The Daring Bakers: Tart/Pudding

June Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart...er Pudding

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I can't believe I almost forgot to create and post this recipe today. I guess that will happen with only 3 hours of sleep in a 40 hour span of time. After running all night I arrived home, made the boys waffles, showered and crawled into bed from 900 to 1200. I couldn't sleep any longer! I wanted to play croquet and swim in the pool with the family. I couldn't stay in bed. The sun came out, we played..the rain came back so I watched The Dark Knight..and looked at the calendar to see what was up for tomorrow. Before I looked at tomorrow I saw today. OH NO! The tart/pudding recipe I hadn't yet made.

Luckily this was an easy recipe to put together. I chose to make a lemon curd for the filling, I used lemon zest and juice in the tart crust and topping.

Steve loves lemon/almond flavoring. The crust has crushed almonds and there are almonds on the top layer. He had a slice with ice cream and declared it delicious. I don't care for lemon so I will pass.

Now, I will go to sleep.

Jasmine has the recipe posted on her blog.

Midnight Run O' Fun

I received an email from Alicia last week asking to join her on a midnight rendezvous at Afton State Park. How could I resist?

Running through the park-in the dark-at midnight-when most sane people are sleeping. An offer that was incredibly enticing.

John, Kevin, myself, Alicia, Tom, Pierre, Helen, Maria and Amy all met at the visitor center before midnight. We applied mosquito spray, donned headlamps and headed out into the dark woods. Fabulous!

As we were running the race course I noticed two bright, round lights just past a large tree. My first thought was that it must be John spooking me, as he had been running just up ahead. Eventually I voiced my find in the woods. "Look at those two lights, is that someone else out there or what is that?" It was the first of many, many deer, peering back at us as we were interrupting their nighttime rest.

A while later I saw Pierre and Kevin stop abruptly, I heard raised voices. As I walked up to them I saw what Pierre almost ran through. A HUGE circular web with a large spider attached to the middle. Creepy! Pierre could have had that web spread across his face.

We continued to run and as predicated, within 2.5 hours the thunderstorm began. Loud cracks of lighting with booms of thunder followed. There were a few very scary bolts of lighting that were loud, that had struck something out there and lit up the sky like the fireworks on the 4th of July.

It felt warm and humid during our run so the rain was actually welcomed. The storm we could have done without.

Eventfully we reached the lot and were welcomed by Nancy. She was at the park, early this morning, to begin a wonderful breakfast of grilled grass fed beef burgers for us! We changed out of our wet clothes - except Pierre who forgot dry clothes - and reminisced about our hours on the trail as we were drinking hot coffee and eating burgers, a mixture of salads, birthday cake for Tom and brownies for a second dessert.

A wonderful way to spend the dark dark hours; running with fabulous friends. I'm grateful to be a part of such a wonderful friendship.

Can I Play In Your Pool?

Topaz Can't Wait for his Pool to Fill

Summer Fun in the Sun

The second week of my summer vacation is closing in on me. I can't believe how quickly it goes. I no longer 'wish for Friday'; Friday is here all to soon. Instead, I enjoy each and every day.

I love summer. Oh, how I love summer. No snowshoes, no snow, no boots, no booties, no Minnesota Hunch of my neck and back, I'm not wearing three layers of clothing to run in. Lots of running on the trail and track. Running in shorts, running with the deer flies. They aren't even getting me down. I'm happy. I love summer.

The past week has been absolutely Minnesota Perfect. 90's, clear and sunny. It has been raining during the night, clear and gorgeous during the day. Awesome.

I have 6 weeks left of summer vacation. I'm very lucky to have this time off. I am enjoying each and every day.

Each day it seems Troy is playing baseball. I love it. They don't have a very good team, they've won two games. They are all having fun and that is what counts..I keep on telling the boys that. They may believe me one of these days.

Tonight Troy plays at 7 and after the game..off for a midnight run under the moon, and maybe under a storm as well. The plan is a good 6 hour run on the trail. Just what I need..physically and mentally. I'm really looking forward to it.

Enjoy summer. I am!

The Cake Slice: Pina Colada Cake

Pina Colada

The Cake Slice: Pina Colada Cake

I can't believe that it is already the 20th of June and time to post the latest cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes.

This month we go a bit tropical with the flavors of the Pina Colada: Rum, Pineapple, Coconut, Lime melded together in a flavorful cake.

The cake layers are 'brown sugar' cake; dense and moist. In between the layers is a pineapple filling with lime and vanilla bean. A coconut butter cream is frosted upon the cake with coconut sprinkled over the top. Flavorful!

The recipe stated it would make 3 9" layers so I didn't increase the ingredients. I was only able to get two layers full. My cake is only a double. I didn't bother doubling the frosting or filling with only two layers. Of course I could have cut each layer in half and had a four layer cake..but then I would be called extreme..again.

This cake will be Father's Day dessert. The boys couldn't resist and wanted slices tonight. They liked the cake but weren't crazy for it. There was not a crumb left upon their plates though!

Here is a link to the recipe

Ready. Set. Go!

Teamwork.

Last week I wrapped up my latest beginning running class. For the 'graduation' we ran the Princeton 5K as the girls first race. It was fabulous! I wasn't sure that I would be able to run it well having run 60 miles at FANS last Saturday. I really wanted to share in the girls first race so decided to run it no matter how my legs felt.

Carol and Heidi from my very first group joined us; Carol has run half a dozen races now and Heidi has even run a half marathon! Awesome.

Mary told us last Tuesday, on our final class, that she didn't feel ready for the 5K. We were all pretty bummed at that, I knew she was ready but wasn't going to force the issue. I told her that I would be leaving home at 700 and that she should call me should she change her mind and I would pick her up on the way.

Saturday morning at 630 the phone rang. Mary had changed her mind and was in! Of course, her hubby telling her that if she didn't run the race she could sand a wood project with him, helped to make her decision!

I picked up Mary, she said "...this is crazy, I can't believe I'm running a race.." "Welcome to the Dark Side" I told her!

The girls were very happy to see Mary. It helps to have a few people in your camp that are in the same state of progress as yourself. Most were running first race ever. Two spouses entered to run and support their wives! Fabulous. This was Kevin's first race since Superior 50K '08. Kevin has had some medical (heart, appedectomy) set backs and is now back at it, building his base.

The morning was beautiful. Bright, warm and sunny. Woohoo. We met up with one another, picked up our packets, I decided to register, and we waited for the start. GO! The course was an out and back, along the golf course, onto a gravel road. It was a great first race for the girls. Only one hill, water at the turn around, spectators cheering. Loads o' fun.

I came into the finish at 24:20 - 2nd girl - and ran to the car to collect my camera. I was able to take pictures of the finishes and cheer loudly! What a great experience.

Mary and Michelle had teamed up and encouraged one another. Michelle doesn't care for the heat, she was really becoming warm. They ran a strong finish, sprinting to the end. Amazing!

It was so rewarding to be part of this first race for these girls. I love it. Showing them that they CAN do it! They all did it. Heidi ran a 30:12 and was aiming for a 30! Good going Heidi.

After the race I came home to make breakfast for the boys, changed and headed to Hastings..aka the other side of the world.

John Storkamp, RD for the Afton Races, was having a Heavy Medal party. 20 of us volunteered to create the finishing awards for his race. It was a great time. It feels good to help out in any small way. Check out the ATR Blog for the pictures of the awards. The art work he did for this year's Tshirt is incredible. The shirt isn't only for running; you can wear art work anywhere.

Back home to attend grad parties with the family.

A great day. A full day. A rewarding day.

Happy Paz

Thank you so much for all of the kind comments relating to Topaz. I appreciate it so very much. Your kind thoughts did help.

It's amazing how quickly the brain can change priorities. One minute I'm thinking about FANS, it is on my List Of Things That Matter and the next minute finishing FANS was on my List Of Things That No Longer Matter.

Topaz had surgery and is recovering just fine. The vet called me during surgery to state that his in addition to the first tooth that was causing trouble, he felt that the exact tooth on the opposite side of the jaw could be causing trouble as well. He asked me if he should go ahead and extract the second tooth in addition or if he should clean it well and with good oral hygiene it might be OK. I think he was really asking me if I wanted to spend the money on the second tooth. I asked him his opinion and he was of the opinion to take the second tooth. OK, then do it. He told me that Topaz would be ready to go home about 4 PM.

I walked up to the counter and was handed my bill. $212? I looked at the receptionist and told her I was quoted $500 per tooth if extraction took place and if all three roots had to be removed. She mumbled something about the bone of his jaw.

The vet arrived and told me that the infection was so bad that it had eaten away all three roots of the tooth, that he didn't have to work real hard at the extraction. He told me that the infection and begun to eat away at his jaw bone and that this caused the trouble with the nerve. The infection ran along the nerve up into the ear and near the brain. On tooth number two, the roots were exposed above the gum line, but the roots were still intact. He cleaned it very well and felt the tooth was worth keeping. With dental care, sealants, etc. the tooth will be OK.

With continued good nutrition his jaw bone will grow back, his gums will again become healthy. Hopefully the paralysis of the face is due to the nerve damage caused by the infection.

It's amazing to me that Topaz never let on that this tooth caused any pain. He continued to eat, to chew on rawhide, didn't have any offensive order, his energy level was high. As an ultra runner I guess he has a high tolerance for pain.

This morning his ear is back up, his eye is beginning to blink, his lip is slowly coming back up. I don't think it was the Frontline after all!

Again, thanks for all of the kind thoughts and words.

FANS

One thing that is so nice about FANS is that it is so close to home. Minneapolis is only an hour drive away from home so I am able to sleep in, eat an early breakfast, drink some coffee, pack up the car and be on my way.

In the 8 years that I have been running FANS I don't believe that I have run one where it has rained. All. Day. Long.

Well, actually we began before the rain started. It began to rain a few hours in and it would not let up. It was so wet that my fingernail polish began to bubble off and my nails are opaque.

As I pulled into a spot on the street I knew it was going to rain so decided to just leave all of my gear in the car. I didn't bring a tent and didn't want my bag of items getting soaked on the grass. I laid everything out in an orderly fashion and then left to pick up my packet and number.

Lots of familiar faces. I remember the first few years I ran FANS I didn't know anyone at the race. Over the years I now associate certain runners with FANS. Lots of meeting and greeting. Great fun.

I decided to begin running in a long sleeve and shorts. It was cool, 45F and windy. I figured I'd add a jacket when the rain began. As it turned out, I probably waited too long to add a jacket. I was freezing, soaking wet when I finally decided to go to my car and change shirts, bra and add my dry jacket. Ah, it felt so good.

I brought along plenty of gear; gloves, jackets, long sleeves, pants, shorts..you name it I had it. I had HEED, Hammergel, Red Bull, Sandwiches. Everything I needed.

After about 2 hours I knew I wasn't in the race mentally. You know, you can have the physical training in but if you aren't in it mentally, you just aren't in. I wasn't in. It has been almost a year since I've been in an ultra mentally. I guess the flame began to flicker around the time of the Voyageur 50 last July. I've tried to get it to burn bright again, but it just isn't there. I'm OK with that now. I wasn't feeling my groove. I wasn't in the race when I mailed in my entry. Probably why I waited until last minute to sign up.

I was tired. Topaz has been sick and I've been sick with worry. I haven't been sleeping well. I decided I'd run anyway, thought I might have a last hurrah at FANS. I had a hurrah, a 12 hour hurrah.

At 730 Steve called. I became worried. In the two seconds it took me to answer my cell I had a zillion thoughts that went through my head. Topaz is worse. Troy was injured at baseball. My Mom's results came in. Tyler had an accident at work. It was the former.

Last week I applied Frontline onto Topaz. I had used Frontline 4 years ago and Topaz became ill. He would vomit, became very mucousy and just off. I knew it was the Frontline. I didn't give him anymore after that first application. Last year Topaz ended up with Lyme's. I decided to again try Frontline this year so that he wouldn't have Lyme's.

I shouldn't have. The reaction from Lyme's would have been better than the reactions from the Frontline poisoning.

I noticed last weekend that while running in back of Topaz his left ear was down lower than the right. When deer flies are biting, his left side is cocked downward a bit. There were no deer flies and his head wasn't cocked. His head was level but the ear was sunk down. Odd. I noticed that he looked back at me, as if questioning me. Questioning about what?

When we arrived home I checked him over closely. His left eye had been tearing since the day before. I realized that the left eyelid wasn't blinking. The right would blink, the left eye would roll back, but not blink. The left side of his mouth was becoming slack. His tongue was drooping, and looked longer than ever.

I continued to watch him closely and gave him a vigorous bath, trying to wash the Frontline from his skin, although I imagine it had already been absorbed into his skin.

On Thursday I brought Topaz to the vet. She told me he did indeed have partial paralysis of the face. It could stem from the brain or something else..she didn't think it was the Frontline. I am not so sure. I have since researched Frontline and have found that 44000 dogs became ill, suffered seizures or death last year. The EPA is going to place a warning on Frontline 'in the near future'.

After speaking with Steve I finished the lap that I was on, bawling, and came to the timing tent looking for Maria. I told her what had been happening with Topaz and that I was done. I was meeting Topaz and Steve at the ER vet.

Maria walked me off the course, thankfully my car as all packed with my gear. I quickly changed shirt, bra and jacket out on the street and drove off from FANS.

11.5 hours 55.5 miles. Good enough for me!

We found that Topaz also has a tooth infection of some sort. The vet put him on an antibiotic and confirmed these seizures could be neurological or maybe this infection is causing nerve damage to the face. This vet confirmed problems and reactions from Frontline.

He will have surgery this next week.

Physically I am fine. No soreness, tightness, blisters, etc. Mentally I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. This morning Topaz seems a bit more himself. It is so strange. His neurosis's are magnified by whatever is going on with him. He is running circles constantly around the kitchen, herding Toffee nonstop, all of his issues are magnified. The vet told me to go ahead and exercise him, not in the heat and not to exhaustion. This morning we went for a 5 mile cool walk. It's 43F and drizzling. STILL! He did fine.

Back to FANS. John Storkamp: congrats on your run! My god, a machine. It was fun to watch you lap me over and over. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers that stayed outside in that horrific weather. Ugh. You are angels! The crew, pacers and family members of the runners! I can't believe how many people were sitting, running, cheering on their runners in that crappy weather. How wonderful you all are.

Thanks FANS, I've had a blast over the years.

FANS 24 Hour Fun Run

Ah yes, FANS. I mailed in my entry. I kept going back and forth..to run the race or not to run the race. I originally wanted to try to PR at FANS this year. My current PR is 116 miles. After tearing my quad at McNaughton I wasn't able to put in the road work or the speed work that I would have liked to. I've been running nice and easily upon soft trail.

Oh well. I'll spend a nice day at the lake, getting in the miles that I am able to. No goal. Just fun.

When I told Steve and the boys that I was thinking of letting FANS go on without me this year, they gave me a look of horror...or fear? It was the same look I received from my Mom and sister when I told them I was thinking of becoming pregnant (I was vehemently opposed to having children most of my life). I hadn't seen that look in a while. The look that is afraid of change.

We received Troy's tournament schedule; 2 games Saturday and 2 games Sunday. Sunday games are 3:00 and 5:00. I can make them. The race is done at 8 AM and only an hour from home. I'll only be away Saturday night. Good deal.

Last year I said it would be my last FANS. 500 miles and I was going to retire FANS. Well, I have 591 miles..guess I'll go for 600. Then I'll hang up my FANS shoes.