You might be a runner if...

...you've canceled plans to go out because the subsequent hangover would interfere with your long run
...you've kept your plans to go out, and ran through the subsequent hangover (for the sole reason that your training schedule said you had to)
...you're in your car on the way back from a destination run and you're on such a runner's high you consider a quick run around your neighborhood when you get home
...you have a separate pair of shin compression sleeves to wear when you're not running 
...you head out for a winter run in a t-shirt because after a mile you'd be peeling off all exterior layers anyway  (and after two miles you're so sick of carrying them you'd almost rather throw them away, but you paid so much damn money for the clothes you can't throw them away, so better just leave them at home for a colder day)
...you're thinking about your next run on your current run

All of the above have happened to me in the past seven days. Last week I blogged about my Runiversary; a year ago I had a very hard time thinking of myself as a runner. I was more "someone who is going to die on this treadmill and regrets not writing a will." Definitely not a runner, yet. Here I am, one short year later, and I happily call myself a runner. And even better yet, someone who blogs about running...

You might be a running blogger if...
...on your run you're writing the blog commentary in your head
...you run with a camera/camera phone to document the journey for the web
...you check Runner's World Daily newsletter each morning for more things to write about

(Again, did all of those in the past seven days.)

One of my favorite running bloggers is Mollie at Eat, Run, Read (three of my absolute favorite things). A while ago she had a post about Running vs. Jogging (or is it y-ogging, with a soft j, I'm not sure) and I loved it. Here's the list she posted, and make sure to check out her blog!

You might be a “jogger” if…

You jog in place at red lights.

You wear shorts over full-length pants. True runners own and love their spandex and have nothing to hide.

Your form makes other runners, and any observing doctor or athletic trainer, cringe.

You make  shoe decisions based on color.

You wear a fuel-belt on any run less than 7 miles.

You wear a running skirt (except for SUAR who rocks her skirt).

You've never run through pain. (Ok, ok, so runners are a little bit stupid sometimes...but that's just how it is.)

You only run when it’s sunny and the temperature is between 50 and 75 degrees.

You ask other runners how long their marathon was. (True story – this happens! Here’s my PSA for the day: All marathons are 26.2 miles. Anything else is a race, but not a marathon.)

You don’t care about competition.

You run without a sports bra (women, obviously). 

You’re only in it for fitness and/or weight loss (I’m not hating on fitness, I’m just saying…), and therefore tend to quit after a month.

Then Running Buddy stumbled across this video on Facebook, and it's priceless.

Best lines:
"You ran 15 miles on purpose? You mean with your legs and feet? I do not drive that far on my way to work."
"So the first person to do this died?"
"That is stupid."

Anyone who is a runner can completely understand how ridiculous (and realistic) this conversation is.

I had a great run on Sunday, and I'm now back in love with running. :)

Apartment by design

I've been in a bit of an apartment rut lately, torn between redecorating or just rearranging (or more logically, just leaving everything the way it is because I moved here six months ago).

I just moved in at the end of August, so I shouldn't be this sick of my stuff already. Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment, and I really like all of my stuff, but I feel like I need to refresh a few things. Problem being, refreshing things costs money. And I've got to save my money for my springtime adventures with all my midwestern pals coming to visit. So in the meantime, I can dream about the perfect apartment...

Maggie recently posted her dream home wish list; I am far from owning my own home (and I'm not sure that'll ever be the cards for this city girl), so in light of a "dream home wish list," I'm creating a "dream apartment inspiration board," full of things I'd love to incorporate now, soon, or far down the road.

Bedroom
Charcoal walls. Love the idea. The room would need quite a bit of natural light for it to work, and light colored bedding.

via

I love almost everything about this (below) bedroom. Swap the yellow for a turquoise or magenta, and I'd be madly in love. The paint, the bed, and the windows though - perfect as is.To.Die.For.

via

This is the same bedroom as photo #1 (above), just another view. Again, loving the charcoal walls, but clearly the focus of this shot is the bookcase. Drooling with jealousy over it. I have a growing library that is begging to be displayed. Built-ins like that would certainly do the trick. (And doesn't that chair look SUPER comfy and perfect for an afternoon read.)

via Lovely Undergrad

Office
As a "writer," a desk is a very important thing. I have a desk in my room now, but my small-ish bedroom doesn't really allow for convenient use of it. It holds my computer while it's charging along with assorted paperwork, but when I blog or work on homework I always end up on the couch in the living room.

I dream of a home office. This dream also goes along with the world's most prefect freelancing gig that would actually warrant a home office. But since that job is a long shot, I'll settle for the perfect desk.

This one is clean and crisp, and I would definitely have tulips too. And a GIANT Mac desktop, obviously.

via MadeByGirl

This desk is IKEA, and I like the clean lines with the combination of bookshelves worked in. In theory, I'd gravitate to the white, but in the picture it looked really cheap. I picture this one in a nice, dark wood paneled den somewhere.

via IKEA

There's something comforting about a small, corner desk area. It reminds me of my desk in the dorms; crowded, cluttered, but comfortably cozy. (PS I find myself missing the dorms some days. It's like the more space I get to myself, the more I miss sharing a cinder block cell with my best friend.)

via

And I'd love for my desk to face a window, rather than a wall. So with that in mind, the obvious reference would be this...

via

Art
I'm craving some new pieces. Something eclectic, simple, but very much my style.

I have always loved these prints from MadeByGirl. I have a growing addiction to coffee (courtesy of the other BYM girls), and I've loved blogging from day one, so it seems perfect.

via

I've been in search of some hometown art. Something Milwaukee-ish, or even Wisconsin-ish. Thoughts on this print?

I love the idea of inspiration boards. This one with the wide yellow frame seems especially happy.

via

I am in love with the painting in this photo. It's my colors. Want it. Need it.

via

I'd love to redo all of my photo frames and make a wall like this...

via

(And I love the sturdy wooden table, mix matched chairs, and bench against the wall.)

Ok, enough apartment envy for one afternoon. I'll do a second edition in the future to include my kitchen,bathroom, closet dreams.

Happy Friday!

Three Things Thursday - 3 things I'd rather be doing today

I'd rather be doing a lot of things today...here's a few.

1. Watching this movie. Don't judge.

2. Drinking one of these at this bar.

3. Watching my team beat these suckers.

Or basically, anything more fun than sitting at work all day thinking about how pissed off I am.

Fast-food oatmeal inquiry

In my usual lunch-time-scouring-of-the-internet I found this article, How to Make Oatmeal...Wrong by Mark Bittman on the NY Times' Opinion page. Bittman is a long time NYT journalist, formerly the host/writer of the foodie-web series The Minimalist. (Just a side note: The Dining and Wine section of the New York Times' website is one of my favorite things in the world, so I'm sure this won't be the first or last blog about articles I find there.)

Today's edition is about McDonald's evil attempt at oatmeal. It's been out on their menu for a while now, and I'll admit, I'm a big fan of McDonald's breakfast (but only when eaten with the BYM girls) so I was optimistic that Macdos wouldn't disappoint with this sugar-infused, fat-laden, formerly-healthy breakfast option. I haven't had it yet, and I'm not sure if this article has convinced me one way or another.  If you haven't heard, it's called "Fruit and Maple Oatmeal" and boasts "fresh apples, plump raisins, juicy cranberries and brown sugar." I'm not sure I believe the apples are fresh, or that the cranberries are juicy, but whatever.

via

This article got me very curious, so I did a little further research to see what other fast-food oatmeal options existed, and how they compared.

via

The next one that came up was, of course, Starbucks. They recently came up with "Prefect Oatmeal" with brown sugar, dried fruit, and a nut medley. Haven't tried this one either.

The next obvious comparison was to the good ole' fashioned Quaker Oats.

via

And the only way to actually compare all of these, a spreadsheet of course! (I know I'm a huge dork, but I was really bored on my lunch today, and as a result of my job I'm not an Excel goddess, so I went to town.) I added in two other Quaker oatmeals to try and compare to the flavors/ingredients of the fast-food versions. (note: all measurements in grams.)

So, not surprising, the fast-food oatmeals were really high in sugar. The McDonalds serving size is a lot higher, but the calories were lower than the Starbucks "Perfect Oatmeal." Fibers were all pretty comparable, as were fat (except for the Starbucks, which was more than double everything else.)

I love making oatmeal, but only in the winter, and only on the weekends. But regardless...have you had any of the fast food oatmeals? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I go to Starbucks every Friday morning to get a lattee (it's my reward for making it through the week) and I always see the oatmeal and wonder if it's worth it.

Runiversary

Today is my one-year Runiversary. Never heard of a Runiversary? Well I may have just made it up, so I'm not shocked you haven't heard of it. Let me explain.

I started running one year ago today (Running + Anniversary = Runiversary). On February 22, 2010 I started running, and documenting it on my blog, The Running Rookie. My first blog post explained by background with running (nonexistent) and my reasons for hating running before (the list was vast); I logged 1 mile in a little under 12 minutes on the treadmill for that first run. I've come a long way since then. It's terribly cliché to say, but literally and figuratively, I have come a long was since then.

Let's break it down, shall we...

Literally 

Well the really obvious part is my location. In August I moved to DC for school, so that drastically changed my running routes and frequency. I was running a lot more when I first got here because I was jobless. The more I ran, the easier it got; so when I did get a job, running didn't seem like such a chore. I sure do miss running in La Crosse though. There's nothing like Riverside Park.

Via my constant blogging between BYM on the Run and The Running Rookie, I have every run I've ever done recorded. I did a little math and here's what I ended up with:

February 3.25 miles

March 8.41 miles

April 9.83 miles

May 11.35 miles 

June 3.1 miles

July 7.65 miles

August 12.25 miles 

September 20.9 miles

October 36.49 miles

November 35.23 miles

December 25.08 miles

January 47.03 miles

February (so far) 31.59 miles

Total = 251.35 miles

I have run 251.35 miles since I started a year ago. That doesn’t seem like a lot, I was really expecting it to add up to some huge, daunting number.  That thought leads into the Figuratively part.

I feel like a completely different person than I did a year ago. I exactly the same size as I was, so I’m not a different person in the physical sense, but I just have a very different mentality about running.

When I started I was challenging myself. After getting bored with the bikes and elliptical I decided to give the treadmill a try (rather than becoming a resolutioner who gives up in late February). I sucked at it. I could breathe, and my legs felt like cement. And all I did was run a mile. And I remember barely being able to run that mile.

So when I say I expected that yearly total to be a lot larger of a number, it’s because I wouldn’t think that 251.35 miles could change a person that much. But it has. Running has brought me closer to my best friends; I moved 1,000 miles away and we haven’t missed a beat. We’re all running towards this goal of ours, and keeping in touch via this blog along the way.

(By the way, I’m going to keep blogging on BYM on the Run past our 986-mile goal because I like blogging about running. It doesn’t feel right to write about it on The Running Rookie anymore, because I wouldn’t call myself a rookie. I’m no Olympian, but I’m not the rookie I was a year ago.)

Running has been the driving force behind several of my newest friendships out here on the coast. I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Running Buddy, who has been with me for most of my miles since mid-October. I’ve said before, she’s my “Chipper Jen,” and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And I could blab on and on about what else running has done for me emotionally, but I’ll keep this brief and keep those thought to myself. I’ll just say this: I run when I’m happy, and I run when I’m pissed, it’s a great equalizer for me.

And now I’ll give you some more stats:

Pairs of running shoes used: 2

Pairs of shin compression sleeves purchased: 3, they really do keep the shin splints at bay

Pieces of running apparel purchased: Dozens. A more specific number would be to terrifying to calculate because I know I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on running clothes.

Races run: 11 (Everything from 1 mile to 10K)

Hours spent icing my shins: Countless

Not getting shin splints as a result of that icing time: Priceless

So to celebrate the Run-iversary, Running Buddy and I went on a quick run. I’ve got a really sore knee today for no reason, so I couldn’t push it. I want a long run on Saturday, and I don’t want to my gimping around the office for another two days like I was today (it was really attractive). So short run, but with great company.

I hope that in once year from now, I can reflect back and see continued progress. I look back to last February, and the idea of a 5K was too daunting to think consider. And now a 5K is about the shortest distance I'll run without feeling guilty. A year is a long time, and a lot can happen. Cheers, to another good one.

Happy Run-iversary!

happy runner :)

GW Birthday Classic 10K

via

Every year, in honor of good ole' George's birthday, Pacers puts on a 10K run; side note - isn't that an epic logo for a race (above). It's an out-and-back race along Eisenhower Ave in Alexandria.

via. I hate when they make their maps like that. But I guess the

Washington monument in the background is fitting with the occasion.

I was very nervous for this race since I've been slacking a bit lately. I'll be the first one to admit it. I ran my @$$ off in the fall, and now I'm insanely busy with school and too exhausted after work to run. So after my 5K last weekend, I was nervous for this race, but generally looking forward to it.

Race Recap: The weather sucked. It's been beautiful all week, and today it's very windy. According to NOAA, there's a "high wind warning" for gusts between 26-29 miles per hour. The first half of the course was running into the wind; like being in a wind tunnel, except they filled the wind tunnel with sand then turned the fans on. Most of the course was along a road, or near roads, that were under construction; so there were rocks and sand flying at my face the whole time. I've never been happier to see the 5K mark. When we turned around to run back, it got a hell of a lot easier. I could feel a huge difference in my speed/effort ratio with the wind at my back; every once in a while there was a huge gust and it would literally move my in-motion-foot a little further forward than I had intended to step. I'm sure it was hilarious to watch.

(Side note: It is so windy outside, that as I sit at my desk writing this, the fire department is outside my building dealing with downed power lines in my yard.)

The race had great attendance. I saw bib numbers up into the 800s, and I'd say that seems about right. It took the first mile for the crowd to thin out, but towards the end I was never running alone, and I wasn't the back of the pack (thank god). 

I had a couple of "pace people" I was trying to keep up with the whole race. Normally, at the end of a race I try to find my pace people and give them a friendly high five or something, thanking them for keeping me going (non-runners read: this is a very normal post-race thing to do, so I'm not a stalker or anything), but today the finish line was empty (besides race staff) by the time I got there. 

It ended on a gravel parking lot, so with the wind it was like having a fists full of gravel thrown at your face. They had one guy holding the timing sign up, and one person holding each of the speakers up. There were porta potties along the course and at the finish, but none of them were functional - they were all knocked over. Gross. They could barely keep the water station up and running because the paper cups were blowing everywhere.

But overall, I'm really glad I did the race. My time as slower than my last 10K time in November, but I did walk a bunch in the first half because running up hills into the wind was impossible at the time. No shin pain (YAY!), but the balls of my feet are really sore (more like raw, I'm thinking a thicker sock would have been the solution).

We got some awesome goodie bags too...

long sleeve running shirt, and a hat

Hat detail; clearly these were left over from last year, but whatever - it's free stuff!

shirt detail

I have one race scheduled on March 13, and I may sign up for one on the 12th.  I'd like to find another 10K to do, so if you know of any coming up let me know.

Also, I'm in need of some new music. Here's my current playlist:

My favorites are 3,5,9,10, and 11. Let me know what you've got on your list. I'd love some updates.

Three Things Thursday - 3 signs that I'm officially losing my mind

If you hadn't caught on my now, my weeks are pretty busy with work and graduate school.  I have class on Monday and Thursday nights with study groups, homework, and readings on my "off" nights; by the time Thursday night class rolls around I'm exhausted in all possible ways. By the time Thursday night class (Business Accounting) is over, I'm completely brain dead. The only thing getting me through is the hope that the more I pay attention in class, the more of a bookstore genius I'll become; and then the more "ah ha" moments I'll have at work, and then I'll save the company (or at least start turning a profit).

But for the most part, brain dead by 10 p.m. on Thursday. So it's very dangerous to save my Three Things Thursday post until after class, because god only knows what my caffeine injected, sleep deprived mind will come up with. So this week, I've decided to embrace those things and post the
3 signs that I'm officially losing my mind

1. In class tonight, I wrote two notes on my hand; two things I needed to remember to do tonight. Except my notes aren't actually notes, they're just letters. I think writing all over my hand looks tacky, like I'm back in high school or something, so I just do a letter (that logic may not make sense, but whatever, it's the theme of the blog anyway).

The first note was "3," a reminder to do this blog. The second note was "C." By the end of class, I had gone so mentally numb that I couldn't remember what the C stood for. All I could remember was I had debated between writing "S" or "C" because it was a two-word phrase I needed to remember and those were the two corresponding letters. Lost my damn mind I tell ya. So I get home, call up my trusty friend Ange, and we brainstorm possibilities. Here's what we came up with...

• sign card (Nope, no outstanding birthday cards waiting around.)
• send check (Nope, sent my bills out last night.)
• cubs suck (True, but irrelevant to my evening's to-do list, so nope.)
• chicken soufflé (I'm not sure you could even souffle chicken. I think it's too heavy. Nope.)
• classy Sasquatch (I picture that classic blurry Sasquatch picture, but holding a red handbag and with a tiara on. Entertaining, but not the answer)
• Starbucks card - WINNER! I needed to take my Starbucks gift card out of my winter coat pocket since I think I may have officially retired it for the season (or at least the week) and Fridays are latte days so I'd need my coffee money.

via.
This is what I look like on Friday without that Starbucks latte,
hence the importance of remembering the card.

As you can see, the list of options get more and more outlandish as it progresses. Only further proving my point that by Thursday night I've gone brain dead (and that Ange is a long for the crazy ride).

2. I've been mentally preoccupied this week. Just one of those weeks where things aren't falling into place, I always feel like a hot mess, and life's not "clicking." A lot of this has been a result of sleeplessness, brought on by a combination of rational and irrational reasons. When I do get to sleep, I have very strange dreams. Like dreams about dating actors from Glee (yes, I'm a Glee-k, get over it), and dreams about perfect shiney lives (literally, things were shiney), and dreams about giant talking hamsters (I don't feel that one needs a caveat). Losing. my. mind. I think you can medically say you've lost your mind after three days without sleep. I've yet to go a whole night without sleep, but it's been fleeting. Updates to come.

via.
Yeah, kind of like those.

3. I'm going to run a 10K on Saturday. Normally, this would not fall into the loosing my mind category. But I've been off my running game since about Thanksgiving (right around the time of my first 10K) so to kick up the distance may be a struggle. But we'll find out for sure at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. I'm hoping for the best, but still kind of feels like I've lost my mind.

Likable Literature: Born to Run

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
By: Christopher McDougall

Note: I finished this book last week, and have been slowly writing this post over the past seven days but that in no way reflects my feelings on the book. It reflects how frickin busy I've been. Enjoy. :)

This book came out in 2009, and (ATTN: Book-nerd alert) was in it's 36th reprinting in December 2010 - which means it's sales numbers aren't too shabby. It became a national best-seller, popular among runners and literary folks alike.  It covers the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of running -- everything from why the fancy shoes are actually hurting you to why beans are better than Power Bars. It's a first hand account of a world that few have ever seen, a world that barely exists anymore.

The author, Christopher McDougall, is a former Runner's World contributor who spent years tracking down the mysterious Tarahumara, a tribe of Indians living deep in the deserts of Mexico. The Tarahumara were also called "Raramuri," translation - Running Man. They were living in the stone age, happy as clams, trading corn based beer (among other things) for goods and services, and running marathons a day over rocky terrain for fun. "Left alone in their mysterious canyon hideaway, this small tribe of recluses had solved nearly every problem known to man. [...] It was as if they'd secretly turned their caves into incubators for Nobel Prize winners, all toiling toward the end of hatred, heart disease, shin splints, and greenhouse gases."

Part of their secret was their diet which included a paste called "Iskiate;" "otherwise know as chia fresca -- "chilly chia." It's brewed up by dissolving chia seeds in water with a little sugar and a squirt of lime. In terms of nutritional content, a tablespoon of chia seeds is like a smoothie made from salmon, spinach, and human growth hormone."

The entire book was very heavy on the running traditions around the world, and those who have studied them. Running tribes from all over the world have been studied, and the same conclusions have been made about their ancient ways - "you ran to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together.  You had to love running, or you wouldn't live to love anything else...We were born to run; we were born because we run." 

One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the emphasis on the Tarahumara's lack of "proper" footwear. They wore thin leather sandals, resembling more of a gladiator than a marathoner. Born to Run definitely fed into the barefoot running craze that has swept the nation. I've seen Five Fingers at almost every race I've done in the past year; studies on either end of the opinion spectrum have come out on the topic, but here is some of the information about footwear (and general physical wear-and-tear) discussed in the book:

• Barefoot Ken Bob - "Shoes block pain, not impact! Pain teaches us to run comfortably! From the moment you start going barefoot, you will change the way you run."
• "There are no evidence-based studies - not one - that demonstrate that running shoes make you less prone to injury."
• "In a 1993 study of Dutch athletes published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine , one group of runners was taught how to warm up and stretch while a second group received no "injury prevention" coaching. Their injury rates? Identical." 
• "Just the way your arms automatically fly up when you slip on ice, your legs instinctively come down hard when you sense something squishy underfoot. When you run in cushioned shoes, your feet are pushing through the soles in search of a hear, stable platform." 
• "Wilt Chamberlin, all seven feet one inch and 275 pounds of him, had no problem running a 50-mile ultra when we was sixty years old after his knees had survived a lifetime of basketball."

The entire book was leading up to this 50 mile race through the Mexican desert involving raging river, steep cliffs, and 100+ degree temperatures. My one complaint would be that the ending was very anti-climatic -- all they had to do was run. The only trouble was getting there; the journey to Tarahumara territory was uncharted by the "gringos," so the struggle was the 13-hour bus ride through drug lord territory and the 6-hour hike in scorpion rich valleys (these activities took up a large portion of the narration of the chapters). After that, 5 hours of running would seem like nothing to these ultra-ers.

My favorite piece of advice from the book : "If you don't have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain't getting them."

My favorite quote from the book comes from one of the key characters, Caballo Blanco. Caballo is a one-time championship boxer who decided to abandon the "real world" and live in the hills of Mexico, eventually befriending the neighboring Tarahumara. He quickly became an ultra marathoner via the traditional Tarahumara ways, while still holding onto a few connections to his American past.

The race documented in this book was organized by him, as a point to show the world what the Tarahumara were all about; an attempt to undo the damage done by years of people taking advantage of these innocent Running People.

The very last paragraph of the book is about why Caballo turned down The North Face as a race sponsor. "I don't want anyone to do anything except run, party, dance, eat, and hang with us. Running isn't about making people buy stuff. Running should be free, man."

I don't know that The Dude could have said it better himself. So I'll leave at that. Running should be free, man.

But for now, I'm going to stick to my Asics and Powerbars.

That being said, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in running, kinesiology, the barefoot running movement, or ancient tribes hanging onto their tried-and-true traditions.

A wonderful weekend

A great new restaurant.

Unburned baked goods.

Two new shades.

I Vant to be A-lone Star       &       San Tan-tonio

A new do.

And a great race.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Andrea makes banana bread...

aka Andrea covers her kitchen in banana goo.

So this story begin a few weeks ago at Whole Foods. I often walk there on my lunch to pick up produce or milk (or a cookie, if it's been a bad day). I eat at least one banana everyday, so more often than not, I make two or three trips to the grocery store each week to get bananas. So while at Whole Foods, I picked up bananas. Literally by the time I got home, they were brown. Perfectly yellow in the store, brown by the time they hit my kitchen counter. So I now had eight brown bananas, and rather than throw them away, I tossed 'em in the freezer.

I had some time today, so I decided I'd attempt to make banana muffins. My bff Maggie is becoming quite the little baker, so I took one of her suggested recipes and headed to the store to get all the non-banana ingredients.

Here's the recipe ( I doubled it because, like I said, I had a lot of bananas).  I'm normally not one for recipe's or instruction lists, but this is the first time I'd tried banana bread, so I stuck to the ingredient list, and sort of stuck to the instructions list.

A note: When you mash the bananas, don't use a hand mixer. It will throw banana goo all over your kitchen.


I also added chocolate chunks, because well everything is better with chocolate.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana
• 1/3  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
• 5  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 2  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
• 6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4  cup  ground flaxseed
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
• Cooking spray
• 1/3  cup  powdered sugar
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  1% low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until combined.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through ground allspice). Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool completely. Combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until smooth; drizzle over bread. 

They turned out phenomenal.  Hand down, best baking project I've ever had. They were super moist, just past that point of being gooey, and the flavor was perfect. Sometimes banana can be overwhelming, but it turned out great. I'd even say that I would leave out the chocolate next time. Yeah, they were that good. I'll be taking them to my group meeting tomorrow and I think they'll be a great success.

Not burnt. Check. Tasty. Check. Kitchen a mess. Check.

Rave and Scathe: Cafe 8

After a long week of work, and an even longer week of school stuff, I needed a drink and some delicious food - so I met up with my friend "KU" for dinner. (For internet anonymity, I'll call her KU. We like to eat at tasty restaurants and shop for kitchen gadgets together.) 

The original plan was to go here, but there was an hour wait for a table, so instead we went to Cafe 8 on Barracks Row.

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Cafe 8 serves Mediterranean/turkish cuisine, and has a requirement that all it's waiters are tall dark and handsome.

We started with cocktails and hummus; both were extremely delicious. I love hummus, I occasionally make my own, but for the most part I'm happier to let the professionals do it.

We both ordered pides, which is a "traditional turkish style pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven. The dough is shaped like a canoe and the toppings are spread out inside the canoe." Mine had dried beef, tomatoes, and cheese; KU's had mushrooms and cheese.  Loved it. It was like the best calzone I've ever had, but with better dough.

Sorry about the crappy cell phone picture. My camera didn't fit in my tiny purse. (Thank god KU undertands the blogosphere, so she doesn't think I'm a crazy person when I taken camera phone pictures of my food.)

Overall, loved Cafe 8. Great food, good service, nice atmosphere, and very moderately priced. I'd love to go back for another pides, and some more cute waiters. 

Three Things Thursday - How I Deal With Work Stress

Back in my college newspaper days, I had a three step process for dealing with stress. The specific brand of stress that created this process was brought on by constant self comparison to a fellow college paper at a much larger school. (Author's note: I fully acknowledge the fact that this is a very geeky thing to get worked up over. These days I'm a self proclaimed book nerd, but back then it was newspapers that I obsessed over.)

This week's "three things" are the newly translated version of the process; because honestly, the newspaper version of the process was barely appropriate in the newsroom, much less for the professional world.

Step 1) Anger. I used to swear, a lot, and yell a bit. Not at anyone, but just around everyone. The new version of that - a stress ball. Mine is about golf ball sized and looks like Earth. I permanently borrowed it from a coworker who had a stockpile of them in his office. Whenever something happens that would normally cause swearing or yelling, I grab Earth, and throw it against the wall for a few minutes. It's seriously calming. I suggest trying it.

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Step 2) Depression. After the yelling and the swearing, I'd get really sad about how our paper didn't compare to theirs and there was nothing we could do about it. (Nerd, I know.) In the professional world, I've turned this into, what Office Buddy and I like to call, "table time." We are sharing a temporary office right now, so whenever we're freaking out about something, we turn away from our desks to the table in the middle of the room, and chat about it. Seems very rom-com and mushy, but talking through an issue with someone who has been at the company longer and I have normally solves the issue.

Step 3) Drinking. Yeah, I lived right across the street from the newspaper office, so rough day comes around...and I'd have the other editors over to blow off some steam. Now, drinking not so appropriate in the office. The solution, the office candy bowl. We solve our problems with miniature candy bars. And it's wonderful - in moderation of course.

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Anger. Depression. Drinking. = Stress Ball. Table Time. Candy Bowl. 

It's a lot less fun, but a lot more professional.

Green & Yellow, Green & Yellow

I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Ok, well none of that is true. But I felt you all could use some Christopher Walken in your life this morning.

If I did have a fever, the only prescription would be the Packers. Today's the day folks. I wish I were in Wisconsin to watch the game. But I'll do my best to enjoy it with some other midwest-transplants. I'm headed to a friend's house in a few hours so I got to baking this morning...

Funfetti cupcakes with chocolate frosting, and green and yellow jimmies. Not sprinkles, jimmies. See..

...the package says "Jimmies." Sprinkles are round, Jimmies are long. If you're from Milwaukee you'll appreciate the difference.

And, yes, I did move these across the country with me in the event I would ever need to cater a Packer Super Bowl party. You can never be too prepared.

I don't follow the box recipe for the cupcakes, instead here's what I do:

One box of white cake mix (I prefer funfetti)
8 oz Diet Lemon Lime soda (I prefer the generic)

Mix, Pour, Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila. Best cupcakes ever.

My other addition to the buffet this afternoon will be my Aunt June's Buffalo Chicken Dip

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The official recipe:  

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup chunky blue cheese dressing

1/2 cup Frank's REDHOT Sauce (or Frank's HotWings Sauce)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 cups shredded Swanson's Chunk White Chicken (2 cans)

Heat oven to 350, place cream cheese into baking dish, stir.

Mix in dressing, hot sauce, chicken & blue cheese.

Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes or until heated through & bubbly.**

**I also sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and drizzle more hot sauce

I don't bake it, instead I toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker and leave it alone for a few hours. Stir it up a bit, add more cheese and hot sauce to taste, and you're done. I serve it with pita chips and pepper strips. Delish.

Happy Superbowl Sunday!