To run or not to run...

That is certainly the question... we are getting dumped on with 3+ inches of snow........ but still considering a run on the mountain... My daughter has made homemade buttery crescent rolls to go along with my Chicken Florentine for dinner tonight........... seems a meal like that almost demands a run.... although it might just have to be me and Billy B today..

Getting AMPED!!

My sister just introduced us to Billy Blanks. He's made a bunch of Taebo workout videos. They are such fun, and such a different form of exercise than we are used to. We are enjoying trying them out, and really liking the sore muscles created by doing something new! If you get bored, or are looking for something new and exciting to try, give Billy a shot! You'll end up owing your 'six pack' to him... :)

Tried and True #5........... Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay, just made this tonight. Got it from Paula Deen's repertoire........ SUPER good!!!

2 T olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (I used two for an extra 'kick')
1 tsp minced garlic (I used about 6 cloves)
2 (14oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Garnish: crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped avocados

Heat oil, cook veggies (onion, pepper, jalapeno) for about 4 min. Add garlic, and cook for 2 min. Add crushed tomatoes, condensed soup, chicken, chicken broth, cumin, salt, chili powder, poultry seasoning, and pepper, stirring to combine. Stir in corn, cream and cilantro. Cook uncovered till heated through. Garnish with whatever you like and serve. YUMMY!

The 25miler.. or was it 24 or 26??

Who knows..... all I know is that it was long and coooold. We had a really good time though, but I am still really hurting from it. The climbs (atleast 3 really big ones) were super steep and grueling. It is such fun to run on the mountain.. especially those training runs where others are running too.. We are considering the 71 mile 'ring' in the fall next year. It seems crazy, but they were raving about it Sunday. It would require running all night. That is why we bought the head lights. We have only practiced running once at night, but will hopefully be doing more of it. It was actually kind of fun. Anyway, Dan thinks we could run the 71 in 24 hours.......... can you imagine running/hiking for 24 hours straight?? We shall see..........................

Tried and True #4

OK, this is perhaps the easiest recipe I have ever made. If you keep some ground beef (again, sub turkey if you can (no fat!!) browned and frozen, this soup will literally take you MINUTES to make.. and we love it! (my boys are a little skiddish about the beans, but this is like a taco in a bowl.. add some cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips and you can't go wrong)

TACO SOUP
2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning

Mix together, INCLUDING the liquid from the cans of beans and tomatoes, cook for atleast 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Voila!

Just in case...

you think I gave up running to spend all of my time cooking and eating (kinda sounds that way, doesn't it? and maybe it's not a bad idea...:), Dan and I are planning to run a 25mile trail run on Sunday with about 70 others... We will be running on 'our' mountain, only further south. We start bright and early at 8am, and hope to be done by 3pm....... the trail runs are a lot longer due to the need to 'hike' when conditions are too steep or rocky. I am really looking forward to it! I have come to really enjoy the mountain trail running SO much better than the road. Please pray for mild weather!!! :)

Tried and True #3

Okay, this will be 'soup week'... because of the oven 'issues' and to fight off this COOOLD.... brrr. I am starting with CHILI... I know everyone has a recipe for this, but mine is really yummy (if I do say so myself...)... and I had a request for it.
CHILI
1 lb ground beef, browned (I have to recommend gd. turkey.. no cholesterol and little fat and you can't taste the difference)
1 med onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
Saute all of those together. Add:
2 (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
4 cups H2O
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can lt red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
2 Tbsp brown sugar (add till the 'bite' of the tomatoes is gone)
Cook all together 1 hour (or all day in a crockpot if desired) to thicken. ENJOY!!

The Stewarts are coming!!

or they 'have come' I should say... Our dear friends, the Stewarts, came for the weekend to visit.. they came for the annual wine and cheese fest, where they can see about 100 or so of their closest friends. They stayed at our house for the weekend, so we got the privilege of a longer visit with them.. We are still praying they will move BACK!! Here are some pictures....

Oven troubles...

My oven was pretty much on the fritz for a week or two, so we geared ourselves more toward stovetop and crockpot meals.. I think we had atleast six soups in the last 2 weeks... I will post the recipes for my 'Tried and True' series hopefully tomorrow.. for now, it is bedtime...

Giving up..

Since we are now halfway through January, and my calendar has gone nowhere... I am giving up.. However with my new digital camera, I plan to 'plan' my pix for next year and give my parents a great one!!

Tried and True Recipe Number 2

Hmmm.. what to print next... these aren't really in order of 'greatness', but just as I think of them.. All of them, however, are recipes loved by atleast 'most' of my family members.. which is saying a lot with 9 of us... :)
Pestayaki
2 Tbsp. flour
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb beef sirloin steak (or even stew meat) cut into thin strips (I double the meat since I have a large family, but don't need to double the other ingredients...)

Put all into crockpot and cook till meat is really tender. 6 - 8 hours. (I throw the meat in directly from the freezer). Serve over rice, with some crusty bread and a green salad... delish! and oh so simple!!

Christmas with the Pestas

We had a really nice family Christmas... we had a 'theme' this year of a 'Family Game and Movie night'... So the kids' (and ours) 'big gift' was a Wii from my parents. We contributed a couple extra games and Dan got me (and kids) the Rock Band, which we have really kind of become addicted to. I don't mind, though, because it promotes family togetherness... The kids also got a Whirley Pop popcorn maker with lots of popcorn, movie candies, and goodies for a night spent together. Toss in a few board games and movies, and you have lots of evenings worth of fun togetherness!

YIKES..

December 12th was my last post... maybe I will make a New Year's resolution to come here atleast once a week... Today I need to work on our annual personalized calendar for my parents, so they can get it before 2010......... such seems to be the order of things lately... sigh.