Salted Caramel Ice Cream

May 15, 2012 By 5 Comments

Let me tell you a story about how Salted Caramel Ice Cream changed my life.

When Husband and I went to San Francisco one of the places that we knew we had to visit was Bi-Rite Creamery. If you’ve never been or heard of Bi-Rite, then I can only assume you’ve been living under a rock or you are a monk or live on the top of a very high mountain.

Anyway, we went to Bi-Rite whilst in San Francisco and it was a game changer. We all know that everyone has become obsessed with Salted Caramel ANYTHING. Let-Me-Tell-You, Bi-Rite made Salted Caramel cool before it was cool. They knew it was going to be a big thing, and they were making it for years. They knew it was amazing before anyone else did.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, while I was at Barnes & Noble one day waiting to get my Nook replaced, I spotted this:

My eyes glazed over and I might have done a happy dance or five. I immediately picked it up and well WHATTYAKNOW:

Seeing this made me VERY happy. My Husband walked in a few minutes later and I proclaimed “I am getting this cookbook and there is NOTHING you can do about it.”

He might have looked at me like I had five heads.

So of COURSE the first recipe I made was Salted Caramel. In their recipe they use the dry method of making caramel, basically it means that there is no water involved in the caramel making. This could be scary for some people, but it’ll work itself out in the end. This ice cream will NOT freeze like a traditional ice cream, which is why in most of these pictures the ice cream is practically melted. It reminded me of custard (it does have 5 egg yolks after all…) and the high salt content prevents it from solidifying into a hard ice cream. But it’s still delicious and amazing and you will want to make this ALL.THE.TIME.

Print
Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup 2% milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 5 large egg yolks

Instructions

  1. Measure out 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside. Place the heavy cream next to the stove. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat place 2 tbsp into the pan. When the sugar is melted around the edges and starts to turn amber, stir the mixture gently and add another 2 tbsp sugar to the pan.
  2. Continue to add what remains of the 1/2 cup of sugar 2 tbsp as a time, stirring frequently and allowing most of the sugar to melt before adding more.
  3. When the caramel becomes the color of dark mahogany, remove the pan from the heat and immediately but slowing add in the cream. Gently stir to completely blend the cream into the caramel. If you have lumps of hardened caramel in your pan (I did, don't freak out like I did!) just place over low heat and stir until the caramel is all melted.
  4. Once the caramel is smooth, stir in the milk along with the salt and place pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
  5. In another medium heatproof bowl, which the yolks to break them up and then add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
  6. While whisking the egg yolks constantly, slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the yolks. Once it has been fully incorporated, add another 1/2 of the hot cream. Add the cream/egg mixture back into the pan.
  7. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula.
  8. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer. Set the container in an ice-water bath and stir occasionally until the mixture is cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  9. Once the base is completely chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the mixture into the freezer for a few hours if you want your ice cream to be a little firmer.
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Recipe from: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones


Filed Under: Dessert, Ice Cream Tagged With: , , ,

Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 7, 2012 By 7 Comments

It feels good to blog again. What I mean by that is that it feels good to talk about food and baking and cooking and eating. It feels good to bake and cook, to set up my shoot, take pictures, edit them, and write a post about it. I’ve been so consumed with life; becoming a marathoner, finishing up my second semester of grad school (only FOUR MORE SEMESTERS TO GO), that food blogging has gone by the wayside. And that makes me sad.

What doesn’t make me sad, are these chocolate chip cookies. I’ve never really baked with solid vegetable shortening, and you know what, I think we are going to have quite the relationship, vegetable shortening and I. Because my husband declared these the best chocolate chip cookies he’s ever had. And that’s saying something. I made these cookies to bring to work to raise some money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I made almost $50. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

If you like soft and chewy cookies, that melt in your mouth, then I would suggest making a very large batch of these babies. My husband just asked me when I plan on making these again. I looked at him like he was crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I’ve decided that I want to run another marathon. Like, for realz. I told my husband and he looked at me like I had four heads. I don’t plan on running until 2013, and it won’t be Boston. I’m thinking either Chicago, NYC, or the Nike Women’s Marathon in SF. Runners, feel free to help me decide ;)

But for now, I will be content with running a 10K (signed up for the BAA 10K on June 24!) and maybe a half marathon or two. I think running the marathon has really made me realize how much I enjoy running.

Now go eat some cookies.

Print
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set oven rack to middle position.
  2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
  3. Beat butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium-high speed until creamy, scraping down bowl once during mixing.
  4. Add vanilla and egg and continue to mix.
  5. Reduce mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture until dough forms. Add the chocolate chips using a spatula.
  6. Drop dough in rounded tablespoons about 2" apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
  7. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are browned on edges.
  8. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing them. Cool completely on wire cooling rack.
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Recipe from: Baking Basics and Beyond


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It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye

April 30, 2012 By 16 Comments

Losing a family member or a friend is always hard. It’s even harder when it’s unexpected. About 3 weeks ago, my husband lost his grandfather. It was sad, but expected, as his health was declining.

Yesterday, one of my closest friends passed away. It was completely, utterly unexpected. I was in shock, still in shock actually, and I’m still in such huge denial that I think at any moment he’s going to pop up on Facebook and say, JUST KIDDING.

He was the type of person that lit up the room, could always come up with some crazy thing that happened to him, that you wouldn’t think was actually possible for a person to have done to them, but we would all just shake our head and say “Oh Marc”

He was one of the nicest, most selfless people I’ve ever met in my life. He would do anything for the people he loved. He was my savior during my entire wedding weekend, effectively taking control of every little thing that could and did go wrong. He made sure I was happy, he made sure I got anything and everything I needed. He even bought three different pairs of flip flops for me to wear because he didn’t know which I would like more.

He was so honored when I asked him to do a reading for our wedding. He kept saying over and over again how lucky he was to be a part of our day. No, my friend, WE were so lucky. He couldn’t stop talking about our wedding for WEEKS. He would tell me little stories about the whole weekend, and every time he did, I would laugh and smile.

Even though I didn’t talk to him every day (something that I regret so much now), the moment we saw each other he would envelop me in one of his amazing bear hugs. He gave the very very best hugs. We would talk and laugh. He had the most amazing laugh. We would talk for hours and hours about everything.

The last time I saw him was the day of the Boston Marathon. He met me and my family at the Park Plaza Hotel where we all had dinner and talked, laughed and he kept telling me how proud he was of me and that I was crazy. I got one last bear hug and a kiss. I told him “See you soon!” Soon wouldn’t come soon enough.

It’s hard to think I will never see his smiling face. It’s hard to think that I won’t read one of his wacky Facebook status updates. That I won’t get a hug or a kiss from him. That I won’t see a ridiculous picture of him posted on Facebook. It hasn’t really hit me, and probably won’t until the funeral. Probably even past that. I imagine months from now I will wonder why he hasn’t posted anything in so long, and I will remember. I will probably cry, by I will find solace and joy in all the amazing memories that I was able to have with him.

Every time I trip, I will think of him.

Every time I visit Provincetown, which was one of his very favorite places to be in the world, I will think of him.

Every time I walk through Southie, where he lived, I will think of him.

Every time I feel like I need a pick-me-up or a laugh, I will check a message he sent me, or a picture of the two of us, or read about one of his crazy statuses.

It’s times like these when you have to look at yourself and the ones that you love and know that time is limited. I have to believe that I will see Marc again beyond this life. But I also have to believe that he would not want me to mourn him forever. That I should find the love and laughter that he has out there waiting for me, and for all those people that loved him.

I love you Marc, and I will miss you so much.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: ,

Brunching at Area Four

April 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

I don’t get to Kendall Square very often. It’s sad, because it’s not even that annoying for me to get to. Just hop on the 86, get off at Harvard Sq, take 2 stops on the Red Line and BAM, you’re there!

So when I had the opportunity to go out to brunch with my hubby and best friend at Area Four, to say I was excited would be fairly accurate.

I like menus that are simple and straight to the point. Large menus overwhelm me. Everything on the brunch menu sounded magnificent. Husband tried to convince himself that he could have the Biscuit & Sausage Gravy AND the Brioche French Toast or the Breakfast Sandwich. I told him he was an idiot (I’m paraphrasing here)

The coffee here is excellent. I managed to grab a sip of the husband’s coffee and it was pretty amazing. So was this mocha. I thought the presentation in the glass was a cute touch. It was also the right combination of froth and mocha. Yum.

In order to satisfy my husband’s appetite without him having a stomach ache afterwards, we decided to split the basket of goodies. Included in this particular batch was a moist slice of banana bread, an extra buttery croissant, and a breakfast scone, served with some extra cold butter. I think the only thing that this basket was missing was jam. But the pastries were amazing.

I went with the breakfast sandwich. Let me tell you, this is no Egg McMuffin. No siree. Homemade English muffin. Sweet breakfast sausage. Egg frittata, and smoky cheddar. Explosions were happening in my mouth. I had already eaten the whole thing before I thought to let my husband try a bite. Whoops. I liked that it didn’t come with anything else, no home fries, nothing. It didn’t need it.

Hubs went with the biscuit and sausage gravy, with an over easy egg on top. Creamy, meaty, and buttery is how I explain this meal. It was served in this ADORABLE cast iron loaf pan.

My BFF got the Brioche french toast with a bananas foster compote, candied nuts and Chantilly Creme Fraiche. It was seriously delicious. The candied nuts were probably my favorite part.

Since brunching at Area Four I’ve been back for dinner. Their pizzas are fantastic, as they use a 10 year old sourdough starter! The same goes for their desserts, they have a rotating sundae and pie that’s available as well as some other delectable treats. If you haven’t been to Area Four yet, you need to get off your butt and get going!

Area Four on Urbanspoon

 


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2012 Boston Marathon Recap

April 22, 2012 By 11 Comments

The 2012 Boston Marathon was a day for the record books. It was the second warmest Boston Marathon. The first was in 1976 and it reached 96 degrees!

Marathon Monday started at 5:30AM. I suited up and was in Boston Common by 7ish and was greeted by this:

There were A LOT of people waiting for the bus. If I wasn’t already anxious enough, I definitely was now!

I was finally able to board one of the buses in what would be one of the longest hours of my life. I spent half the time staring out the window or with my head on the seat in front of me. Not to mention I had to use the bathroom!

We finally made it to Athlete’s Village. The buses dropped us of waaaaaaaaaaaay far away, so we had to walk a bit. It was already hot. I decided to skip most of Athlete’s Village since a lovely family donated their house to the entire Team in Training crew.

By the time I got there people were already lining up at the start line. And I was getting nervous!

Luckily I wasn’t nervous enough to smile!

After forcing down my second breakfast (bagel and peanut butter) and applying liberal amounts of suntan lotion and body glide, it was time to head to the start line! I didn’t take my phone with me, so no pictures sadly :(

The walk to the start line felt like a death march! It was slow, my stomach was in knots, and I was already sweating. This was going to be a VERY long marathon. But then I saw my good friend Mariah and she reminded me WHY I was running, and I felt great!

Pretty soon I was crossing the start line! My initial plan was to walk every water stop and run in between. The first 6-8 miles completely FLEW by! I felt great, and was making a good time.

It was right around the halfway mark where I started to hit the wall. I was constantly soaked through, from tossing water on myself, to sweating, to running through hoses of water (GOD BLESS ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT SPRAYED ME WITH WATER). I was also getting sick of Gatorade. At one point, I had too much and actually threw some of it up. Ugh. Not good.

I started walking more in between the water stops because the heat was just too much. I was also getting paranoid because I saw A LOT of people on the sidelines, and EMTs running to get to them. Eeeeek!

Here I am around Natick Center. I’m looking a little hot….can’t you tell?

It wasn’t until mile 17 (Newton Firehouse) that I saw my friend Jenn and her husband. It was like CHRISTMAS!!! It gave me the energy to tackle those hills. I saw another friend of mine at the top of Heartbreak and was surprised she was willing to give me a hug!

Around that point I met up with one of my coaches who ran with me until I got to my apartment at Mile 22. There a few friends from my karate dojo were waiting for me with pretzels and water. Love them!

Finally, I got down to Cleveland Circle. At soon as I saw my husband, I burst into tears. At this point I was exhausted, hot, feeling gross, and I never wanted to run again. I may have told my husband to divorce me if I ever did something this crazy ever again.

But I knew that I needed to keep going. I gratefully ate some oranges that my mother-in-law got for me, and tied on the homemade ice pack my Mom made (a godsend really) and told them to meet me at the finish line!

I alternated walking and running while I was on Beacon St. At the St. Mary’s street stop one of my friends screamed my name. I noticed she was walking barefoot and laughed. She ran with me down the block and I ran into my friend Rachel who was also running the Marathon. I walked a little with her but when I saw mile 25 I knew I needed to run and not stop until I got to that damn finish line.

At the underpass at Mass Ave I ran into my other coach who ran with me until Hereford St, where she left me saying “Congratulations marathoner” To say this made me cry was an understatement.

Boylston St was magical. I could FEEL the energy radiating from everyone, even though the Elite runners had crossed the finish line FOUR hours ago. But I kept on truckin down Boylston St. I saw my friends Kathy, Lena & Taryn and as I saw the finish line I ran as fast as my legs could take me.

I whipped off my homemade ice pack and swung it around as I crossed the finish line. I may have jumped. I remember the announcer saying that I had pizzazz. I’m surprised I had anything after that.

My official time was 6:29:02. Pretty terrible, all things considered. But when I look back on it, I realized that I had just ran 26.2 miles in the second hottest Boston Marathon. At no point did I need medical assistance, and I didn’t need it afterwards. A few of my teammates ended up in the hospital afterwards. So, I take that in stride.

Do I look a little glassy eyed? That’s because I’m still processing the fact that I had just become a BOSTON MARATHONER. I had accomplished a life long dream/goal to run the Boston Marathon. I gripped that mylar cape like there was no tomorrow.

I was also happy I didn’t have to run anymore and that I could sit down.

A few days later and I celebrated with some friends by taking a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery and grabbing a cool 26.2 Sam Adams mug.

It’s almost a week later and I’ve already gotten a slew of “Are you going to do it again?” If you had asked me at mile 23, I would have told no way in hell. But now, I’m not so sure. I really want to improve my current marathon time, in more ideal conditions. I probably won’t run in 2013, but 2014 Boston Marathon isn’t out of the question. I know I wouldn’t hesitate to join the Team in Training crew again. I think training and running the Boston Marathon has actually gotten me to truly enjoy running (I actually miss not running right now….weird right?) and I want to be able to improve my time and become a faster runner. Who knows, maybe I will actually try to qualify some day (hahahahahahahahahahahahah, oh boy)

Me the day after the Marathon, in my finisher's jersey. Do I look tired or what?

All I know is that I can now LOUD AND PROUDLY call myself a MARATHONER. Hellz to the yeah!

Quick Note: Even though the Boston Marathon is OVER, there is still PLENTY of time for you to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society especially if you haven’t yet! Click on the sidebar on the right to make a donation!


Filed Under: Life, Marathon Training Tagged With: , , ,

Finish Line or Bust

April 15, 2012 By 6 Comments

 

It’s gonna be a hot one folks. The B.A.A. sent an e-mail to all runners yesterday that due to the weather, they are letting people defer to the 2013 Boston Marathon. The first thing I thought when I read that was, there is no way in HELL I would ever do that. I’ve worked way too damn hard to get to this point. A little heat isn’t going to stop me. It’s just going to make me look even more bad ass when I cross the finish line.

On Friday I went to the expo at the Seaport World Trade Center. It’s was amazing and overwhelming all at the same time.

I made a total bee line to the number pickup area and got my number! As well as all the other goodies that came with it including my finisher’s shirt:

I can’t wait to be able to wear this on Thursday!

I also got this pretty little thing:


Pretty sure I will be wearing this for the next 3 months.

Tomorrow is not going to be easy. I knew from the start that it wouldn’t be. The fact that it’s going to be HOT AS BLAZES is going to make it even harder. But it’ll be that much sweeter when I cross the finish line. If the crowds can’t get me hyped up, then all I have to think about is WHO I’m running for.

For mile 1-25 you should know by now who I’m running the distance for:

 

One of my Team in Training teammates wrote an awesome post on our Facebook page. I had gone back and forth as to whether I wanted to listen to music during the Marathon, but decided that if I REALLY wanted to experience it, then music was out of the question. However, my teammate said that our singlet that we are wearing is actually an IPod and that it’ll be playing whatever song we want. I know that MY shirt will be singing “You are my Sunshine” because that was Nicholas’ favorite song to sing. It’ll also be playing “You’ll be in my Heart” which my camp FAmily knows that is the song that plays during our slideshow at the end of camp and makes me cry EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

Mile 26 is dedicated to this fiery girl:

Her name is Jordan and she also has the same disease as Nicholas, Fanconi Anemia. She’s going to be going through one of the most challenging times in her life, she’s going to be getting a bone marrow transplant at the end of the month. Tonight they are holding a fundraiser for her and her family so they can make the trip to NYC. I can’t be there for obvious reasons, so I’ve decided that Mile 26 is going to be dedicated to Jordan and her mom Doreen. They are two of the strongest people I know, and I KNOW that they can get through anything.

Finally, that last .2 miles? Well, that is ALL FOR ME. As soon as I make that last turn onto Boylston St, nothing but crossing that finish line and basking in the fact that HOLY CRAP I JUST RAN THE BOSTON MARATHON.

A year ago, I made a promise to myself that I would do whatever it takes to run the 2012 Boston Marathon. Well, less than 24 hours to the 2012 Boston Marathon, I’ve kept that promise. And a little heat isn’t going to stop it now.

And it doesn’t end with the Marathon. I STILL need your help to raise money for the fantastic Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you haven’t made a donation to my page, please do so HERE. If you want to help raise money and eat some delicious pizza all at the same time, then order from Naked Pizza using the code “AmandaRuns4LLS” to get 10% of your bill donated to my fundraising efforts.

See you at the finish line!

Filed Under: Life, Marathon Training Tagged With: ,

Is Anyone Still Here?

April 1, 2012 By 2 Comments

::waves frantically::

Anyone still reading out here in the interwebs??????????

I can’t believe it’s been almost a MONTH since my last post. I think life has gotten the better of me. Indeed the one million items on my to do list have consumed my life and left this little blog on the wayside. I apologize! But I promise I haven’t been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. So even though I don’t have a recipe for you, I wanted to share some things about my life at this point.

School/Work

Right now I’m rapidly approaching the end of my second semester of grad school. This is how I’m currently feeling about this semester.

There is still a few more weeks left of the semester and I am counting down the days until I have a month where I do not need to think of soon. May, where are you?????????

I’m also interviewing for my student teaching position for the fall. I’ve gone to 2 schools so far, liked 1 of them, and have 2 more to visit. Two of the said schools are located about a 10 minute bike ride from my apartment. This is much better than the hour to hour and a half it takes me to get to my current job. Though the thought of trying to live on a stipend of not-very-much-money gives me heart palpitations.

Marathon Training

Last Saturday was our team’s 20 mile run. We ran the first 20 miles of the marathon route which was pretty exciting. The first thing I noticed when we got to the starting line was:

“How the hell do they get ALL those runners to the starting line?!?!?! It looks a lot wider on TV”

I wish I could have taken a picture of the starting line, but I was really surprised at how SMALL the road was. We were told to start out slow, especially since the first 4 miles are pretty much downhill. I would say small rolling hills, but yeah, downhill is about right.

I managed to finish in just about 4 hours, which is exactly what I wanted. I walked a little more than I wanted to, so hopefully come Marathon Monday I won’t walk as much.

We FINALLY begin our taper this weekend with 12 miles. If you were to tell me this time last year that I would think 12 miles would be considered an easy run, I would have laughed quite loudly in your face. But now I look at 12 miles and I think, no problem!

Fundraising Update

Currently I’ve raised $1,921.20. That means I still have to raise $2078.80 to reach my fundraising goal of $4,000. I wanted to let you all know of TWO events that are happening.

The first event that I am hosting is at the Lansdowne Pub located across from Fenway Park. On 4/6, from 7:30PM-10:30PM there will be food, music, and raffle prizes, with 100% of the proceeds going to my Team in Training fundraising efforts. If you buy your tickets ahead of time they are $15.00 which includes your first 10 raffle tickets. If you prefer, you can buy your tickets at the door for $20.00. So far we’ve got some Red Sox tickets to give away, a couple of restaurant gift certificates, and much more.

I hope you can make it!

Next, how many of you have tried Naked Pizza? I personally LOVE them and they have become my go to pizza place. Healthy and fresh ingredients are where it’s at with Naked Pizza.

From NOW until the Boston Marathon, if you call in or order online using the code “AmandaRuns4LLS” you will NOT only get 10% off your entire order but 10% of your entire order will go to my Team in Training fundraising efforts!

I’m also planning on having a celebratory pizza party after the Marathon, so stay tuned for that!!

If you are NOT in the Boston area and cannot participate in either of these events, I hope you will consider making a donation through my page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston12/alaskowski#My-Fundraising-Page

Food

Yes, this is still a food blog. I’m going to be honest, I haven’t been cooking or baking enough to take pictures and be able to post anything lately. But I have a few cookbooks that I am in the process of reviewing that I am already excited about them and can’t wait to share! I’ve also tried a few new restaurants (to me!) that I am also excited to share with you.

Hopefully my life will be a little less crazy and I’ll be able to focus more on this blog so PLEASE DON’T LEAVE. I promise you won’t regret it ;)

Filed Under: Life, Marathon Training Tagged With: , , , ,

Chocolate Pudding Cake

March 5, 2012 By 8 Comments

 

It was Saturday afternoonish. I was on my computer, probably either on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google Reader when I just got the greatest impulse to BAKE. More specifically, bake something with CHOCOLATE and have some kind of PUDDING involved.

I don’t know what my mind was trying to tell me. Maybe it was because I had the worst day ever at work on Friday. Like wanted-to-punch-walls-tear-my-eyes-out-scream-kick-and-drink-heavily kind of days. It was bad. Saturday was turning into a FAIL because I woke up with a stomach ache and couldn’t go to practice with Team in Training so I was feeling pretty miserable.

So I think the sudden urge to bake and bake something with chocolate can only be called divine intervention. I quickly scanned some of my trusty baking books and stumbled upon this recipe for Chocolate Pudding Cake from Baking Illustrated
.

 

I’m pretty sure this cake could probably save the world because it certainly saved my day. This cake is good both warm and cold, because as it chills the “pudding” part solidifies slightly. Served warm, the “pudding” took on a hot fudge quality.

The only thing missing was some vanilla ice cream. But that didn’t stop me from having a gigantic slice.

Print
Chocolate Pudding Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • 1.5 cup water
  • 2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup 1% milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg yolk

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and pre-heat to 325 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Stir the instant coffee into the water and set aside to dissolve.
  3. Stir 1/3 cup cocoa, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl, making sure to break up any clumps.
  4. In another small bowl, combine 1/3 cup remaining cocoa, butter, and semisweet chocolate. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and whisk until smooth.
  5. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar with the vanilla, milk and salt. Whisk in the yolk. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add the flour and baking powder and whisk until the batter is moistened.
  6. Pour the batter into the baking dish, making sure to spread evenly. Sprinkle the cocoa mixture over the batter, making sure to cover all parts of the dish. Slowly pour the coffee mixture over the batter and cocoa mixture.
  7. Bake until the cake is puffed and bubbling, and just beginning to pull away from the sides, 35-45 minutes.
  8. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes before serving.
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Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

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Marathon Training Update

February 29, 2012 By 5 Comments

 

Welp, it’s official. I even got the hard copy version confirming my acceptance into the 116th Boston Marathon.

Can you spell, C-R-A-Z-Y?!?!

I’ve been trying to put all this marathon training into perspective. I’ve come a long way since I seriously started running.

My first half-marathon was the B.A.A. Half Marathon that took place in October of 2010. I ran it with my husband’s aunt and I did pretty well for my first half. I finished just around 2:15ish.

The problem was, I couldn’t move afterwards. My husband and Dad literally had to carry me to the car, I was in so much pain. More precisely, my left knee and right ankle were killing me. Which sucks, because I wasn’t able to put pressure on EITHER leg.

Needless to say I spent the rest of the day on the couch telling myself that running is stupid.

My second half marathon was the Run to Remember in May of 2011. This time I was a lot slower, due to poor training and just not having my head in the game. I think I finished in like an abysmal 2:35 or something. I could walk, but I was still in a lot of pain.

My third half was again the B.A.A. Half Marathon. I trained better, but unfortunately did not reach my goal of breaking 2 hours, instead my time was around 2:22. Meh. However, I had horrible pains in my hips afterwards. Talk about making yourself feel OLD

At this point I was pretty much done with running for a while. And then I got the magical call that changed my running career forever.

This past week we did 17 miles. This is the furthest I’ve ever done. And while I’m still slow as hell (I finished around 3:10) I felt fantastic. Why? I wasn’t in PAIN. My knees were great, my ankles felt fine, my hips were sore, but it was nothing a good ice bath wouldn’t solve (ice baths have since become my BEST.FRIEND).

After running those 17 miles I truly believed I could run this marathon and run it well. Honestly, up until then I was in constant fear that my legs were going to give out on me, that I just wasn’t capable of running a marathon. After that 17 miles I thought, only 9 more miles to go, I can TOTALLY do this.

It’s kind of mind blowing.

Honestly, I think the reason why I’m able to do this is because of Crossfit. I’ve been doing Crossfit for a few months now, and I know for damn sure that I wouldn’t be able to run like I run now if it wasn’t for Crossfit. All of our coaches tell us the importance of cross training, and when I talked to one of my coaches about some of the issues I was having, she asked me what I was doing for cross training. When I replied “Crossfit”, she told me the greatest news I’ve heard ever.

“Oh well, then knock off a day of running.”

“Wait, you mean I only have to run TWO days a week!?!? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?!?!”

That is the magic of Crossfit. It might sound like I’ve drank the koolaid, but I’ve felt stronger and while not necessarily felt faster (yet!) I know my endurance has gone way up, and my pain levels have gone way down. And it’s nice not having to feel guilty about not getting as much running in as I (think) I should.

So now at this point we are 46 days away from me crossing the finish line of the greatest marathon in the world. And now I can honestly say that I.Am.Ready!

But still bring the tissues….because I’m pretty sure I’m going to burst out crying the second I cross the finish line. But it’ll all be worth it. Especially when I get to wear this bad ass jacket.

Filed Under: Marathon Training Tagged With: , ,

Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

February 24, 2012 By 2 Comments

Growing up, my family had a running joke when it came to my Mom’s birthday.

For as long as I could remember, my Mom always requested an ice cream cake for her birthday. For some reason, my Dad would always forget. Every.Year. My Mom would always tease him about it and he would promise to give her one the following year.

Finally, one year, I think it was while I was a teenager, my Dad FINALLY surprised my mom with an ice cream cake. Shocked was one word my Mom was.

So, a new tradition was born. Suddenly my Mom was getting her ice cream birthday cake every year.

This year, I decided to tackle my own version of an ice cream cake. I was surprised how easy it turned out! It took about 2 days to get everything together. This time around I did one layer of ice cream and one layer of cake, mainly because I was too lazy to wash my ice cream maker and refreeze it, but eventually I would like to tackle a double layer ice cream cake.

My Mom loved it to say the least! And the funniest part of it all? My Dad (who didn’t know I was making a birthday cake!) bought her an ice cream cake. So clearly we’ve come full circle. From no ice cream birthday cakes to two birthday cakes!

My Mom’s birthday was a few days ago and I feel rather lazy for not getting it up on her actual birthday (who would have thought that being on vacation would take up all my time?????) but better late than never.

Print
Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

    For the ice cream:
  • 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2&2/3 cup half and half
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
    • For the cake:
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • grated zest of 1 orange
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    • For the frosting:
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • pinch salt
  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

    For the ice cream:
  1. Puree the peanut butter, sugar, half and half, salt and vanilla in a blender and process until smooth (I do NOT recommend a food processor...unless you want liquid, EVERYWHERE)
  2. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator and then freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. If you plan on using it for the cake, make sure it has been frozen for at least 12 hours. I put mine in a round tupperware container lined with aluminum foil for easy removal.
    3. For the cake:
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" cake pan.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine bananas, and both sugars on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, gradually add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and orange zest. Mix until smooth.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  6. With the mixer still on low, gradually add the dry ingredients until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and using a spatula mix until smooth.
  7. Pour into the greased pan and smooth with a spatula. Bang it on the counter top 2-3 times to flatten it further. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle is clean.
  8. Cool the cake overnight before assembling cake.
    9. For the frosting:
  9. Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set bowl over saucepan filled with 1" of barely simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until foamy and registers 150 degrees, about 2-3 minutes.
  10. Remove from saucepan and beat with a hand mixer (you can alternately use a stand mixer) on high until the consistency of shaving cream.
  11. Gradually add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy.
  12. Finally, add the chocolate and vanilla and mix on high until combined.
    13. To assemble cake:
  13. Since I made a smaller cake, I used the tupperware container that the ice cream was in to measure and cut my cake. Laying it on my platter, I put the cake layer on the bottom and put a small layer of chocolate frosting.
  14. Then comes the ice cream layer. My ice cream was starting to melt, so you may need to work fast. Plop as much of the frosting on the top and smooth it out. Work fast to plug and holes or leaks that the ice cream causes. I promise, one the frosting is on the ice cream, it'll be fine.
  15. Once you've frosted your cake, place it in your freezer for at least 4-6 hours before serving.
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http://www.kitchenmisfit.com/2012/02/peanut-butter-banana-chocolate-ice-cream-cake/

Frosting recipe from: The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook
Cake recipe from: Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?
Ice Cream recipe from: The Perfect Scoop


Filed Under: Baking, Cake, Dessert, Ice Cream Tagged With: , , , , ,
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