbon.  I'm a fan of Woodford Reserve because it's the smoothest of the two but DT and H2OLupa voted for the MM 46.

Today craft wise I am finishing some place mats for my brother and starting work on a new project- my 1947 outfit for the IPMS model show in Feb.  Click here for my Pinterest board

The Granola Experiment

DT eats granola every morning.  I mean EVERY morning.  He can also eat the same thing for dinner every night and not mind.  I think his short term memory is shot.  On weekends I had to institute a new rule:  no granola.  It's expensive and since we eat 2 boxes every week, the food bill was getting out of hand.  Let's face it, feeding a 6'4" giant is no cheap feat!

I mentioned in a previous post about my new cookbook Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (thanks Mom!) and I found a granola recipe that looked tasty.  Doubts because some of the ingredients can be expensive but since I'm on the injured reserve list, I have some time on my hands.

The Recipe:
2 c. quick oats
1 heaped cup mixed nuts (I used almonds)
1/4 c mixed seeds (I used sunflower and pumpkin)
3/4c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2c dried fruit
5 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (I used maple syrup)
5 Tbsp olive oil

*not in the recipe but I added some rolled barley flakes since I had some in my pantry.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Mix the dry ingredients but not the fruit on a sheet pan.  Stir well and drizzle in the maple syrup and olive oil.  Bake for 25-30 mins, stirring every 5 mins.  While the granola is baking, chop any large fruit.  When it is nice and golden, take it out of the oven and mix in the fruit.  Let it cool down and store in an airtight container.  Will keep for up to 2 weeks.  This filled up 2 1qt mason jars.

The cost:
**I used package weights so my math will be wrong on some items  I do not have a scale in my kitchen**
 Quaker Oats: $6.99? for 42oz.  Cost per batch: $2.656
Almonds: (Aldi) $3.99 for 12oz. Cost per batch: $2.66
Seeds: Sunflower  (Whole Foods) $2.69 for 16 oz  Cost per batch $.224
           Pumpkin (Whole Foods) $3.69 for 8oz Cost per batch $.46
Coconut: (Whole Foods) $3.69 for 5 cups  Cost per batch $.56
Cinnamon:  ??  It was in my pantry
1 1/2c dried fruit:  I used 2:  a mix from Aldi (entire mixed berry 8oz) $2.49 for 8oz and Dates (1/2c)  $1.99 for 8oz Cost per batch $3.00
Maple syrup and olive oil were in the pantry.

Next time I'm in Kroger I will need to look up the cost of the oats and the exact cost of the granola.  If I continue to make this, I need to find a cheaper source of oats and dried fruit.

Total cost per batch:  $9.56 for 7 cups (56oz) of granola.  This is $.17 per oz.  I pay around $3.50? for 16oz ($.21 per oz) so I think that the Granola Experiment is successful.  I just have to wait until morning to see if DT likes the recipe!

UPDATE:  I don't eat sweet things for breakfast and this is leaving me wishing that I used some honey in addition to the maple syrup.  I also think I over roasted so make sure you are checking every 5 mins and rotating like the recipe says.  I had my timer go off and I was slow to get to the oven so I had it in for around 30.

UPDATE 2:  I made a second batch this morning with the following edits:  Oven temp 325.  Total cook time: 20 mins; turning every 5 mins. This time I used honey- you know the old nasty kind that gets solid in the bottom of an old honey bear?  Yeah, that stuff!  I microwaved the bottle for 10 seconds and drizzled on the 5 Tbs.  Best way to use "old" crystallized honey!  I also sprinkled some brown sugar on the top since DT asked how much I used the first time.

Happy Breakfast!

Downhill Skiing

This week, DT took me on my first skiing adventure!  Skiing is like wearing the worst pair of high heeled dress shoes and having no toes.  I felt like Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, every weight change was met with a knife stab to my feet.  DT on the other hand, lived in Breckenridge, CO for several years and managed a ski shop.  He laughs in the face of moguls!  Black diamonds?  Bring them on!

I met DT at ASBCO, his part time job, to find rental skis, pants and gloves.  Trying on ski pants is a humbling experience.  Apparently everyone who skis has tinny stick legs.  I have legs the size of tree trunks.  No fancy bright colored ski pants for me, I was sent to the back of the store to try on basic black pants.  Most ski pants are pretty expensive but mine came with free camel toe!  How exciting!

When we got to Mad River, DT strapped me into my torture devices and we hit the bunny slope.  He taught me how to stop (pizza!), how to bleed off speed (cut across the mountain, and other skiers), and how to change directions.  The one thing he didn't tell me was how to fall, or what to do.  This is pretty important for later.  I discovered why skiers have skinny legs, holy cow it's a great workout!  I would ski more if only I wasn't crying "GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF!" after every other run.  I had to sit down and take off my boots for a bit.  DT told me that rental boots can sometimes not fit well and that even his boots don't feel like comfy slippers.  Needless to say I don't like getting the HTFU speech from DT.

Big smiles at the top!

After not falling on the bunny hill, DT wanted to go on a run with his friends.  I don't understand "going on a run" with a friend- you can't exactly talk while skiing.  I put on my brave face and we zoomed up the lift.  Mad River has several beginner trails.  Unfortunately DT wanted to go over the moguls.  I cut to the left of them and trying to bleed some speed, I both turned left and pizzaed at the same time, tumbling ass over teakettle.  Skis are long and when you fall, they tend to stay put instead of tumbling with your body.  I doubled up in pain 1/2 way down the hill, clutching my knee.   Several ski instructors came down to me and started asking questions.  Was I ok?  What hurt?  Did I need a lift down?  I had no clue what to do.  Remember, DT hadn't covered crashing!  I knew that I had to put on a good face for DT who was down at the bottom, looking up at me.  I don't remember skiing down to the bottom of the hill but I'm sure it was thrilling.  DT took me in for some hot coco and I couldn't control the tears.  I saw my 1/2 marathon goal just disappear in front of my eyes.  My entire 2013 season tanked.

 I'm not afraid of crashing, I know it's a part of skiing, cycling or even running.  What I am afraid of is going back to being fat and inactive.  Spraining my knee 1 week into marathon season has been heart breaking.  Soul crushing.  DT tucked me into bed and I caught a glimpse of my training schedule taped to my wall.  I couldn't help the tears.  I don't know how long I sobbed.  This was going to be my good season.  I was going into this being healthy and fit and WHAM!

It's been 2 days since the trip.  The knee is better.  I spent yesterday elevating it with ice and ibuprofen.  Today it was less stiff and sore but it started to throb when I ran errands.  I'm back on the sofa with some ice and my new Jamie Oliver cookbook Jamie's Food Revolution!