Candied gingerbread Bundt cake

Candied Gingerbread Bundt

• 1¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup water
• 1¼ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
• ¾ cup local honey
• 1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ½ orange, zested
• 2 Tbsp candied ginger, minced
• 3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground clove
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 whole eggs
• ½ cup milk, whole or 2 percent

Dark & Stormy Glaze

• 1 lb powdered sugar
• ½ lime, juiced
• 2 Tbsp dark rum
• 2 Tbsp ginger beer or ginger ale
• fresh whipped cream, for serving

| Preparation – Bundt | Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease bundt pan.

In a large bowl set over a pot of simmering water, warm butter, water, molasses, honey, brown sugar, salt, orange zest and candied ginger just until the butter and brown sugar have dissolved into the mix. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Sift dry ingredients together in a separate bowl or over parchment paper. Whisk eggs and milk into the liquid mixture, then sift the dry a second time on top of the batter in 3 batches, whisking well in between. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1½ hours until the top of the cake springs back when pressed gently. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, but not completely before overturning onto a platter to cool for 1 hour or overnight before glazing.

| Preparation – Glaze | If powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it first. Otherwise, whisk all ingredients together right before use.

| Assembly | Once bundt cake has cooled, pour glaze over top and then leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to firm. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Hot Chocolate Run

Molly and I did the Hot Chocolate Run.  It's a huge run , but is a lot of fun.  I did it will Anne last year, but she didn't make it this year.  There were 9 thousand people registered.  This is our before picture standing in front of the start

We were in the 4th wave of runners, so we were standing around for a while. I loved the marshmallows

The weather was perfect and the run was very easy.  It's so much easier when you set out know you are going to walk and run.  I must admit there was no way I wanted to eat chocolate after just running, so I brought my winners bowl home with me.  We finished in 37:21

We parked near Scottrade Center, so I got this cake on the way back to the car

MidCounty YMCA Reindeer Dash-Our December run

We ran the Reindeer Dash 5 k this morning.  It was a benefit for the MidCounty YMCA.  It wasn't timed, but I ran in 33:05, which was really good seeing as it was very hilly.  Sam and I both won our age categories, we left before they announced the awards, but luckily someone we knew was there that told us we won!!!!

Run for the Cookie....

I managed to browbeat Maggie into doing the 1 mile Girl Scout Run for the Cookie.  She just will NOT run with me at all.  However, she did really well this morning and we did the run in 10:40

November Run Webster/Kirkwood Turkey Trot 2014

Very cold morning, Sam said real feel was 16. We weren't too keen on doing this run since it snowed all day yesterday, but as usual we were glad we made the effort.

The race is getting very popular and it's hard to get around everyone because the course is so narrow.  That was fine for me as it was an easy pace, but annoying when you get jostled and almost run over by a stroller....

Twice-Baked Delicata Squash

Spiced nuts

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Squash

• 4 medium delicata squash, halved, seeds removed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz goat cheese

| Preparation – Spiced Nuts | Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix sugars and spices in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine egg white and water and beat until frothy (you should not be able to see the bottom of the bowl). Add nuts and toss to coat with egg. Add spices and toss to coat. Spread mixture onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper, flattening with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

| Preparation – Squash | Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Rub each seeded squash half with butter (including skin), then place skin-side down on a baking tray or dish.

Sprinkle each half with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. After 30 minutes, check every 2 minutes until a knife easily slices through the squash.

Remove squash from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Let squash cool until it’s cool to the touch. Carefully scrape squash meat into a bowl, leaving a thin layer of squash so the skin can act as a boat. The skin is very thin and you’ll need six squash boats, so be very careful while scraping out the meat.

Mix squash meat with goat cheese. Add more salt and pepper if desired. When squash mixture is smooth and no lumps remain, split mixture between six squash boats. The amount in each boat depends on the size of your squash – just ensure each boat has approximately the same amount of filling.

Place squash boats back on the baking pan and bake at 350°F for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is heated through.

| To Serve | Using a fork or your hands, break apart the sheet of spiced nut brittle into small pieces. When the squash filling is heated through, remove from the oven and top with a small handful of nut brittle.

Sweet chocolate cake with Winter spices

• 4 oz Cortés Askinosie Chocolate 70 percent single-origin Honduran dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp high-quality natural cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp grated fresh nutmeg
• 1½ cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• zest of 2 medium oranges
• juice of 1 medium orange
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup boiling water

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter parchment liner.

In the top of a double boiler set over just-simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. When chocolate is completely smooth, set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add brown sugar and butter and beat on high until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Add molasses, grated ginger, orange zest and juice and beat until combined; add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until everything is homogenous. Add the flour mixture to the bowl in 2 parts, mixing for 10 to 15 seconds after each incorporation; scrape down the bowl and mix for 10 seconds more. With the mixer on low, stream in boiling water and mix until batter is completely homogenous, thoroughly scraping through to incorporate any dry patches.

Pour mixture into prepared springform pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, checking at the 40-minute mark for doneness. Cake is done when a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs, but remains slightly sunken in the center. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Release sides of springform pan and lift it over cake. Transfer cake to serving plate and slice to serve.

Butternut Squash Harvest Bake

• melted butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 acorn squash, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, washed and sliced into thin rounds
• 3 apples, washed, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup sliced dried figs
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup local honey
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cup pecan halves
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Place butternut and acorn squash in boiling water and allow to boil for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and allow both to boil for 20 minutes.

Remove squash and sweet potatoes from heat, drain and rinse.

In the greased baking dish, layer boiled squash and sweet potatoes in a spiraling pattern starting at the inside edge of the pan and working your way toward the center. Layer sliced apples in the same pattern. This should give you one or two nice layers, depending on the size of the squash. Sprinkle cranberries and dried sliced figs on top of the harvest bake.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir well. Drizzle mixture over harvest bake dish, taking care to cover entire dish. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until apples are golden. Add nuts and bake for an additional 5 minutes to lightly toast walnuts and pecans. Serve warm.

Mushrooms!!!

• 3-4 c oyster mushrooms
• 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
• garlic powder or fresh garlic salt f
• fresh tarragon & chives for garnish

Melt 2 tbsp ghee in pan and add mushrooms (I actually used a variety here but made sure I had plenty of oyster because they get crispy easier). Sautee, sprinkle with a little salt and keep sautéing. Add a little garlic powder, or wait until they are done and throw in fresh garlic for 30 seconds. Keep sautéing until they start to get crispy. Maybe 15-20 minutes. Top with fresh tarragon and chives.

Something new to do with baked sweet potatoes

• 4 sweet potatoes
• avocado oil
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cashews, chopped
• Unsweetened dried cherries, chopped

Slice potatoes carefully at 1/4 inch intervals, stopping just above the bottom of the potato (instead of cutting through) until the whole potato is sliced. Repeat with each potato. Chopsticks placed on each side of the potato make a good stop for your knife. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Pour enough avocado oil over each potato to coat it, making sure to pour in between cuts. Mix flours, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and top with chopped raw cashews and unsweetened dried cherries.

Apple Pie recipe from Melissa-Definitely NOT paleo!!!!

Ingredients Edit and Save

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

1. 
   Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minute
4. Melissa's pie crust: 2 cups flour, 1 tsp kosher salt. Then I add 1 cup cold butter flavored crisco....pastry blend it until it has gravel sized bits....then I add 4 tbsp ice cold water, blend, then add water tbsp-wise until I have the right consistency. Split into two balls, refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Sweet potato side dish

2 lbs sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored and grated
3 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/8 inch thick, and rinsed well
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
Course salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ounces grated gruyere cheese (1 cup)

Toss together potatoes, sweet potatoes, apple, leeks, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.

Transfer to a 9-by-12-inch oval baking dish, spread into a thin layer, and cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 400. Remove, uncover, and top with Gruyere. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, about 30 minutes.

Sunday cooking

Haven't done one of these entries in a while, but I knew I was going to be cooking a lot, so thought I'd take some photos.
I made omelets for Sam and me first thing in the morning.  Mine had too little egg and too many additions, so it fell apart!!!!

I made bacon for all of us....

I made a big batch of no-oat oatmeal for in the week

I made 2 pans of roast vegetables for Sam to take to work during the week.  I used the pumpkin seed oil and ginger lemon vinegar from Vom Fass

I roasted two chickens on Saturday night, so I used the bones to make chicken noodle soup for the kids.  Maggie loves it

Ben wanted apple pie so I made Melissa's recipe, it's about as far away from paleo as you can get without buying an oven pizza, but it is so worth it

I made some sweet potato hummus.  I bought a taro root to make chips, will make them on Tuesday to go along with this

Sam grilled salmon for dinner and I made sweet potato casserole to go along with it.  Forgot to take a picture while it looked all pretty in the pan, just got this one of the leftovers!!!!

After all of this cooking and eating dinner, I made meatballs.  Forgot to take a photo of them before I put them in the fridge!!!

October run #2

Ivory Crockett is a great run and supports the school district's foundation.  It is pretty hilly though and slowed me down considerably.  Plus, I had to stop and walk for a while as I felt pretty nauseous-do NOT eat pizza the night before or drink too much coffee right before running.......

Lulled into a false sense of security

Four weeks into WLC, I thought I was doing so well.  I had lost 6lbs from my starting weight and my clothes were feeling more comfortable.  Well, here comes the weekend.....
We had pizza on Friday night.  No big deal, I had won some indulgence bonus points.....
Saturday-free day bonus points-didn't exercise or stretch, had regular milk in my lattes, went out for dinner with Sam and Caroline.  Made the free day count....
Sunday-ran the Go! St. Louis 5 k in the morning, had regular milk in my coffee, ate well the rest of the day.
Definitely didn't drink much water this weekend, but did OK yesterday
Monday morning-step on the scale.  Put on 3 lbs since my low weight on Thursday.  So, it took me 4 weeks to lose 6 lbs and 4 days to add back 3.
Let this be a lesson.....

October Run #1

Great run this morning.  I'm still slow, but steadily improving.  Most importantly, I ran the whole way and felt good!!!  Another run next weekend to round out October.

Whole Life Challenge update

I am half way through Challenge #4 and have been doing pretty well.  I have had a few treats along the way, but still have a perfect score because I have had enough bonus points to apply.  So far, I have lost about 5-6 lbs in weight and lost 1 1/2 inches off my waist.  Thank goodness I can wear my cords again because the weather is definitely getting cooler.
So far, the lifestyle challenges have been eating with no distractions, making "to-do" lists , positive thinking and sleep (my least favourite, but should not be).

Flatbread recipe with dessert modification

Ingredients

• 1 cup Tapioca Starch
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 3 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried Basil
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Water, warmed
• 2 whole Pastured Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp fresh Thyme
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Process

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza stone in the oven while it preheats.
2. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add warm water, olive oil and slightly whisked eggs.
4. Mix thoroughly, adding additional coconut flour as needed. It should end up being a very sticky dough that can be flattened with a spatula.
5. Let sit a few minutes to let coconut flour absorb water.
6. Pour onto parchment paper and spread with spatula to 1/4 inch thick.
7. Carefully* place parchment paper on pizza stone and bake 8-12 minutes or until crispy.
8. Remove and add optional toppings. I mixed garlic and butter and spread over the top and then added herbs and cheese (optional).

Ingredients

• 1 whole Grain-Free Flatbread (above)
• 4 Gala Apple, peeled and chopped (for the apple topping)
• 9 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided (4 TBSP for the apple topping, 3 TBSP chilled for the streusel topping, 2 TBSP for the caramel sauce)
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon, (for the apple topping)
• 1 tsp ground Nutmeg, (for the apple topping)
• 2 Tbsp Grade B Maple Syrup, (for the apple topping)
• 1/3 cup Blanched Almond Flour, (for the streusel topping)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar, divided (2 TBSP for the streusel topping + 1/3 Cup for the caramel sauce)
• 8 oz Coconut Milk, (for the caramel sauce)
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, (for the caramel sauce)

Process

1. Make the flatbread pizza according to the directions (click the ingredient for recipe). Once the flatbread has cooked, remove from oven and add toppings (per ingredients below.) Once all toppings have been added, place back in oven for 5-7 minutes or until done.
2. [For the Apple Topping] Peel and chop apples.
3. Heat a medium pan over low-medium heat and add butter.
4. Once butter begins to melt at spices and stir until fragrant.
5. Add apples and maple syrup. Let saute until apples are tender.
6. Remove from heat and add to flatbread.
7. [For the Streusel Topping] In a bowl add almond flour and coconut sugar, stir.
8. Cut butter into smaller sections and add to dry ingredients.
9. Cut butter into flour until small pea sized pieces form.
10. Crumble on top of apples.
11. [For the Caramel Sauce] Add coconut milk, sugar and salt to a small saucepan.
12. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
13. Let simmer 15-30 minutes until reduced to proper consistency.
14. Once reduced, remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.
15. Let cool slightly, stirring frequently.
16. Drizzle over flatbread

WOD ideas from WLC

“Bread & Butter”
Every minute on the minute for 10, 15 or 20 minutes, do:
5 push ups
10 bicycles
15 arch ups (lying on your stomach, pull your head & chest off the ground while simultaneously pulling your legs off the ground)

“Run & Squat”
Repeat 3-5 times for time
Run around your block (no more than 1/2 mile)
25 – 40 squats

“On & Off”
Repeat 1-3 times
30” push ups (“=seconds)
30” rest
30” bicycles
30” rest
30” lunges
30” rest
30” burpees
30” rest
30” flutter kicks
30” rest

Tips from WLC

Suggested Workouts:

1. WLC official workout – interchange the movements written to get variety

2. Go for a run
a) easy, slow, recovery for 15-30 min
b) short intervals:
3 min warm up
4-8 x 30” hard; 90” easy
3 min cool down

3. Handstand kick ups & walking

4. Do as many Push ups as I can in 10 minutes

5. Repeat 5x:
jumprope for 1 min
Squats / lunges / bicycles for 1 min
Total time: 10 min

Suggested Stretching:

Monday – Pigeon
Tuesday – Side Lying Pretzel
Wednesday – Couch
Thursday – Ankle (calf/achilles)
Friday – Squat
Saturday – Hamstring
Sunday – Thoracic Extension

Whole Life Challenge #4

I am trying another Whole Life Challenge.  This will be my 4th one.  I have cheated quite a bit on the last 2 I did, but this one is (hopefully) going to be a good one.  The site and the scoring system are a little different this time, so hopefully it will keep my interest.  I have been doing the Challenge with essentially the same team of players for a while and we are good at cheering each other on, so we will see how it goes.  I have really got out of the habit with exercising and am starting at the bottom again.  Hopefully this will get me back on track with that too.
I did well on Day 1.  I had no oat oatmeal for breakfast, eggs and a banana for lunch and chicken, roast vegetables and stuffed tomatoes for dinner.  I had a piece of cherry clafouti for dessert.  Only 51 more days to go!!!

September Run-Forest Park

Very nice morning for our September run. I did it in 23 seconds less than Monday's run, so I was a little faster. Still much slower than I ussed to be!!!

Sam says we look better at the end of the race than the beginning!!!!

August Run 2014 Billiken 5K at SLU

OK, it's September 1st, so technically this is not my August run, but we were gone for quite a bit of the month and it's so hot that there aren't that many runs around in August.  I was pretty slow, but my heel has been really bothering me and I haven't run since the July 4 run.  I felt OK, so that's a plus.  September run is next week!!!!

July Run Freedom 4 mile

Fair St Louis has relocated to Forest Park this year because of the construction down by the arch. The Freedom 4 mile run was this morning in the park. It was fantastic weather, the course was nice and flat, it was one of the best runs ever

My time wasn't as good as last year, but I haven't been running anything like as much and my heel is STILL bothering me....

Great start to a Saturday morning though and my July run is done....

Lamb Curry experiment

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 large handful fresh mint
• ¾ cup Coconut Milk
• 1 white onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 inch ginger, minced
• 1 serrano pepper, minced
• 1 can Organic Diced Tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Fennel Powder
• ½ tsp Coriander Powder
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Melt oil in a saucepan on medium heat, and add onions and a pinch of salt.
2. Once the onions begin to brown, add ginger, garlic, and serrano pepper and stir-fry for a minute.
3. Add spices and let them bloom for a minute, then add tomatoes and cover the pan for 5 mins.
4. While that's cooking - combine the coconut milk and mint in a blender - and blend. Set the sauce aside for now.
5. Add the ground lamb to the pan and once it’s mostly browned, add the mint sauce you just made.
6. Cook for another 5 or so minutes, garnish with more mint and serve.