Run to Eat, Eat to Run

     This morning I woke up sore again from the brutal beating I've been putting my body through lately.  I started the Insanity program a few weeks ago when it got too hot to run.  I've been enjoying Insanity, but I have been missing my runs.  Running is an excellent way to clear my mind and meditate on anything that's bothering me.  It also gives me time to simply reflect on anything and everything that comes to mind.  The thing is, though, I have to convince myself to get out there.  The heat has been a good excuse to not go, but at the cost of my mind becoming cluttered and chaotic since it wasn't being "cleaned out" on a regular basis.

    The other night, J had taken Monkey to the store with him while I stayed behind to finish up my grocery list and do a few chores around the house.  I had just finished and decided to check the mailbox.  Inside I found a note from my sister, encouraging me to not give up running.  She had also included a 10K bumper sticker for my car to celebrate making it through the Couch to 10K program.  I grinned from ear to ear when I saw that sticker.  It reminded me of how far I've come.  It got me excited, and it made me want to go farther.  I found myself racing around the house, grabbing my tennis shoes, throwing on some jogging shorts, and racing out the door for my first run in 6 weeks.  And you know what?  I beat my last mile time by a minute and a half.  I felt amazing, and I felt my form improving.  I have Insanity to thank for that.  Shaun T, the insane man in the video screaming at you to "dig deeper", emphasizes using your core to workout.  The few weeks of doing his workouts have taught me how everything should come from the core.  You lift your knees with the core, instead of just throwing them around.  You keep your balance with your core.  You keep your body in line with your core.  The thing is, I never truly found my core before I did these workouts.  Now that I know what it means though, I can't imagine how I made it this far in running without knowing how to use my core.  It makes running so much easier, and it helps you achieve that good runner's form much more naturally.

   Since that night, I've adopted a new goal.  My sister and I have been talking about doing a Half Marathon for a while now, but I guess I never really thought about it.  The other night, after that awesome run, I came up with a plan.  My husband has this book, the Navy Seal's Guide to Fitness and Nutrition, and it happened to be next to the bed when I was looking up training programs for a Half.  Inside I found a program that helps you get to running 40 miles a week in nine weeks.  From there you go on to another program to help you run a half marathon in 12 weeks.  I did the math on my calendar and found that if I start this week, I will finish just in time for the Woman's Half Marathon in Baton Rouge this year.  Here's the first program if you're interested in trying it:

Weeks 1 & 2:
Monday:          4 mile run
Tuesday:         Cross Train (I'm going to keep doing Insanity)
Wednesday:    5 mile run
Thursday:       3 mile run
Friday:           Cross Train
Saturday:        3 mile run
Sunday:          5 mile run
Total: 20 miles per week

Weeks 3 & 4:
Monday:        5 mile run
Tuesday:        Cross Train
Wednesday:   5 mile run
Thursday:      5 mile run
Friday:           Cross Train
Saturday:       5 mile run
Sunday:         5 mile run
Total: 25 miles per week

Weeks 5 & 6:
Monday:       5 mile run
Tuesday:       Cross Train
Wednesday:  6 mile run
Thursday:      6 mile run
Friday:          Cross Train
Saturday:       6 mile run
Sunday:         6 mile run
Total: 29 miles per week

Weeks 7 & 8:
Monday:       7 mile run
Tuesday:       Cross Train
Wednesday:  7 mile run
Thursday:      8 mile run
Friday:           Cross Train
Saturday:       5 mile run
Sunday:         8 mile run
Total:  35 miles per week

Week 9:
Monday:        6 mile run
Tuesday:        Cross Train
Wednesday:   8 mile run
Thursday:       8 mile run
Friday:           Cross Train
Saturday:        8 mile run
Sunday:          10 mile run
Total:  40 miles per week

    Okay, so I'm tired just typing all that.  It is a bit overwhelming to think about doing two 8 mile runs back to back, or an 8 mile run followed by a 10 mile run, but I have to remember that there was once a time when repeatedly running 30 seconds then walking 1 minute for a total of 30 minutes was overwhelming.  Baby steps.  That's what got me this far.

    Yesterday I read an awesome comic all about running.  It was hilarious, and y'all should really check it out.  I completely identified with the author, especially when he talks about how he runs so he can eat.  (I'm typing this as I'm devouring a slice of Green Tomato Bread).  Reading it I got a sense of, "Yay! I'm not the only one."  And I loved his "Blerch", the being that basically follows you around, trying to convince you to go home and eat cake instead of run.  My own Blerch is very loud, and rather manipulative.

    At any rate, I've learned a lot from running, not just physically, but mentally as well.  I've learned to face things that are hard.  I've learned endurance.  I've learned patience.  I've learned how good it feels to reach impossible goals.  I've even learned that no goal is truly impossible.

   For those of you who simply come here for the food (I don't blame you), thank you for putting up with my ramblings on running.  I do have an amazing meal I want to share with y'all.  It comes from one of my Paula Deen magazines (Yes; I still love her!).  This meal was quick and simple, but looked and tasted amazing!

Pork Cutlets with Rosemary Dijon Sauce, Balsamic-Roasted Potatoes, and Steamed Asparagus 

Pork Cutlets with Rosemary Dijon Sauce
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS fresh minced rosemary

Cut pork into 1" slices.  Place pork between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/2" thick with a meat mallet .  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook pork, in batches if necessary, 3-4 minutes per side or until browned.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add cream, mustard, and rosemary to skillet.  Scrape brown bits from bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer.  Add pork back to skillet, turning to coat with sauce.  Cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Serve immediately.

Balsamic-Roasted Potatoes
2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 onion, quartered
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 TBS balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450, and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  In a large bowl, toss potatoes and onion with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread on baking sheet in a single layer.  .  Bake for 20 minutes.  Drizzle with vinegar.  Bake an additional 4 minutes.
*I started these first and cooked the pork while these were in the oven.

Steamed Asparagus
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup water
3 TBS butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt

Place asparagus and water in a microwave-safe dish.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Drain well; transfer to serving platter.  In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium.  Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.  Stir in salt.  Drizzle butter mixture over asparagus.
*I did this part in the last 4 minutes that the potatoes were cooking so they'd still be nice and warm to serve.

I hope y'all enjoy!

Call Me Old-Fashioned

     I'm a slacker.  I'll admit it.  I'm supposed to be sitting in my Nutrition class right now, but I forgot about my online Chemistry homework that was due at 3:00 this afternoon.  I just finished that (and went ahead and did the next assignment for good measure), but now I have time to kill.  I could get ahead on my English reading, but as I've mentioned already, I'm a slacker.  It's still summer.  That's my excuse anyway.

     You know, last night I met a couple that have been married for all of a month, and I caught myself several times looking at them, shaking my head, and thinking to myself, "Geez, they're so cute!"  J and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary this year, and although there are veterans of much longer marriages than ours that read this, I can't help but feel that the best is yet to come.  The past five years have been work.  They've changed both of us.  They've challenged me to go above and beyond what I thought my limits were.  Through trial and error we have both grown into the people we are today from the kids we were when we started out.  We've come a long way.

     

     I'm sure at this point a few of you veterans are already shaking your heads, thinking, "Awe!  How cute!  She thinks she knows something." Maybe y'all are right. Maybe I have yet to realize just how much marriage can tear you down and build you up again, but I think I'm beginning to have a clue.  And you know what I've discovered?  It's worth the trouble. 

     I remember watching "Coal Miner's Daughter" as a teenager, and I remember thinking to myself, "Why does she let him treat her like that?"  But when I watched it again as an adult, and I realized she loved her husband through his faults.  I also realized she wasn't perfect either.  There is something to be said about the marriages of days gone by.  The ones that stuck it out, even through the worst of circumstances.  The ones that inspired songs like "Stand By Your Man".  Those marriages aren't to be shrugged off and excused by saying "those were different times" or people were old-fashioned with "out dated ideals".  No; those marriages should be honored as an example.  Those "old-fashioned ideals" teach us that just because something is broken doesn't mean it can't be fixed.  It doesn't mean it isn't worth fixing.  

    A few weeks back, I finally had enough okra from my little garden to roast as a side for dinner.  That was the best tasting okra I've ever had.  You see, I've raised those okra plants from seeds that I planted back in February.  That's four months of waiting for just a few okra.  I have had to transplant these stalks 3 times so that they would finally have the right amount of space to grow.  Through trial and error, I've learned the proper amount of water they require (which is more that I imagined).  I've even learned the hard way how much sun they really need.  I guess my point is, I could have quit.  I could have never started.  I could have said that it wasn't worth the hassle.  There were times when I was sick of my little garden! (Mostly when I had to go buy even more pots because I didn't have the foresight to give my plants enough space to grow.)  But I didn't give up.  Now I'm rather proud of my little plants.  I have been complimented on my garden several times.  People see the work I've put in, but more importantly I see it too.  I've been able to reap what I've sown.  So why not apply the same logic to marriage?

     If I could go back in time and talk to newly wed me, I think I'd tell her to stop wasting time with selfishness and pride, and just love J.  That's all we can ever really do.  And if I could talk to newly wed J, well, maybe it's a good thing there is no time travel ;-)  

    Keeping with my theme of marriage, tonight I want to share one of J's favorite things I've made for him.  

Paula Deen's "Real Deal" Gumbo

     Gumbo, like a good marriage, takes patience and time to get it just the way you like it, but once you get it to that point, people will be begging to know your secret. :-)

So here's what y'all need:

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 cup chopped okra, fresh or frozen then thawed

3 TBS butter

3 TBS all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 TBS chopped garlic

4 cups chicken broth

3/4 lb andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced

1 tsp Tony's (or other Cajun seasoning)

Salt and black pepper

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 cups cooked rice, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

*In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the okra and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer slimy, about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it is a light chocolate color, about 5 minutes.  (This is the roux, and my dog's namesake for all my Yankee friends.)  ;-)

Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the broth, sausage, okra,  and Cajun seasoning and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

Add the shrimp and simmer until they are pink and cooked through.  Serve over rice.  Add hot sauce as desired.  

*According to Paula Deen, cooking the okra separately before adding it to the gumbo takes away some of the sliminess that turns some people off of okra.

Hmm...now I'm making myself hungry.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Me

     I've never been one for making New Year's resolutions.  To me they've always seemed cliche and impersonal.  Just because I bought a new calendar, I'm supposed to make some life changing goal?  I tried a few times, but it never took.  They were always cheesy, and I'd forget in a week.

     As a teenager I began a new tradition of making one big change every year on my birthday.  These were petty things then, new piercings when I was 16, a new tattoo at 18.  My thought process then was that I was changing, growing older and (hopefully) wiser, so the outward appearance should reflect the inward change.  I never thought of this as my own personal "new year" with my very own "new year's resolution" until recently, but that's how it has evolved.

     Last year I made another goal.  Instead of another hole in my ear or the loss of several inches of hair, I decided to get healthy.  This past year I have struggled over countless obstacles that threatened to bring me down and keep be there so that I would never achieve my goal.  I have lost many battles along the way, but today I'm proud to say that the war is over, and I have won.

     This is after one year of hard work:

     Needless to say, I definitely feel better.  I have more energy.  I get out more, and when I do, I have less worries about what I'm wearing or how I look or if I need to sit up straighter so that my belly roll isn't as obvious.  I'm not perfect.  I'll never be a size 0, and I don't want to be.  I like the way I am now.  For once in my life, I feel happy in my skin, and that's an empowering feeling.

    That being said, this year's goal has yet to be announced.  I'm thinking...ABS! lol  Seriously, though, this year my goal is less about my body and more about my mind.  My goal this year is to get into a Nursing program and get 4.0s each semester.  Oh, and run a 1/2 marathon with my sister in the winter.  Here's hoping. :-)

    Now since y'all have been forced to look at pictures of me in a bikini, let me give y'all something else to drool over (just joking).

Rotelle and Shrimp with Yogurt Dill Dressing

2 TBS butter
2 cloves garlic
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
3 TBS chopped fresh dill
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 lb rotelle

In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over moderate heat.  Stir in the garlic and then the shrimp, 1/4 tsp of salt, and the pepper.  Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are just done, about 4 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, the mayo, the jalapeño, cucumber, dill, scallions, paprika, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until just done, about 12 minutes.  Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water, and drain thoroughly.  Toss with the yogurt sauce and the shrimp and garlic.

Enjoy!

It's Summertime

     I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to shake this summer-time laziness that has settled inside me.  Even though I'm taking classes this semester, I'm not motivated for much of anything lately.  I think it's the heat.  At any rate, I've been treating my poor blog as the red-haired step-child again, which I'm trying to amend.  So here I go with a couple of recipes I've been wanting to share.

    A couple of weeks ago, J, Monkey, and I went inland a ways to a farm near Lucedale where you can get a 5 gallon bucket of pick-your-own veggies for $10.  We had so much fun collecting our produce, and we came back with quite the haul.  I was a little overwhelmed when I realized exactly how much chopping, freezing, canning and pickling was in my future, but I enjoyed it so much I'm getting ready to do it again this weekend.

   The first thing I tried was pickled okra.  This is a recipe a friend of mine sent me.  I was super excited to give it a whirl because pickled okra is one of my vices.  It was hard waiting the two weeks after canning to let them have time to cure, but it was well worth it. So here is the recipe from my friend, Theresa:

Pickled Okra:

1 1/2 pounds of fresh okra (3 1/2 to 4 inches long)
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups water
3 Tbsp kosher salt (Make sure to use canning salt)
1 Tbsp sugar
Pickling spices:

2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Place vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar, reduce heat and keep warm

While the water is heating in step one, prepare the okra and the spices. Rinse the okra and trim the stem ends to 1/4-inch.

Place all pickling spices in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Lay out a clean towel on your counter. Use canning tongs to remove the jars from the boiling water, emptying the water from the jars. Place the hot, sterilized jars on the towel on your counter. Placing the hot jars on a towel will help prevent them from getting shocked by a cold counter surface and potentially cracking. Place a lemon slice at the bottom of each jar. Add a tablespoon of the mixed pickling spices to each jar. Place a peeled garlic clove in each jar.

Pack the okra in the jars, alternating stem-side-up and stem-side-down to allow you to pack the okra well into the jars. The top of the okra should come between an inch to 1/2 an inch from the rim of the jar   This was the first time I've tried my hand at canning anything, and I was please with the results.  

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the jars, up to 1/4-inch from the rim of the jars. Run a thin knife between the okra and the jars to dislodge any obvious air bubbles. Okra is filled with air, so while you run the knife between the okra and the jars, air bubbles will be released from within the okra as well. If the top level of the pickling liquid lowers while you do this, just top off with more of the pickling liquid. If for any reason you don't have enough pickling liquid for all the jars, just add equal amounts of cider vinegar and water. No need to heat first, the liquid will get boiled in the hot water bath.

Place packed jars back in the pot with water you used to sterilize the jars. The water should still be hot. Because you are putting back in full jars, rather than empty jars, some water will be displaced. Allow for 1 to 2 inches of water to cover the jars. Beyond that you may want to remove excess water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remove to towel lined counter or to a rack.  Let cure for a week before opening and eating.

     I had so much fun with the first attempt I quickly began working on pickling the enormous banana peppers Monkey had picked with such gusto.  

Where's the banana in this pepper?

 Pickled Banana Peppers from The Canning Granny

5 cups white vinegar

1 cup water

4 tsp Canning and Pickling salt

4 TBS sugar

2-4 cloves garlic 

2-3 lbs peppers (I used banana with a couple of cayenne for extra spice)

Cut the stems off the peppers, remove seeds (without cutting into the pepper so you can still have pretty rings).  Slice peppers into rings.  

Prepare brine by mixing vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and garlic.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, boil 3-4 pint jars in large canning pot.  Boil lids and rings in a separate, smaller pot.    When ready to use remove the jars from the water, and place on a counter lined with a clean dish towel.  

Pack jars with sliced peppers.  Remove garlic cloves from brine, and pour brine into packed jars.  Slide a thin knife around the edge of jar to remove excess air bubbles.  Make sure you have about 1/2" space between top of jar and liquid level.  Wipe rims.  Screw lids on jars, and place back in large pot you boiled them in.  Return to boil.  Boil 10 minutes.  

After processing, carefully remove from pot and set on towel.  Listen for the "ping" to signal they've sealed.  Check all seals before storing. If any didn't seal, reprocess in boiling water bath.  

Let sit 2 weeks before eating.  

*UPDATE:

Tonight I also made Pickled Jalapeños, using the same recipe, and they are excellent!

     After seeing all the work I was putting into preseving all our extra produce, J has decided that I'd earn my keep in the event of a zombie apocalypse.  Because, you know, I hadn't proved that with my ability to cook things from scratch and run three miles in under 30 minutes.  Good to know he'll keep me around....

Fried Green Tomatoes

     This weekend my baby girl had her first ever dance recital!  I was so excited to see her up there, having a great time with all the little friends she made this year.  She loved it, and she's asked me if she can do dance again next year, and I'm more than happy to oblige her.

My little diva!

      She's so funny.  She goes from ^ (diva, prissy, sassy, and little Miss Thing) to down-in-the-dirt tomboy who can hold her own against any little boy out there.  I love her versatility.  It must be her southern raisin'.

     Speaking of Southern raisin', any true Southerner should be familiar with the recipe I'm about to share.  A few weeks ago when we went up to the Pick-Your-Own farm up in Lucedale, we came back with a basket full of yummy tomatoes, both red and green, and I knew just what I wanted to do with the green ones.

Make Fried Green Tomatoes, of course!  The recipe I'm about to share is from All Recipes, and it's a pretty good one, but depending on the size of your tomatoes, you may need to double the amount of batter required.

4 green tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
oil for frying

Slice tomatoes 1/2" thick; discard the ends.  Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium sized bowl. Pour flour into a shallow dish.  Mix corn meal, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in another shallow dish.  Dip the tomatoes in the flour, then in the egg mixture, then in the corn meal mix.  Meanwhile, pour about 1/2" oil into a large pan, and heat.    Fry tomatoes in batches of 4-5 (depending on size) about 4 minutes per side, or until browned on each side.  Enjoy!




     This next recipe I had never heard of, but I'm glad I gave it a try.  It's for Green Tomato Bread, which, according to the original poster, tastes like Zucchini Bread.  Having never tried Zucchini Bread, I'll just take her word for it.  I do know that it's really yummy, and you don't even taste the actual tomato in it.  It just tastes like cinnamon.  So here's the recipe:

Green Tomato Bread
from All-Recipes

2 cups finely diced green tomatoes
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 2- 9x5" loaf pans.  Mix tomatoes, sugar, walnuts, oil, eggs, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl.  Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder together in a separate bowl.  Combine flour mixture with tomato mixture.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.  Bake about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes away clean.  Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes.  Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.  Enjoy!

From Toddler to Teenager

     I have finally come to terms with the fact that my baby girl is no longer a baby, but I didn't think she would skip straight from toddler to teenager.  That little Monkey has the wit and attitude to try a saint.  Last night for example, my little brother and I were watching a movie after Monkey had gone to bed, or that's where she was supposed to be at any rate.  Then I saw a little head poke out behind the staircase.  I told her to get back in her bed.  She giggled and obeyed.  Then she came back downstairs.  I told her to go to bed again.  She bargained and argued, and I finally told her if she came off those stairs again she'd be in trouble.  She listened.  Sort of.  After our movie was over we were headed upstairs to bed only to find Monkey camped out on the stairs with her blanket and pillow, fast asleep.  She listened to her mommy and didn't come off the stairs again, but that's not exactly what I had in mind.

     In addition to being pretty good at finding the loophole in just about anything, she's also got a pretty sharp tongue in her head.  The other day we were coming through the gate on base, and we stopped at the ID checkpoint.  When the guard stuck his head in the car to check the backseat, Monkey hollers, "Hey old man would you quit looking at me?"  Thank goodness he was old and hard of hearing.  That child is going to get me in trouble one of these days.

     Besides keeping the inevitable grey hairs at bay, I've also been enjoying my down time.  It will be ending all too soon, as school starts up again next week.  In the meantime, though, I did manage to squeeze in a visit to my hometown to see family.  I had a great trip, and it was long overdue.  I missed my kitchen, though.  Since we came home Sunday I've been cooking like crazy, and I have an excuse because my little brother is staying with us.  And of course, I have to share :-)

    First up is a new favorite pasta from Quick From Scratch Pasta Cookbook, which is quickly becoming my go-to for recipes.

Ziti with Honey Mustard Salmon

You'll need:
1 lb salmon fillet
1 TBS honey
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp grainy or Dijon mustard
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 lb ziti

     Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly oil a small roasting pan.  Put salmon in the pan, skin side down.  Spread honey over the salmon, and then sprinkle 1/4 tsp pepper over the salmon.  Roast until just barely done, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.  Remove from oven.
     In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until about 1 TBS remains, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in the mustard, cream, salt, and the remaining 1/4 tsp pepper.  Turn off heat.  Flake the salmon and stir it and the parsley into the sauce.
     Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes.  Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.

Enjoy!

  Since I've been a slacker and have only blogged twice this month I'll share a few more things.  We've been hunting blackberries just about every night for the past couple of weeks.  They're everywhere on base!

      These are perfect for Monkey's afternoon snack and J's morning yogurt, plus I can freeze what we don't eat for later.  Not to mention they're free!  And I can use them as substitutes in a few baking recipes like this one:

Blackberry Yogurt Cake

 You'll need:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 TBS lemon juice, divided
Zest of one lemon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz Greek yogurt, plain
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup powdered sugar

     Preheat oven to 375.  Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan, set aside.  Sift together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix in lemon zest, set aside.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in 1 TBS lemon juice.  Alternate beating in the flour mixture and yogurt, mixing until just incorporated.  Toss the blackberries with remaining flour.  Mix them into the batter gently.  Pour batter into Bundt pan, and place in the oven.  Reduce temperature to 325.  Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool 20 minutes in the pan.  Then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.  Once cooled whisk together remaining lemon juice and powdered sugar and drizzle over the top.

    This is a recipe I've adapted from A Spicy Perspective, and it was delicious!  This cake seriously lasted one day in our house.  I kept having to swat J away from the kitchen.  Enjoy!

Rainy Day Donuts

     It's a rainy day here in South Mississippi, which means we are stuck inside when I was planning to bring Monkey to the pool.  Oh well, I guess that's what I get for not checking the weather.  Instead we improvised by making a fort in the living room where my little Monkey is currently enjoying a batch of homemade donuts.  I've been saying all week that I wanted to try this recipe for homemade donuts, but I've been indulging in the late mornings, so the donuts kept getting pushed off until tomorrow.  Finally last night, Monkey told me, "Mommy, you need to make me donuts for breakfast this weekend."  "This weekend" is her new catch-all phrase that means anything from "tomorrow" to "now".  I took it to mean "in the morning", and I agreed to wake up early to make them for her.
     The plan was to get up at 6 am when my hubby gets up for work.  That didn't happen since I stayed up all night reading "The Blindside".  Instead I woke up at 8 to a medley of thunder and trumpets blaring the Star Spangled Banner (courtesy of living on a military base) and realize this was going to  end up being a donut brunch.  They were worth the wait, though, and they really weren't hard to make.  It was just a lot of waiting for the dough to rise.  

Here's what you'll need:

For the Dough

3/4 cups Warm Milk

1 packet Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 TBS Unsalted Butter

1/3 cup Sugar

1 Egg

2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour

Pinch of Nutmeg

½ tsp Salt

For the Glaze

* Enough to glaze all the doughnuts

¼ cup Milk

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 cups Confectioners Sugar

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

*Enough to cover all of the doughnuts

½ cup Unsalted Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 TBS Cinnamon

To make the dough:

Place ¼ cups of the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast over the milk.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of milk with the sugar and butter.  Add it to the yeast mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg and stir until incorporated.  Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and stir until the dough starts to form.  Change to the dough hook and knead for until the dough starts to become smooth.  If the dough is too sticky, slowly add more flour until it is no longer sticky. 

Transfer to the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and has formed a ball.  Place the dough ball in a large lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until ½ thick.  Using a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 2 biscuit cutters – 1 that is about 3 inches, and the other that is about 2 inches for the inner circle) cut out the doughnuts until you have no dough left.  Gather up the scraps and roll out again.  Cut out the doughnuts again until there's no dough left. (Just remember, the more you gather up the scraps and roll them out again, the tougher the dough will get.)

Place the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart.  Cover with a clean towel and let sit for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. 

Place the baking sheets in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Be careful to not overbake; you want them to be light and doughy inside.  Let cool for about 5 minutes until ready to top with either the glaze or cinnamon sugar topping.

While the doughnuts are cooling make the glaze and/or cinnamon sugar glaze.  Each recipe makes enough to cover all the doughnuts.  I made a half recipe of each and topped half of the doughnuts with each topping.  Or you can choose to just do one of topping for all the doughnuts. (I suggest making the cinnamon sugar topping while the donuts are baking and making the glaze while they're cooling because the glaze harden quickly.)

To make the glaze:

Combine the milk and the vanilla in a small saucepan.  Heat over low heat until just warmed.  Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Remove the glaze from the heat and place over a bowl of warm water.

To glaze the doughnuts, dip them halfway into the glaze and place on a draining/cooling rack set over a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sprinkles if desired.  Let set for about 10 minutes.

To make the cinnamon sugar topping:

Melt the butter, and place in a small bowl.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a separate medium sized bowl. 

To top the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, dip the halfway into the melted butter.  Then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Set on a draining/cooling rack to set, about 5 minutes.

      
     Monkey and J devoured these so quickly I had to steal J's plate in order to get a picture.  Monkey hid in her fort with her donuts, and at first refused to let me take her picture.  We both knew she's too much of a ham in order for that to last long, though.

"My donut!"