Lamb Ragù

-with Orecchiette and Sautéed Garlic Broccoli Rabe

Oh, you guys are going to love me. Actually, let me rephrase that- if you have some ground lamb on hand or can find some at the store, you are going to love me. 

This sauce hits it out of the park! It's savory. It's spicy. It doesn't taste like my usual pasta sauce, thanks to ingredients seldom used such as lamb, coriander, and mint. I always, always, always think that I hate mint in savory foods. I think that's because mint has always tasted overpowering to me. I remember one year when the hubby and I were in Cincinnati visiting his cousin and his wife, and I ordered lamb chops with mint jelly at a fancy steakhouse. The lamb chops? Amazing and to-die-for. The mint jelly? It tasted like toothpaste on top of my lamb. Sick. Have no fear friends, there's not enough mint in this recipe to evoke any images of a masked man sticking sharp tools into your uncomfortably stretched mouth while simultaneously trying to engage you in conversation. 

My 2016 Goal: Authenticity

Another New Year. Time to stop and reflect on the passing year. I'm a few days late, but that's never stopped me before. Just for reference, I want to put last year's goals out there, so here's that post. I'll just tell you right now, in terms of New Year's goals, 2015 was a dismal failure. Running 500 miles? Try 145. Learning to can? Nope. We had a woebegone summer in the garden, so there really wasn't anything to can anyway. Rebuilding my stockpile? Just didn't happen.

Am I going to sit here and think of the entire year of 2015 as a failure? Absolutely not. Good things happened in 2015 too. Oregon won the Rose Bowl and went to the National Championship. The hubby and I added a puppy to our family. We went to Oregon. We got a new computer and updated the master bedroom. Our niece and our nephew began having their first sleepovers at our house. I learned how to make pie crust. 2015 was filled with as many victories as losses.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

It's finally starting to feel like March around here. 

We've had a fairly warm last couple of days, which has melted a considerable portion of our snowpack. Enough of the snow, in fact, that the dogs are pretty happy. And it was 60º yesterday! The hubby and I went into town without coats, and it felt amazing.

My 2015 Goals

It's time to talk change. Self-improvement. Growth. You know, all that stuff that we humans loathe to do. I, myself, am a highly self-motivated person. When I set a goal, I work hard to get there. As such, I thought before I laid out my 2015 goals that we would see how I did on last year's goals.

My first goal was to run a 10k. Accomplished! I ran my first 10k in August. It was extremely hilly and my time wasn't the best, but I did it.

Me and the hubby at the Cincinnati Beer Run in May 2014.

Texas Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Creamy Coleslaw

Oh yes, it's time for a slow-cooker treat!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I don't pull out the crockpot near enough. I don't know why this is, because crockpot dinner days are my favorite. It's a magical feeling, almost like going out to dinner. As if you didn't have to cook. I'm one of those people who's filled with energy in the morning and during the day, but by 6 pm? I'm tired. Cranky. I don't feel like working anymore. So if there's a meal in the crockpot, and all I have to do is pull out some hamburger buns and coleslaw I made in the morning- I'm a happy camper. I'm an especially happy camper when that dinner in the crockpot is tender, delicious, and coated in a delicious concoction of BBQ flavor.

Pulled pork is so versatile. I started out over the summer with an 8 lb roast. I cut it half, and froze the half that became this Texas Pulled Pork. The half that I cooked in the summer probably made us 6-7 meals. This half that I cooked this week also made that many meals. We had sandwiches for dinner one night, and then sandwiches for lunch another day. I made Hawaiian Pizza out of a large quantity of pork. And then last night for dinner, we had sandwiches again. And there's still a little bit left. Pulled Pork Hash might be in the works...

I can't advocate pulled pork enough. Seriously. Nuff' said. 

If you like pulled pork, you are going to love this recipe. The sauce is lip-smackin' good, and only seems to flavor the meat more the more days after it's been cooked. The meat, literally, just falls apart when it's done. The sweetness of the coleslaw is the perfect foil for the slightly spicy pork. Gosh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about these...

Ok. Trying...not...to...think...about...BBQ :)

It's Friday! Does anyone have anything exciting planned for the weekend? I think I'm on the tail end of my cold. I'm feeling like I've gotten most of the crap out of my lungs. Therefore, I'm thinking I might try an experimental run tomorrow. I actually went to the gym yesterday, but I noticed I was getting very fatigued and out of breath after 20 minutes of cardio. I know I've lost some fitness in this almost-3 week hiatus from exercise, but I think the fatigue yesterday was because I still had some crud leftover in my lungs. Either way, every day I'm feeling better. And thankful for that! I'm also planning on making cookies, tackling that pumpkin I didn't get around to yesterday, making a trip to the library (I've been devouring books lately), and making a trip to Lowe's. Some evil animal in the backyard has made off when not 1, but 2 of my suet feeders. Not only did they take off with the suet baskets, but they completely broke another feeder I have out there. I'm a little irritated with whoever is doing this, my best guess being a raccoon. More than a little irritated, because as I look out the window now there's a poor little woodpecker looking for his missing suet. Poor little guy. 

One more thing before I run off, since I mentioned the library. I've really been trying to branch out this year and read some books I wouldn't normally choose. I do this by going to the library and haphazardly picking up a book. Or by going to different sections and picking the first book my hand lands on. I've found some really good authors by doing this. However, I just finished a book last night that has left me puzzled. It was "Love Me Back" by Merritt Tierce.  It ended on one of those notes where you ask yourself when you finish, "What was the point of that?". It's weird, because the book read easily. And fast. But when I turned the last page and discovered I was at the end... I was flabbergasted. The book just suddenly ended. The other odd thing about this book is the author wrote in a weird tense the whole book. I think I'm going to have give this book some thought, because I'm sure there is some meaning buried somewhere. It felt like a "fluff" book, but I'm not entirely convinced it was...

Anyhoo, I think I've covered enough topics for today. I'm all talked-out :) 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (serves 10-12):

Pulled Pork-

1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2- 1 tsp crushed red pepper 

1 (4 lb) pork shoulder

Coleslaw-

2 tbsp white vinegar

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups cabbage, shredded

hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Combine BBQ sauce through crushed red pepper in the bottom of crockpot. Stir to combine. Place roast in pot, spoon sauce over roast until it's covered. Place lid on crockpot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove lid, and shred pork with 2 forks. 

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine white vinegar through black pepper. Stir to combine. Add cabbage, and toss to coat.

3. To serve, ladle pulled pork onto hamburger bun. Top with slaw. Serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe

Pulled Pork recipe adapted from Allrecipes. Slaw recipe adapted from About.com.

Looking for other sandwich recipes? Try these!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Mom's Sloppy Joes

Turkey Pesto Avocado Sandwiches

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Treasure Box Tuesday

Springtime in Kentucky

Another weekend has come and gone. Where does the time go? We had a pretty productive weekend, even with the hubby working the nightshift. I planted 2 tomato plants and a zucchini plant, harvested plenty of herbs, baked muffins and a frittata, took plenty of pictures, snuck off to the gym a couple of times, and even braved the warehouse club that is Sam's. The hubby (on top of working, hello!) ran the weed-eater over the whole property and replaced the brakes on our old car. Whew! 

BTW, that's our house in the distance in the above picture. It's taking all my self-control to not harvest this bounty of wildflowers by our house. They would make an amazing flower arrangement on our kitchen counter, but I've been restraining myself. So that everyone can enjoy them :)

Gizmo, mid-air. I was surprised, #1 that the picture turned out, and #2 that it turned out well. He's a warm-weather loving dog.

One of my tomato plants, a starter I got at Lowe's. In true Jessica fashion, I killed all the seeds I planted in early April. Well, I take that back. The hubby bought the wrong kind of soil to plant them in, so couldn't we say he killed all the plants? I think so! Anyhoo, I bought a couple of starters for my beefsteak tomatoes. I've got some lovely blossoms on the plant, the hubby says I should have tomatoes in 5 weeks. Not soon enough!

Say what you want about daisies but I happen to love them. Takes me back to first-grade soccer, totally uninterested in the game, building daisy chains. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure daisy chains were a staple of middle school softball, too. I was older yes, but I played right-field. There weren't any balls getting hit there in middle school girl's softball. Trust me. The daisies kept me from the clutches of right-field boredom. And yes, there's a reason I played right-field ----->world's worst soft ball player.

Still sitting here, obsessed with the purple flowers :)

Birds have once again reclaimed the birdhouse. I haven't seen the birds that are nesting here, this box is in the hubby's aunt and uncle's yard. Last year I caught a glimpse of these birds in late June, so I probably won't catch a peep (hehe, peep) of these birds till later in the season.

These birds showed up about 2 weeks ago and only stayed for a couple of days. I'm left scratching my head as to where they went. I believe these are Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, which do winter waaay south. My best current guess is these particular birds summer a lot further north. 

*Side note- I just had to google this one. Where I'm located (NE Kentucky), I'm zoned migration-only for the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. Therefore, I'm feeling pretty lucky that I witnessed them at all since they were literally just passing through.

A particularly sassy bluejay.

This squirrel cracked me up! This is the top of a tall, dead tree on the side of our house. One morning, I watched this critter scurry up there and just sit. This seemed like peculiar behavior to me, as he is just perched out there in the open for any predator to see, but hey, I'm not a squirrel. I enjoyed him nonetheless. 

One critter I did NOT want to see. Snakes give me the creeps! Bleh.

A cute picture I got of the hubby tilling the backyard. He actually drove around the yard singing, "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy". I'm so serious. If anything else, he always makes me laugh :)

Annnnnd, this is what I do while the hubby works. Work on my tan!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I've got some delicious recipes on store for this week, so stay tuned!

Helpful links:

Rose-breasted Grosbeak wiki

SW Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

I'm such a sucker for anything with a SW flair. I love me some cilantro, black beans, lime, corn... everything mixed together in this salad brings to mind a taco salad. Minus the fat and calories, and dial up the stuff that's actually good for you, of course. I make several varieties of taco salads, and I'm officially adding this one to the rotation. Not that I have much of a rotation. As the hubby puts it, he never gets bored with food :)

P.S. Add whatever protein you desire to make this a non-vegetarian salad.

So, as you may have guessed, the hubby and I actually wrapped up eating the salads on Tuesday. It took about 7 days to make and photograph the salads, between the nights I served them to working around daylight to capture them on film. Which means last night was our first non-salad night in a week. The hubby walked in the door from work, and was pleasantly surprised with a casserole. We like salads more than the normal person, but we were ready for something hearty. Maybe that's why last night's dinner was sooooo good...

In other news, I've been banned from exercising for 6 days. For that, I'm quite frankly annoyed. Do you remember that cold I had last month? Of course you do, I complained about it for days! Anyhoo, the cold has been long gone for quite some time, but I've been left with chest tightness that's been making me winded during workouts. I finally got in to my doctor yesterday who seems to think I've got some inflammation leftover that I keep exacerbating by working out. She put me on a steroid pack, and told me to sit tight for 6 days while they work their magic. She knew that didn't sit well with me, and when she left the room, she chuckled. She's previously told me she doesn't have very many patients that exercise. Humbug. I told the hubby when I got home that I was extremely grateful we are going out of town this weekend, because I don't think I could have stayed in the house and not exercised for 6 days. Talk about being driven crazy.

I guess I'll just have to catch up on my reading. I'm in the middle of Jodi Picoult's "Harvesting the Heart". It's good, but man, it'll make you a little teary. I've also got some photographs to take. Cookies to bake. Getting the house ready for us to leave for the weekend. Dinner to make.

It's safe to say I won't be sitting around with nothing to do :)

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

Creamy Cilantro Dressing-

1 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup greek yogurt, plain

2 tbsp lime juice

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

Salad-

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen, thawed)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. To prepare dressing- combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and completely mixed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Chill until ready to serve. 

2. To make salad- combine lettuce through green onions in a large salad bowl. Drizzle dressing to taste over salad. Toss to combine. Divide among plates, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from The Garden Grazer.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Easy Homemade Applesauce

Hallelujah, I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better! Yesterday seems to have been the roughest day. I woke up today feeling a smidgen of a bit better. I actually drug my sorry butt to the gym, which amazingly seemed to help quite a bit. It was an easy day, I leisurely rode the bike and jumped on the elliptical to give my limbs a wake-up. I was still feeling a bit weak from having been sick, but the actual process of working out gave me a much needed energy boost. Truth be told, I needed to get out of the house. I hadn't left since Monday, I was going a little stir crazy. After the gym, I stopped by the library. I'm ready and set for the next snowstorm to blow into town!

I seem to be posting a lot of apple recipes lately. This could be for one of two reasons- One, apples are in season right now and they look so very pretty at the grocery store. Two, I'm crazy about apples. I just love them. We had a couple of apple trees when I was growing up, and I still remember all the apple treats my mom used to make. Apple pie, dried apples, apple fruit rollups, apple muffins, and of course, applesauce. Since I've been a adult however, I've always just bought applesauce at the store. Now, I'm wondering why. It takes about 45 minutes to make applesauce, and 30 minutes of that is hands-off cooking on the stove. It was so easy, and the results so much better than commercial applesauce. I used 3 lbs of apples, which made almost a full Mason jar of sauce.  Double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe if that's what floats your boat. I made one jar because I think that's how much the hubby and I will be able to eat while it's fresh. Making my own applesauce really fits into my New Year's goal of eating more whole foods, as my recipe isn't laden down with preservatives.

Now, I must go. I've been stalking a deer near my yard for about 30 minutes. He's so close to entering my yard where I'm going to be able to capture pictures of him using my huge paparazzi lens on my camera. He seems to have a bit of stage fright about being caught on camera however, since he's reluctant about coming further into the yard. I've got patience though, and since I'm still recovering a bit from being sick, I don't have a gigantic to-do list today. So lay in wait, I shall. I'm really wanting to work on my nature shots with the paparazzi lens.

I hope everyone's staying warm on this oh-so chilly day!

FYI- This may be one of the easiest recipes I've ever posted :)

Ingredients:

3 lbs apples (I used Red Delicious on this batch), peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine apples through cinnamon over medium heat. Cover, and cook for 25 minutes, or until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Either blend apple mixture in a food processor until you achieve desired texture, or take an immersion blender to the sauce. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Spicy Turkey Spaghetti

Ugh, I feel yucky. I've still in the throes of a nasty, winter head cold. It's not my normal cold, as I'm not coughing and my nose is not congested. However, my throat is hoarse, my lymph nodes are swollen, and my head feels as if it might explode. Bleh. I'm not sure what to do with my day now. The original plan was to go to the gym but between my illness and a solid two new inches of snow on the ground, I don't think that's going to happen. While the Net' does say you can workout if you are sick (as long as you don't have a fever---->no fever here!), I am not feeling it. Staying home and baking cookies is sounding better every second.

I made this spicy, comforting spaghetti sauce over the weekend. This is one of those recipes that's pretty hands off, it just simmers away on the stove for the afternoon. The hubby's usually not home for these all day simmering events, and this one got him all worked up. I caught him in the kitchen taste testing the sauce more than a couple of times. And by early evening, he was clamoring for dinner. Pretty amazing considering the man is constantly telling me how much he dislikes spaghetti. Apparently that dislike took a backseat as he devoured a huge plate of pasta.

In my opinion, what really makes this dish is the parmesan cheese rind I simmered in the sauce. I'm not sure what it is about these cheese rinds, but man do they ever impart some delicious flavor! This is my 3rd batch of tomato sauce with a cheese rind simmered in it. I totally advise not skipping this step. Where do I get my rinds? I frequently purchase parmesan cheese wedges at the store for grating over my dishes- pastas, salads, soups, etc. When I finish the cheese, I wrap the rind in aluminum foil, label it, and throw it in the freezer for occasions such as this. Voila- flavor town! Another key point- you could make this sauce with any meat you wanted. Ground hamburger, ground pork, lots of sausage, ground chicken, really whatever you can think of. I just happened to have turkey on hand, although I do like the health benefits of turkey vs. hamburger.

Uh oh. Gizmo is sitting by the door. This means I have to drag my sorry sick butt off the couch, dress in my winter's finest, go forth into the snow, and shovel a spot in the yard for him to do his business. Sigh. Chihuahuas.

Happy Tuesday!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 link spicy Italian sausage
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can garlic diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional depending on heat preference)
1 rind from a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese (optional)
1 (8 oz) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add onions and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add turkey and sausage to pot, stir to crumble. Cook until browned, another 5 minutes or so.
2. Add tomatoes through cheese rind to the pot. Bring sauce to a boil, lower to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours. If your sauce is too thick for your preference at this point, you can add up to 2 cups of water. I chose not to.
3. Using tongs or a spatula, remove cheese rind from the pot and discard. Add mushrooms to the pot. Prepare desired pasta. When mushrooms are tender (about 20 minutes), spoon sauce over desired pasta. Serve immediately.

My 2014 Goals

Yes, I'm a little late to the party. Sue me :)

My goals would have been here a lot sooner, but I really have been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. I love New Years' and the feeling of a blank slate. Like anything is possible. As I was thinking about my 2014 resolutions, I happened to ponder if I had accomplished my 2013 goals (you can read that post here). After re-reading the post, I concluded I did a pretty darn good job. I did get back in shape. I kept a food diary for half the year, until July (I should write a post on why I stopped because the conclusion I came to is that a food diary is completely unnecessary for me, and somewhat unhealthy). I successfully learned how to roast a chicken. I did improve my photography, however I now know I will probably be improving my photos until the day I die :) And while we did save a lot of money, we did have an extremely decadent month in Oregon. YOLO, right?

I've put a lot of thinking into 2014. Here goes-

1. Run a 10K.

In 2013, I successfully ran my first 5k. Heck, I started running successfully period. The hubby and I ran (4) 5k's last year, and we are definitely planning on running more. I would like to get my time under 30 minutes for the 5k. I've been doing a lot of speed training at the gym, so 2014 looks like the year of "The Under 30 5K". A 10K will happen this year too! I've conditioned myself to run 5 miles, I'll definitely be able to add one more mile. I hate long distance running on the treadmill though (too boring), so I'll be working on my endurance when I get back outside.

2. Plant my first garden.

The hubby and I are composters now! My parents have been into composting for awhile, and I really got bitten by the bug when I was out in Oregon. As of last Thursday, we've started. I've got my little house compost bucket, and we've got a bigger one for the back yard.

What does composting have to do with a garden? It's simple, really. Our soil on our property is almost pure clay, which is not conducive for growing anything really. We are going to need nutrient rich soil to grow my vegetables, and this seems to be the way to do it that makes the most sense. We've got one composter in the backyard so far. We will be investing in another when we fill this one, since it will take 10-12 weeks to make compost once the contraption is full.

Another reason for planting the garden? Another one of my 2014 goals is to eat more whole foods and drastically less processed foods. Having fresh fruit and vegetables in the garden will help with that goal, plus I plan on canning and/or freezing as much of my garden harvest as possible to have on hand for next winter.

3. Read more!

Through trial and error over 30 odd years, I've discovered I'm a lot happier off the Internet. There's a lot of awful news, and bad images out there. While I'm by no means saying I want to be an ignorant ostrich who sticks her head in the sand, it's enough for me to say I'm aware of certain bad situations but I don't need to know every detail. Getting caught up in the fantasy of a fiction novel, or being fascinated by a how-to book can be a lot healthier for the psyche than reading about the situation in Syria for the 100th time. I got a library card at the local library, and I plan on taking full advantage this year.

4. Increase charitable donations.

Beginning of 2014's Salvation Army donation.

Beginning of 2014's Animal Shelter donation. 

In 2013, I made donations to the local women's shelter, the Salvation Army, and my local animal shelter. I also participated in the March of Dimes, and each 5k the hubby and I ran was for a local charity. I still plan on participating in the March of Dimes, and competing in those 5k's. I've also begun donations for the Salvation Army and the animal shelter. My plan this year is to add to my donation boxes (buying items free or close to free with coupons), and have really nice donations for my local charities at the end of the year. I think this is one of the projects I'm most excited about, I can't wait to see what I have to donate at the end of the year! I hope I can provide my readers with pictures of overflowing boxes to take in :)

5. Save MORE money.

Here's what's cool about my goals. They all tie in to each other quite nicely. Running outside is FREE, achieving my goal of saving money. It gives me the energy to do yard work, and makes me want to eat healthy. It also relieves my anxiety, which makes it easier for me to focus on reading. Planting a garden will also help save money, since the majority of my grocery budget is spent on fresh produce. Reading more means more trips to library, where I'm not spending any money. And I'm trying to increase my charitable donations while spending as little money as possible.

-There you go! My 2014 resolutions. I think it's going to be great year! I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

Holiday Tidings

This is going to be more of a catch-up post than anything else.

I'm having a hard time getting back in the groove post-vacay. Traveling right up till the Thanksgiving holiday made our return home a bit challenging. As soon as we got back in to town, before we had had a chance to decompress, it was Thanksgiving. So on top of taking care of everything we needed to (due to us being gone for a month) we also had family obligations. Things have calmed down this week, it's starting to feel more like the holiday season.

I just love the holidays. While I don't appreciate the Christmas retail season, I do appreciate the Christmas season. The spirit of Christmas, if you will. I love having my tree up, I couldn't wait to get a poinsettia, and I'm most excited to pick up a few Christmas decorations at Hobby Lobby tomorrow. The hubby and I are also having our third Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, with his sister's family. I happen to love Thanksgiving food, so I'm perfectly fine with third round of Thanksgiving goodies.

The thing that really feels like the holiday season around here? The weather! It has been unseasonably cold and rainy here. Well, I say unseasonably, but really this is only my 4th winter in Kentucky. It could also be that I'm noticing the weather more this year because I started running. I can tell I'm going to have get creative with my workouts for this month, and maybe January as well. I completed my first indoor workout in 3 months today, thanks to Winter Storm Cleon. Strength training is important, and I have been neglecting that. It was a tough workout with some reluctant muscles. I can see how obsessed with running I've been! If I get desperate enough (i.e. the weather gets bad enough), I may even do the gym thing for a couple of months. That's a last resort, I hate gyms. With a passion.

Lastly, I was going to make muffins today. After an hour and a half of lazy yoga, a shower, lunch, a mani and a pedi- I'm not really feeling like baking. Curling up with my current read, Apart From The Crowd, sounds more in order. Or maybe Friends :)

Who am I kidding? Friends is already on.

Muffins may or may not follow this weekend. The hubby and I are running in a Jingle Bell 5k on Saturday, so baking might not happen then either. We'll see. I hope everyone's having a fantastic week, because it's almost over!

Happy Thursday!

Track Town USA

Last week, the hubby and I headed down to Eugene, OR aka Track Town USA. Eugene is where I spent 4 very important years of my life, attending the University of Oregon. People always say youth is wasted on the young. I'm finally starting to understand this. The hubby and I decided to start our morning off running the Pre Trail (named after Steve Prefontaine), which I'd never even walked before. How could I have lived there for 4 years and never even stepped foot on the trail? It's just sad, I tell you, sad.

Running by Autzen, where the University of Oregon football team plays. We picked a perfect morning for a run, sunny and cool. The trail is just about 4 miles, along the millrace that winds through Eugene and past gorgeous scenery.

I heart this view of Autzen Stadium.

A Blue Heron.

The bark is Pre's Trail. The Mackenzie River flows through the background. At this point in the run, I was seriously kicking myself for not knowing any of this beauty was here when I was.

We finished! I'll admit, we got passed by what appeared to be dozens of student athletes. It did cross my mind at this point that I'll probably never run that fast in my life :)

After we finished the run, I (of course) had to go see the ducks. I love the ducks at Alton Baker Park. Alton Baker Park is where the trail starts and ends after looping around.

 Margarita time! Sometimes there's nothing better than an early afternoon margarita.

Oh, El Torito. My favorite Mexican restaurant of all time! I'm not sure why this picture came out kind of blurry, but you get the gist of the deliciousness that was devoured after that run.

I apologize for the sporadic blogging, but I'm having too much fun to care :)