Fall in Fast-Forward

Have you ever noticed that the time right before Halloween to the time right after New Year's Day always goes by in a blur? It is one garbled mess of costumes, family gatherings, office parties, and all the food in the world. Before you know it, BAM! It's the new year and store shelves are stuffed with Valentines. It's nuts.

Be that as it may, I know that I am not alone when I say that this particularly crazy time of year is one of my favorites. It means falling leaves, trick-or-treat, Halloween parties at school (which included one child SO into his Big Bad Wolf outfit that he refused to change out of it all day). It means laughing with my sister and cousin on the front porch of my parents house as we try and make sense of our dysfunctional Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving-giving, and BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING (which my work schedule forced me to miss last year). It means a crazy outdoor Half Marathon on the coast of Massachusetts in DECEMBER. It means Christmas shots with my family, the Nativity Play, and my father driving us around on Christmas Eve to look at our neighbors elaborate Christmas-light displays. And when it's all over, it means there is only a month and change until the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Awesome.

One of the perks of being a schoolteacher (aside from the obvious benefit of working with children and giving them a positive educational experience, of course) is that every once in a while you get to enjoy a fabulous three day weekend. We don't have school on Monday in observance of Veteran's Day, and while I know that most of that day will be eaten up by the loads of homework that I have been putting off, the day will still be accompanied by the wonderful feeling associated with a day off from work.


So that's that. I hope everybody is enjoying their autumn. But before I log off, I WILL share with you two wonderful surprises that I found when I got home from work yesterday evening.


The first is a package of energy gels sent from my sister in Maine. They were a totally unexpected and USEFUL gift (expect some sort of play on 'All I Want For Christmas is GU' later in the season....)

I tried the raspberry this morning before my run. Pretty darn good.




The second is something that I knew about already, but had kind of forgotten about. In an attempt to make me jealous, Ben took a bunch of selfies of him and the cat as they snuggled one afternoon while I ran some errands. This one is my favorite.




Happy Saturday!!

That Taco Thing

Ben loves this recipe. I love it too. It used to be that I would make a 9x13 pan of it for dinner, and all of it would be gone before the leftovers hit the fridge. We've grown wise to that, though, and now we try to make it last at LEAST until lunch the next day, which is successful. Sometimes.

Now, again, I cannot take the credit for coming up with this recipe. It has been adapted from a blog called Emily Bites (which you can read HERE), and Emily had adapted it from another blog called Healthy-Licious.

Here's what you need:

1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, diced*
1 cup salsa*
1- 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 ounce can of red beans, drained and rinsed*
2 to 3 cups of tortilla chips*
2 TBSP shredded cheddar cheese*

*You may have noticed that these ingredients are not terribly specific, and I'll tell you why: I've tried dozens of different combinations, and all of them are delicious. Want to use a white onion? A spanish onion? vidalia? GO FOR IT!! Want to use pinto beans? pink beans? kidney beans? Give 'em a try! Got an extra pepper in the fridge? Throw that in there too! This recipe can handle a little variation- have fun!

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 350

Saute the onion until it's translucent



brown the turkey



add the beans

add the salsa, stir so that everything is evenly coated



line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with tortilla chips

spread the mixture over the chips



sprinkle the top with cheese (NOTE: I said 2 tablespoons, but I usually use as much as it takes to cover the top...)



Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese has bubbled.



ENJOY!!

Delicious Pumpkin Pancakes

Autumn is (finally) here in New York City, and for me, that means that it is time for pumpkin everything. Pumpkin coffee, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread- at this time of year, I feel that everything that CAN have pumpkin in it, SHOULD have pumpkin in it. Hence these delicious little beauties...



Now, I can't take all the credit here. I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, but I made a few adjustments, including halving the recipe, as I do not have any children or cowboys to feed. You can check out the original on The Pioneer Woman's blog, HERE.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES:


The Dry:

-1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
-1/2 Teaspoon Salt
-1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
-2 Tablespoons Sugar
-Pumpkin Pie Spice

The Wet:

-1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
-1 Egg
-1 1/2 cups Milk
-2 Teaspoons Vanilla

The Optional:

-Maple Syrup
-Caramel Sauce
-Whipped Cream (I used Reddi Whip, directly from the can, but Ree Drummond has a delicious-looking recipe for homemade maple-pecan whipped cream)


What To Do:

1.) In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Set Aside.

2.) In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg, milk, and vanilla.

3.) Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring as you go.

4.) Add a dash of pumpkin pie spice, and stir everything together.

5.) Heat your skillet. I used my cast iron skillet, which is AMAZING for making pancakes. However, I would not recommend exceeding a 'low' heat with cast iron, as it gets super hot super quickly, and we don't wanna burn these little guys. If you're not using cast iron, go ahead and heat your skillet anywhere between 'low' and 'medium low.' Make sure and grease your skillet with butter, oil, or PAM, whichever floats your boat.

6.) Drop the batter onto the heated surface. I followed the Pioneer Woman's lead and made silver dollar pancakes, in which case you need about a tablespoon of batter per pancake, but this batter will certainly make large pancakes too. Once pancakes have begun to bubble, flip to the other side and continue cooking until the pancakes are no longer goopy in the middle.

7.) SERVE 'EM UP! With syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream, or whatever else sounds delicious.

I SHOULD NOTE that Ben and I were able to use one batch of these pancakes to gorge ourselves silly with pumpkin deliciousness 2 mornings in a row, so I would imagine that one batch of this size will serve 3 to 4 normal humans.

I SHOULD ALSO NOTE that these guys freeze really well- wait until they have cooled and arrange them in a freezer-safe container, placing waxed paper between each layer of pancakes. They taste just as good once they have been reheated!


ENJOY!!

Gateway To The Weekend

My mother and my aunt visited this weekend.



We walked approximately one zillion miles. Through Central Park, to Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Rockafeller Center, the Toys R Us ferris wheel in the DREADED Times Square, and we made not one, but TWO trips to Chinatown. Canal street was quite an experience for the pair of them- the bartering, the sneaky opening and closing of the drawers and cupboards- they got some Christmas shopping done. And then some.

My mother was puzzled by my expression when they left on Monday morning, wishing Ben and I a relaxing evening now that we had the apartment back to ourselves. I laughed and cried "Are you kidding?? No sleep till Thursday!!"

That's hyperbole, of course. I HAVE slept between now and then. Quite a lot, actually. But with my classes set up the way that they are, I usually do not arrive home until some time between 9:30 and 10, and my old lady sleep requirements allow me very little time to work on chores, homework, or decompression before the only thing I want is to be asleep. How glamorous. Perhaps I should have said something like "No WORK till Thursday!" Although that, too, would have been a lie. I'll have to think about it.

Tonight after work, I won't be taking my usual green line train home. I am going to the West Side Y to pick up my packet for this weekend's race- the Fit For All 5k. I probably WILL run home after this one, unless there is lots of SWAG to be had...but only time will tell. I'm still on a high from my excellent 10k time two weeks ago, so hopefully I won't disappoint with my time from this race.

That's all for now. Enjoy your Thursday!! It means that Friday is almost here, and that we've almost made it through the whole week- just a little bit longer!!!

Run 10 Feed 10 2013: A Play By Play.

5:45 am: My alarm clock goes off. I don't hear the noise, Ben does. He pokes me from his side of the bed until I'm alert enough to grab my phone from the bedside table.

5:48 am: I realize that it is still pitch black outside, and the sunrise time for New York City is approximately 6:43 am- by then, I will already be at the starting line. Must rethink plans to walk across the park and take west side train down to the pier.

6:00 am: Got my number, got my running shoes, got my ipod and my metrocard. Let's do this. But NOT before I snap a selfie...



6:02 am: Outside the building, I see that my hopes of the sun rising a little earlier this morning have been in vain. I make a mad dash for the 6 train. The one good thing about being out this early is that there is no traffic, so I'm able to interpret the 'WALK' and 'DON'T WALK' signals as 'RUN' and 'RUN FASTER'

6:12 am: Aboard the train. Can't sit down for fear that I will fall asleep. Grip the handrail and focus on keeping my eyes open. The train car is soon crowded with other runners. As I listen to them talk, I notice I may be the only one not planning to watch football later today.

6:27 am: 42nd Street. Shuttle to Times Square. The lights on the billboards are on and flashing away, but there are very few people on the streets, aside from the small groups of runners briskly walking across to 12th avenue. I can't help but unleash my inner tourist and look up at all the signs. It's bizarre to be able to do that and not run the risk of being bumped into or run over by a group of sight see-ers. I do not feel my usual hatred for Times Square.

6:43 am: We arrive at pier 84. The bag-check line is about as long as the race course. I never check bags at races. My philosophy: if it doesn't fit in my sweet Wristie, then I can probably survive without it until I get back home...



Of course, it usually helps that I have someone waiting for me at the finish line with a bag that I've packed the night before and persuaded them to bring to me. No such luck this time, I'll have to make do with what I've got.

6:52 am: The runners begin seeding themselves according to anticipated speed. There are 4 choices- 7 minute mile, 8 minute mile, 9 minute mile, and 10+ minute mile. I optimistically place myself with the 9-minute-milers. The lady next to me is eating a GU. I wish I'd thought to bring one. I KNEW I'd forget something

6:55 am: A middle school orchestra group serenades us with The Star Spangled Banner, and then shrieks upon realizing that a star from Glee is there to start us off! Unfortunately, my perpetual sleepy-ness and the fact that I had my earbuds in already prevented me from hearing WHICH star it was. Also, the sound was being broadcast over speakers, so even if I COULD have seen over the heads of my running-mates, I wouldn't have known where to look to see her. She takes a moment to wish us well, and...

7:10 am: WE'RE OFF!! Down the West Side Highway toward TriBeCa.

7:30 am (ish): I am approaching mile 2. I see the leader heading back toward the finish on the other side of the street. He is wearing a banana costume and has a goofy smile. I smile too.

7:41 am: I cross mile three. Halfway there!! We're instructed to stay on the right side of the path so that regular morning foot traffic can continue as usual. As a group, we are not so successful with this instruction.

8:08 am: Approaching the finish line. Take a deep breath and....FINISH STRONG! Whew! 6.2 miles in 58:06. A personal best!!

8:30 am: After walking the length of the pier to investigate the festivities and grab as much free stuff as I can (not kidding: LOVE the freebies they give away at races and race expos. Lotion? Plastic Pint Glass? Bumper Sticker? WOOT! What excellent and NECESSARY ITEMS!!) I head back east to get the 6. As I cross 12th Avenue, a traffic cop mentions that I look like I could run a little more. I laugh, partly because if my arms weren't so full of swag, I probably WOULD run a little of the way home, but also because, if he had seen me after last year's race,that is NOT what he would have said. Look at me, making progress.

9:00 am: Back on board the 6 train, fantasizing about the giant cup of coffee I will drink while I make Nutella-stuffed pancakes. And we're back to the usual Sunday routine.

Saturday.

I had too much wine last night. My company hosted a dinner for the employees in celebration of the birth of healthy twin boys and impending nuptials. Not for the same woman. It was nice to get out and bond with everybody in a non-school setting, and the food was delicious. However, it was one of those restaurants where, if your wine glass is nearly empty, the waiter is immediately at your side to fill it. Around 9:30, I noticed that my teeth were purple and that I was feeling intense love for everybody- including those who were not members of our staff and were trying to enjoy a quiet dinner. Luckily, M was on the same page. We made our way to the train station, and here I am this morning, trying to build up my motivation to leave the couch, go on a warm-up run, and pick up my packet and number for tomorrow's race!!

Last year at this time, I was set to run a 10k that I hoped to use as my proof of time in my first half marathon. I was still a relatively inexperienced runner, and 6+ miles seemed like a lot, but I felt ready- it was my first-ever race with a number. Very exciting. However, this race took place on the same day as the New York City Marathon Tune-Up, an 18 mile run in central park for those who planned to run the Marathon in November. In addition, the route that I was set to follow crossed paths with the Tune-Up. Neither race had particularly well-marked routes, so I ended up running from City Sports on 48th street, up through Central Park to Central Park NORTH (i.e. 110th street), back down through the park, out at columbus circle, and down to Pier 83. I was shocked at how long it took me to run those 6.2 miles. Turns out it was actually 8.3 miles, so the 20 extra minutes on my anticipated finish time were there for a reason. I was a little bummed that my proof of time was pretty skewed, but at the same time, I was on top of the world- I had run 8.3 miles without stopping- good for me!!

This year, I am registered for the same race, but the route we will be following is along the West Side Highway, so I feel confident in my abilities to NOT run off course. Furthermore, the Marathon Tune-Up was last weekend, so no danger of following the wrong runners. Pretty sweet.

Even sweeter- last year I had to quickly change my clothes and hostess a crazy Sunday brunch after my run. This year, I'm planning a pedicure.

Espresso and Dirty Pop.

Today, it was so humid outside that when M and I stepped out for a coffee, it felt a little like I could chew the air. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. Eiw. Sticky.

But, if I'm being honest, that is the biggest complaint that I have about life at this moment. And if a little heat in September is as bad as it gets, then life must be pretty sweet. Yeah, life IS pretty sweet.

Today, I rediscovered my love of iced cappuccino. Those who know me know that I DO love my coffee, but every once in a while, a swift kick in the teeth from a shot of espresso is JUST what I need. Mmm. Energy. This afternoon I also rediscovered my *NSync station on Pandora. What is it about boy bands that instantly puts me in a better mood?? It can't just be me. Type "Bye Bye Bye" into your music engine and tell me you don't crack a smile as soon as you hear those opening notes.

On top that, I have an awesome job with really great co-workers and amazing kids, I am running a 5-mile race in Brooklyn this weekend, my Mom, Aunt and Sister are visiting at the end of the month, and I made a really awesome discount find at CVS last night...




RIGHT?!?! Bling Bling? Pirate? Now I DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE!!

I'd gush more, but I have to run off to my early childhood math class. Normally, anything that has even the WORD "math" in it is enough to give me anxiety, but it appears this class doesn't go much beyond counting and identifying shapes. THAT, I think I can handle. Hopefully.