a runner's wishlist

Welcome to the second and final installment of LB's holiday wishlist recommendations! Just in case you have no clue what I'm talking about, check out my foodie wishlist I posted last week. Like my foodie list, these are all just fun suggestions the runners you know and love might like. Some of these items are stocking stuffers, others you might want to give in lieu of, say, an engagement ring. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to let me know if there's must-have stuff I left off this list!

dry shampoo
just spray on for clean hair in a pinch

smartwool socks
I'm a self-proclaimed smartwool snob :)

shot blox

or your runner's fuel of choice

C9 by Champion

running tights I swear by: 

cheaper than other tights, sleek, 

and you don't have to wear shorts over them

iTunes card

to keep runs fresh and interesting
(or for a fun running app)

The Stick
it erases long run soreness like magic

spibelt

lots of running shorts don't have pockets,
and this saves the awkwardness of sports bra storage

 Yogi cookie cutters
to celebrate those recovery stretches
that hurt so good!

iPhone glimpses of a sunday night

 minestrone soup + cornbread

 + our first fire in our new house

(aka my husband is a stud)

 + sleepy puppy

(roughly the size of a baby deer)

+ recipe planning

 

+ cranberry oat muffins baked

+ clean kitchen

(to undomestic standards)

= bliss

a moment

I went to see my best friend LJ this weekend. She lives in Arkansas, just a little over an hour's drive away. But we still hadn't seen each other since September, before she got engaged. What can we say? We're busy girls. Luckily, we can always pick right back up where we left off, and talk via phone, email, and sometimes by video skype a few times a week.

Let me give you a glimpse of how special our friendship is: we both came away from this weekend completely recharged, and all it took was a day of doing absolutely nothing together. After going to a play and Logan's on Friday night, we watched season one of Glee in bed all day on Saturday, except for one Sonic run (and, by the way, we ordered almost the exact same thing without knowing). I'm convinced we were made for each other.

But that's not all this post is about.

On my drive home Saturday evening, I was listening to one of my favorite songs (you can find the video below), and singing along as best as I could in my flu recovery mode, and at about 4:48 into the song, at the perfect moment, this brilliant sunset erupted across the sky.

 

This picture was taken by my iPhone, but unedited in any way. 

Anyway, I started crying.

I don't cry very often. But I'm truly convinced it was the Holy Spirit, the part of God I believe fills us, brings us peace and comfort and joy and hope, and even convicts us when we need it. I just needed a moment with him.

Here's the song for your listening pleasure this Sunday morning. It's wonderful!





Have you ever had a moment like this? What inspires you?

confessions of a workin woman

Christmas is in full swing at my office. I found my office decorated when I returned from my stint with the flu. It's pretty!

While I was at home, I accomplished so much. I maintain that I work best in the comfort of sweats, on the floor, with my tv on. It's just the way I've always been. I need distraction to function.

JT used to have the option of working four ten-hour shifts instead of five days. If given the option, I'd work Friday over Monday every time!

We have an institution called Cave Mode. As long as there are no clients coming, (we work primarily by phone and email) we turn off our lights except for a lamp, and something about it just helps us focus better.

Celebrations are all-out in our office. And I think it really contributes to our morale. It helps that as a service-oriented company, we have lots of giving people who like to make each other feel speshul :)

We drink a lot of water. Wow.

I love my job. It's not perfect, but I'm thankful for it every day.

a foodie's wishlist

I absolutely cannot believe it's December. For one, the weather cried Indian summer for far too long, and secondly, between Thanksgiving and being cooped up with the flu, I lost track of the calendar for a little while.

This means there's less than a month until Christmas, and it's time to get my procrastinating hiney into action, unlike my ambitious coworker, whose apartment is fully decorated and her entire Christmas list is bought and wrapped under her tree. Maybe some day I will have my act together, but this year is not that year.

Like many bloggers are doing right about now, I thought I'd lend a helping hand if you have a special foodie in your life -- or, like me, if your mother-in-law is going to come a-knockin' for your Christmas wishlist any minute now and you have no idea what to do. 

But beware, some of these items are probably more proper for a "dream-on" list and should be reserved for someone incredibly special unless you have bottomless pockets or the unique love language for this sort of thing. Most of it is fair game, though!

anthropologie apron

because every cook needs a fun and flirty apron
(or an apron period.)

cuisinart food processor

this post explains everything

clean start cookbook
 love everything the clean food movement stands for.
plus, I have the sister cookbook and love it!

 microplane zester

because it's never fun to zest a finger.

kitchenaid stand mixer

forgive me, o Lord, for I have coveted
this mixer my entire marriage.

Yes, the larger size might be more practical,

but this color is so fantastic!

exacompta space 24 weekly planner

this planner is perfection for foodies
with an entire blank page each week for lists
(i.e. groceries, meal planning)

mini latte bowls

these are just too cute!



ThisIsNotMyShirt.com
a very unique gift for the compassionate foodie in your life,
each shirt helps provide clean water for villages in Africa.
many have asked about this shirt, the one I wore during my half marathon,
and I highly recommend checking out ThisIsNotMyShirt.com
for more on the powerful message behind this mission.

So, did I leave anything out?

butternut squash soup with caramelized onions

I had to check and double check that I hadn’t posted this recipe before. It was one of my favorite soups from last winter, and perfect for a chilly weekend when we needed something light and warm after all of our Thanksgiving feast-ivities.

Based on Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup recipe, the final product is creamy with a little texture in it, a sweet and savory tug-of-war match of round flavors on your tastebuds. And if you’re like me, you’ll be very liberal with your black pepper grinder for just a bit of bite.

Shall we begin? Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

For 2-4 people, peel and chop one butternut squash and one apple in same-size cubes.  Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith, whatever is fresh and tastes good to you. Your cuts don’t have to be perfect, but keep them about the same size and shape. My advice to you is use a really sharp knife because all kinds of squash can be tricky to chop. And make sure you get all the core and seeds from the apple! Mix them with olive oil, salt, and pepper until the pieces are well coated. Then spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for about 20-25 minutes, turning once in the middle. This is standard practice for roasting veggies, and in my opinion, roasting really brings out the optimal flavor.

While your stars of the show roast, heat up a pot that’s wide on the bottom but still tall enough to hold your soup. Peel and thinly slice an onion (mince for less texture) and sauté in about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter on medium-high heat until glossy. Make sure to feed the onions a pinch of salt to help release their natural sugars. Turn down your heat to medium or medium low (watch it carefully) and cook them low and slow until start to brown. I think following Rachael Ray’s method of adding sugar first would work nicely, too.

 

I, however, bypassed the sugar for a drizzle of pure maple syrup. YOM! Stir about a tablespoon in with your already softened onions and let them keep cooking. It’s almost time for the soup to come together.

 

Put your newly roasted goodies in a food processor or blender and pour in enough chicken or veggie broth to almost cover them. They’re about to become something delicious. Give your mix a spin until it’s finely pureed. Pour it into the pot with the onions and give it a stir. At this point, add some broth or water to get the soup to your perfect consistency.

Now’s time to spice it up. Add about a tablespoon of curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. We love lots of black pepper in just about everything. In my version of heaven, black pepper and chocolate will go together perfectly. If you’re iffy about curry powder, don’t be. I, too, once thought curry powder was sketchy, but bought this little jar for this very recipe and didn’t regret it one bit!

At this point your soup is almost finished! Since your veggies were cooked in the oven, you just need to make sure it’s heated through and stays your preferred consistency. Something completely optional, however:

Just a little drink of cream. I don’t even keep it in the house normally, but I think I’m turning over a new leaf. A new leaf that could be very dangerous. It’s not even absolutely necessary with the starchy goodness of pureed butternut squash, sweet apple and onions, and savory curry. But a little drizzle here and there never hurt anyone, really.

Soup’s on!

a fanciful feast

Think about it. The entire Thanksgiving celebration is centered around food. Well, and football here in the Heartland. I could hug whoever decided thankfulness and family togetherness should culminate around delicious culinary masterpieces. (Imagine if instead of the feast in that traditional First Thanksgiving story, they chose to center on the ship landing? What would our tradition be like in that case?)

For the last few years, my grandparents have come to town for Thanksgiving, but they were unable to make it this year. But my parents invited two replacements, The Noshery and the Spousal Figure themselves. My mom was so excited about them coming that she planned a meeting between the three of us just to make sure everything was perfect.

And it was.

Key players:

beautiful tablescape by my mama

brie with cranberry pomegranate chutney
(made by Whole Foods (YOM!!)

Pioneer Woman stuffing

     

cranberry goodness

 

Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes

  

Paula Deen popovers

the star of the show herself
(mi madre totally rocked it!)

my plate of yummies

sad, drooly yellow puppy had to stay outside

I didn’t take any pictures, but in normal family tradition my grandparents bring Italian sausage from a little Italian supermarket in Dallas. It’s delicious. We walk/run a 5K not far away from the house and then eat big juice sausages with tangy cranberry sauce wrapped in a slice of bread.

Though my grandparents (and the delish sausage) couldn’t make it, JT made sure the tradition lived on and picked up some Italian sausage from Siegi’s in Tulsa. It might not be a tiny Italian supermarket, but it was awesome! We have always loved the quality of their meats.

Just in case you couldn’t tell, our tummies are still recovering from this wonderful meal. Meseidy rocked the sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin bread pudding (Bobby Flay’s recipe from Throwdown with Ree’s hard sauce, if you can stomach how awesome that would be!) The turkey was plump and perfectly seasoned, the potatoes creamy and buttery, the popovers perfect with a touch of raspberry jam. And the dessert was perfect once I made more room by switching to stretchy pants.

But would you believe me that the company was even better?

Happy Thanksgiving! And don’t forget to be thankful the other 364 days of the year for friendship, beauty, and of course, food on your table!