Oh yes, I did. (Full recap on Monday!)
Author: Marie
My name is Marie and I am a 20-something blogger, social media marketer and dancer. I spend my free time doing what I love - dancing, working out, spending time with my family and friends, cooking just like my Italian family taught me, and baking like chocolate is going out of style. Oh, and drinking really good wine.
My First Race: The Essentials
Here we are, kids. The eve of my first 5K. I’m sorry if you are sick of hearing about it. I’m not sick of talking about it. (I promise I’ll start cooking again for real next week though. I’ve missed it!)
So I’m nervous. Like really nervous. That’s normal right? I hope so. When I dance in big competitions like nationals, I have a habit of… well, losing it (if you know what I mean) beforehand (and maybe after.) Sometimes I cry too. Just being honest here.
I’ve been researching for quite some time now about what to wear, eat, listen to before, during and after running a race. Christine is a big help. Aron is too. But come on now, I’m no marathon runner just yet. No crazy carbo loads, no 5 mile easy runs (haha, can’t do those yet, but I did get in some nice cardio yesterday) and no Garmin on my wrist. However, I will have a (basic, but cute) running outfit, a rockin’ playlist, a good dinner tonight (a signature pasta creation), a light breakfast tomorrow morning, lots of water and my favorite people there to cheer me on (and take tons of pictures!)
This picture was my night in a nutshell…
So my essentials. I’ve comprised a (short) but sturdy list of things I’ll do/wear/eat today in preparation for tomorrow. First, I have been RESTING. My legs were a bit sore still today (I dance 3 days a week so yeah) so tonight I watched tv, cut up some watermelon, read, hung out with Tracie for a bit and watched Disney movies.
The Outfit
Okay, so I don’t really have a running wardrobe yet. I do have great running capris from target that I’ve been training in and LOVE. A regular t-shirt will 
suffice for this race with a light zip-up over it. I’ll decide when I get to the race if I need the jacket or not. I doubt it since it’s supposed to be nice out and I sweat … a lot. Sneakers? I have a confession… I never got new ones. I know.. SO BAD. But I’m going to suck it up for this first race and if I enjoy it as much as I hope I will and decide to sign up for more races (and longer distances), I will go to a specialized running store, get fitted and invest in good sneaks. For now, my Champs will have to do.
The Carbo Load
Just kidding. But there will be a little pasta. And veggies (duh, don’t you know how much I love em?) So here’s what I’m chowin’ on…
Breakfast (Today): Cup of fruit salad, small sliver quiche, small iced coffee with skim milk/2 sweet n low, water.
Lunch: Garden salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, a few croutons and fat free ranch, 1 orange, water.
Dinner: Whole grain pasta (angel hair is my favorite), throw in some of Stephen’s “quick sauce” (fam recipe sped up for convenience but still delicious). Then I’ll saute zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and mushrooms in a skillet and added it to the pasta. Yeah.. the perfect dish for some pre-race energy. Matched with a large glass of water, it’s a tremendous, digestible and san-heavy dinner.
Breakfast tomorrow: Slice of wheat toast with 1 TB low fat peanut butter, small banana (3 hours pre-race), water
The Playlist
I’ve done lots of mixing and matching to get the perfect approximately 40 minute playlist so every second will be accounted for… hopefully I won’t even need the whole thing. I’m not a big song jumper – I pick the winners ahead of time and play the whole thing. Here’s what I’ve got.. yes, a song or 2 are repeated but only because they pump me up so much.
1. King of Anything (3:27)- Sara Barielles. Upbeat for the warm-up few minutes.
2. The New Workout Plan (5:22)- Kanye West. If you want the best push-yourself song there is, download this. It’s so funny and makes you want to run… or do sit-ups, whatever.
3. Best Love Song (3:17) – Chris Brown. Got this one from Christine. It’s a great pacer song. I find my stride easily.
4. Can’t Be Tamed (2:28) – Miley Cyrus. I can’t be tamed, what about it? Plus, it’s short and a nice break up in between the long songs.
5. Born This Way (4:20) – Gaga. “I was born to survive.” Enough said.
6. On the Floor (3:50) – J.Lo & Pitbull. I could dance to this, run to this, anything. It’s just awesome.
7. Who’s That Chick (2:47) – Rhianna. Another one I can dance to. For some reason, when I think of dance routines while I run, it makes me enjoy it so much more.
8. The New Workout Plan. Repeat. I know it’s 5:22 so when its over, it’s a big chunk of time I got through.
9. Mean (3:57) – Taylor Swift. I play this at the end but I’m hoping I don’t need it. It’s one of those “you think I’m nothing but look what I’m doing now” sort of songs and it makes me want to prove to myself that I CAN DO IT.
The People
Obviously I’ve never run a race before but I completely believe all you runners out there that the crowd pumps you up and keeps you going. I’ve got a terrific group coming to cheer me on including my mom, my sister, my cousin Ali, my aunt, my work peeps. I plan on getting as much energy and motivation as I can from them and HAMMING it up in front of the cameras. And I’m giving Tracie a set of poms to shake around. Yeah, we’re legit.
If you just happen to be on the North Shore tomorrow morning, say around 9ish and you want to come watch a 5K, head to Marblehead (Beach St./Ocean Ave.) Find me and say hi. I’ll love you for it!
What are your Running Essentials? Were you nervous for your first race and if so, what did you do to de-stress yourself? (Seriously peeps, I need all the advice I can get on this one!)
Guest Post: Christine from Bun & Borough
For those of you who haven’t heard (although I don’t know how this could be possible since it’s all I’ve talked about this week), my first 5K is rapidly approaching (2 DAYS!) In honor of it, I’ve dedicated my blog posts to it this entire week. If you’re just tuning in, welcome to my new obsession.
I knew I wanted a talented, experienced runner to guest post for me and Christine from the popular blog, Bun & Borough, was the first person I thought of. Not only is Christine a terrific runner, she is also one of my oldest and dearest friends. I’ve known her since 5th grade and though she’s modest about her earlier running years, I think she’s always been a runner at heart. If you don’t run and want to start, run now, need great style tips and (lots of) music references with a Boston-NYC flare, check out her blog. You won’t be sorry.
Thank you for posting, Christine!!!
Race Recap: 2 Years After the Fact
So I actually do not remember my first race. I was in 7th grade and had just joined the cross country team because I wasn’t really good at anything else. For years I played soccer as a defenseman, and though I desperately wanted to be a superstar, I just wasn’t. There was a summer I played basketball, and though I surprisingly made a few shots that went into the net, I was short compared to everyone else. And there was a fall I tried out for softball, and didn’t make the team (I could barely swing the bat, so I don’t blame them).
I’ve always seen myself as athletic, but back then I couldn’t find my niche. Signing up to run cross country was a reluctant move; no one got cut from cross country and I remembered thinking it was a team of sports rejects like me, a team of junior high kids who weren’t good at anything else and could be mediocre on cross country and still get the team t-shirt. I ran a couple of years in high school too, but my heart just wasn’t in it back then. I still saw running as the reject sport.
That line of thinking? Absolutely terrible. Running is a sport that has enough room for everyone, no matter how fast you go or when you cross the finish line. There are no rejects in this sport. There are no try-outs or cuts in this sport – you don’t need to prove anything to anyone but yourself. The only initial requirement is heart, and the rest will come in time.
Once I understood that, I decided to invest in running for myself in January 2009. I do remember some of my first workouts on the treadmill. I ran the 4.0 speed for 60 minutes on the treadmill, and then gushed to my parents about it after. Hardly an accomplishment, but hey I was proud I stuck with it for more than 5 seconds! I kept running that winter and signed up for my first REAL race.
It was a 5K on a golf course in my hometown. The day was cloudy and crisp. The ground was still soaked from melting snow. The orange bib number matched my orange jacket. I was nervous, and was in the bathroom line at least five times before the race began. I hadn’t done any running outside – let alone on grass! But I was determined and ready to finish. I don’t really remember what I was thinking, but it was definitely a hard race and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing most of the time. But I finished, and it was awesome.
I love the fact that I have a humble beginning with running. I’ve come to see this sport as one full of champions, of people who complete races after life-threatening accidents, of a 92 year old grandma who runs marathons, of people who raise thousands of dollars for charities and honor them by running. We are all superstars.
GOOD LUCK Marie on your FIRST RACE! May there be many more to come.
Love, Christine
Christine smiling for the camera during a rainy day race!
Couch to 5K: My Journey
It was about 10 weeks ago that I decided I wanted to run a 5K. I was in New York at the time, just north of Albany, working with a high school dance team when it hit me. I knew about the Couch to 5K plan; I tried to complete it last year just before the summer started and lost the desire to continue after week 5. I just wasn’t motivated enough.
This year, I started early. I knew dance and traveling would take over my life starting at the end of May and although I was already dancing 3 nights a week, I figured extra cardio couldn’t hurt. I used to do the elliptical every night but somewhere along the line, I started to hate it and tried to avoid cardio workouts altogether. That’s a slippery slope and I was struggling hard to climb back up.
The Couch to 5K running plan is a 9-week series comprised of 3 training days per week. Each week, the training gets more advanced and pushes you to run more and more as the weeks go by. At first, even if you think you can run a full 90 seconds (and believe me, at the beginning I couldn’t), by the end of the 9 weeks if you really stick to it, you CAN run 3 miles. It was truly amazing.
When I came home from NY, I started my first official C25K training on Tuesday, March 8th. I also added a page on my blog dedicated to it so I could keep myself accountable for it. Win for me.
The training started with a 5 minute warm-up then alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. By the end of it, I was out of breath and sweating profusely but I felt good. I knew that I would at least be able to do the first month of training and didn’t think much of the later weeks.
3 weeks later, I was still going strong and decided to officially sign up for a 5K race mid-May. That way, I told myself, I’d have to finish the training because I would have to run the race. I searched online for a local 5K (flat for the first one) and found the Marblehead Beach to Beach exactly one week after my training would end and one week before I would travel to Oklahoma for dance. I enrolled, paid the fee, wrote it in my planner and told everyone I know. No turning back now.
Around Week 4, it was time to start running sans-treadmill. I am a big baby when it comes to cold weather so when I started running, it was in my cozy gym on a friendly, easily-paced treadmill. Since I could jog about 8 minutes on the treadmill, I figured a slow run at the beach would be no big deal. I was wrong. Everything other runners told me about running outside was true. I was sucking wind HARD after about 2 minutes and cramped soon after 3. I stopped and walked, already feeling defeated. “It’s really cold today, really windy, that’s why I can’t do it” I told myself but in reality, runners run marathons in the middle of winter. Nevertheless, I turned my back on running outside for the moment and went back to my treadmill.
At the end of Week 5, the plan jumps from walk 5, run 8, walk 5, run 8 to run 20 with no stopping. I was horrified. I remember going to the gym that day, boyfriend in tow, freaking out the whole way there, thinking “there is no way I can run 20 minutes. I’ve never even run 10 straight before.” I met up with my friend, Kim, who was starting week 1 of her training and I told her not to let me stop. I cranked up some music, threw a sweatshirt over the treadmill timer and ran. 20 minutes later, I thought I was going to die, but I did it and it felt great.
After running the full 20 minutes, I was unstoppable. I breezed through week 6, struggled a bit at the end of week 7 but pushed and eventually found myself in week 9. Running a full 28-30 minutes no longer felt like an eternity. I blasted a rockin’ playlist, sometimes singing along with the first few songs. Embarrassing? Sure. And maybe even fist-pumped a time or two towards the end of the circuit. Unnecessary? No way!
Then, it was time to head outside again. Since I live so close to Marblehead,
mapping the 5K route was a breeze. And it’s very pretty. I parked my car at the will-be finish line, walked up to the start, set a timer on my phone, clicked to the playlist and ran. I got about a 1.25 miles in when I thought my lungs were going to burst. (I started out way too fast I guess). I walked about a minute before getting back into it. I think I walked a total of about 2.5 minutes through the whole run, getting slightly discouraged but still managing to pick it up every time.
I gotta say, the route itself is beautiful but more about that on Sunday. I also realized that I look at the ground when I run. That’ll be a habit I try to break as I continue to run. Either way, when I hit the starting line again at the end of the race (which is one big loop) and saw my car in the distance, I took off at full speed, giving it everything I had, knowing that I wanted to be done and still manage to finish under 35 minutes. I hit my car at full force, collapsing on the hood, all the while trying not to lose my lunch. I didn’t (although no guarentees on Saturday, people). The timer stopped at 34:44. I was overjoyed, called Tracie right away to tell her, got home and fell asleep on the couch.
The last day of my training, last Sunday, I headed to the gym with the mere intention of running 20 minutes to see how my legs felt. I was determined to finish the 5-song playlist I was listening to (they were each 4-5 minutes so I knew I could time it about right.) When I finished the playlist, I switched on Kanye’s 5:22 song “The New Workout Plan” and decided to run until I finished that song. Then, “The Best Love Song” came on and when I looked at the timer, I had 2 minutes left to finish out the 30. I did it. Clocking the distance, I knew I had started running at .33 after a 5-minute warm up walk and now the distance read 3.01. I had to bust out the last .32. Switching on Gaga’s “Born This Way”, I gave it everything I had and finished the 3 miles in 32:20. I was so happy, I almost cried. In the gym. On the treadmill. In front of many others. It’s fine. I was done. Officially.
So there you have it…my Couch to 5K journey. With the race a few days away, it is the culmination of 10 weeks of hard work. (And this is only the beginning…)
For anyone out there who thinks they can’t run, think again. I couldn’t run, but now 3 miles is just 30-33 minutes I get to sweat. It requires heart and the rest just sorts of falls into place.
I think becoming a “runner” takes more than 10 weeks, but the plan is the foundation of any good training. Some inspiration helps too. Check out these blogs for motivation, product reviews and that little extra push. These people love to run and inspire others to love it too. I’m living proof.
Christine at Bun & Borough
Aron from Runner’s Rambles
Corey: Runner’s Cookie
Ali at Ali On The Run
Page from Twenty-Six and Then Some
Are you starting/in the middle of/finishing your 5K journey? What was the deciding factor for you to start training? What is your favorite part about it?
Weekend Recap & My First Race Week!
As you can see from my previous post, I have lots of RUNNING related things going on this week. But I don’t want to miss out on recapping my wonderful weekend because it was jam-packed and full of fun. Makes me wish every day was the weekend.
On Friday night, my friend/co-worker/Work Mama, Tracie, invited me to a wine tasting at a friend’s house. We drank copious amounts of wine, ate lots of crudites, hummus and oreo truffles (made by me, which everyone loved!) and I met lots of wonderful people. I took an extensive amount of notes during the tasting, per the English major in me, and learned quite a bit.
The party host, Dawn, from The Traveling Vineyard brought 5 wines for 
each of us to sample: 2 whites, 2 reds and 1 dessert. She encouraged us to grab different finger foods to try with each. The wines included Sauvignion Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignion. Dawn told us that the proper way to try a wine is to use four categories: color, aroma, taste and legs. Yes, legs. The more “legs” a glass of wine has, the more 
alcoholic it is. For example, if you swirl a glass of Sauvignion Blanc, the drip lines down the glass will be few, if any, and very thin. But if you swirl a Cabernet and glance at the legs, they will run thick and numerous. This is because the alcohol content is much higher in red wines than whites. It was a great educational experience as well as an excuse to drink lots of wine. Win-win. Thanks Tracie!
Saturday was my dad’s 59th birthday. (Happy Birthday Daddy!) He took the day off from work to…work. Around the house. He likes that sort of thing. Boyfriend and I went out for a walk along my 5K route in Marblehead around 1 but after a mere mile, it started pouring. HARD. We quickly abandoned the walk and headed to the mall to buy gifts for Mother’s Day where we waited in the obnoxious Pandora line for an hour. Good thing he’s funny. I would’ve been so bored alone.
On the way home, we picked up additional Mother’s Day gifts (a bottle of 
Midori for his mom from me and a bottle of red wine to my mom from him), a new bottle of Merlot for us, bought dinner ingredients at Hannaford’s and by the time we got back to his house, we had gotten it into our heads to make homemade wheat bread (a 3-hour process), turkey chili and profiteroles for dessert. Perfect for a Saturday night at home.
Let me just say – the worst part about breadmaking is the WAIT. We used this awesome recipe from a blog I found called Hot Mess Cooking. It is a lengthy process so I’ll let you jump over there for it’s entirety. The yeast expanded, the dough rose, we punched it, it rose again but it just takes patience…which we all know I don’t have so I proceeded to throw flour around the kitchen and boss Stephen around to pass the time. He always loves when I do that.
Here’s what the bread looked like. It was so good.
The chili recipe, adapted from Weight Watchers, is easy and requires 1 (maybe 2) pots/pans for the entire cooking time. We like to throw in a few extra things (mushrooms, turkey kielbasa, a jalapeno, red pepper flakes and hot sauce) but a little heat never hurts. Just make sure to chaperone the pot if your significant other is heavy-handed with the Sriracha sauce. That stuff hurts.
Dessert was a classic from 17th century France: profiteroles. Simply put, 
these are hollow pastry puffs, light and airy that are split apart making the perfect canvas for ice cream, whipped cream, pastry cream, etc. We made ours from a basic combination of flour, nutmeg, eggs, butter and water,placed a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream in the middle and then doused the tops in semi-sweet chocolate. It was hard not to eat all of them. Warm and dainty, but so light you don’t feel (as) guilty about that extra scoop of ice cream on the side or eating the chocolate sauce out of the bowl. All-in-all, a good Saturday.
Sunday = Mother’s Day and I got to spend it with the fam at my sister’s college. After a mid-day dinner at Bertucci’s (I got the special salad: arugala, orange, roasted red peppers, grilled chix with a lemon dressing and balsamic glaze) and a Mocha Light Frappuccino from Starbucks (happy hour, dur), we headed home.
I sat around for 10 minutes and decided to head to the gym. I figured I’d do 
a short run (20 minutes or so) and get some strength training in. I settled myself onto the treadmill with a new playlist and told myself I would run to the end of it. At the end of it, I replayed a 5:22 song Kanye’s “The New Workout Plan” and decided to finish that. At that point, I took my sweater down from the tread to see my time and I was at 3.01. Since I started the run at .33 after a 5-minute walk, I decided to push the end of the 3 miles. I clocked it at about 32:20 and marked the completion of my Couch to 5K training. I was so happy, I thought I was going to cry. I walked to cool down, did some strength and some abs, drained 2 water bottles and left feeling accomplished (and very very sweaty.)
Looking ahead to this week…
So it’s my first race week ever, but since this is no 26.6 mile race, I don’t feel that “tapering” really applies to me yet. Here’s what I’ve got planned for the week workout-wise…
Monday: Cross trainer, arms, Dance 7-8
Today: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms
Wednesday: Cross trainer, thighs, sides, abs, Dance 7-9
Thursday: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms, Dance 7-8
Friday: REST!
Saturday: Well.. duh.
This Week on the Blog…
This week is dedicated to my first ever 5K!
Tuesday: Weekend Recap/My First Race Week/This week’s workouts.
Wednesday: Couch to 5K — My Journey. Plus – Some Running Inspiration.
Thursday: Guest post by my good friend/veteran runner, Christine. This is a post you will NOT want to miss!
Friday: Pre-Race Report… What I’m doing, eating, wearing, listening to, everything.
Saturday: The Big Day. Registration starts at 8am. Race at 10am. Recap will either be later Saturday or Sunday.
I’m ready to RUN!
Weekly Gratitude
I love Fridays for obvious reasons. It’s the beginning of the weekend, it’s sunny and has FINALLY hit 70 degrees here north of Boston, I have lovely plans for the weekend and a glass of red wine calling my name. That being said, I had lots of things to be grateful for this week.
- Thank you to St. Pius V School, my own Kindergarten through 8th grade home. Today, they gave out the annual endowment scholarships to students and this year was the first year my family’s scholarship in honor of my grandparents, the Leonard and Lena Torto Endowment Scholarship, was presented. My sister and I were able to give it out and it was a very proud moment for my family. Plus, I got to go back to my days in elementary school, see all the changes that have been made and visit with my old teachers.
- On that note, thank you to all of my old teachers that I saw today. It is so nice to be told over and over again how grown up and beautiful I am and how proud they are of the person I’ve become. [GLOAT.]
- Thank you to Forever 21 for making the cutest clothes for summertime. I love my new sundresses, sandals, sunglasses. You better believe I’m hitting that place hardcore before my cruise.
- Thank you to my Daddy. His 59th birthday is tomorrow and he is the best Dad I could ask for. I love you Dad!
- Thank you to my Mom (and to all moms) who we celebrate this weekend for Mother’s Day. You go above and beyond and I love you very much.
- Thank you to music. Man, I couldn’t do anything without you. Life would be incomplete.
- Thank you to my friend, Miriah, and her husband John for letting me visit last weekend. They are brand new parents to abeautiful little baby girl, Adrianna. She is 6 weeks old already and I fell in love when I saw her. And of course, Miriah is her same skinny self. Genetics were good to her.
- Thank you to summertime. You are so close, I can see you like a finish line. I’ll run to you.
Me with baby Adrianna
Friday Night at The Rustic Kitchen
The last weekend of April is always a blur. The weather is all over the place (sunshine here, rain there, 40 degrees, 80 degrees), it’s the first in 5 years that I haven’t celebrated Pup Cup (which is a typical “Spring Weekend” at my college, complete with nonstop partying and endless amounts of alcohol) and everyone is looking forward to getting April over with and moving into May.
Normally, I am one of those people but this year, I slowed down the last weekend of April and it was truly something special. This post is dedicated to an amazing Friday night.
After work on Friday, I raced home to get a quick Jillian Michael’s Shred Workout in with anxious anticipation of the night’s events. My Aunt Debbie treated me to a one-of-a-kind experience. She surprised me with tickets to “The Cooking Show” at The Rustic Kitchen in Boston. The Rustic Kitchen is an eclectic restaurant, simple and sophisticated from the outside, warm and inviting on the inside. The wine list was extensive and the food, embedded tradition in newly renovated classics.
When we arrived, our party (myself, Aunt Deb, my Uncle Gene and friend Janine) settled ourselves at the bar for pre-dinner drinks and apps. Knowing we would be eating graciously in a short while, we decided on a batch of lightly battered calamari (with a spicy kick) and prosciutto with housemade mozzarella. I had a glass of red wine, of course, but not my usual Cabernet. This was 2006 Malbec from Catena, Argentina. It was deep and bold and I think I might be trying Malbecs more often. Aunt Deb got a delicious white, Caymus Conundrum via California 2008, and it reminded me of a spicy Asti Spumonti. Already slightly buzzed and tummy no longer growling, we moved onto The Cooking Show set.
I found my place setting and bellied up to the table. In between me and Deb sat a multi-topping pizza as a pre-show snack. As you read in my other post, I usually don’t eat pizza but in the moment, I had to try the mushroom. The slices were small but oh so satisfying. Not greasy, just crispy enough with the perfect amount of cheese. A glass of the night’s selected wine, Crabalis Vermentino, begged to be tasted. Despite my general disinterest in white wine, I loved it.
When the taping began, I felt as though I had been transported to an episode of Emeril Live. The lights flashed, music blared and an announcer 
welcomed our host, Liz Bramwell, a 26-year old Culinary Institute of America graduate. A petite woman, you would more likely mistaken Liz as a college student rather than a successful chef, but she would shock you with an extensive resume including head pastry and chef experiences in famed restaurants on Cape Cod and in Vegas. Liz started the show off by introducing her assistant, Pepe, and offering a toast (I was pleased to see her raise her own wineglass to her intimate audience.)
First, Liz prepared a cold vegetable terrine with roasted vegetables. Eggplant slices, zucchini, summer squash and asparagus drizzled in olive oil, then baked until soft while she blanched Boston bib lettuce and lined a loaf pan with them. She placed the roasted veggies in delicately, including a middle layer of herbed goat cheese. Once assembled, she pressed it down, sealed it with plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge to set up for “at least 8 hours” but more like 24.
Served with a slice of the loaf was a sundried tomato coulis and a thick balsamic glaze. After chilling for 24 hours, the flavors of the roasted vegetables deeply complimented each other and the goat cheese provided a salty bite to the overall dish. It was simple, but decadent and elegant as well.
Next, after several more questions and toasts (and many wine refills thanks to Pepe), Liz moved on to the main course, Seafood en Parchment. First, she made an herb butter, combining softened unsalted butter with bright basil, thyme, parsley and garlic. She then cut a large piece of parchment paper into a heart shape and brushed it with melted butter. She layered chiffoned zucchini, summer squash, leeks, carrots and red baby potatoes on the bottom before stacking 2 jumbo shrimp, a thick 4-ounce seabass fillet and 2 large scallops on top. 2 thick slices of herb butter followed before Liz folded and secured the parchment and popped it into the oven.
When it arrived in front of me, I cut open the top of the parchment to release the steam and was greeted by the delightful scent of perfectly cooked seafood. The scallops were tender and creamy, the shrimp delicately pink and the sea bass, well, let’s just say I’ll be cooking that more often. The overall dish was light and flavorful.
After a final toast, Liz closed the show, leaving her audience full of wonderful food and maybe a bit buzzed from bottomless wine. We realized before the show started that we had been seated next to Liz’s parents, Paula and Whitey. They were a fun couple, taking the brunt of many jokes when Liz poked fun at them during the show. You could see instantly that they were a close and loving family.
Shortly after the taping ended, we continue to chat with Paula and Whitey. Of course, my blogger cards were out the whole time and after about 10 minutes, Liz came back to the set to chat with her guests. I think I monopolized her a bit. My aunt snapped about a million pictures of me behind the set and if I do say so myself, I look good back there. And the best part of it was that Liz, although incredibly successful for someone so young (she’s even got restaurant openings in the works!), was completely down-to-earth and fun-loving, someone I would hang out with, someone my friends would love.
After thanking her and saying good-bye to her parents, we left Boston around 9:30. Not ready to end the night just yet, Aunt Deb, Uncle Gene and I head to the Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott for an after-dinner drink (more wine, please!) Once home, I fell promptly fell asleep on the couch til about 3AM when Giada diLaurentis’ voice woke me up. I slept like a rock the rest of the night.
Action shot!
I highly recommend The Rustic Kitchen for a special occasion or just to sample their wine list. Or splurge and go see The Cooking Show. Either way, don’t forget to make a reservation before hand. This place is sure to get super popular very fast. Oh and Food Network, give Liz her own show, ya hear?
Me & Aunt Deb at the end of the night
Weekly Gratitude
Thank.God.It’s.Friday. That’s really all I need to sum up this week. However, there are always more things to be thankful for…
- Thank you to my Aunt Deb who surprised me by getting tickets to go to dinner and see a live taping of “The Cooking Show” at The Rustic Kitchen Bistro & Bar in Boston tonight. I’ll be the complete DORK in the audience taking pictures of her food. (Seperate blog post to come about that.) I’m so excited to spend quality time with my auntie, eat good food, drink good wine and maybe pass out some blogger cards. Opportunity beckons.
- Thank you to BU’s College of Communication for giving me a $10,000 scholarship to help me pay for my Master’s Degree program. Without it, I’d be slightly more panicked.
- Thank you to Claire for being in the Royal Wedding spirit today. Not onlydid she don a tiara all morning at work but also brought in a Queen Elizabeth doll, English tea and a teacup from 1984. Classic.
- Thank you to Shazam for being able to capture any song on the radio so I know it’s title and artist instantly. Have you heard Lifehouse’s new song “Falling In”? If not, download it. It’s Stephen’s new ring tone.
- Thank you to this weekend. Lots of working out, some healthy cooking, maybe a bike ride, a trip the Newburyport farmer’s market, time with the family and the boyfriend, lots of sleep, wine and relaxing.
Pizza and Fries: Guilty Pleasures Re-Made
As a kid, I always loved pizza and french fries. That’s probably explanation why I was a chubba growing up. French fries were side dish staple to any kid’s meal, my favorite being McDonald’s. As for pizza, well, let’s just say that even my 14-year old self could put away a couple of decent sized slices.
Nowadays, I no longer eat fast food and pizza is a fleeting indulgence, eaten sparingly and in small amounts. So how do I satisfy even the worst junk food cravings? I make my own.
I spend a lot of my time scouring the Hungry Girl website and cookbooks for healthy ways to make over my favorite foods. She has a zillion pizza recipes and a few takes on fries as well, all without the guilt (and tighter pants) that come from the originals. Last week, when boyfriend and I wanted pizza and fries but I didn’t want take out, I pulled out HG’s book and went to work.
Butternut squash fries are by far one of my most favorite recipes ever. It’s not really a recipe, even, just a few simple ingredients and your oven set at a high temp. Butternut squash has a similar starchy quality to potatoes without being loaded with calories. I like to buy b-nut squash halves that are already peeled and de-seeded because it’s easier, but if you want to have a knife fight with a whole one, I wish you the best of luck.
Now, onto the pizza… Portobello mushrooms have always been high on my list of favorite foods but is something I don’t eat all that often. I have no explanation for this. Nevertheless, they are the “crust”, if you will, to my pizza and along with a few other things, I think the meaty texture and taste of the ‘shroom makes it even better than its traditional counterparts. Try it if you don’t believe me. Oh, and these babies are so low in fat and calories, that Stephen and I ate 2 each. You can’t beat that.
Butternut Squash Fries
From Hungry Girl
Ingredients:
1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded
Salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Carefully cut your squash into fry shapes (you could also use a crinkle cutter like this one…) and sprinkle with salt.
Lay slice on a paper towel and let some of the moisture release out of it, about 5 minutes. Then, blot the fry shapes with dry paper towel to make sure all of the extra moisture is out (this will help them crisp in the oven.)
Lay on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through until squash is cooked through. Sometimes, to get them extra crispy, I turn the broil onto high and let them roast an extra 4-5 minutes (Watch them carefully so they don’t burn!)
Serve with ketchup or any other favorite condiment!
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
Adapted from Hungry Girl
Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushrooms caps
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (with basil if you can find it)
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp onion powder
4 light string cheese
Turkey pepperoni (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove mushroom stems, chop and set aside. Place mushroom caps on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray, round side down. Bake 8 minutes or until softened.
Meanwhile, tear each string cheese into shreds and roughly chop. Set aside.
Remove sheet from oven but leave the oven on. Blot excess liquid (there will be quite a bit) from caps and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix crushed tomatoes, garlic and onion powder. Equally distribute between mushroom caps and spread until smooth & even. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the sauce layer followed by mushroom cap pieces and turkey peps if desired.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted.
chocolateandwineblog.com 