PANCAKE FAIL!!!

I am a good cook. I swear! 

But sometimes things just don't turn out as planned. 

I have seen this post for two ingredient pancakes come through my fb feed several times over the past few days and I had two bananas that needed to be used so why not? It is a food network recipe so it must be decent right???

Please forgive me for not taking pictures of the initial mashing of the bananas or the mixing of the eggs into the mashed bananas, but I didn't think I was going to post about this until those steps had been completed.

In defense of this recipe (if it is possible) I did use two bananas versus the one banana in the original recipe and did not double the eggs soooooo....maybe....no I don't think it would have made a difference.

Step one: cut up banana (I used two)
Step one point five: heat skillet

Illustration of step one point five. I love my cast iron!

Step two: mash banana

Step three: mix in two eggs to make a 'batter' 

Illustration of step three - the 'batter'

Step four: spoon into skillet

Illustration of step four

Step five: destroy while trying to flip 'pancake' I have creatively edited this photo to make them appear whole...there were many pieces outside this frame.

Creative photo of step five

Step six: remove from skillet and add favorite nut butter (the original recipe used almond and I had none so I used peanut - they also rolled it like a crepe, but I have no idea how because they didn't stay together and the act of applying peanut butter completely destroyed them)

Illustration of step six. Pretty aren't they?

Step seven: eat, but if you ask Mark it would be immediately throw into trash or feed to your enemies.

I was confident that Mark was going to think I was trying to hurt him by making these so I quickly cooked up some bacon to go with it so he wouldn't be too mad.

He comes out of his office and declares that these pancakes were, "One of the top three most disgusting things I have ever eaten." Remember, we have traveled to lots of places and tried many different food including tripe (nastiest thing I have ever eaten) and guinea pig (also gross).

Try them if you would like, but be warned...they are not all that and you made need something to take the taste out of your mouth. 

Having a deadline to increase motivation.

I have a love hate relationship with running. If I am honest it is way more hate than love.

I have posted about my running in the past. It is a past littered with races and friends, successes and frustrations.

If you have ever run this will make sense to you. One day you go run and you feel like there is no stopping you - you could run forever. Next day you feel like you might collapse within the first three minutes and there is NO WAY you can ever make it a mile. Running is an evil mistress. 

Truth be told I haven't run much over the past few years. I get inspired and go out for a few weeks only to find a million reasons not to lace up and walk back out that door for months. 

If there is one thing I have learned about myself over the past 41 years...I need to have a goal. No, I don't like the word goal, because it implies an endpoint and I have used that to stop moving forward on more than one occasion. In fact if you look up synonyms for goal you will see words like: end and destination. I want to keep going after this 'goal' and literally run right past it toward something else. And as I learned in a recent leadership training a better way to refer to these moments in your life is Milestones, which is really quite relevant to running. So from now on no more goals for me, just milestones I plan on blowing by and heading to the next one.

Milestones are just that. Stones that marked miles along a road or trail. When you are driving, do you stop at each marker and decided how to proceed? Hell no, you just keep going and going and going.

So why running?

For me the reasons I like running are the same reasons I like weight lifting. Running has tangibles. You lift more weight or do more reps. You run further or faster. As much as I love yoga and bootcamp and other forms of exercise the improvements are less tangible (unless you are doing something measured or evil like pull ups or push ups - yes, you know you are getting better, but most times you don't realize you did two more burpees in the specified time or the like).

To keep me motivated and on schedule I have registered myself for a 10k almost exactly 14 weeks after I decided I was going to run again. My personal live in motivational coach and daily inspirer said, 'Okay. We can do this and travel for this race, but you have to publicly declare that you are going to do this and that you are going to run in with at least a 5 minute PR.' Damn. So I did. And now I have accountability partners that are going to come pace me for this race. Ugh. Okay. 

I have been using an app on my phone Couch to 10k as a training companion and also sprinkling in some lifting and other cross training. I just finished my third week today. It is hard. It hurts. I am getting older and it doesn't get easier. But, I am getting it done...slowly, but always moving forward.
Did I mention this race is huge? I mean Billy Fucilio HHHHUUUUGGGGEEE (my CNY friends will get this reference). Like 30,000 plus runners? Holy hell that is a soooo many runners. Running the Boilermaker in Utica, NY has been my biggest race so far with 13,000 the last time I ran it. 

Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC I AM COMING FOR YOU!

My 2017 milestones:

• Run this race with a 5 minute PR.
• Keep running building back up to half marathon distance and start knocking a few of those bad boys out per year.
• Kick ass.

If you are interested in the Cooper River Bridge run you can find more information here.

So here is to lacing up those shoes and running out that front door to find the beauty and freedom and me time that running provides.

What are your favorite half marathons? I need to start making a list and keep my training and motivation going!!!

Is it avocado season yet? January salads.

A week and a half into 2017...are you keeping your resolutions?

I am sure many of you have made some type of resolution to become more healthy. Whether it is to lose weight, or to eat better and get off medications, or to just be less lazy, resolutions are hard to keep. Making small changes and committing to daily changes can help. Sometimes it isn't you that actively makes the decision. Sometimes, just sometimes your body tells you quit giving me all this junk and craves something fresh - something real.

Today my body said salad...veggies...real food. Actually it has said this to me several times over the past few weeks and I try to listen. 

I am sure if you are on any form of social media you have seen the ridiculously easy - you can do this - make at home - in one dish - never have to do dishes again meals. You know the ones. 

One keeps popping up in two versions both containing the green goodness of my beloved avocado - here is the one without beans. A quick view and a trip to the grocery store and I am ready. I am a horrible recipe follower and most times wing it with a basic knowledge of what I am about to construct. If you ever ask me for a recipe be prepared for words like a pinch of this and glub glub of that. If you are a true blue scrape the spoon to make sure you only have 1/4 of a teaspoon my cooking may just drive you batty and I am okay with that.

Before you have a meltdown I mostly measure when I bake. Mostly.

Okay recipe below, but here is the ease and wonderful whole food get in my belly deliciousness from tonight...inspired by all of those social media posts about food.

The beginnings of the dish. 

Let the chopping begin! 

Tomatoes and a cucumber.

Next up red onion, avocado, and cilantro.

I suppose you could leave the cilantro out, but that would be a tragedy.

I know.  I know. There is some science behind why some people loathe cilantro and think it tastes like soap. Me, I adore it. It reminds me of travel and amazing food and places...

Next, throw everything in a bowl and make it one.

I seriously could have eaten the whole bowl. It was AH-MAZING. The only change maybe for next time would be to add some cooked beans - not sure what type black beans or maybe garbanzo the possibilities are endless.

I think I may have the rest for breakfast!

Here is the recipe in one place...

The Garlic Expressions Classic Vinaigrette was new to me here in Chicago even though it is made in Perrysburg, Ohio (and I grew up in Ohio). This stuff is amazing. It is a great salad dressing and a marinade. If you have never tried it. You should. You can get it HERE on Amazon along with everything else.

Do you have a go to side dish or salad the feeds your soul when you are craving real foods? Something I need to try? Let me know!!!!

Making art. Do you have hidden talents or passions? Set them free!

I have always felt a need to create.

Growing up my mom was creative. She would make grapevine wreaths and decorate others with a variety of dried flowers. Glue guns and finger burns were common sights on the kitchen table. She was the fixer in our house. The keeper of power tools and the one that found creative solutions when things broke.

If I were to guess the creative and crafty sides that both my brother and I have must have come from her (no offense Dad - you inspired all duct tape and BFH fixes!).

The past few posts have been travel related so today I figured I would talk about my latest obsession. I am a starter...a trier, but not always a finisher or a stick to it person. I go back to stuff sometimes. Cycle through phases of obsession. This time, back to drawing. Now with charcoal. Drawing is therapeutic for me. 

I have always found nudes beautiful. Not full on realistic nudes, but more abstract nudes. Oh and flowers and stuff too, but I started with basic line nudes and a few flowers.

A good friend that is actually a trained artist (Thank you Robin) suggested I get a few charcoal pencils 2B, 4B, and 6B. Loved them. Went back for a second set. I also picked up a blending stick, a few erasers, a white charcoal pencil, and a sharpener, along with a few drawing pads and a charcoal sealer for when the pictures are finished to my liking.

I googled a few images and used them as a guide to inspire my starting point. So far so good...

Sweeping lines. Blending. And somehow - someway - I find that a picture emerges.

Similar takes on the same figure. She reminds me of a musical instrument. Perhaps a violin?

And this one. THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE.

Working on a few simple flowers too...

Now to find some frames and some wall space. 

New England in December. Domestic fun.

A day trip to Newport, Rhode Island.

A few weeks ago I found myself with a few hours to kill after dropping Mark off at Boston Logan Airport (which is a really weird airport). I was running through a thousand possibilities of what I could do with myself and had a few that I narrowed it down to:

• Go to New Hampshire. Why? New Hampshire along with Maine are the only two (2) New England states I haven't visited.
• Go to the Cape. I have never been here either, but when Billy Joel signs of the hard working baymen that live in the area, who wouldn't want to go check it out.
• Head to Newport and look at the fancy houses all decked out for the holidays.

I chose Newport. I have been here before so I am fairly comfortable with the area which makes life a little easier. Plus, I could go to the ocean and know where I was and I always need more ocean in my life.

Newport is old New England. Gas lamps and beautiful crisp houses line the roads just outside the beautiful downtown.

Then there is mansion after gilded mansion lining Belleview Avenue and some pretty spectacular houses elsewhere too...

On a previous visit we toured The Breakers, you know the summer home of the Vanderbilts. It was a smidge cramped for my liking and only has 70 rooms. What were they thinking??? 

I was surprised how few houses (at least on the outside) were dolled up for the holidays. Still beautiful just simply dressed in wreathes and red bows.

Ocean Avenue

Out Ocean Avenue I went to gawk at more RPP (rich people's property). Seriously some of the most gorgeous houses with massive stone outcroppings in the lawns overlooking the ocean? Yes please!

I stopped on an marsh overlook and snapped a few quick pics. It is hard to take bad pictures when everything is so gorgeous.

 

Ocean Avenue, not surprisingly runs the perimeter of the island and affords you many scenic stops and amazing views of, you guessed it, the ocean (and a bay or two as well).

Next stop Brenton Point State Park.

Did I mention it was cold this December day? Oh it was soooo cold. But that will not deter me from touching the ocean and collecting a few souvenirs. I am a HUGE fan of all things natural. Trees. Rocks. Sea shells. Okay, I really like trees and rocks and tress are hard to put in a carry on so since these beaches are rocky you can guess what I brought home. The hard part for me is not taking all of them. As you can guess rocks are kinda heavy (no pumice here) and lugging them through two of the countries biggest airports  is not so much fun. But the rocky beaches oh the rocky beaches...they are gorgeous!

This history of this property is fascinating. If you want to know more about it, click here.

I mean look at what I had to choose from...

I WANT THEM ALL!!!

But I settled for three (maybe four) and they made the journey from the ocean to Chicago with me. 

I visited at low tide and love getting to see how life clings to places it seems impossible to survive, but somehow it does. I loved the sea weed clinging to these rocks.

This state park is quite the little gem. I mean, seriously, look at the beginnings of this sunset over that beach!

Nature is so amazing...look at this erosion! I know I am such a science dork, but wow, just WOW!

Around the bend from this beach is a big open field and as I was driving past I noticed a building in the trees that was falling down. It intrigued me, but I went on in search of a mysterious lighthouse (never found it - next time I will find you adorable little lighthouse!). I was coming back around I decided I really wanted to see what this place was. It is cold like near the ocean cold. And I was by myself and no one knew where I was...and well I just didn't care. I stopped and traipsed back through the empty field to figure out what this thing was.

This is what I found: 

It was old and falling down and covered in graffiti and drop dead gorgeous. I thought it was a house. I was wrong. After some searching, this is what I found about this structure, "The mansion's carriage house and stables still stand, though they have been fenced off and are routinely patrolled by park rangers. A stone observation tower is used by park rangers and tourists to view the forest and ocean." 

Of course I found and climbed the observation tower...I mean wouldn't you? 
This is where the alone and no one knows where I am also comes into play. To get to the tower you have to wander behind the stables and past a mess of overgrown grounds with suspicious pathways leading to who knows where...and if I had been with someone I may have snuck in for a peek (next time). 

This is the beautiful tower: 

And this is the view from the tower:

I can only image how gorgeous it would be in the other seasons as well.

Earlier I professed my love of trees, and this property was home to a gorgeous creature. She was old, and she was gnarled, and when I touched her I imagined all that she has seen. She was spectacular.

After conversing with this beauty I headed back to the car and made one last stop at the famous cliff walk <<< Click for more info. I have been here before, but it was much warmer and this day was not. I did not stay long, but I managed to snap a few quick pictures, because you know water and beauty!

I love the history. The style. The beauty. The grace.
Oh I also love moss and lichens and growy things. Especially when it is on rocks or trees.

A great big thank to our family for hosting us and providing a base camp for so many great adventures. I look forward to going back and finding more forgotten history and bringing home more rocks.

What do you collect? And do you have a favorite State or National Park?

Europe. My first time across the pond. England.

Most people travel to a single destination...

This is what I thought. Then I met Mark and his version of travel. 

Mark's travel philosophy number 127 is do everything and go every where just in case you never get back to this particular location. 

Mark travel philosophy number 8,027 don't repeat destinations - go some place new.

My first trip across the pond was to a conference on the Olympics hosted by the London contingent of my second Alma Mater Ithaca College London Center. I had to submit a presentation proposal and get accepted both of which worked out well for me! So in May of 2010 we fly off to London, England passport and presentation on Ambush Marketing in the Olympics in hand!

We land and the first course of business is getting a pint and fish and chips. We stopped in to a random pub on our walk to our hotel and it was everything I was hoping it would be and so much more! The British people know how to use sauces, seriously, I mean they have one for everything I swear and I loved them all!  Try them all!!! Ugh! Why can't I find my pictures!!! I know you can guess what fried fish and french fries look like.

I will skip over the pleasantries and hit some highlights. Kensington and Chelsea are beautiful. Clean, lots of food and pub options and The Tube was close by. The London Underground is fantastic. It is easy to navigate, it was clean, and they are concerned about your safety...always reminding you To Mind The Gap (this means the space between the cars and the platform).

Londoners are also extremely polite and they are aware that they do in fact drive on the wrong side of the road. Why do I say this? Because at every crosswalk when you look down you will see:

Or you will see one that says look left on the other side of the road. And yes it was extremely helpful!

They also seemed to park however...see a spot? Take it? Facing the wrong direction? Whatever.

Before and after the conference we did get some sight seeing in and I will say London is gorgeous. 

Tower Bridge and The Tower of London = Amazing.

And while I am still not sure I understand mushy peas, I did understand 221b Baker Street!

I also got to see the beauty of Kensington Gardens in the spring and the gates of Windsor Palace.

There is so much more, but I can't find all of my pictures and I don't want to make this post too long. There will be sequels and possibly prequels because this trip also included visits to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Spain, but that would make a book not a blog. 

Travel tips:

• Go off the beaten path - this is where you find the best food and the best pubs. Ask a local where they go and try it.
• See the big stuff too! When else can you say, "Look kids, Big Ben...Parliment." Over and over and over again and actually be looking at it.
• On that note see where some of your favorite TV shows or movies were filmed. While here we visited Platform 9 3/4 and took pictures of ourselves pushing a luggage cart through a brick wall. Since we never got to the train I can only assume we are indeed muggles.
• Notice the outside stuff too. Visit gardens and walk by rivers. See plant and animals native to where you are traveling. One of my favorites: bird watching, but I am a bird nerd sooooo.......

Where was your first abroad adventure and what was the best thing you learned on your trip?