Homemade hummus

My new favorite snack is red peppers and hummus, only problem being, hummus can be kind of pricey (recently I've caught it on sale, but today I was shocked to see a $6 price tag on a little tiny container). So I thought I'd try to whip up my own since the recipes I found online seemed simple enough (and of course didn't involve an oven - see this for reasons why I shouldn't use my oven).

gather

Ingredients: Lemon juice, chicken broth, garlic, paprika, chick peas. I started with an actual recipe, with measurements and everything, but I kind of winged it.

mix

Take two chunks of garlic, a splash of lemon juice, a splash of chicken stock, a (large) dash of paprika, and a lot of chickpeas, and mix them up. I used my Magic Bullet, but a food processor or blender could probably work too.

The first batch was a little lumpy, and didn't really taste like anything. I still had a lot of chickpeas left so I thought I'd try again, but this time adding some more elements.

The final product:

I added lots more paprika, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce. I love that stuff. You can put it on everything. So this round the hummus was much creamier (I think the extra liquid helped, so maybe in round one I should have added more chicken stock) and much more flavorful.

Success!

Final cost: $6.91.
Just about as much as container from the store, but now that I have the chicken stock, lemon juice, and paprika, all I'll need to buy is the chickpeas for $1.75 a can.
Future cost: $1.75 per batch

Farmers Market Finds

Like I usually do on Sunday mornings, today I headed over to the West End Farmers and got some fabulous stuff...

Yes folks, that's right. I finally found brussel sprouts at the farmers market. I was a happy girl. And all you brussel sprout haters out there, I'm guessing you've never actually tried them.

Fish with brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and pasta in a balsamic sauce. Yum-o.

Look how delicious they can be. Don't get them frozen, or out of a can. You'll regret it. Always go with fresh.

But the real Farmers Market Find of the day were these...

...they seems like nothing now, but just wait. Here are the instructions that came with it.

just add water

after 2 hours

after 4 hours

drain

and voila!

They look like marbles, feel like bath beads, and they will water your flowers for you! Over time the beads release their water, enough each day for your flowers to soak up. They're pretty awesome. They had them in all kinds of color combinations, as well as individual colors. All you have to do is resoak them every two weeks, and they are good for about a year according to the instructions. We'll see how they work in the long run. But for now, I'm pretty darn pleased with my find.

It's the biggest game of the year.

I would definitely call myself a baseball fan. I’m not sure I could stretch that to fanatic, but fan for sure.

I grew up in Maryland during the Ripken era, when the Orioles were selling out games (a foreign concept to Camden Yards now) and Cal was making front page headlines. Cal Ripken junior broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record in 1995 and continued his own streak until 1998 when we took himself out of the starting lineup. - 2,632 games straight without missing a day. Pretty impressive. But unfortunately for O’s fans, there wasn’t much to cheer for beyond that.

I moved to Milwaukee in 2001, the year that Miller Park opened, but I didn’t really latch onto my hometown team until later in high school. There’s not much to cheer about in Brewer’s history, but beginning in about 2007 things were looking promising. We were building a strong line up (with the addition of 2007 Rookie MVP Ryan Bran, of course), it looked like we might actually make it beyond the regular season. And we did in 2008. But we didn’t get very far.  These past couple years have been just as disappointing.

The point I’m trying to get to is that as far as post season baseball goes, I’ve never had an opportunity to cheer for my team beyond the first week of October. But as a baseball fan, I continue to watch as many games as possible. Squeezing the last bit of life out of the season as possible before the NFL and NBA completely take over the airwaves for the winter. So, just like every other October of my life, I find myself having to pick a new team to cheer for.(I’ll skip my early picks and just tell you that they all lost, so I’m back to the drawing board for the World Series.)

This year I'm going with the

There are a number of legitimate (i.e. stats, roster, lineup, etc.) and less legitimate reasons for this decision. The less legitimate ones are more fun, so here we go...

#1. I like their colors better. And they also happen to be the same colors as the Orioles, so I've got plenty of orange and black I can wear to support them. (Wear where? I'm not going anywhere to watch these games. Doesn't matter. Team spirit is appreciated regardless of location.)

#2. Courtesy of my daily addiction, I discovered that San Fransisco wins in the battle of cute mayors.

Here's the article about the two World Series mayors.

Yeah. No contest. Especially after further review (stalking) via the internet. Not normally my cup of tea, but he's very hunky in a Ken doll sort of way.

San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

#3. This guy is more my style.

With or without beard (there's also a mohawk hidden under that hat most of the time).Giant's closer Brian Wilson. Ignoring the fact that he's got the same last name as me, I'm a big fan.

#4. I'm not even sure I need to explain this one.

Yeah. Moving on.

#5. (There's not solid reason for this final point, but 5 is more of a round number than 4. Maybe I'll think of one later today and edit this blog.)

So, if you've made it this far, you could be thinking one of two thing...a)This girl is ridiculous. Making World Series picks based on colors, guys, and past team owners. Just ridiculous. OR b)Yes. I totally agree that sports picks should be made based on things other than the stats.

Either way. The Giants are my pick. I'm thinking this series will go to Game 7. At least I hope it does. But (on a more legitimate note) with the solid pitching from each team's bullpen it should be a good match up.

I know my good friend over at Sports Surplus picked the Rangers to take the series in 7. But I'd be interested to hear your pick (and whether or not you agree with my reasons), so leave me a comment below!

So I've never claimed to be domestic...

...but this was totally was not my fault. It was the oven's fault. Seriously. But I'll start from the beginning.

So at work tomorrow we are having a little Halloween party with a bake off. Apparently there are prizes. So I wanted to branch out of my normal boxed cake mix endeavors and bake something new. There's a fabulous blog I've been following, Eat Run Read, so I headed there for inspiration. I decided to go with the very seasonal Carmel Apple Cupcakes with Carmel Cream Cheese frosting.

The recipe seemed easy enough. 

gather

mix

pour

And here is where the problems started. My oven is evil. I had it preheated to 350 degrees, and about 10 minutes into baking the kitchen started filling with smoke. That may seem a little dramatic, but the smoke alarm was going off and Maggie and Ange were laughing at me (I was on the phone with them, I'm not loosing my mind) - it was a little out of control.

from the surface they look fine

but unwrap them and not so appealing any more

 Solution: Take the salvageable ones, cut the burnt bottom off, and put it in a new cupcake wrapper. and frost. I didn't have enough ingredients (or time, or the patience) to make another batch, and I tried one - they were actually delicious.  Minus the burnt bottom layer. The rest of it doesn't taste burnt.

They don't look that bad do they?

I'll let you know how it turns out at work tomorrow.
 

my prize for 3rd place in the Halloween office bake off

I beat five other desserts, so I guess they weren't that terrible after all.
I think I have the frosting to thank for that.

I'm not domestic. But I try.

A runner's blogging dilemma

So, as you may or may not know, I have three different blogs.

I started this one, East Coast Calling, in October 2009 with the original intention of chronically my journey to the east coast (and subsequently, venting about the frustrations along the way/celebrating the successes). Since then it's become my outlet for free writing, and probably the best way to keep my friends and family in the loop with my life out here.

In February 2010, I started The Running Rookie to track my attempt at becoming a runner, logging my miles (which were slow to start) and my overall feelings about that day's run.

Then there's BYM On The Run, started in August 2010 with the help of the three most fabulous people I know (Hannah, Maggie, and Ange - who lacks a personal blog so she doesn't get to be cool and have a linked name like the other two).

Since starting BYM On The Run, The Running Rookie has fallen to the wayside. About every two weeks I'll copy all my BYM posts onto Rookie's page because I want to have a full record of all my running endeavors. (I'm not sure if we'll keep the BYM blog going after our race in April, although I sure hope do, so I want to keep Rookie up to date.)

So here's where today's runner's blogging dilemma comes: when I have thoughts on running, do I share them here, or on one of my other blogs? I've been using my running blogs exclusively to track my running progress, so a blog entry not involving an actual run would feel out of place. But writing about running on East Coast Calling doesn't fit my usual blog characteristics. (Although there have been some cross overs, like my races since I've moved here and some much needed technology updates). Even as I type that last sentence, and look for blogs to link to my examples, I realize that writing about running topics here is more common that I thought. Running has infiltrated my life, and in turn, my blog. So, as I drag you through this train of thought rather than erase it and start over, I'll continue on with the original idea I had for this entry.

Image courtesy of BBC online.

In today's New York Times there is an article titled Marathon Runners Prove a Special Paradox for Insurers. While the idea of a marathon is about as appealing as to me right now as a removing my own kidney, I can understand how people at the level of athleticism would be drawn to the challenge. (Ok, so maybe the kidney removal was a bad example, but I think it's dramatic enough to show how far I am from such a goal.) So when I came across this article this morning (I read NYT articles on my phone during my commute to work each morning - but don't worry, I'm not driving) I found it hard to believe that some insurance companies could hold running against someone. The article states that "insurance companies in California are no longer allowed to exclude pre-existing injuries from treatment. So if a healthy 25-year-old marathoner with a broken leg were shopping for individual health insurance, instead of being accepted and receiving coverage for everything except the leg, insurance companies could deny her coverage." And, in New York "you’ll pay the same amount as someone who is overweight and unhealthy." Neither really seem fair to me.

I do acknowledge the fact that with higher levels of athleticism and competition, there are higher rates of injuries. But how exactly can be that considered more of an insurance liability than someone who runs the risk of diabetes because they never get off their couch? Injuries from distance running are (hopefully) short-term problems, and for the most part can be avoided and eliminated with proper form, technique, and rehab. Medical conditions from a lack of exercise (like diabetes or high cholesterol) have the potential of being life long problems. I can play devils advocate and say "running injuries have that same potential of being life long problems" and "non-running related medical conditions aren't always life long problems," but that doesn't change my opinion on the topic. People who participate in regular exercise and competitive training should be rewarded by their insurance companies, not punished.

Discovering Georgetown

So I may have fallen in love. I spent a few hours in Georgetown today and came across all this adorable stuff. The cutest little townhouses. People out on the river in kayaks. Hidden backyard gardens. Love. Like seriously, in love. So one day, beyond grad school, I'd love to move into DC, and if finances allow, Georgetown.

The Cupcake Adventures : Part Five

Today's adventure was Baked and Wired, in Georgetown. I'll be honest - I was quite excited about this one. All of the DC foodie blogs I read rave about this place, and several friends have told me how much they love it.  (Pardon the cell phone pictures. I felt like too much of a dork taking out my camera.) It's a pretty small shop; bakery on one side, coffee bar on another. But they had a huge variety of stuff (just check out their menu online.) and it all looked delicious.

 They display their wide array of cupcakes in these cute little glass domes. Here's the one I decided to go with...

  ...chai cake in a cup...

I also got an iced tea. I can't remember what kind it was. It was slightly peach flavor; I know it was some type of black tea (it had some trendy name that I can't remember right now). The verdict...

...well as you can see I had a serious problem with it.

Yeah. No. It was delicious. Like seriously awesome. The chai flavor was great. Just like a chai tea latte. And the cream cheese frosting was amazing. I'm not even sure I have much more to say about it. It's definitely going on the "visitors from out of town must go here" list. It's only about 5 minutes from Georgetown Cupcake, but there's no line and the cupcakes are way better.

(Oh and the iced tea was pretty good too.)

A little running adventure

So on my way back from Georgetown today, I drove across the Memorial Bridge (which is right by the monuments) and saw all these people running/biking/walking. It seemed like a fabulous idea, so I headed home, grabbed a quick lunch, put my running clothes on, and headed back to DC for a run. Today was perfect running weather, 75 and sunny with a breeze. How many more days like this will I have? They are fleeting, that's for sure. So I've got to make the most of it.  Plus, running on the Mall is one of the original things I was most excited about when moving out east - here was my chance to cross it off the list.


So after a quick (traffic-less) drive from VA to DC, I finally (after driving around the river front for 20 min) found a parking spot  in the West Potomac Park, near the Jefferson Memorial...

Then I headed around the Tidal Basin, toward the Washington Monument...

Then I (basically turned around) and went to the World War II Memorial...

This was my first time seeing this Memorial up close, and it is amazing. It seems cheesy to say something like "majestic," but it is seriously a beautiful space. It is nested in between the Lincoln Memorial/Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument, so it makes for a great view.

Happy runner!

I did 2.29 miles (I stopped for a bit to take those photos, which is why it took me 27 min), then walked about 1 mile back to my car. My hips were (and still are) SUPER sore from my 5-mile race yesterday. I figured 2.29 miles was a good amount for today, didn't want to push it too much.

(Pardon the cell phone photos. I couldn't carry camera and phone while running. Only my phone fit in my running shirt pocket)

Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department 5 Mile Run

So, I found this race online last weekend and thought it would be a great challenge for me. I have run a couple of 5Ks so far, and I'm running between 7-10 miles per week on my own. I have about 5 months until the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, and I have a lot of training to do. Today's race was for me to physically feel how much training I have to do.

It went great! My goal was to finish in under 60 minutes. Final time = 56:22!

I highly underestimated how cold it was going to be at 8:00 this morning. It was cold. Like, I can see my breath cold. I left the house wearing my usual running capris, shin compression sleeves, my white Nike running top (it's my good luck race shirt at this point), and I grabbed my new aqua colored long sleeve shirt to wear in the car. I am glad I grabbed that because standing around before the race was freezing. I decided I was going to need to wear the long sleeves during the race, but I anicipated I'd warm up eventually. I pinned my bib number to my t-shirt and strapped my iPod to my arm underneath the long sleeve shirt. My plan worked out perfectly; at almost exactly mile marker 1 I was starting to get really warm so I took off the long sleeve shirt and tied it around my waist. I hardly noticed it while I was running. But gloves would have been nice. I think that's going to be an upcoming investment.

The breakdown...

Mile 1 - a breeze. Although there was a giant hill that I thought was going to kill me. I mean a giant hill. Like at least a 10.0 incline on the treadmill. Why would they start the course there? I guess it's better than at the end, but still. Not a fan.

Mile 2 - Still feeling great. Keeping a steady pace. Although by this point I was completely by myself. There was a small pack of people a ways behind me, but no one in front of me as far as I could see.

Mile 3 - I kept running until about 2.5 miles. Then there was another long, steep hill. I walked up about half of it. I started running when I got to the intersection where the race volunteers were. I figured if they were going to cheer me on the least I could do was run.

Mile 4 - This was probably the hardest section. Between 3 and 4 miles there were a lot of hills, a lot of turns, a lot of traffic (the race went though a lot of residential street, and not everything was closed off to traffic). So it was hard to stay focused and power through. I walked for about 2 one minute periods throughout this section. Mainly up the steep hills.

The final mile - It was pretty good from here to the end. My legs were really tired at this point, and I was a little confused at some point in the course. There was no one around me, there were no volunteers to be see, and no signs. I literally stopped and looked around at one point to see if there was anything that indicated I was still on the course. There wasn't. But I kept running, I was indeed still on the course, and actually in the home stretch.

At the finish line there were lots of people cheering, including several dozen insanely good looking fire fighters. (All I could think was "We'll just pretend that I'm not a sweaty, blotchy mess. K. Thanks.") To say they were hot would be a little too cliche, and possibly and understatement. But seriously, not a bad finish line.

I didn't feel completely dead when I got done. This is a stark contrast from how I felt when I finished a couple of my 5Ks. For some of my races I feel like it takes me 10 minutes to catch my breath. But today I was fine by the time I got to the water station at the fire department.

I'm really happy that I did this race. It was the smallest race I've been in (about 100 people) but it was a great atmosphere, nice neighborhoods to run in, hot fire fighters, and I'm really happy with how I did. Oh, and no shin splints. But I'm icing just as a precaution.

Next challenge: a 10K. I'm eying one on Veterans Day in DC next month. Updates to come.