'Tis the Season

'Tis the season to send Santa your wishlist. Thank you PhD Comics for summing up my one and only Christmas wish. 

14 days until my final defense.  Bear Down!

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Mom's Sweet Potatoes

Isn't funny how your favorite family recipes are always the ones with very inexact measurements?  The other night our good friend was hosting her annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner party.  Since I won't be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family, I decided to make one of our family recipes to share with friends.  So, the day of the party, I eagerly opened up an email from my mom with the subject header "sweet potatoes"...and gasp...the recipe was in paragraph format with no measurements.  At first, I wasn't sure what to do with "boil potatoes until they seem like they're getting soft" and "add enough brown sugar to the butter until you have a thick syrup".  But after seeing my mom and dad work together in the kitchen making sweet potatoes all these years, I felt I could conquer this recipe of intuition.  The truth is, sometimes cooking is more about feeling than precision.  The results were very enthusiastically received at the dinner party, and I have to say, they were pretty close (but not as perfect) as my mom's.  The recipe below has rough measurements but it's probably better to trust your gut feeling when making these sweeties.

 Mom's Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

dash of cinnemon

dash of nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped pecans

 

Lightly scrub potatoes.  Do not peel potatoes or cut out eyes.  Place in pot of water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, lower stovetop to more of a simmer and let potatoes cook for 20-30 minutes.  At about 20 minutes, do the poke test.  If the knife goes in, but the potatoes still seem very firm, remove pot from stovetop, drain out the water, and place potatoes in a bowl to cool.  While potatoes are cooling, set oven to 375 degrees and lightly coat the casserole dish with butter.  Once cool enough to touch, remove skins from potatoes and cut out any eyes.  Slice potatoes (about 1/4 inch thick).  In medium size bowl, melt butter in microwave.  Then add approximately 3/4 cup brown sugar and microwave for another 15 seconds.  Stir mixture and add more sugar if needed to make a thick syrup.  You're looking for a texture with the same viscosity (thickness) as honey at room temperature.  Then stir in cinnemon and nutmeg.  In casserole dish, arrange sweet potatoes in single layer.  Continue alternating until last layer of sweet potatoes has been placed in the dish.  Sprinkle pecans over top (Hint: I saved just enough of the brown sugar syrup so that I could mix the pecans into it and then spread them over the top.  Glazed pecans...delish!)  Bake for approximately 50 minutes, taking the lid off for the last 10 minute to brown the top. 

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Half Marathon {Update 3}

Well, it took me a week, but I've finally recovered from my cold and my arches have finally recovered from running 13.1 miles in minimalist tennys.  You may be wondering, what possessed me to run even though I wasn't feeling so hot...the thought of 1) having wasted all that time I spent training if I ended up not running, and 2) my parents saying "Com'on cupcake, suck it up".  So even though I was sick and it was a cold desert morning (a dry, 38 degrees), I sucked it up and headed out to the east side with my hunnie in tow.  I decided to take the opportunity to just enjoy myself and this beautiful desert town.  It ended up being a great race!  For 2 hours I enjoyed the quiet of the desert and placed all thoughts of my thesis and work on the back burner.  The best part was seeing my hunnie as I neared the finish line.  I finished with a time of 1:51:36...not a personal best...but still a very strong time.  After the race my hunnie treated me to pumpkin waffels and coffee, a true breakfast of champions if I do say so myself. 

So glad that despite my crazy schedule I was able to stick to my training and follow through with my race.  Hopefully that motivation stays with me as I now begin training for my first full marathon. 

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Half Marathon Training {Update 2}

Just a few days until my half marathon, and I realized I have not really posted a running update since my training started.  Oh well...here's the training breakdown:

• 8 weeks
• 129 miles
• 5k mud run
• Longest distance run: 11 mi

As far as the training itself, I have to admit it lacked variety.  I didn't do much in the way of speed or strength training...just running.  I always tried to incorporate at least a few hills in my distance runs.  Most of my runs took place in the morning, with start times around 6 AM.  Getting my runs done this early had many perks:

1. Taking in the orange-blue sunrise
2. Hearing the coyotes howl in the distance (and crossing the path of a few of 'em)
3. Not having to deal with traffic (and wierdos who honk at you)
4. Being done with my run before the work day (and having the evenings for hunnie + Georgia time...and homework time)

A few days ago if you'd asked my if I felt ready for my run, I would have said "yes".  Now I find myself somewhat exhausted from an intense week of Master's work.  Not to mention I woke up all achy and throbby-headed at 1 am this morning.  Hopefully the combination of Advil, Airborne, and some spicy, ginger-y Dahl (lentil soup) will do the trick of getting me back on my feet by Sunday.  Even if I haven't overcome this cold by then, I will still have a ton of inspiration/motivation on the day of the race, as I celebrate all the American Veterans that are apart of my life and all those that support and protect my country every day. Pin It

Halloween in Pictures

October was a great month.  So many things to celebrate.  I'm sad to see October come and go so quickly, but happy that I was able to spend so much of it with all the people (and dogs) I love.

{Enjoying hot cocoa in the Halloween mug at work}



{Going on a roadtrip with my hunnie for pumpkins and produce}

{Running 5.6 miles and hanging with Jack}



{Roasting pumpkin seeds with worcestershire sauce and butter drizzled on top}


 

{Carving pumpkins with my hunnie while listening to "Monster Mash"}



{Georgia Mae dressed in her "Angsty Teen" costume}

Happy Halloween!

 

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Another Tale of Two Trips

Whether you're recovering from Frankenstorm or heading out to see Frankenweenie, it's pretty clear that Halloween is almost here.  It is amazing how quickly October has come and gone.  I rang in the month with a trip out to California to see my sister and then a trip to Boulder for work.  Strangely enough, I found myself closing out October just like I'd started it...only in reverse.  Last Wednesday night I was on a plane heading back to Denver International.  This time around, we arrived to experience the first snowfall of the season.  All I have to say is snow is not fun to drive through...in a Mazda rental car. 

None the less, I was like a little kid Thursday morning when I woke up at the hotel--I hopped out the bed and hurried to the window to oogle at the fresh layer of snow on the ground. 

After getting an "A-" on my presentation (my supervisor likes to tease me and say that my work is worth a grade instead of a paycheck), my co-workers and I were headed back to the airport.  I cozied up to a hot chocolate and some Harvard Business Journal articles, and a few hours later I was off to San Jose for the next leg of my trip.   

I was in Bay Area for a ladies weekend with my sis and gal pals.  There was crafting and mimosas...and mud.  Yes, lots of mud.  While some girls only got their feet wet, my gals and I went head first into the slippery, stinky, and very muddy obstacles at the Dirty Girl Mud Race.  We were Team Swamp Goddesses, and let me just say, we certainly lived up to our name. 

--Not pictured here is our lovely, leggy lady: Catherine, who was taking the picture

We had some great laughs...and a few scares on the vertical obstacles (and in the post-race spray down area...don't ask).  These awesome ladies work so hard every day, it was great that we all came together and gave 110% at the race.  By the end of the week I was so exhausted and relaxed all at once.  There really is nothing like spending time with the ones you love to clear your head and rejuvinate you for whatever's next.  What's next for me?  A half-marathon, hosting Thanksgiving, the final 6 weeks of school, a thesis, a thesis defense, and HOPEFULLY a graduation.  As we say here in Arizona, Bear Down.         

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Halloween Decor & Whiskey Glazed Acorn Squash

Fall is finally here in our little desert town.  I've been daydreaming more about pumpkins, and tall boots, and red and yellow leaves (which are nowhere to be seen here).  Last Friday my class was cancelled, opening up my schedule to check out the local discount fabric store.  My browsing led to purchasing (and boy did I get some bargains), and I found myself rushing home to decorate the house for my 2nd favorite holiday, Halloween.  (Only to be trumped by 4th of July).  As a kid we always decorated the front yard for Halloween, but since I didn't have the time to make a cardboard tombstone or a big scarecrow in red flannel and Nike tennis shoes, I resolved to making some ghosties instead.  Some white lace and fishing line and ta-da...Victorian ghosts now haunt the front porch of our little blue house.  I also bought a handful of discount ribbon and black plastic roses, which I weaved through a wreath from the dollar bin at Target.  All my hunnie and I need now is our pumpkins, which will be picking from the pumpkin patch down the road from his work. 

In addition to putting out my Halloween decor, I've been filling the house with lots of Fall smells lately.  Alongside last Sunday's dinner of lemon roasted chicken, I made Whiskey Glazed Acorn Squash and Sweet Potatoes.  The recipe is an adaptation of Guy Fiere's, only I replaced apples with Acorn Squash and made a half batch since it was just me and my hunnie.  This dish was savoury and sweet, but with a little kick from the whiskey and Cayenne pepper.  It was a spunky take on a classic, and I can't wait to pick up some more squash and potatoes to make it again. 

Whiskey Glazed Acorn Squash and Sweet Potatoes
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Acorn Squash
1/4 cup Agave Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon All Spice
Pinch teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 tablespoon Whiskey
3 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Cut acorn squash in half and remove seeds.  Bake, skin-down, along with the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes.  After letting cool, peel and slice the squash and potatoes.  In a saute pan melt 2 tablespoons butter, lower the heat to medium, add the agave and spices, and let simmer 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add whiskey and continue to simmer and stir for 5 more minutes.  Lightly butter a casserole dish and arrange the squash and potatoes in layers in the dish.  Drizzle the whiskey sauce over the the squash and potatoes.  Finish by sprinkling brown sugar over top. 
Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pin It