9.27.2009

Old Ellicott City

It is becoming a weekly routine to grab ravioli and bread from DiPasquales on friday night before our long run.  We decided to try out the spinach/cheese ravioli and serve it with breaded chicken.

It was delicious...as usual.  You really cant beat this place.  Saturday morning, Kevin and I headed out for a 15 mile long run in and around Patapsco State Park.

As you can see from the elevation, we had a pretty big UPhill from miles 10-12.  It was tough, but believe it or now - it hurt more coming down.  Both of our legs were killing us after we came the 2 miles back down the hill.


After the run, I was craving my favorite veggie sandwich from Catonsville Gourmet.  We started with Proscuitto wrapped scallops finished with a parmesan crust.

Yes.  They were as good as they sound and look.  I obviously went with the Veggie Sandwich, which includes the best grilled veggie patty, tomatoes, cukes, sprouts, and wasabi mayo on wheat toast.  Served with homemade kettle chips.
 
I pretty much devoured the entire plate.  This sandwich rocks.



The rest of my Saturday included playing co-ed football on very sore legs.  I scored 2 touchdowns!  Then, we headed out to celebrate my friend Mara's 30th bday.  We had a blast, but it was a packed day, so I was tired early.



Today, we stopped into Old Ellicott City for lunch and I was reminded what a cute town it is.  Will definitely be coming back to try this Little French Market. 

Oscar and I waited at a picnic table outside while Kevin picked up our La Palapas carry-out.

We had some great views and Wikipedia provided some interesting facts about the Old Ellicott City:
  • Ellicott City has been called one of the most haunted small towns on the east coast.
  • In July 2008, Ellicott City/Columbia was ranked the 8th Best Place to Live in the United States by CNN/Money and Money magazine.
  • Babe Ruth, baseball player, was married in Ellicott City to Helen Woodford on October 17, 1914

Unfortunately, the views got old since we were waiting for our food OVER 40 mins...while STARVING.

The food was good, but I cant imagine any mexican food taking that long to make.



The rest of my Sunday has been spent cleaning, watching football, and relaxing. 



Had to share this funny pet photo.  Oscar and my parent's dog, Max, are great play buddies.  Tug-of-war is one of their favorite games and this picture cracks me up because of Max looking at me out of the corner of his eye.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening!

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9.24.2009

Novel Post

Food


Despite my lack of blogging about cooking lately, I actually HAVE still been doing things in the kitchen.Last week, I made my "GO-TO" pasta salad for a work function. Adapted from Cooking Light's Lemony Orzo Salad - I changed the recipe based on what I had on hand.The end result was a Lemony Roasted Veggie/Pine Nut/Feta/Bowtie Pasta Salad. Deeelish!Monday night, I whipped up sauteed shrimp over pine nut couscous with a side of fresh C.S.A. green beans. For the shrimp, I sauteed onions, garlic, red pepper, and a mix of spices in EVOO before adding a splash of chicken stock and the shrimp. For the fresh beans, I let them swim around in boiling water for about 5-6 mins before mixing them with butter, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
Last night I came home from the gym, after completing 4 miles on the dreadmill, to find Kevin had created a fabulous concoction. Not to mention his "top chef like" plating skills.He combined garlic, onion, spinach, and mushrooms with EVOO, spices, chicken stock and marsala cooking wine. This mix was served over pasta with C.S.A. cherry tomatoes. The result was outstanding. I licked my plate - it was that good.
Prize Winnings



About a month ago, I won a contest over at HangryPants where I got to choose a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread to sample.
I chose the "Sin Dawg", which is an Organic, 100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon roll. It arrived last night and I made sure to sample it immediately.
My pictures don't do this stuff justice. It is the. most. incredible. bread/dessert. I. have. ever. tasted.

I loved how the outside was coated with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. But the inside - now that is where the gooey, cinnamony, delicious stuff was hiding.

(*Buyer Beware*: this stuff is addicting*) Kevin and I are both newbie DKB Sin Dawg addicts, but he is already asking me to make sure I order some more...quickly.

Running


Last Saturday, I completed a 17 mile training run on the Bagel 2 Beer marathon course. The weather was cool and I was happy to feel strong throughout the duration of the run. My legs and back were extremely sore for the few days after, so I made sure to take long walks and do lots of stretching.

So far, my long runs have looked like this:

Upcoming Long Runs

  • 9/26 - 15 miles
  • 10/3 - 18 miles or weekend off from long runs (have a weekend away planned)
  • 10/10 -13.1 miles (Baltimore Half Marathon)
  • 10/17 - 20 miles
  • 10/24 - 15 miles
  • 10/31 - 22 miles
  • 11/7 - 12 miles
  • 11/14 - off weekend from long distance
  • 11/22 - Philadelphia Marathon!!

Proud Parent

With this post reaching the novel length, I leave you with a photo that Kevin snapped of Oscar and I chilling on the floor after one of our weekly runs. I am proud to report that during my recent trip to the vet, I received some pet owner kudos.

My sweet dog/lover-of-all-treats is DOWN 5 pounds, which puts him back in the healthy range. :)

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9.18.2009

SHOTS, BEANS & CHOMPS

Marathon Training is in full swing and it has been going well. Last weekend, Kevin and I completed a 15 mile city run. We ran from Canton to Fells Point, through downtown, around to Federal Hill, through Locust Point to Fort McHenry and back. It was a grand tour of all the great Baltimore neighborhoods. I mapped it out before and after the run and realized afterwards that we actually did 15.19 miles!



We had great weather - cloudy and cool w/ a slight breeze - which made the run seem easier.



Tomorrow is our 17 mile training run on the Bagel 2 Beer Marathon course. The actual 2009 Bagel 2 Beer Marathon is this Sunday, but we are helping with a water stop on race day, so we will do our run tomorrow. We are meeting my dad along the course since he is doing the entire thing tomorrow. He is the Race Director/Organizer, so he will be on his bike Sunday ensuring all is running smoothly. Looking to have about 35-50 starters, so it should be a good group of people this year.



Kevin picked up some Ravioli Caprese from DiPasquales for dinner which were delicious. Fresh pasta stuffed with mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, ricotta.

I am currently setting out the stuff I picked up from Road Runner Sports on the way home from work tonight. CLIF Shots(for Kevin),

Extreme Sport Beans (for ME),

and GU Chomps for all of us.

I think I have covered every type and brand of this stuff without even realizing it. These Blueberry Pomegranate GU chomps are incredible by the way.


I also grabbed some new socks because all of mine are extremely OLD. I didn't even realize that Road Runner Sports stopped carrying Thorlos?! They have their own brand now, so I figured I would give them a try. World's Best Running Socks?


We shall see about that!

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9.13.2009

Marlin Moon Grille - West OC

The week flew by because it was another BUSY work week, so here I am recapping the labor day weekend a week later. We had great weather and some great food.


It was nice to have breakfast on a shady porch. Below are grilled corn tortillas filled with egg, cheese, turkey bacon, and fresh tomatoes. Coffee is a must.
The next morning it was more of the same, but this time we added some grilled corn to the egg tacos and my mom made a great fruit salad of peaches, strawberries, blueberries, apples and bananas.

During our weekend, we celebrated my dad's birthday by going to the same restaurant where my parents went immediately after they got engaged on the beach. The name has changed, but it still has the same look inside as it did back then.

They started off by bringing us steaming hot sesame bread with cold herb butter. The bread was awesome and I definitely filled up on bread like I always try not to do.
We ordered a bottle of Malbec for the table and I enjoyed a glass + a refill throughout the meal.

I decided to go with a soup and salad for my meal and ordered a bowl of the Maryland Crab Soup to start. This soup had incredible flavor with just the right amount of spice. I shared a few bites, but then proceeded to polish off the entire bowl.

I went with the house salad topped with seared scallops for my main meal and ordered their two house dressings (balsamic and romano cheese) on the side. I ended up mixing the two dressings together for a cheesy balsamic that worked really well.

Kevin's ordered the seafood pasta served with a white wine garlic sauce that was incredible. Check out the size of that shrimp!

Room for dessert? but of course! After singing to my dad...
We all split two desserts - Mixed berry pie...
Plus bread pudding topped with pecans and a brandy caramel sauce.

Both desserts were good, but didn't blow me away. The best part was them bringing my favorite candy in the world after our meal. SWEDISH FISH!
I thought this was the best idea for a seafood restaurant. great touch. Kevin took a picture of my parents, grandmom and I after the birthday dinner.

Overall, the Marlin Moon Grille was a great choice and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading down to Ocean City, MD.

And now I will leave you with some cute animal shots from our labor day weekend. After our 14 mile training run, we headed to Rita's for some ice cream therapy. It always helps out sore legs. Oscar and Max (my parent's dog) were putting on their best "begging" faces in the background.
Oscar and I posing for a picture after some play time with his bear.
Good night everyone!
Marlin Moon Grille on Urbanspoon

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9.06.2009

Labor Day Weekend

What a week it was...all due to a crazy deadline at work. BUT, I am happy to report that I kept up with my running despite working 60+ hours.


Last Sunday to loosen our legs a bit, Kevin and I went for an hour mountain bike ride. I tracked our ride through Patapsco State Park using Trail Guru - a very cool iPhone app.


The map below shows the path we took through the park.


You can see more about our ride HERE, including a scary picture of me after the ride. Sweaty helmet hair is tough to fix.


Other workouts this week included:

  • Mon - 6 mile run
  • Tue - Arc Trainer 40 mins, Row 15 mins
  • Wed - OFF
  • Thu - 6.2 mile run
  • Fri - OFF
  • Sat - Lift 40 mins, upper body and abs only.
Which brings me to today -
  • Sun - I am happy to report that I completed 14 miles this morning.

It was a tough first 3 miles because we were on a main highway and I always seem to feel miserable during the first 3 miles of any run. We had a great bay breeze from the water and eventually got on more secluded back roads. 14 miles later, I was thirsty, hungry and my legs were aching. Came home and ate a donut. It tasted DELICIOUS.

I have lots of other things to show you and write about, but I forgot my camera cord and am down at the beach for the Labor Day Weekend.

Let me give a quick shout out to my DAD and SISTER though...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to both of you!

In the meantime - you can find me on TWITTER HERE - since I am officially addicted. Fun to see what people are up too. My famous favorites to follow - Chris Cooley, Taylor Swift, Andy Roddick, Demi Moore, Jessica Simpson, Serena Williams, Rick Baylis, Ruth Reichl, and many others...


oh and you will also find me at the beach or pool RELAXING - Mango Mojito and good book in hand.
Enjoy the rest of your labor day weekend!

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