Jessica

Goals

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I am now officially signed up for the Warrior Dash on August 12th. I’m up for the task, though I am nowhere near in shape for it. I have always been one to work out, especially with lifting weights, I just love feeling strong, however my cardio has always been somewhat lacking, for the last few years I have mostly only done HIIT (BB.com Link), which is not necessarily good for distance training, as when doing this kind of cardio you only do it for about 15-20 minutes. I ran the Corporate Challenge last year, and it kicked my butt. I know that Warrior Dash is not your typical 5k, but I’m going train like it is, I mean besides where am I going to find a pit of fire, and mud up to my chest to practice in? I actually signed up for it because for the past year I have been having a really hard time getting the motivation to keep my workout routine steady. I blame graduating college, having a real job is hard to adjust to! My roommate from college Carrie signed up to do it with me, it really helps to have someone who is holding you accountable, she’s in a lot better running shape than I so in order to keep up I am going to have to work hard. To add to all of this 6 weeks later on October 6th there is a 10k trail run in Danby, where she lives that we may sign up for. I don’t think I have ever run a 10k, and I know I haven’t done it in a race, so this will be an even bigger challenge for me, but again one that I am willing to take on. My goal is to be able to run 10 miles by the end of summer, preferably under 1hr 45 mins. I know it’s a lofty goal but I think it’s possible, and maybe next year I will run a half marathon! I always thought there’s no point in having goals unless they are there to better your life or challenge you so I might as well reach high.

Another goal of mine is to hike Saddle Back and Basin. I tried these mountains last October, however post Irene there was a huge washout, and a lot of steep rocks. Being so out of shape didn’t help, and then it started to snow at the top. I didn’t make it all the way up, which has never happened to me before, I was hugely disappointed in myself, but the fact that my toe nails are still black and blue shows that I probably made the right decision at the time. This season however I plan to make it to the top of both, if it kills me.

To help me reach this goal I have set a goal to hike at least 50 miles total before attempting it. I think having a little more experience, and being in better shape will help. I have been told that my running goals alone will help but I personally feel that’s a pile of poo. Hiking is a totally different animal, my quads can attest to that. Eventually I would like to complete all the 46 high peaks, as well as the true top 50. For those of you unfamiliar with the Adirondack High Peaks, the original high peaks were thought to be the only peaks above 4000 feet however later surveying revealed that 4 were actually below this level and 1 was left out. Also there are a lot of close by mountains that have really wonderful views, and hikes that get missed simply because they aren’t one of the high peaks. Someday I would like to do them all; I really feel like experiencing these mountains is truly part of being an upstater. In my plan of attack however I have included mountains outside of the Adirondacks, such as Greylock Mountain in Massachusetts. It’s surprisingly close, and the highest peak in the state, so good practice ground, plus it’s got some really pretty views. I did a day trip there last weekend with Alicia and we did a 7 mile round trip to a waterfall, and Stony Ledge . It was a nice way to start the weekend. The sky cleared up just as we made it to the point, and it started to warm up just as we were coming off the mountain. Unfortunately the boots I have been wearing since high school completely fell apart. Thank goodness Alicia decided to carry electrical tape for who knows what reason.

That hike included with a trip up to Big Slide Mountain a few weeks ago puts my total for the year already to 16.5 miles. Also I am now running roughly 3 miles 3 days a week. Considering that its only May I think I really have a good chance at completing all of these goals, if of course I get some new shoes (I realize that I’ve been wearing the same running shoes since high school as well uh oh!), and stick with it. Wish me luck!

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Polenta & Asparagus

By Jessica

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I was truly afraid of several things in this meal, but we are constantly taught not be afraid of something just because it’s different so I figured I would be adventurous, and I’m glad I was. As it turns out this is one of the easiest meals I have ever made, and I think it will become one of those weeknight staples, I pull out pretty often.

I started with the yogurt marinated chicken that I saw on chopped it seemed pretty simple, and it was very weird to me so I thought it would be a good experiment. Since I was experimenting I thought I would try some polenta. I had been toying with the idea for a while, and had even bought a package of Bob’s Red Mill a few months ago, but never opened it. This was probably one of the easiest things I ever cooked. Simply add 2.5 cups of water to 1 cup of polenta, and let it simmer, stirring constantly, until softened. Then add some parmesan cheese and garlic powder to taste then set aside off heat, until the mixture begins to pull away from its container. There is so much more you can do with it as well, such as add sundried tomatoes or asparagus, which I almost did since I was already planning on making it, but for my first time I wanted to experience the plain and simple thing as it was. It wasn’t bad, the consistency was different than I’m used to but other than that it was pretty good. I will definitely add some other vegetables to it on the next attempt, simply because the only thing it was really lacking was seasoning, which can’t be blamed on it anyway. On to the chicken!

As always I did a little research on my ideas and came up with this recipe from Alex Guarnachelli.When I saw this recipe I got super excited because of its use of Harissa. I was newly introduced to this condiment 2 weeks ago during a tasting at JK Adams in Dorset Vermont, by Teeny Tiny Spice Co. of Vermont. I purchased both the Harissa as well as Tandoori masala spice mixes. For all of my love of cooking I am pretty bad at North African, Middle East and Indian flavors. The depth of the way they blend such strong spices escapes me for the time being, however it’s one of those things that I am striving to attain. I digress, since I had already tried the Harissa on plain ol’ baked chicken, I decided to alter the recipe and use my Tandoori Masala Spice mix, the fact that the website even states that its used in yogurt marinades helped me with that decision as well. I made a few glaring changes to the original recipe I found, mostly because I wanted to really get a feel for the Tandoori Spice mix.

Tandoori Yogurt Marinated Chicken

1 container plain Greek yogurt

1.5 Teaspoons Tandoori Masala Spice Mix

2 Chicken thighs & Legs (Bone in, with skin)

Non Stick Spray

Blend yogurt with spice evenly in a baking dish. Coat chicken evenly in yogurt mixture and place skin side down, covered with plastic wrap to marinate overnight (WARNING: this is gross, something about the raw chicken and gloppy yogurt is just not appealing). Remove chicken from marinade, leaving excess and place skin down on a hot grill pan with non-stick spray. Allow to cook until the skin is browned and crispy, then flip and allow to cook through. In the interest of time I put a cover over the chicken to make sure it was cooked through a little faster; however this meant at the end I had to turn up the heat and flip it back to the skin side for a few minutes to get it crispy again. Remove from heat and sprinkle lightly with a little more Tandoori Masala.

The chicken was delicious. It was rich and juicy, and full of flavor, though I have to say there was easily room to add more of the spice mix to the marinade or at the end. I didn’t get a lot of the heat that I think it has to offer, but I was being cautious in my use of it as I am just starting to become accustomed to spice. That’s something that I think can be suited to the chef. Lastly I whipped up a simple asparagus dish which was to toss the whole vegetable in oil and roast them on a cookie sheet at 425 until tender, then toss with a little lemon juice. Adding a little acid to this meal I think is a must to help balance it all out.

All in all this meal was exceptional for the ease and simplicity, plus it’s really very cheap. The total came to $2.37 a serving, so a total of $5 bucks for both me and chuck. It was delicious, gourmet style, and rather healthy. Who knew?

Dandelion Season!

By Jessica

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Tis’ the season for dandelions. This hardy, hard to remove weed is actually one of the many overlooked super foods in my opinion. It gets its name from “dents de lion” which is French for “teeth of the lion”. And in case you’re wondering it’s on the FDA’s list of safe foods and is approved by the Council of Europe, so you can go look it up if you don’t believe me. The leaf and root are mild laxatives and have been used for centuries to treat problems in the liver, kidneys, stomach and gall bladder. They also help to stimulate a weak digestive system, and aid with rheumatism, as well as get rid of warts, soothe bee stings, sores and calluses. On top of all this it is a great source of vitamins A, C, D B-Complex, and the minerals Zinc, Iron, Potassium. It’s even believed that making dandelion tea can help you lose weight. Now remind me why everyone hates these things?

I have always liked dandelions, and never understood why so many people strive to remove them from their lawns. I always thought that nice little pop of yellow helped to cheer a lawn up; and as kids who did not love to blow all the little seed copters away? But I digress; I wanted to write this post to discuss the varied ways in which one can introduce this neat little vegetable into their diet. At this time I would also like to note that while you can find the plant just about anywhere in the US it’s important to use your brain while picking them. Try to avoid areas where pesticides are sprayed, or areas near traffic, you could just end up eating exhaust fumes and carcinogens. Once you’ve picked and thoroughly washed your greens you can eat them raw, though beware they tend to be a bit bitter, and the older the leaves are the more bitter they become. The best time to pick them is just around Easter, when the leaves are still fresh and young, however even the older leaves can be tamed with some vinegar and/or fatty meat.

Last night I made Bitter Green Salad with Fried Potatoes, and Hot Bacon Dressing. This recipe has a surprising depth of flavor for its simplicity. To make it a full meal I also cooked up a simple steak with some mason butter on top. The juices from the steak, and the butter mixed with the dressing to create a downright delicious combination.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped dandelion leaves (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups baby red leaf lettuce
1 cup romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped escarole
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
¼ cup red onion sliced thin
½ lb maple flavored bacon
1/4 cup apple cider vineager
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 med. apple, peeled and chopped into 1/4in pieces
4-5 medium potatoes peeled and chopped into ¼-1/2 in. pieces
3 tablespoons EVOO
salt/pepper
garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with salted water. Boil until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes).

Drain and set aside. In a large pan heat EVOO and season with salt, garlic, and parsley. Once hot add potatoes and fry stirring constantly until they are browned and crispy on the outside (about 5 mins).

Meanwhile in a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp and brown. Remove bacon and half drippings. Add the vinegar and sugar, and cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the apples and stir to combine. Sauté apples until they are a little soft, about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the dandelions, red leaf lettuce, escarole, romaine, radishes, onion, and a few crumbled pieces of bacon. Toss to mix. Add fried potatoes, and pour hot bacon and apple mixture over salad.

Another one of my favorite recipes is one that I adapted from one of Anne Burrell’s (Food Network). It’s a twist on a BLT, and I love it. To spice it up even more it is delicious with some deli turkey but beware it’s a big sandwich!

Honey crisp apple, Smoked Cheddar, Bacon, and Dandelion Sanwich

Ingredients

· EVOO

· 4-8 strips thick-cut bacon (depends on how much bacon you like)

· 2 Slices of your favorite bread

· 1 Honeycrisp apple, sliced thin

· 1/2 cup grated smoked Cheddar

· 1 tablespoons cider vinegar

· 1 cups dandelion greens, sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons

· salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels. DO NOT ditch the bacon fat. Reserve it for finishing the bread.

Toast the bread slices lightly on both sides in the oven. Remove the toast from the oven and arrange a thin layer of the sliced apples on each toast. Top the apples with the cheese and return the toasts to the oven. Bake until the cheese starts to melt, about 5 minutes

Place bacon strips on each crostino and return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes.

While the crostini are doing their final toast, ditch about half the bacon fat. Heat the remaining bacon fat in the pan and whisk in the vinegar. Turn the heat off and toss in the dandelion greens, season with salt and stir to coat the greens with the vinaigrette.

Remove the crostini from the oven, cut the bread in half and then top with the wilted dandelion greens.

You can keep this as an open faced sandwich or Place another piece of toasted bread on top.

Garden Stories

By Jessica

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I have been waiting for a long time to have my own garden, and that time is finally here. I am so excited to have fresh produce right at my fingertips. I decided to do a raised bed garden for several reasons: First the ground here is very rocky, to the point where there are boulders right below the ground, which makes it hard for plants to root, secondly there has been pine trees on this property for years, and as many people know they make the ground very acidic, which is not ideal for many plants, lastly a raised bed helps with drainage, and we tend to get quite a bit of rain up our way. I decided to go with (4) 4-ft. x 4-ft. boxes, I know this is small but I was afraid of taking on too much for my first garden, besides the woman who lived in this house before left a ton of pots in the garage so I can very easily plant my herbs in pots around the garden which is actually part of my plan. Above is my plan sketch of what I would like the garden to be, including several of the herbs I would like to grow as well.

I also have a small herb garden that was left by the previous inhabitant as well that has several herbs coming to life. A few of them are labeled, but not all so I can’t wait to see what actually grows here. Wild strawberries are growing all throughout our yard so I transplanted some of the larger ones to a single location on the edge of the yard and may buy a few to mix in, but I wanted a designated spot for them to grow so that they wouldn’t get trampled and maybe we will get some fresh strawberries as well! To the Left is a picture of the completed raised beds with some pea and lettuce seeds already planted.

This weekend I will be planting some carrots, onions, lettuce, and spinach, as well as transplanting my kohlrabi. Below is some of the plants that i started indoors, includeing beans, cucumbers, peppers, and various herbs. They are getting so big, I am so excited to transition them outside.

My Favorite Pasta

By Jessica

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I think it’s prudent to start off with one of my favorite recipes, mostly because this recipe is always requested and many of my friends are always asking for it. Unfortunately I made it up, and have no idea what the actual quantities of ingredients are so I guestimated to the best of my ability. I call it Risotto Style Pasta, because it’s made just like a risotto but with pasta instead. It has a delicious, lite flavor that goes well with so many dishes. This pasta has been my go to for a few years now, and I get the feeling it will be hanging around for a while.

Risotto Style Pasta2 cloves of garlic

¼ cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups Chicken stock (can subsitute vegetable)

1 cup frozen peas

Parmesan cheese

¼ cup milk

1 box uncooked rotini

EVOOSauté onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in wine and allow to reduce to half. Add 1 cup of stock and mix well. Add pasta and toss to coat, add some more stock and cover. (You want to keep a thin liquid barrier between the pasta and the bottom of the pan, to allow for steaming, but keep it from sticking to the bottom). Continuously add stock and toss pasta. While still slightly hard (not quite al dante) add frozen peas and continue to allow to simmer and steam. When al dente, and peas are soft turn off heat. Add milk sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss again, allowing pasta to be coated in creamy goodness, before serving.

If you try this recipe and have and comments, alterations or suggestions please let me know. I love to try new things!

Jessica

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