tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58852204276170931672008-11-20T14:30:30.082-06:00Just try and peg me. It's a mix.arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-75222672739784943802008-11-10T12:36:00.002-06:002008-11-10T12:39:03.448-06:00

Cinnamon BurstOriginally uploaded by arahbahnI'm taking a sick day, today, because I am sick. Darn that little coughing climber, next to me, at the gym, yesterday! Or, perhaps more realistically: darn me, for doing 2 hours at the climbing gym in the morning, then a 75-minute power yoga class, in the evening. Silly rabbit.The photo is of the Blueberry Cinnamon-Burst Muffins that I made on Saturday

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-3266842796742147882008-11-08T21:34:00.005-06:002008-11-10T12:40:23.130-06:00

Saturday's MoussakaOriginally uploaded by arahbahnThis is the type of edge we live on: this morning I realized that we had raw (but shrink-wrapped, at least) ground lamb in the refrigerator, and it's been there since I bought it about 6 days ago. Somehow it didn't make it into the freezer on shopping day last weekend. So! Today's lunch would be the Potato and Lamb Moussaka that we'd planned to

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-8671314054861398562008-11-07T09:44:00.005-06:002008-11-08T21:28:46.852-06:00

Around 11:30 yesterday I was faced with a decision: yoga, walk, or run? There was a light rain. I'd get wet doing any of the three options (I'm still on the heated power yoga kick). By 11:55 I'd narrowed it down to walk or run; lately I'm not as keen on power yoga 2 days in a row. By 12:05 I had my gear on, and had set foot outside. Brr. It was chilly enough that my calf-length tights would not

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-73637087758343296522008-10-29T21:25:00.004-05:002008-10-30T16:55:36.079-05:00

Yesterday was the 7th and final consecutive day in which I practiced yoga in an hour-long "power yoga" class format. Tonight, I went for an easy 4-mile run along the river. That week of yoga did some great things for me, I feel. My run tonight was fabulous. The weather helped (clear skies, dusk, no wind, 50 or so degrees), but I felt both light on my feet and limber. Kind of like Tigger - I

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-23910466577871635512008-10-24T18:31:00.006-05:002008-10-25T08:33:00.689-05:00

I'm taking a short break from running; I still haven't decided whether or not to plan on the Memphis half-marathon in early December. I've been following a training plan for it, but a week off from it would be a healthy break. While I ponder that, I'm taking advantage of a great offer at the local Core Power yoga studio: newbies to the studio get a whole week for free, to taste the waters of

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-19204810429854632722008-10-18T17:38:00.004-05:002008-10-18T21:25:29.691-05:00

Why is it that when I'm running or driving, with no way to carry a decent camera, is when I really want to take photos? At 7 this morning, Kyle and I headed south on Interstate 35 toward Faribault, to run in the Big Woods Run 10k race. We had fully expected the scenery on the way down, as well as during the race, to be stunning: it's mid-October in Minnesota, we're driving southward, and that

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-33553967634017261012008-10-12T21:24:00.008-05:002008-10-14T20:19:11.397-05:00

Above is one of the marvelous plants in my brother and sister-in-law's backyard, in Phoenix: an ocotillo. In spring, evidently, it looks much more alive (that orange bloom that is using one of its thorns as a hat-rack is from the flowering plant that sits next to it). Here, it's sporting more of a glass sculpture look. I spent this weekend in Phoenix; I'd read a good review of an area trail race

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-42683179297909511322008-10-07T11:48:00.003-05:002008-10-07T12:31:50.503-05:00

I have simply GOT to get a phone with a camera in it. All this trail running I've been doing, and no fabulous photos to show for it - my smallest camera is too large, and if I'm going to bother carrying small electronics, said electronics had better involve telephony. The beastie above was in my garden a few weeks ago. I wish the photo were of some of the sights on last Saturday's run in

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-1731474820163445512008-10-04T10:27:00.003-05:002008-10-07T13:05:18.339-05:00

Popovers are indeed the perfect combination of crispy and eggy-gooey textures. Their transformation from a placid yellow liquid batter to a golden, drunken minaret is a joy to the eyes. Plus, they are finger food! Axel's in Mendota brings a neverending stream of them to your table - and then gives you a bag of what's left in the basket, when you leave. Sadly, that's all that's memorable to me,

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-30985431678958409912008-09-28T15:58:00.007-05:002008-09-29T09:31:58.241-05:00

Above, you should see two of the four forms of chocolate that are in the batch of what I'll call Double Malted Chocolate Cookies that I baked yesterday, from a recipe I found on the internet. Pretty good, but as is, it's not a keeper. They needed to be more chewy and less poofy/risen (here's a photo of them, baked); perhaps I'll try one of the suggestions here. The main travesty is that the

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-41477348429265051572008-09-22T22:17:00.004-05:002008-09-25T15:09:09.717-05:00

This is what's currently in our biscotti bin: Mincement & Walnut Cantucci. As an American, the first time I heard the term "mincemeat" was probably from dialogue in a cartoon of some sort, maybe Popeye. Luckily, a visit to the British Isles sometime in my late teens fixed that, and I got exposed to mince pie. YUM. Still, I'd never baked with it until last week. You can buy mincement in a

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-84111839505333294402008-09-21T11:25:00.006-05:002008-09-22T22:16:05.163-05:00

How can a race go poorly, when it starts with a teenage girl grabbing your butt? This did happen to me, within the first mile of the Trail Loppet Half-Marathon, yesterday. The first 2 miles were pretty much a conga line, as the trail was fairly narrow, and even with only about 250 people running, the effect was still similar to that of 5+ highway lanes, attempting to enter the Boston tunnel. The

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-20616670756440648082008-09-19T20:10:00.004-05:002008-09-20T15:34:08.024-05:00

Well, perhaps not so wee: he's about the size of my thumb. This creature was waiting for me on the back stoop, when I got home. This cicada -the first I've ever seen!- is far more welcome than those charming feces-ejecting rock doves who sometimes congregate back there.

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-34692255600464265932008-09-18T19:43:00.005-05:002008-09-28T18:41:10.815-05:00

One of our favorite weeknight meals is to make pizza; invariably we take one of two pretty simple recipes and adapt it a little, based on what's in the fridge. Tonight's was based on this Triple Jump Pizza recipe. Normally -per the guidance from the other recipe- we slice up the prosciutto, and tonight we found out why. It may be easy to cut the whole pie into 8 slices, using the pizza wheel (

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-18051027079823827982008-09-16T16:44:00.002-05:002008-09-16T17:02:48.840-05:00

It's not fall: I haven't put away my sandals, yet. Some of my sunflower are still in bloom; my cosmos sure are. As is my Golden Wings rose. The basement isn't done yet. The maple sure as heck hasn't dropped its leaves (that'll happen in November). The Honeycrisp season is not in full swing yet. The climbing gym is still using its "summer" hours. It's fall: look at the date! I want to go clothes

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-81943273800674731682008-09-08T21:51:00.005-05:002008-09-28T18:42:44.945-05:00

A food stylist I am not (no, that's not Shrek, melted in a Pyrex dish), but if you think Mexican food, this photo looks better. Tonight, hubbie and I made & ate Chicken Chilaquiles, using a recipe we adapted from Cooking Light. Our adaptation: soy milk for the milk (it's all we had); Jack cheese with habanero, rather then with jalepeno, peppers; and blue corn tortillas for the tortillas. Yum!

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-75602097982180298042008-09-05T09:59:00.008-05:002008-09-05T12:47:24.014-05:00

So, this fellow Andrew has posted a list of foods that he thinks every omnivore should try at least once in their lifetime. Seems like a fun enough game. I've bolded the ones I've tried (sorry, the link style makes that a little confusing): 1. Venison 2. Nettle tea 3. Huevos rancheros 4. Steak tartare 5. Crocodile 6. Black pudding 7. Cheese fondue 8. Carp 9. Borscht 10. Baba ghanoush 11.

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-6759190297196335892008-09-02T15:01:00.005-05:002008-09-28T18:51:45.172-05:00

Well, I'm sure if you're watching the news lately, you're seeing more about the hurricane than about the RNC (the big republican convention) event here in St. Paul. But just in case you do see pictures from St. Paul of the police in riot gear, and tear gas bombs, rest assured that so far this week, hubbie and I are ok and are also able to slip by the excitement to get to work and on time. We

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-53674337415941229462008-09-02T11:56:00.008-05:002008-09-28T18:54:17.351-05:00

Ok, the blog is back. I have such grandiose plans for its next incarnation (inwebation?), but alas, they are still vague, as well, and I have stuff to say. I'm still running; my prep for the Trail Loppet half-marathon (Sept. 20) is going well but why oh why have I gained 5 pounds? Of course I know: all that hill running is building muscle. But that in turn is building muscle mass that I have

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-89624405722488039372008-08-10T15:29:00.003-05:002008-08-11T17:03:29.042-05:00

I got in a good 70-minute run at Afton, Saturday. Hopefully I covered about 6 miles; my wayfinding still leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's always an adventure... The route I picked, which I thought would cover about 6 miles, ended up taking me just 30 minutes. So, I did it again- in reverse. That loop has a hill that is sometimes referred to as "the Meat Grinder." I think that's because

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-43905020588210128342008-08-07T09:24:00.002-05:002008-08-07T10:06:18.249-05:00

There are no frogs or toads in this photo but it reminds me of the frogs I saw last weekend. I was on a 10-mile trail run at Lebanon Hills Regional Park, one of my favorite places to run, in spite of the confusing trails and trail markers. It's nearby (well, at least I can justify the 20 minute drive by stopping by Byerly's afterward for a treat -and the weekly groceries- afterwards). It's got a

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-29210643459885716472008-07-26T15:56:00.003-05:002008-07-26T16:36:17.322-05:00

This flower shot provides a perfect occasion to quote a Jack Johnson song. But these sunflowers are stunning, even from the back. Even before the bloom started to open (click on the flicker button to the right of this page, to see more shots). I bought the seeds a few years ago but this is the first year I had ground available, and remembered to plant them, in June. I've also had outdoor

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-91168321318503953592008-07-19T17:44:00.003-05:002008-07-19T17:49:28.256-05:00

I might as well give up now, with my efforts to do a flat-footed full squat, if this little creature can pull this off, with that much junk in the trunk. We spotted him (her?) today at the Wirth Park Quaking Bog.

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-3440692413086136322008-06-23T21:58:00.009-05:002008-07-08T18:21:16.527-05:00

I'm putting this weblog to sleep, for awhile. I do plan to frequently add photos to my Flickr Photostream. You can check them out by clicking on the Flickr thingie in the right column.

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5885220427617093167.post-68020194079023240912008-06-08T17:16:00.004-05:002008-09-28T18:57:00.324-05:00

Technically it's not quite summer yet, so I suppose it's appropriate that we have an overcast sky today and a forecast for rain over the next seven days. The Iris sure look fabulous, however. As does Rosa glauca and our Weigela 'wine and roses.' I managed to catch a cold about a week ago; I'm sure it was at Grand Old Day, out amongst the seething roaring mass of people, sun, and weekend

arahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744213206943102469noreply@blogger.com0