Thanksgiving Hangover

Get in my belly, gravy!

I'm suffering, y'all. No, I'm not queasy or headache-y. I'm hungry.

After days of endless snacking on chips and hummus, gorging myself on wine and turkey, eating pie and cupcakes after every meal, making bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, my stomach expanded to fill my entire torso. Now that the holiday is over, I don't have the food reserves available to me. But my body does not care.

My body is demanding baked fruit and cheesy broccoli. It needs some ribs. It would even do with some Skyline Chili, if only it was followed by a glass of wine and a slice of apple pie.

My bloated stomach won't accept substitutes, y'all. It rejects my granola and yogurt and oranges and vegetables not smothered in cheese. It has no idea what to do with the hours after dinner, with no delicious dessert to digest.

My senses are unnaturally alert from the copious lack of wine in my system. My liver is postively robust today.

This is what detox must be like. Help me, blog readers. Send some stuffing my way.

The Great BBQ Cookoff of 2009

It all started with a little bragging. You see, John makes ribs. Good ribs. He's even got his own rib recipe, in which he makes his own BBQ sauce. He calls this recipe "Delicious Jerk Ribs Recipe." He's made it for his parents. His dad was telling Joe, Christina's boyfriend, about the ribs. Joe said his dad makes good ribs. And then Allison, the Madrids' childhood friend, started talking about her dad's rib recipe.
And thus the Great BBQ Cookoff of '09 was born.

It was scheduled for Friday night. About 20 people came over to taste the ribs. I made scorecards where the ribs were judged on tenderness, texture, taste, and overall ribiness.

These are John's ribs. They are super mega spicy hot. If I had made a "Burn Your Lips Off" category, he would've been a shooin.

These are Allison's. Her's were smoky and tangy. Delicious.

These are Joe's dad's. Very delicious. He won by a mere 2 points over John!

So that was the Great BBQ Cookoff of 2009. Winner must make all the ribs next year. Ha!

Skyline Chili

Skyline Chili - Skyline Chili is unique in that it is not chili con carne, the meat dish that originated in (and is the state dish of) Texas. Instead, Cincinnati-style chili is a sauce usually used over spaghetti or hot dogs, containing a unique blend of spices that gives it a very distinct taste. Officially, the recipe for Skyline Chili is a well-kept family secret among Lambrinides' surviving children. However, many Skyline patrons and Cincinnatians believe that the unique taste of Skyline Chili comes from chocolate and cinnamon, spices common in Greek cuisine's meat dishes. The general recipe is not unique to Skyline — "Cincinnati-style" chili is sold by several chili parlors in the area including Empress, Dixie, Gold Star Chili, Camp Washington, and other chili parlors.
That is some chili sitting on a bed of spaghetti. That is also what I'd had on Saturday for lunch.

I'd heard about Skyline Chili long before I'd tasted it. People who'd grown up or lived in Ohio had very strong opinions about it. Haters loathed the thought of it, while devotees praised it to the heavens. I had to taste it for myself.

John opted for the Coney Island cheese dogs. Cheater.

Verdict? It does indeed taste like cinnamon. The chili is slightly sweet. I ordered the 5-Way chili, Skyline Chili with red beans and onions and cheese on spaghetti. It really was just like eating chili on top of spaghetti, although a sweeter chili than I'm used to. Chili con carne this was not. It was a bit like a mole sauce.

Would I eat it again? Yeah, sure. It was cheap and the chili itself was good, as long as you don't call it chili. It's more of a sweet meat sauce. I've love to try it on fries or a potato sometime. Who's up for another trip to Skyline?

Caption contest

I was going to tell you what's going on here, but I think it's more fun to let you guess. Best guess wins undying devotion from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

What I'm Thankful For

Thanks, both irreverent and otherwise.

• Wine
• Crumbly cheeses
• Creamy cheeses
• Stinky cheeses
• My families, all of them
• My husband, who assured me that I only yell at him when he's being a doofus and bought me an iPhone!
  
• Boots!
• My dog, who is always so excited to see me
• San Antonio, for being a smallish city with margaritas and guacamole
• My work, which lets me explore my tech side and my marketing side while working with awesomely funny, outrageous, diverse, and dedicated coworkers
• My wedding, which was everything I wanted it to be
• My parents, who have taught me everything I know about drinking beer and buying petite clothes
• French fries
• The Internet for 1) giving me a job and 2) being awesome
• Glee, for making me laugh and cry and buy too many songs
• My health, which I am more grateful for every day
• My friends, all of them, for being there for me, always
• Dresses
• My blog readers!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! First one to eat the whole turducken winssssssssss!

Thinking About Thanksgiving

Because my birthday is November 22, Thanksgiving is always a part of my birthday. Some years it's been on Thanksgiving, some years right before or after. This means that I usually get to see some relatives for my birthday, which is both good and bad. Sometimes I'm feeling selfish and want to have my birthday to myself, not sharing it with others. Other years leave me nostalgic for turkey and giving thanks.

Maybe it's because my birthday is close to Thanksgiving, but I always look forward to turkey day. It's like the prelude to Christmas, the warm-up. You cook a bunch of food and play games and eat with your relatives. It's Christmas without the pressure of buying gifts.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two holidays I have to spend with relatives of some kind. Easter, fourth of July, Arbor Day, I can spend those with anyone.

I've had Thanksgivings with a small turkey, a ham, a turkducken, three kinds of stuffing, stuffed steaks, pies, cakes, homemade cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce in a can (the indentations are serving sizes). I've spent it with my father's family, my mother's family, my stepfamily, John's family. We've done it small and done it big. There are sometimes prayers and blessings. There is sometimes football. Depending on where we are, we are sometimes freezing cold, our toes about to fall off, and sometimes burning up in t-shirts and shorts.

I love all of it, no matter where we are and who we're with. Thanksgiving, for me, is a time to hang out with the people you love, who support you and exasperate you and make you laugh and maybe piss you off too. We all get together and eat and push each others' buttons for awhile. And then we go home again. And we miss each other until Christmas.

Lyla and Stephen!

Lyla and Stephen came in last night to take their engagement photos today. We went to Insignia, which we all enjoyed. The brisket burger was delicious as always and I can never turn down a French fry.

Then we went to HEB to buy Lyla and Stephen some bright produce for their photo shoot today. I neglected to take any photos of them at all while they were here, but check the photographers' blog, Bend the Light, over the next couple of days to see Lyla and Stephen's engagement photos!

Short post today, I know, but I've got to get ready to head out to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving!

Birthday!

We went to Il Sogno again! Il Sogno is one of my favorite restaurants in San Antonio. We invited Kate and Sam, our culinary BFFs, to come. We don't go very often, but we do eat our hearts out when we go.

When we first came in, the waitress had to wait for the host to come seat us, and then he tried to seat us in the entrance area, which was dimly lit and empty. We asked for seating in the main dining room, and he offered us a table near the wait stations. We didn't want to be constantly in the wait staff's way, so we asked for a side table. Are we not that cool? Why didn't they want to give us a table in the main dining room? The sommelier knows us! We are cool! We drink Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and wear belt-necklaces! Don't send us to the corner of the restaurant!

Other than that, it was a delicious and fun night. The sommelier advised us to get the osso bucco, but we refrained. Sam, John and I got the wild hog with polenta, which I've had before and it is divine.

Kate opted for the monkfish wrapped in prosciutto.

It was excellent, if a little too salty. I also ordered a side of truffle fries because I love fries so much! Plus, we'd gotten two pizzas.

After all that food, I wasn't really hungry for dessert, so we declined. But then the waitress said they wanted to give us a dessert since it was my birthday, so I picked the fruit tart. Sam, Kate and John whisper-sang happy birthday and we ate! I love fruit tarts. They're like tiny pies.

The birthday doesn't end here! Tonight, Lyla and Stephen are coming in to celebrate and take their engagement photos with Bend the Light. And tomorrow we leave for Thanksgiving!

It was wine bottling

John and I and Sam and Kate trekked over to Woodrose Winery yesterday to help bottle some wine. Our hopes were that we'd get some free wine out of it.

They have this giant machine to fill the bottles. It looks kinda like a milking machine. Some nosy old volunteer lady told me I was filling them too fast. But the guy who worked there said we were fine, so the next time Ms. Busybody came over, we told her he said it was fine. I really hate people who try to tell you what to do when they have no idea.

Then, there's the corking machine and the machine that seals the foils onto the top. It's kinda fun. We worked for maybe 45 minutes. They give you wine to drink while you work, and then they gave us each a free bottle when we were done!
Afterwards, we had some tastings and bought some wine. They have an awesome patio where they serve you wine. It's in the middle of this forest, so it makes for a great view in the afternoon.
This is a terrible picture of the winery dog, Cork. He was adorable and huge and covered in mud. He kept moving when I tried to take a picture of him.

So that was my winery experience. If you like wine, and there are wineries near you, I highly recommend doing some tasting and seeing if they have volunteer days. It was fun, and you get free wine!

You people are weird

Some of you come here by searching for Insignia, or Jason Dady, or Il Sogno, or cooking stuff. But some of you...are weird.

Recent searches that led to my blog:

• exhausted dead animal
• boiler hiating
• bodytired
• janou gordon
• my calves hurt when i am tired
• talking dirty to a pizza
• what would cause my legs to hurt
• how to rub someone's tummy

I hope you all get therapy.

Why I Love My Coworkers

• High levels
• Blood brothers
• Shit's gettin' real y'all
• Push you down the stairs
• Kee-bab
• App Fridays
• Covenants
• This:

The Time We Tried to Go to Oktoberfest

Sometimes, John and I get all fancy and go to fundraisers and bid on things.

OK, not really. But when Kate told us she had some tickets to A Rhapsody in Blue: Arts & Eats 2009 at Blue Star. We couldn't say no. Five local chefs would be there. Plus, wine!

There was some great food there: lamb loin, foie gras, dessert mousse thing, mushroom crepes, cheese plate, and a savory flan. The chefs were churning out the food as 300 people lined up to eat it. I am literally waiting for him to cut me some lamb loin. I kept trying to take the plate and he kept stopping me, because he hadn't finished plating it.

They set up cooking stations right in the middle of Blue Star. I didn't think it'd be big enough for all the stations, chefs, and sous chefs, but it was.

Hey, look who it is!
Jason Dady! We chatted with him a bit about the marathon, how much foie gras he brought with him ($1100 worth), Hawaii. He said when I walked up, his sous chef said, "Is that ohmypuddin?" Ha, I'm Internet famous! My life is complete. He also yelled at Sam, "HEY SAMMY!" Ha!

So one of the items in the silent auction was a stay at an apartment in Berlin. John and Sam were really interested in it. They kept talking about what a good deal it was and how the four of us could all go for Oktoberfest next year. So I told them to go bid on it, if they wanted to. And they did!
See John's bid there? I was kind of freaking out now, thinking that we were committing to paying thousands of dollars on a trip to Berlin while we were very intoxicated on wine. I like to think about things a little more, and the spontaneity of this was freaking me out. Fortunately, I just drank some more wine to calm myself.

And then, we were outbid with a bid of $2500. John and Sam decided that they wouldn't go higher than $2000, so we lost that Berlin apartment. Part of me is sad we lost, but part of me is relieved we didn't get it. We can always go to Berlin sometime, but maybe we can think about it for more than 5 minutes, and sober.

So that's the story of the time we tried to go to Oktoberfest. Even though we didn't win that auction, it was a superfun night and I got to play one of my favorite games, Pretentious Art, and I got to eat great food and drink great free wine and wear tights and see people wearing some crazy outfits. Also, I ran a half-marathon and got an iPhone and it's Dinner Club tonight and I'm having dinner with Melissa tomorrow and bottling some wine on Saturday and seeing Nicolette at Casbeers playing with the Melissa Ludwig Band and then it's my birthday on Sunday and then Lyla and Stephen are coming on Monday to take their engagement photos here and then we go to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving. So it's been a pretty awesome week and it just keeps getting better! It's like a whole week of birthday for me!

I wish my life was a musical

I am a sucker for musicals. I love them. I love the singing, the dancing, the jazz hands. One the best-executed recent movie musicals was Chicago. Love the combination of stage and set.

Which is why I'm ridiculously excited to see Nine. I have no idea what it's about, but look at it!

So fun! So jazzy! So pretty! So shiny!

How awesome does Sophie Loren look? She is 75 people. I wish I looked that good now, at 26.

Best Weekend EVER

So this weekend I ran a half-marathon, got to see my mom and Julius, and John gave me my birthday present early!


So pretty! I've already downloaded a bunch of apps and played around on it. It's awesome! I've been wanting a new phone for forever, and an iPhone, but then the Droid came out and I was paralyzed trying to decide between the two. And with the holidays coming, I decided to wait on getting a new phone at all until next year. But John went ahead and made the decision for me, which is infinitely better than me trying to decide.

So I've got a pretty new iPhone 3GS! And a new phone number! And some apps! But I need more apps. I'm using Echofon for my personal Twitter and Twitterific for my work Twitter. Any suggestions on a good Twitter app that I can have multiple Twitter accounts on? I like how Echofon works but it doesn't seem able to do multiple Twitter accounts.

If you've got app recommendations, leave them in the comments. If you want my new number, let me know and I'll email it to you.

The Streets Were Slick With Cytomax, Part 2

WARNING: This post is 13.1 miles long.

That's me! That's the end of the race, my finishing time. But let's begin at the beginning.

Saturday
John and I went to the Health Expo at the Alamo Dome to pick up my race number. I knew the race was going to be crazy when there were thousands of people at the expo alone. Got my race number and got out of there to go pick up my mom and stepdad. From there, we got haircuts and went to go carb up at Tre Trattoria. Delicious. I would like to publicly thank John for not slapping me. I was very anxious and short on Saturday.

Sunday
The race started at 7:30 am, so I decided we needed to leave at 6 am. You see, the drop off point for runners was Alamo Stadium and from there, everyone would walk a mile to the starting line at Mulberry and Broadway. To get there with time to spare, we needed to leave at 6. I decided to get up at 4:45 to stretch, eat breakfast and get dressed. But I was so anxious I woke up at 4. Fail.

We never got to the drop off point. The exit on Hildebrand was backed up for miles. At 6:50, we were still on 281 and could barely see the off-ramp. I said, fuck this noise, and I got out of the car. I walked and ran down 281 to Broadway and up to Mulberry. Lots of other people were doing the same thing. I made friends with a guy running the full marathon. He left to check his gear at the starting line and I left to find a bathroom. Though there were at least a hundred Port o Potties, they all had really long lines. I was still in line during the National Anthem.

But since I was in the last corral (we were in groups for a wave start), I didn't actually start running til 8:30. So for an hour, I stood in my corral and moved up about 10 feet at a time. Not so fun. The announcer was pretty good. On the half-marathon, he said "Good choice. Half the time, twice the fun."

But by the time I did get to run, it was awesome!There I go!

There was a mariachi band playing at the staring line and lots of other bands along the way. We went all through downtown. Look at this map if you want to know where I went.

Not gonna lie, the first 5 miles were rough. I was already getting tired. It wasn't hot, but it was really humid. It wasn't til I got to 7 miles and knew I was more than halfway done that I knew I could do this.

Things I saw:
-A group of old people in wheelchairs
-A running Elvis
-Lots of tutus
-Sign that said "Free beer this way"
-Sign that said "You are better than Chuck Norris"
-A man wearing a fur hat, dressed like a turkey on the top half, with a rifle waving the Texas flag, with a giant pink tutu, pink leopard-print tights and pink pom poms on his shoes. He beat me
-Lots of dogs
-Lots of kids
-A guy dressed like a banana
-Lots of shirtless guys, some of whom should not have been shirtless
-A margarita mama
-People drinking beer at 9 am
-A high school band
-Lots of cheerleaders
-Thousands of people watching

I saw Nicolette's band, the Melissa Ludwig Band, play at the 11 mile mark. I thought that's where my mom, Julius and John would be but I didn't see them.

So I kept running. I wish I could tell you more about the actual run, but I don't remember much specifically. It was really humid, and the energy drink they passed out, Cytomax, tasted like sugary Gatorade. Around every water and Cytomax station, the ground would be wet My shoes got sticky.

Finally, at the 12 mile mark, I saw my mom, Julius and John. I really can't tell you how happy I was to see them. I'd been losing steam since the 10 mile mark, just thinking about how far I still had to go. When I saw them, I was walking, but I burst into a run and held up my finger to tell them I had one more mile to go.

On my way to the finish line

The last mile was hard. Some of it was up that hill by the Alamodome. But there were tons of people there cheering us on. Plus, there were medals!

Go here and type in 34661 and you can see me cross the finish line. I'm the one checking my watch as I go by. I didn't realize I was being taped. And also, I was tired and didn't care.

So I finished 5002 in the women and 9800 overall. My time was 2:30:29. 25,834 people finished the race of more than 32,000 registered. That puts me in the top 38% overall. I thought I was going to finish in 2.5-3 hours, so I did better than I thought I would. I did about 11.5 minute miles. I was fast in the beginning, with 9 minute miles, but fatigue caught up with me.

After the finish, got my medal, got an iced towel and water, some chips, and met up with John, Julius and my mom at the family reunion. We got back on the shuttle and went to the car and eventually home. Once my sweat dried, I was covered in a fine film of salt. My legs are still sore, but I can walk and even took the stairs today. I didn't work out today, but I deserve a break.

YEAH
All in all, I will say that if you like running, this is DEFINITELY the way to do it. Thousands of people cheering and telling you you can do it, the energy of the other runners, the people in costumes, knowing that you've got 30,000 other people doing this with you - it's awesome. It's totally worth all the training and the pain, and, as Leigh pointed out, running by that (hopefully dead) snake. It was all totally worth it for the experience! I recommend it.

Who's in for Rock n Roll San Antonio 2010?

The Streets Were Slick With Cytomax

I could also call this, "The Time I Ran 13.1 Miles with 30,000 of My Closest Friends."

I made it! I will post more tomorrow, when I have slept and recovered, but I just wanted you to know that I did it in 2 hours and 30 minutes and 31 seconds! Success! Now, food and sleep.

Rock 'n Roll Time!

It is time to rock and roll! Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon that is. The time has finally come for me to do what I've been talking about, training for and anticipating for months. I picked up my number today, picked up my mom and Julius, and got a hair cut. I need to look good for the marathon, see. Or rather, I was due for a haircut.

I'm #34661, so look for me!

I've still got to carb up and then go to bed early so I can get up early so I can RUN!

Look for me tomorrow! The marathon starts at 7:30 am, and I'll probably start running at 8:15. Exciting!

Give and Get

It's time for the Gap Give and Get sale! Everything is 30% off with a coupon, which you can use multiple times. You can use it Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. I scored this dressCute right? I'm gonna wear it with my boots. Perfect fall outfit. I also got this dress here:

But in a blue and black geometric pattern. It's more black than blue. I'm gonna wear it to a work function tonight. It was already on mega sale, and then 30% off of that!

I don't shop a lot at the Gap or Banana Republic, but with 30% off makes a big difference in the price. Plus, Banana Republic has some cute stuff right now. The Give and Get sale is only on through Sunday, so if you need some work staples, go stock up now! You can get the coupons from just about anywhere, but if you don't have one, so let me know if you want one and I'll send it to you. laurenwthompson [at] gmail [dot] com

The Time I Threw Those Mentos

I'm finding it hard to come up with new and interesting things to write for NaBloPoMo. Not that every post has to be fascinating per se, but I don't want to start blathering for NaBloPoMo's sake. So now I will tell you a story.

My senior year of college, I lived with Elizabeth in an apartment off campus. We lived on the first floor, and the apartments had open air walkways, so our front door was outside. We came home one day to find a small black thing in the corner next to our front door.

It was maybe six inches in diameter. It was obviously some sort of animal, but we couldn't tell what. We couldn't see any feet or even a head. It was bizarre.

We thought it was a gremlin. Like, in the movie "Gremlins." I know, it makes no sense. But it was just a ball of black, with no head or feet! In the twilight, we couldn't tell exactly what it was, but since it was right next to our front door, we couldn't go inside in case it followed us in. And then we be trapped with a small, possibly evil, black ball.

So we decided to throw something at it, to make it move and go away. We didn't want to throw a rock, because we didn't want to hurt it really. It hadn't done anything to us (besides lurking creepily outside our door). I searched my purse and found some Mentos.

So we threw Mentos at it. Didn't do much good. The ball got fluffier and angrier-looking. Our downstairs neighbor came down and after inspecting the ball, figured out it was an injured baby bird. A bird! We did not think of that. We went straight for Gremlin. He picked it up using a plastic bag and put it in some bushes.

So that's the story of how I threw Mentos at an injured baby bird. That was going to be the title of this entry, but that would have given it all away, wouldn't it?

Comfort Food

John and I were supposed to make mole chicken last night, but then we decided to shelve it in favor of making grilled cheeses and tomato soup. We weren't feeling like cooking, you see. And this got me thinking about comfort food.

By comfort food, I mean food that makes you nostalgic, or is emotionally comforting. Food that you come back to time and again. Food that you can make easily, and that you usually have the ingredients for. Comfort food should be easy, in case you have to make it at any time.

One of my favorite comfort foods is grilled cheese sandwiches. On Sundays after church when I was growing up, we'd have grilled cheese sandwiches and sweet pickles. Plain wheat bread and American singles.

My grilled cheese last night was on whole grain bread, with asadero and some sort of goat cheese. John sauteed some mushrooms, onions and garlic and added that to the sandwich. He also uses mayo on the outside of the grilled cheese instead of butter. Gives it a zing. We bought some La Madelaine tomato bisque to eat with it.

It was the perfect comfort food. The bread was awesome, and the crusts were perfect for dredging in the thick, creamy soup. I kinda want one right now.

What's your favorite comfort food?

Thanks guys!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my Sunday post about the marathon, and everyone who has ever given me support in the past and still continues to do so. You guys rock! I feel much better knowing that I have your support.

Yesterday, I decided that I was going for a run. I stretched really well and wore my old running shoes, because they're more comfortable for me. I started walking for about 0.25 miles, and then I started running. It was awesome! It reminded me of how much I love running. Of course, it wasn't so awesome when I passed the dead possum and almost tripped over some rocks in the dark. But I kept going, all the way down Hausman, down University Heights, down Silicon, and up Dezavala to the Wal-Mart entrance. And then I ran back. And then I ran around my neighborhood some. I could feel my muscles getting tired, but I stopped frequently to walk and stretch it out. And I made it 7.2 miles in 80 minutes! That's pretty good for me, because I'm a slow runner. But it doesn't matter how fast I run, as long as I finish the half-marathon.

Since the half-marathon is 13.1 miles, I feel pretty good about doing more than half of that last night. I think I'm ready!

Easy Sesame Chicken

Everyone has those dishes that are easy, delicious, and company-worthy. This is one of my dishes. It doesn't take a really long time to cook. You probably have most of those things in your house already (honey, chicken, onions, rice). If you do it well (and I will tell you what you need to do to do it well), this dish is a hit. Many people love this dish when I make it. And it will look like the photo above, which I did not take. I'm not that good of a photographer.

Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp crushed red pepper (or more or less, depending on how hot you like it. I like it mildly spicy)
2-4 chicken breasts
Sesame oil
Vegetable oil
1 yellow onion
*1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
*1/2 cup honey
sesame seeds
1 green bell pepper
1 bunch green onions
Any other veggies you want (broccoli, carrots, bok choy, etc)
*These are for the sauce. You can use more or less, but keep the ratio 1 to 1. The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of each, which wasn't enough for me. 1/2 cup will make it saucy but not too sweet.

1. Put the chicken in a plastic Ziploc back and pound it. It doesn't matter how thin you cut it, this is more about making it a uniform thickness so all of the chicken cooks evenly and at the same time. Cut it into small chunks.
2. Mix the flour, sesame seeds, pepper, salt, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat 3 tbs of vegetable oil. Add to it enough sesame oil to 1/2"-1" deep in the pan. Heat all of the oil on high.
4. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture. Get it really coated, because some of the flour will fall off in the frying process. Once the oil is thoroughly heated, brown the chicken. You want it golden to medium brown. Not too light in color though, you want it crispy. Once browned, remove the chicken.
5. Saute the onions and peppers and veggies until done. I like mine a little firm still, but if you like them soft cook them as long as you want. They will cook a little more in the next step, but not much.
6. Add the chicken back to the pan. In a separate bowl, mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, and some sesame seeds together. Add the sauce to the pan. Toss more sesame seeds on top. Toss in green onions.

Voila! Sesame chicken!

NOTE: This is a really flexible recipe. Feel free to use more or less oil, or less sauce. Use any veggies you want, squash, zucchini, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, carrots. Any kind of firm veggie, because it'll cook well and take on the flavor of the sauce. If you like more sesame flavor, use more sesame oil and more sesame seeds. If you like it really spicy, go crazy with the red pepper. It's a recipe that you can tweak to your own liking.

Apprehension

I've been having some running problems lately. Pain in my Achilles tendon, tight calves, shin splints. I haven't run in 9 days, hoping to rest my body enough for the marathon. I've decided that I'm going to do the half-marathon no matter how I can, whether it's running or walking. I've been gearing up all week to run 10 miles today. I decided that I would stretch well, and just do my best, but I wouldn't stop until I hit 10 miles. I felt like I needed to do 10 miles one more time before the marathon.

But as I was stretching this morning, the thunder started rolling and the sky opened up and the rain poured down. Sigh. So I had to do some aerobics instead. It's stopped raining now, but it still looks like it will rain so I don't think I'll run today.

This disappoints me because I was counting on this 10 mile run today to put my mind at ease for the marathon, to prepare me for what will be an ordeal. And since I'd spent so much time psyching myself up for it, to not do it seems like a failure on my part.

I think I'm gonna try for 10 miles tomorrow. It will be long and tiring, since I'll have to do it after work, but I feel like I need to get it done before the marathon.

Wish me luck!

The Best of Dinner Club, Part 2

In addition to chicken and dumplings, we also made 2 other dinner club hits - peach cobbler and cheddar chipotle scones. Recipes below, with my deviations and comments.

Cheddar Chipotle Scones (from Serious Eats)

Cheddar Chipotle Scones

- makes 8 servings -
Adapted from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon water
1 minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce I usually use 2-3.
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon water, chipotle chile, and egg; stir into dry ingredients until just moist. Knead in bowl with lightly floured hands just until dough forms.

3. Shape dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut each circle into 8 wedges; arrange wedges 1 inch apart on pan. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until browned. Serve warm.

Chicken and Dumplings

From Staff Meals, a great homey cookbook

For the stew
2 chickens (3-3 ½ lbs each)
2 T. canola or other vegetable oil
2 small onions, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
8 cups chicken stock, chicken broth or water I use more, about 1o cups
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
3 bay leaves
10 grinds black pepper

Small pinch of cayenne pepper
4 carrots, peeled & cut into ½" rounds
3 large white turnips, peeled and diced You can substitute potatoes or parsnips, or a combo
Coarse (kosher) salt, to taste

For the dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp snipped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup milk
Walnut-sized piece of beurre manié*


*Beurre manié (kneaded butter) is a mix of equal parts softened unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, thoroughly worked together to form a paste. It should be whisked quickly into the liquid and allowed to simmer until the flour loses its starchy taste, at least 15 minutes. I use 1/2 tbs of butter and 1/2 tbs of flour.

1. Rinse the chickens, inside and out, under cold running water, removing any excess fat. Cut each chicken into 10 pieces and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or large, wide, flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. When it just begins to smoke, add only enough chicken pieces to fit into the pot without touching and sauté until well browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside. Cook and remove all chicken.
3. In empty pot, add the onions and garlic and reduce the heat to medium low. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Return chicken to the pot, add the wine. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and barely simmer, partially covered, until chicken is almost done, about 1 hour. Skim any foam. Prepare the beurre manie.
5. Add the carrots and turnips and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the batter for the dumplings. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, chives, and parsley in a medium-size bowl and whisk thoroughly to mix. Pour in the milk and stir to make a thick batter. Set aside.
7. Transfer the chicken pieces to a platter and set aside. Discard the bay leaves. Taste the broth and add salt as necessary, then add the chilled beurre manié and whisk until it is completely incorporated and the liquid is somewhat thickened, about 15 minutes. While the beurre manie is incorporating, debone the chicken and shred it in medium chunks. Return chicken to the pot and bring to a simmer.

8. Drop the dumpling batter by the teaspoonful directly onto the stew. The dumplings will expand, so leave about 1" between them. Cover and simmer over low heat for exactly 15 minutes. Don't peek!

Peach Cobbler

from the Food Network

I have no alterations to this recipe. It is awesome.

Ingredients
For the peach filling:

* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 10 cups frozen peaches, thawed, about 3 pounds prepared
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1 teaspoon butter

For the crumb topping:

* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup oats
* 1/4 cup slivered almonds
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
* Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
* Special Equipment: 12 by 8-inch oval stoneware dish or 13 by 9-inch rectangular glass or stoneware dish

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

To make the peach filling: In a large bowl, stir together sugars, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add peaches and gently toss to coat. Mix together cornstarch slurry and lemon juice and stir into peaches to incorporate. Butter a 12 by 8-inch oval dish and add peach mixture.

To make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, add in butter pieces and combine with hands until crumbly.

Top peaches with half of the crumb topping. Place in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, then add remainder of the crumb topping. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake until golden and bubbling, another 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

The Best of Dinner Club

When Dinner Club was first born, John and I started with simple dishes, and then got progressively more complicated with our tastes, flavor pairings, desserts. We used Dinner Club as guinea pigs, and we served them tried-and-true dishes. We had some food we'd prepared for days (brisket), and some hastily thrown together (like the time we had dinner club 2 days after we got back from Hawaii - lasagna, rum cocktails and braised pineapple).

We have dinner club every 2 weeks, rotating between 3 couples. So John and I cook every 6 weeks, which amounts to about 8 times a year, if you count in scheduling conflicts and holidays and such. So we've probably made 20 meals for dinner club.

A few weeks ago, Kate suggested that we each host a Best of Dinner Club this year to celebrate the end of the year. Each couple would make one of their dishes that they'd made before. Instead of the host picking the dish, we let everyone else decide which of our 20 dishes they wanted to eat again.

Except I can't remember more than 10 of the things we've cooked for Dinner Club. The ones I remember are:

-lasagna
-Brisket
-Stuffed steaks
-Chicken rillettes
-Surf and turf
-Shrimp tacos
-Sesame chicken
-Ribs
-Chicken and dumplings
-Omelets (breakfast for dinner)
-Chicken cordon bleu

Out of 4 votes, 2 people voted for chicken and dumplings. I think people remember dish not only because it was delicious, but also because John and I completely botched the timing by forgetting this dish needs to simmer for an hour. So we served the dessert, pecan pie, first and the entree second.

To stretch out my NaBloPoMo action, I'm gonna what we cooked and recipes this weekend. You'll just have to wait!

Shock and awe

Today's post was supposed to be about dinner club, but instead will be about what is happening to my body. Right now my skin is covered in small red bumps. I woke up this way and didn't really know what to do. I've been on an antiobiotic now for nine days, so I didn't think it was an allergic reaction. But it was one of the side effects listed to call the doctor immediately. So I did, but they don't open until 9. I found out when I called at 9 that my doc isn't even in today, so I went to my doctor's urgent care center next door. There, I found out that I am allergic to sulfur, which is causing my rash and making me itchy and making my skin feel like it's going to burn off my body.

After I filled my meds, I went back to work because there's nothing seriously wrong with me. But I'm now regretting it because I'm really hot and itchy and want to take a bath in ice water while scratching myself.

I've got a different antiobiotic now and a steriod to make the rash go away. So hopefully this will go away soon.

That's what's happening with my body.

Renovation Station

John's parents came to San Antonio to help us put in a new back door. Here's the old back door, a sliding glass door:


Here's the new one:I apologize for the crappy lighting. These are French doors with blinds in the glass. It keeps the kitchen from burning up.

The doors only took a day, so John and his dad decided to put in a new floor in the office. Our hot water heater had leaked, getting water under the floor in there and warping the wood laminate. So we got some new Pergo floors.

Buster enjoys them. Also, John and I do, because they are pretty.

We also learned that you can use onion goggles as safety glasses.

That's John's dad. He officiated our wedding and he lets me take pictures of him wearing onion goggles. John's mom is a good gossiper. They are awesome

These boots are made for walkin'

Aren't they beautiful? I spent 2 hours at DSW this weekend, trying on all these boots. I finally settled on these, in brown, instead of buying sensible work shoes. A foolish choice, you might say. But you cannot argue that it's a badass choice.

Then I had to figure out what to wear these with. They don't go with any of my dresses, really, and my pants and jeans are bootcut, so they won't fit into the boots. If I wanted to wear them outside of pants, I'd have to buy (gulp) skinny jeans.

I am against skinny jeans. I don't think many people look good in them. I know I don't, because I am hourglass shaped and they only accentuate my thighs. But I bought a cheap pair at Old Navy just to wear with the boots. And they look pretty good. The jeans were too long, so I just cut off the bottoms because I'll never wear them not with boots. I'll have to post a pic soon.

So there you go. I bought boots and skinny jeans. I have lost my damn mind but look great doing it.

The Saucier's Apprentice's Wife

Who is the Saucier's Apprentice's Wife? Me.

Ever since we saw Julie & Julia, John has been on a cooking rampage. He bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which is one billion pages long and contains recipes for aspic (vomit). He also bought this little book right here.

It's a whole book about sauces.

See how old it looks, like it was written by people who have hours and hours to make sauces? Or who have money to pay people to make sauces?

I am not one of these people.

This is a diagram of the sauces you can make. First, you must make your own stock. Then you make a Demi-Glace. Then, you finally make the sauce you want. All of which takes a lot of time.

So, a couple weeks ago, John and I trucked down here:

to get 18 pounds worth of bones:

which now live in my freezer:

To make these sauces, John bought a 32 quart stockpot. I told him he had to find someplace to put it before he bought it.

His solution was to buy a bookcase:

so we could move all of our cookbooks off the top of the fridge and move this up there:

I put it next to a coffee cup for perspective. I tried to make Buster sit next to the stockpot, but he is scared of it. Probably because it is bigger than he is.

So yeah, we haven't actually made any stocks or sauces yet. We don't have a spare 38 hours to make all this stuff. But it will happen someday.

Someday.