Day 5: T-Day

started in the am with the traditional cran/orange muffins...then turkey and all the other stuff...which i don't even want to recall at the moment...i get (and am) full just thinking about it...

all outsourced tasks...soup, salad, pie and wine....were all amazing...i am very pleased with the cooking and wine picking out skills of my friends...

totally hilarious conversation about duck bill platypus...and kangaroo anatomy...and lessons in the pronunciation of aluminum...

great food, great time, great friends new and old...

and we had a fire...in the fire pit after dinner...i have no pictures of that to share...but it was warm and delightful

Day 4

not too much to prep on wednesday...but i thought the naked bread was funny...cutting all the crusts off for the stuffing...and the cubes in a big bowl...turkey brine in a cooler with ice :) and a pie that i am hoping is really yummy...working on developing this recipe...we will see if anyone can tell the difference...i _might_ share the recipe...maybe...

thursday is the big day...eek! so exciting!

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!

Day 3

today it's bread and getting the brine ingredients measured and the sweet potato mashed for the biscuits...and cleaning the house...finally a clean house...with clean floors...it has been way too long :)

my mom and i always talk about how when you are baking for just you and your buddy you can come out with an absolutely perfect pie...go and make the same thing for a dinner party and your crust cracks and the pie leaks all over the oven...this can apply to bread too...and this time...i am happy to say was not the case with my bread today...i cracked open the one that was smallest just to make sure it was acceptable...and if i do say so this is some darn good bread...and i could tell when i made it...the starter had never looked better....the stuffing (dressing whatever you want to call it) is going to be really good this year...i have a feeling

thanksgiving cooking day 2

day one consisted of a huge pot of chicken broth and feeding starter...and day 1.5 was the chicken broth reduction and more starter feeding....1.75...starter feeding...today we got down to the heart of some things...cranberries x 2...one the traditional (in my house) cran/orange relish...and a new favorite cranberry ginger sauce...a cooked version....just as delicious on yogurt as it is on turkey...compound butter of sage, thyme and rosemary as well as beurre manie...to thicken the gravy...and of course...the bird came home today making it impossible to rest the 4 loaves of bread in the fridge overnight...but thanks to my tetris playing days it all fits...

dear alton brown....

dear alton brown....

can i be you when i grow up..or maybe even just work as a "kitchen researcher"...i work really hard...and love food..and food science...and i sometimes...just go to the grocery store just to look...and a lot of the time i pick recipes that look really hard just because i think it's fun when recipes take multiple days to cook...and multiple set ups and more hands than i have...and words that only people who dig food would know...

anyway, i just wanted you to know that i really (even though i don't have cable...and well i don't really watch your show all that much because i don't have a lot of time...but when i do...i am all over those youtube episodes) love your show...and find that you are one of the only "modern" tv chefs that i can deal with...having grown up on Jacques and Julia...they taught me to cook...and now you....you are something that is hard to explain...peas in a pod you and me our love of good solid tasty food...that is not pretentious...just really about fresh and honest...you and me are a lot a like i think...i think we would get along...something of that nature...

just wanted to let you know...

thanks
xo
j

hip openers...

i need to be doing hip opening yoga a lot more than i do...like every day...and should get a hip opener massage too...katie and i will discuss this monday...maybe i won't feel so tight if i do...guh...if it's not one thing...it's a million others...wish my body would cooperate

edit: half happy baby=good pose

uhm what happened to this year

it is hard to believe that it's the second week in november...and i just ordered my turkey for thanksgiving and bought plane tickets for christmas break...and hard to believe that just a year ago i was getting ready to head out to arizona to compete in my first ironman...wow...

this week was pretty mellow...not too much school stress (a welcome break) and not training for anything in particular so i'm just going to workouts when i want...

though i found out that the nagging in my foot turned out to be a sprained ligament...which i did stepping off a stone on my front pathway...lame...it's mild...and phil the pt guru is ok if i run short three times a week...did that on thursday and it didn't feel all that great...so i'm going to wait to do more running until i get it taped...so this gives me real reason to take it easy...and focus on my bike and swim...

made it to my first spin and first long ride in awhile...it was beautiful out on saturday and i tried to hammer the 32 miles...could feel the burn on some of the hills out on bee caves...and it was nice to be back on the bike...i love my bike...

also got to swim friday morning with ETG...a birthday swim for her...and i got to draft off her...and get back in barton springs...always nice there...and with day light savings...it is light for part of the swim!

so since i procrastinated on my homework yesterday i must get back at it today...coming in to the home stretch here...and am getting really excited about that december break :)

the week in review

after taking two weeks totally off from working out and not doing a thing but catching up with j and doing homework this week was getting back to business...i have made some goals...and decided a few things about training that i would like to do...

-increase running mileage...i think i just need to have more miles on my legs to feel strong at the finish...and to push like i want to push at the end of a race

-i'm going to run the marine corps marathon next october with my cousin... :) i think this means we are going to run a marathon a year and make our families come

-i'm going to run the austin half in february

-work on sport and me specific strength training...hip flexers...glutes...etc

-get back in the pool

so i am figuring out how i am going to do all of this but i started small but started so that is a good thing...yoga monday, core tuesday and thursday, a spin on wednesday and...ran saturday...the first run since chicago...short and sweet and totally awkward...but good none the less...and i ran again today...7 on the trail with some t3 peeps...tried to keep it brisk...felt great for most of it...tried to push a bit more on the last mile...and didn't have it...grr...need to do something about that...

other good stuff this week...i got into my internship program...had a nice meeting with my boss :)...went to see st. andrew's production of les mis...it was awesome...and i have had songs from it stuck in my head all week...

got a 92 on my biochem test...rocked it out...average was 72...i am _very_ excited about this...did a little dance when i saw that one!

had a great dinner to celebrate my internship program at enoteca with j and jennifer...and i got a cupcake (finally my post race cupcake!) which also signifies my return to proper nutrition post race...

still need to schedule my cooking time with amy...

and even started thinking about thanksgiving menu ideas...

lovely weekend...good end to a good week...love me some friends, family and this gorgeous weather...