Its almost Turkey Time

Thanksgiving is just a couple days and here I am once again in a panic mode.  I work all day tomorrow so this is really my last day to  get organized.  I have to admit I am a bit anxious but I usually do work better under pressure.  

This year I am having 15 guests and I am still trying to figure out where we're all going to sit and fit.  My house is really not that big but one thing is for sure...........we'll have a cozy Thanksgiving.  Of course we'll have our traditional menu like most everyone does in America with a few of our own surprises thrown in.  This year everone is bringing their favorites which makes it even more fun!  

My mom is preparing the big 23 pound turkey in her electric roaster.  She has done this in years past and it turns out PERFECT every time.  Hence the recipe I  found on line.......check it out if you need oven space

http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-turkey-in-an-electric-roaster-oven-339453

My sister-in-law from South Dakota is bringing the potatoes and her famous baked corn.  My brother Dave will bring some Beer:-) 

My brother Aaron who loves to hunt is making his pheasant pot pie which was new to my husband's family last year.  They loved it.  He has perfected his recipe over the years but to be honest, I can't get myself to like it.   Don't get me wrong.........it's good, but I am not much of a pheasant or wild game fan.  He'll probably also bring beer:-)  

My Husband's sister is making some roasted veggies....Brussel Sprouts and Green Beans.  They are delicious but I than again I love veggies.  I think she's bringing me some Wine..not beer:-) 

Speaking of, I'll be making my fresh Green Salad, Guacamole, and what I am most excited about is this......Isn't it cute!

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone

Here are just a few things I am thankful for

1.  My husband Rob.......love of my life

2.  My Mom and my Family  I have the best 3 brothers in the world and wonderful sister in laws, nieces, nephew, LOVE THEM ALL

3.  My Extended Family.....I love being a Grandma

4.  My Health and RUNNING

5.  My Shaklee Business, The Village Shop, and my Husband's Job

6.  My Faith

7.  My Yoga Classes and Students

8.  My Abundance of Friends...love you all.

9.  My cooking and entertaining skills

10.  etc etc etc........I have so much to be Thankful for

A Bountiful Time

Truthfully I wasn't sure how I was going to begin this next post but I decided to just start writing about my fall and how Blessed I truly am.  I have had such fun visiting the Farmers Markets this past summer and fall but as the saying goes......all good things must come to an end.

Wednesdays turned out to be one of my most favorite days of the week, not only because I get to attend my running class and spend time with some amazing new runner friends, but I also visited the farmers market here in Hutchinson AND it was pick up day at my local CSA. www.loonorganics.com.  Truly a good day blessed with good food and friends, and best of all, this leads into my two favorite hobbies..........RUNNING AND COOKING..

So here is Laura and Adam working and enjoying life on their farm.  Yum and THANKS so much for all you do.



Next you have me doing what I love to do when I am not cooking and working........I RUN.  This fall I participated in a couple 1/2 marathons which I normally don't do because training for two marathons a year usually consumes me.  This year however, I didn't run a spring marathon but waited till Fall to run the WINE GLASS MARATHON in New York's wine country.  My husband and I had the time of our lives out in New York.  We happen to be the lucky ones since our visit was about 3 weeks before the Perfect Storm, Sandy.  My sympathies go out to all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Above you'll see me approaching mile 10 and replenishing my beverage my husband was so kind to bring me.  He insisted on a pic too.  As you can see, we had great October weather and it was a good day for running.   After we went to a local Italian Bistro to celebrate.  Both the wine and food were way too delicious.  I had my share of both but I guess that's what runners do right.......drink and eat after to celebrate.  We met some great new friends too.

Before my marathon in New York however I ran the Women's Rock over Labor Day for somewhat of a training run and it was also a fun time with lots of awesome women.  After completing the Wine Glass Marathon I decided to fit one more 1/2 in since I recovered quite well.  Late October I chose the Monster Dash here in St Paul.  It was COLD that morning but over all another good morning to run.   Turns out I had a pretty good year for running ........not making any PR's by any means, but truthfully it wasn't my intention this year.  I simply just wanted to have fun and hopefully finish my fall marathon under 4 hours running with Pete the 4 hour pacer.  Since I had completed several marathons under 4, I thought it would be very doable because I was feeling really good again after dealing with a couple injuries last year.  In fact I have completed several marathons under 4 hours and qualified for Boston a few times too but this was the year I just wanted to play it safe. I ran a smart race.....not fast by any means.......at least according to past marathons I have completed and I felt great the entire way but for some reason I just couldn't kick it down fast enough that last mile.  It was a disappointing finish missing Boston by only 2 minutes but I still had fun and my husband was so proud of me regardless.

My husband is so so dang supportive and he really never knows when and where I am running mostly because it's always last minute for me.  Luckily he has been with me at all the above races and still remains my number one fan.  We'll be running together in Rome next March so soon the training begins all over again.  WHEW I am tired thinking about it but it's the ROME Marathon so I'll be doing my best to work hard and run hard in Italy.  More on that to come.............

SO yes it's been a Bountiful time of running but lets get back to my Bounty of Squash.


These past couple months I think I went a little over board on purchasing squash.  Gotta love it and my husband for being so accommodating to my running and veggie fetish.  I guess that is how I came up with my BLOG title:  Eat your vegetables today:-)   We do get our share of veggies everyday.

  OK this is just what I have in my house.........You should see my garage.  A table full of assorted squashes, cabbage, beets and over 25 pounds of storage onions.  Yep we're set to entertain all winter long.

This past week I saw a really yummy recipe one of my favorite Italian Bloggers posted using a baby pumpkin or squash.  Proud Italian Cook ......please check it out.  She's amazing.  Anyhow, on Tuesday I decided to prep a squash.  Instead of using Butternut or a small pumpkin as stated in her recipe, I used Sweet Meat (the ugly looking light green squash you see on my center piece).

 I placed the squash in my oven at 350 and went on with my business.  I did some work in my office with my Shaklee Business, laundry and even a couple errands.  So yes it baked away for a good two hours.  It was a BIG squash.  Before I left for my yoga class, I took it out of the oven so it could cool while I taught my class.  After yoga my sweet meat squash was cool enough to handle and I was so eager, my husband too, to taste this type of squash since neither one of us had had it before.   I peeled and peeled and diced and diced and diced up the Yummy looking golden Meat inside.  Some of the meat I set aside to puree for tomorrows squash gnocchi dish but tonight  I took about two cups and tossed them with EVO, a bit of maple syrup, and S&P.  I broiled them on a sheet pan to caramelize a bit and used this for a topping for our green salad.  I tossed some greens with EVO, Pecans, Blue Cheese and our yummy caramelized squash.  DELICIOUS.

The remainder I Pureed in my Vita Mix and saved it till until The next day to hopefully make that Delicious Squash Gnocchi I thought looked so delicious on my blogger friends post.  Turns out Wednesday was also Halloween, I got out of work late, and my husband informed me he was probably working a bit late too.  So since my husband wasn't around to help me answer the door while I finished off attempting to make gnocchi I had to move on to Plan B.....except I wasn't sure what that was.  I just knew I didn't have the time to dig into the squash,  flour, and eggs, mix up the gnocchi and than form it, all in between trick or treaters and it was all ready going on 6.

I remembered seeing a recipe for Squash and Prawns tossed with Rigatoni and I also recall seeing pasta with Kale so since I love both, why not combine the two.  So this is what I came up with.  IT was quick, yummy and delicious I have to admit.  Squash, Kale, Shrimp with Rigatoni.

First off I sauted onion and garlic, added steamed chopped Kale, my pureed squash, chicken broth, a bit of cream, Salt and Pepper and finally some fresh Sage.

My husband loved it and was truthfully pleasantly surprised since he thought he was coming home to Gnocchi.  He's so nice and pretended not to be disappointed but after a few bites he devoured his and than asked, "when can we have this again:-)"

Cooking and Running

Last time I wrote we were just starting our CSA year and now several weeks later, our season is over.  Once again I'm saying its been awhile since I've posted, and again its not that I haven't been cooking.  I continued to discover new ways to cook all those yummy veggies in my CSA box and my friends, family and especially my husband were quite happy.  Don't get me wrong............I am happy as a lark in my kitchen and love sharing my food with others so what makes them happy also makes me happy.  However I neglected to sit down and share pics with my followers.  The main reason for this is the time I spend out pounding the pavement running and training for marathons.  The past 18 weeks have been busy with a heavy training schedule for my 18th marathon so unfortunately I haven't taken the time to blog.  So before I start training again for my next marathon, which by the way will be in ROME, ITALY, I thought I'd better share some thoughts, and yes a recipe with all of you.

After reading a runner blog the other day about the feeling one gets after finishing a run, I got to thinking about how my love for running and cooking are so very similar in some ways.  At least they both make me feel GREAT.  The feeling I get when I am done running is almost the same as when I am done cleaning up after a successful dinner party.  Below are my top three things that come to mind after a successful run and yes, a successful dinner party...........I'd love to hear any feedback if you run or cook and how it makes you feel.  Please comment below if you would like to share your top three things you feel after a run or maybe cooking for your family and friends.

1.  The feeling of accomplishment.  I DID IT!
2.  The feeling of complete exhaustion after a great run and late night dinner party.
3.  The feeling of happiness that I can still run marathons at age 50 and I am a dam good chef too.

The above picture is me at mile 24.5, the finish and of course me and my husband, my biggest fan (who is always there to support me no matter what).  Unfortunately I missed my goal of 4 hrs by only 2 minutes which was heart breaking because it also meant I missed qualifying for Boston by only 2 minutes.  Unlike most races or marathons, I usually think about improving my time slightly and running a PR,  but this time it was different.  I ran my last two marathons coming back from injuries, didn't feel 100% and therefore didn't finish strong.  This year training went well with the exception of a minor setback, so I decided to run a safe and smart race.  All I wanted to do was finish under 4 hours......... any minute or seconds below were an absolute BONUS.  When I got to mile 20 and didn't see my husband I began to panic slightly because I ran out of my SHAKLEE PERFORMANCE which is my beverage of choice.  I was still feeling good, but it was considerably warmer and I was out of my "stuff" so  I did start drinking a bit more water on the course and I even had a glass of the Gatorade   Finally at mile 23 I saw my Rob and we switched bottles and away I went, still feeling strong and hanging with Pete, our pacer.    It wasn't until mile 25 that I started to lose him........and he continued to get a bit further away, my calves started to twitch the faster I tried to run to catch up, and I just couldn't hold on.  It was a tearful finish because I knew I had barely missed my goal but sometimes no matter how hard you try.........you just can't get the legs to go faster.  Although I've qualified for Boston several times, I have only made the trip there once to run it back in 2006.  It was an amazing time with my brother but now I'm married and I want to go back with my husband.....and we're going to have the time of our lives in BOSTON when I re-qualify in my next marathon.  Here is my bro and I after completing the Boston Marathon in 2006.

SO you may be wondering.......how abut a recipe Karen:-)  Well what do many runners love to eat leading into races and before a long run.  PASTA.  Actually my husband, if I let him, would eat "noodles" every night.  However I believe in a more well rounded diet so pasta at our house is more like once a week.  Every year I make this pasta a couple times of year (or more) when the Sweet Corn is young and juicy so its best early in the Summer like June or July depending on weather and the corn harvest.  This year it was incredibly sweet and juicy and each time I made this dish, we were in absolute corn and pasta heaven:-)  This recipe is adapted from my ZUNI cafe cookbook.  I've all ready told my husband we are going to visit ZUNI cafe when we go to California.  YUM

PASTA WITH CORN, PANCETTA, BUTTER & SAGE

Once the first local sweet corn arrives in June (of if you're lucky and your CSA plants a second crop and you get young sweet corn into July) I will make this pasta in one for or another a few times during the summer.  Sometimes I use prosciutto in lieu of pancetta.  Sometimes no meat at all.  Often I use a bit of cream at the end and of course because we love onion, I'll add some with the pancetta.  If my husband liked peas, I may scatter an unmeasured amount in addition to the corn.  A very pretty and equally delicious variation.  Please however, don't use Olive Oil in place of butter.  You'll find the flavor very disappointing.

Cook the pancetta, minced in a few tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat.  Stir and scrape to make sure it cooks evenly.  When the pancetta has browned slightly on the edges and is starting to sizzle, turn off the heat, add a few drops of water to cool the pan, and stir, than add another few tablespoons of butter, the sage, and a few grinds of black pepper.  Swirl the pan, than leave the aromatic to infuse the melting butter   

 Drop the pasta in to 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scat 2 tablespoons of salt (more if you are using kosher salt).  Stir, and cook until the pasta is al dente.

Meanwhile, turn the heat under the skillet to medium, and add another 6 to 8 tablespoons of butter, sliced.  Swirl the pan.  When the butter is nearly melted, add 2 1/2 cups of freshly scraped corn kernels and their milky juice (5 to 10 small, young ears, depending on yield)  Stir and cook until heated through.  Taste for salt.  If the corn seems dry, add a trickle of pasta water and some or all of the remaining butter, to taste.  Reduce the heat to low.

  

When the pasta is cooked, drain well, than toss with the corn, taste again for salt and serve.  Offer freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  YUM

 

An Unusual Dish.....buy yummy.

Wow its been way too long since my last visit.  I really have to remedy that situation.  Its not that I have nothing to share and have stopped cooking.  QUITE the opposite.  Since the beginning of our CSA season, I've been experimenting with all kinds of yummy veggies.  In this post I'll  share something quite different.   Forbidden Black Rice with Shrimp, Snap Peas, and Peaches. It has a very tangy dressing too which adds to it's unique taste.  

Fortunately my husband recently developed and new liking to Snap Peas.  Honestly how can you not like them.  Well one night I was cutting up some pea pods and he asked me what are those sweetie?  I of course replied no worries honey, but I am adding these delicious crisp snap peas to MY salad.  After a bit of coercing, he tried one and said........"hmmmmm....these aren't too bad!"  Hallelujah.

Since than I've been serving them raw with hummus, guacamole, spinach dip, on salads but tonight they will be sauteed and added to my main dish Forbidden Black Rice with Shrimp, Peaches and of course Snap Peas.  Lets hope my honey likes this.........because I know I will.

The first thing I did was prepare my Black Rice.  The minute I saw this bag of rice at Whole Foods I knew I just had to purchase it.  Of course the next task was to find some recipes and with my collection of cook books, I just knew it wouldn't be a problem.  Recently I was given Giada's new book Weeknights with Giada........Since I have all her other books, my friend just knew it would be a perfect hostess gift.  She was right.

In her book Giada includes a section titled "change of pace" and I love experimenting as much as any other cook and my husband and my guests don't seem to mind either.  So here we go.......,

As usual I made a few changes to Giada's recipe starting with the Rice.  I chose to saute 1 1/2 inch finely chopped ginger and 3 cardamon pods in 2 tbls of coconut oil for a few minutes instead of boiling this with the rice.  After a few minutes I than added 2 cups of rice and let this saute for another few minutes.  Now pour in about 3 1/2 cups of water and bring to boil.  Cover with a lid and place in oven for one hour.

In the mean time, heat 2 tbps of coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Add 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, season with Salt and Pepper.  Cook stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.

 Add 2 cups snap peas that have been trimmed and cut in half.  Continue to saute for another 2 minutes.  Add 2 peaches which which have been cut in slices and continue to cook for only another minute or two.  Add to your rice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup rice vinegar (i used coconut vinegar), 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil,  3 tbps honey, and 1 tbsp of soy sauce (i used coconut aminos)  Whisk until smooth.  Pour over your rice mixture.  Serve warm or at room temp.

Now Enjoy..............