Coffee Cake

February 7, 2010 – 8:34 am

I’m thinking of whipping up some coffee cake this morning.

I’ll use an old family recipe that I can’t share but click here for lots of recipes you too can use.

I’ll halve the recipe because I’m watching my weight and don’t want such a large pan of sweets around the house.  I’ll also press some chunky stewed apples into the top for a bite of fruit.  And instead of the crumb topping, I’ll use the hot buttered rum mix from yesterday and make a streusel topping by adding oats and flour.

It time for me to stop talking about I what I will do and to just do it.  Pictures will follow.

By Donna | Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Hot Buttered Rum

February 6, 2010 – 3:23 pm

Fix a mug of this to warm those coming in from Snowmageddon.

Cream together 1 stick unsalted butter, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a dash of salt.  For each serving, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture over med-low heat until sugar melts.  Add 1 1/2 oz. of rum and 6 oz. boiling water and whisk until smooth.  Add mixture to mugs and serve while hot.

For any remaining mixture, store covered in refrigerator or freezer until needed.  Mason jars are perfect containers for this.

Original recipe courtesy of Emeril

By Donna | Posted in Drinks | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Chipotle Chile Pepper

February 6, 2010 – 1:06 pm

I use this as a substitute for fresh hot peppers (jalapeño, serrano, etc.) when I don’t have fresh on hand.  It’s great for chili, guacamole, and grilled chicken.

By Donna | Posted in Potpourri | Comments (0)

Guacamole

February 6, 2010 – 11:42 am

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe Haas avocados
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 finely diced jalapeño pepper (or two serrano peppers)
  • 1 finely diced Roma tomato (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, mix avocado, red onion, lime juice, and tomato.  Mash gently with a potato masher to mix.
  2. Stir in cilantro.
  3. Add salt and chopped jalapeño/serrano pepper to reach desired heat level and flavor.
  4. Cover the surface with plastic wrap (the plastic wrap should be in direct contact with the guacamole), seal, and chill until serving.
By Donna | Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Buffalo Wings

February 6, 2010 – 9:59 am

I really truly love buffalo wings.  They are hot, crispy, and when done right, tender.  And the pairing with blue cheese dip and celery sticks is wonderful.  I LOVE celery sticks and often eat them with my sandwiches.  Pairing with hot spicy wings and cool blue cheese is perfection indeed.

There are buffalo wing purists out there who state the wings must be fried and rolled in a mixture of hot sauce and butter.  Ok, I get it.  This recipe isn’t for them.  I’ve never felt wedded to the confines of a recipe and my buffalo wing recipe is really based on what I like and how I can make them a little bit healthier without sacrificing taste.

I don’t have exact amounts for this recipe because I really do it by feel.  But here goes.

  1. Wash and pat dry chicken wing portions (or party wings, same thing).  Season lightly with garlic powder, paprika, and crushed red pepper (if you want them extra extra hot).
  2. Fill a deep skillet or stockpot with about 1 inch of cooking oil (vegetable, peanut, canola, corn, etc.).  Do not use olive oil (although I will sometimes blend ~25% olive oil with the cooking oil).  Heat over medium high heat.
  3. Once the oil is heated, gently add wings to the oil.  Be careful not to crowd them, you want a single layer of wings.
  4. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.  Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels or a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.
  5. In a small bowl, pour in the hot sauce of your choice.  My choice is Frank’s Red Hot. Add your drained wings and toss them in the sauce to coat.  Note I don’t add any butter to the sauce to dilute it.
  6. Pour the hot sauce coated wings onto a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes — until they are no longer sticky.
  7. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dip and veggie sticks – celery, carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, etc.
By Donna | Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Iron Chef America: The White House Edition

January 3, 2010 – 4:46 pm

When: Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8PM (7PM Central)

Where: Food Network

Need more info?  Click here.

By Donna | Posted in Potpourri | Comments (0)

A Deep Breath

December 29, 2009 – 7:45 am

While running, I find myself panting for air.  I slow down and my breathing gets under control but the second I start back running, I lose it again.  And when I say panting, I really mean panting.

And this breathing difficulty is not just due to running.  I have a tendency to pull my stomach in when I inhale and push it out when I exhale (who does that?) which definitely means I’m not using my full lung capacity.

What gives?

I’m trying out a few breathing exercises to see if I can improve my breathing.  I’m convinced that improved breathing would increase my running endurance.  So here’s what I’ve found thus far.

Use your diaphragm: If I use my diaphragm when breathing, I’ll take in significantly more air and be able to run longer distances.  To train my body to breathe deeply, I need to lay on the floor with a book on my stomach.  Practice inhaling deeply so that the book rises and exhaling slowly so that the book falls.  Focus my attention on the book.  The other diaphragmatic exercises involve the same general principle but from seated and standing positions (sans book).

Run to a cadence: In this way, you time your breathing to your steps.  Recommended cadences are 2/2 and 3/3 although you should do what feels best for you.  You inhale for the specified number of steps and exhale for the specified number of steps.  Because your drawing out the breathing process, the panting problem is remedied.

I’m trying both of these.  Let’s see if they enable me to run longer than 2 miles.

How to you regulate your breathing when running/exercising?  Are there any resources you can recommend?

By Donna | Posted in Health, Living | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Check Writing

December 28, 2009 – 6:51 pm

Don’t let your mouth write a check that your behind can’t cash.

I grew up hearing this saying over and over again.  It was normally in relation to some little kid mouthiness.  It has stuck with me even today but every now and again, I seemingly forget.  On a cold ambitious day just a couple of weeks ago, I signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run.  It seemed like a great plan — there is plenty of time to train properly, the weather should be good for running, it’s a chance to actually see the Cherry Blossoms from something other than my car window, and it will force me to get serious about running and working out.  I was so enthusiastic I even started a team and got some of my friends to join me.

10 miles… as my first race… with a time limit… and did I mention that I hadn’t been running since September?

Reality has now set it and it’s not pretty.  That training schedule I printed out that said I should be running 3 miles a day by now, it’s in the trash.  Those long runs on the weekends have never even happened.  And the two miles I eke out occasionally have not gotten any easier.  I’ve even stopped going to Zumba and have put on the blessed holiday pounds.

I’m really starting to wonder if I can cash this check.

By Donna | Posted in Health, Living | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Braised Short Ribs

December 26, 2009 – 12:13 pm

I made this while in Florida.  I wonderful filling meal for a cold day.  What’s really great is that it doesn’t require you to stand over the stove.  I used a dutch oven for this but it would have worked just as well in a slow cooker (although you still need to brown everything on top of the stove first).  Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice and your favorite green veggie.  Oh, and don’t forget the red wine.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 bone-in beef short ribs
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 bottle red wine (I used Shiraz)
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1 spanish onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 5 sprigs thyme, tied with kitchen twine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper to taste

Read More »

By Donna | Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Restaurant Week in DC

December 16, 2009 – 7:25 pm

Hear ye, hear ye

The winter 2010 restaurant week will take place January 10-17th. Prices are $20 for a 3-course lunch and $35 for a 3-course dinner. Make your reservations now for the best deals.

By Donna | Posted in Potpourri | Comments (0)