Wedding Bells are Ringing

September seems to be the month to be gettin' hitched this year. Early Friday morning Will and I hopped a jet plane which took us over the river and through to woods to... Franklin, PA we go! My darling cousin Emily got married on Sunday and was sweet enough to include me in the bridal party. It was fun times. :-) Only, poor Will was left  alone a bit to fend for himself as I got "pretty-fied" for Em's big day! Here's a recap...

Close-up of Emily's fancy 'do

The blushing bride, pre-nuptials

Concentrating hard on not tripping down the isle in my heels!

Of course I had to get a pic with this handsome guy. :-)

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The pretty (and tasty!) cake

Cheesy smiles!

Drinking crude oil straight from the very first oil well at the Drake Well museum

Loved learning more about local history with this guy!

 Guess what the first thing we did when we got to Memphis?! ATE BBQ of course!!

Fantastic BBQ Portabella Sandwich!!!

Overall, it was a great weekend to relax a bit and visit with family back home. It had been a long time since I had ventured north! Now, it's back to work. :-/
On a side note, this Oatmeal comic was totally going through my head the entire time I was in the airport...

Banoffee Pie = Potluck Success

With increasing frequency, I catch myself starting sentences with "I saw this _______ on a blog the other day..." in my day to day conversation. :-) So, when I saw the recipe for this banoffee pie posted on eatliverun.com I knew I needed to share! (Hence the new conversation starter!) We had a potluck on Wednesday at work, so it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. Plus if it turned out to be delicious I wouldn't have a lot of leftovers crying out "eat me!" 24-7 from my countertop. One note of warning... the internet likes to share scary things about boiling the condensed milk can - I was little nervous I would end up with a toffee bomb on my stove but no sweet explosions this time! Oh, and I just went BIG and made the crust myself too!! I had forgotten how simple it is to make a pie crust!

Banoffee Pie
(Complements of this recipe from eatliverun.com)
Ingredients:
-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-3 bananas
-CoolWhip
-Brown sugar and sea salt for sprinkling
For the pie crust:
-1/2 cup butter, chilled
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
Directions:
1. Place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan the majority of the way full with water (filling so the can is 3/4 of the way submerged). Place on stove and bring water to boil and cover. Let it boil on the stove for ~2 1/2 hours. (Yeah, that's right - 2 1/2 hours)
2.  To make the pie crust, mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to flour. Mix flour and butter (I used my fingers) until make crumbles. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough forms a ball. Chill dough for 1-2 hrs. Then roll dough out on the counter and lay in  a greased pie pan. Use a fork to make the edges look nice and to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (until it begins to brown). If the pie crust starts to puff up in the oven, place something heavy (I used a small plate) in the pan to keep it flat.
3. Once your milk and crust have cooled a bit, spread a layer of toffee on bottom of crust, add sliced bananas and top with the rest of the toffee. When ready to serve, spread layer of whipped topping on top and sprinkle with brown sugar and sea salt. Voila! Prepare for a party in your mouth. This pie was sooo good!

Now, I am off to the airport to fly north to PA!!!

Cooper Young Fun!

ie. "Hipster-ville" Memphis-style

Before I start, I must warn you that there may be a terrible picture (or two) of me coming up! I just don't understand how some girls can look so cute when they are running. Most of the time, I don't give much thought to what I look like when I'm going for a run because I figure - what's the use? In this humidity, I get so sweaty it seems pointless to try... that is until I see pictures of myself from a race!!! Eek. Ok. Back on track. This weekend was the long awaited Cooper Young 4-Miler. :-) Cooper Young is a neighborhood in Memphis that reminds me a lot of Coventry in Cleveland (which I miss!). Lots of cute little restaurants, thrifty clothing boutiques, and a coffee shop or two. Anyways, this race kicks off their annual festival.
Before the race, the running group I've been training with got together for a picture.

Go Star Runners!

My time was 34:03. I know that's not super fast... I don't even pretend to be a fast runner, but I was content with it. Here's me booking it in at the finish line. Happy to be almost done! (Take note... Deb does not = cute runner. lol.)

Glamour shot!

Afterwards, I refueled with some tasty Mexican food at Cafe Ole just down the street. 

I was obviously excited to eat!

On Saturday, I got up early to go to work for a couple hours to educate this one patient who was going home that day on tube feeding. Afterwards, I shopped the farmers market and then did my shift at the pet sitting tent! :-)

That afternoon, Will and I biked back to Cooper Young to check out the festivities. The streets were lined with vendors hawking an overwhelming amount of crafts! After wandering around a few hours, Will and I left with a few new books in tow (yep. We're nerds...) and a couple of lemon basil cookies (Mmmm...) from a bakery opening soon in the neighborhood. On our way out, we took a pic by this iconic wall art. 

Not sure I can really say I love Memphis, at least not yet. Perhaps I've got to give it a bit more time to grow on me. The rest of this week has been busy, busy! Last night I had a refreshing dinner at this little Italian place called Cortona for book club. We briefly chatted about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins over pasta and wine, but mostly the subject at hand was... well, life. StarRunners was this evening and the rest of the week I'm getting everything in order to head home for Emily's wedding!

BTW- Here's a not-so-haggard picture. Just a little reassurance that I can clean up! Haha.

Pause

The other night I went for a walk alongside the river. Just to enjoy the sunset. Too often I realize that I don't take the time to slow down and just be chill for a bit. It was nice to just wander along the Riverwalk with my headphones on. No agenda. No distance or pace to try to meet as if I were on a run. Finally, I had time to think through some of the things that have been frustrating me about work, where I feel like I always need to be cautious not to step on anyone's toes. I also considered some of things I'm really thankful for. Things that I'm looking forward to.

-I'm so pumped about heading home next weekend for my cousin Emily's wedding! I haven't been home in awhile.
-I've felt truly appreciated lately by the guys I work with in the substance abuse/PTSD ward lately. They've all been really vocal about how much they appreciate me stopping in, gathering food preferences, and being cheerful! It has made me feel valued.
-Chocolate chip cookies fix almost any problem. Really.
-I went the to orhopaedic foot doctor (my arch is feeling much better!) and I got this hott boot to wear at night. I was right about having plantar fasciitis. Oi. I tried it out yesterday and it is really hard to sleep in. It feels like I'm trying to drag an anvil around the bed with me! Haha.

You know you want one...

-A multi-story library of books to check out! The latest one I finished was this one called Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. I picked it up because I had heard good things about it on another blog. It took me awhile to get into it and I still wasn't sold by the end. To me, if just felt like 300ish pages about the dirty details of one family's drama. The whole time I just wanted to yell at the characters, "Grrr! Why can't you all just get along!!!!"

-A renewed fascination with the hilariousness that is The Oatmeal. This one titled "airplane" had me chuckling all day long! Hmm, better be careful people don't think I'm crazy laughing to myself all day! Oops!

-Zoe Deschanel show "New Girl" premiered this week! I totally adore her. :-)

-Cooper Young 4-Miler tomorrow night!! I'm so nervous! Wish me luck!

Beans: Let's Be Friends...

Let's be honest. Until I learned in college that beans are such a powerhouse of good nutrients, I never gave them a second thought. After I became a vegetarian however, I realized how important they are for maintaining enough protein in my diet. The only problem was that I never learned to really cook beans properly. Sure, I can use the canned ones in recipes, no biggie - but I wanted to learn how to use those dirt cheap dried ones. Will had learned the art of cooking beans from the dried version well, so I enlisted his help after a few failed attempts of my own. Last weekend, he walked me through a big pot of chickpeas. :-)

Dried Beans from Scratch
Directions:
Rinse beans well in a colander and sort out any that look a little funny. Transfer beans into a large pot and cover with 1 1/2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over the stove. Once beans have reached a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover with a good fitting lid. Let sit for two-ish hours. When you are ready to finish your beans, add enough water and broth to bring the liquid level in the pot up to 1 inch or so above the beans. Bring to a simmer and cooked until the beans are soft and a good bit of the water has boiled off. That's it!

There was no good way to make this look pretty!

Yesterday, I took my cooked chickpeas and made some hummus. Yum!
Basic Hummus
Ingredients:
-3 cups cooked chickepeas
-1/2 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or the liquid from the can)
-1/2 cup water
-1 tsp baking soda
-6 tbsp tahini
-Juice from one lemon
-2 tbsp basil pesto
-1-2 tbsp olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Toss the chickpeas, liquid, and about 1/2 cup water into saucepan and begin to simmer. Add 1 tsp baking soda and continue to cook until the skins begin to breakdown on the chickpeas.
2. Add chickpeas and all the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until it resembles a paste (or frosting!). You're done!

Weekend Recap

Here's a bit of what happened in my life this past weekend...

Trolley Stop Margarita Pizza. Yummy in my tummy!

The pizza (and maybe a bit of Ghost River Wit) served to fuel our creativity as we prepped our poster/interactive computer ensemble for the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. We talked about, "How many carbohydrates do you need?" using the new USDA MyPlate. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of our work at the market! :-/
This weekend was the last one for the Delta Fair. I had seen billboards around town advertising it so I was curious. Then, Will saw an add in the weekly flyer that said they were going to have all kinds of shows: a monkey show, pig races, demolition derby, and... ostrich races?! That totally sold us. Lol. Unfortunately, we got there a bit too late to see the race, but we did still get to say "hi" to the ostriches. They're so strange! Seriously. Will said they remind him of dinosaurs. I can see what he means.

Did you win little buddy?

Next, we strolled around and peeked into one of the "freak show" tents. The cow with 6-legs seemed to like Will. Will scratched him behind the ear and the cow showed his appreciation by wiping his eye boogers on Will's hand. :-)

More animals at the petting tent! Goats are so much fun!

It tickles!

The weather was perfect for the fair!

On Sunday, after patiently waiting many months for my little basil seedling to grow... it was time to sacrifice it. I was craving pesto!!

Leaf harvesting...

Whip it! Whip it good!

After our basil had been successfully transformed into pesto(!) we used it to top some spaghetti squash I had bought at the market. (Low carb pasta!) I also threw in a few chickpeas and loaded it with parmesan. Yum!

Final product

Finally, last but not least, this weekend marked the start of fall as I enjoyed one of my most favorite things (even though it's still too warm here in Memphis)...

Pumpkin spice lattes!!!

I Like Old People

No really. Lately I've been realized just how much of my time is spent with people 65+ and how much I love it. The Vets that I serve at work can be so entertaining! Sure, it is a bit frustrating at times as I work on portraying myself as a professional and the patients see me as their little grand-daughter. At other times, it is really fun to be able to hear their stories, listen to advice, or try to follow to random logic of the pleasantly demented. (I think I'd like to be pleasantly demented when I'm old... haha). This week, there was a tiny little lady admitted to my floor whom the resident consulted me about seeing. According to the doctor, the patient followed a "tea and toast" diet at home. Which was true! This little 110 lb lady mostly just drank coffee all day long and ate toast in the morning and maybe a small dinner in the evening. At 88, she said she was still trying to limit her consumption of red meat, sweets, and salty foods. She was so happy when I told her "Ms. X, at 88 (!), you can eat whatever you want!". She was so sweet... and made me miss by own grandmother.

The fun times with the elderly don't just happen at work. Whenever Will and I go somewhere we always seem to be able to strike up the most entertaining conversations with the most geriatric person in the room. For example, when we went to this one art show earlier this year, we spent much of the evening chatting with the elderly volunteers who run the mansion where the show was held. They knew all the best stories! Then, last weekend at the wedding in Albuquerque we sat next to these two spunky old ladies who were in a theater group with the bride to be. At the beginning of the ceremony, they asked who the random man in a tux at the front was and Will had to inform them that was the groom! Haha. Finally, at the farmer's market today, we struck up a long conversation with this elderly gentleman who sells flowers at the market - ie. the "Gladman". (Gladiolas are his specialty!). He admired our poster, food models, and Will's interactive "My Plate" computer program and told us about his wholesome diet and his concerns about the obesity epidemic in children. Afterwards, he offered to give us a bouquet of flowers for free! I think his son is the professional arranger and he's just the grower... but this one the Gladman made was cute. :-)

As I keep thinking about how I need to start making new goals for myself in life and consider what I may eventually want to specialize in, I think I'll keep my admiration for the elderly in mind. One of my favorite classes in graduate school was my elderly nutrition class. The professor was phenomenal. She was able to make everything we learned so applicable to things we would encounter as professionals - especially at the V-A!

Hello New Mexico!

Want to know a secret? I've been looking forward to (but also slightly nervous about...) this weekend for quite a while! Since I've met him, Will has often talked about how much he loves and misses Albuquerque so I was so happy when the opportunity came along for me to go visit. :-). I think I can understand his infatuation better now. The sunny days, dry heat, expansive sky, and breathtaking mountains do have an appeal to them that is much different from rolling green hills of PA. Plus, there is so much great food! Did anyone say green chili?? The reason behind my jitters was that in addition to seeing his hometown, I also got to spend time with Will's family and many of his friends. Looking back now, everyone was so friendly, it seems sort of silly that I was so nervous! Here's a bit of a recap of the weekend...

View from our hike up the of the Sandia peak with Will's Mom...

Will and I at the top of the peak where we stopped for a snack. :-)

Our ride back down the mountain.

At the wedding. (I look so weird in all the pics from that night. Oi)

Will lookin' classy with the groom and best man. 

On a tour of University of NM

At the Rattlesnake Museum with Will's Dad and Dolly.
This was the exact moment I totally freaked that this snake would break through the glass and get me!!

Huge rattler behind me? No big deal...

All in all, I had a superb labor day weekend in New Mexico! In addition to the above adventures with Will's kind and generous family, of course there was plenty of F-O-O-D!! I major failed at getting good pics though. :-/ I will say that I think I am sold on green chili. Yum! Plus, I have totally been dreaming of how tasty the chai tea I had at this little Indian restaurant Will's Dad found that we went to on Sunday. (Wonder if I could figure out how to imitate it myself at home?? Hmmm...). 
Hope y'all had a wonderful Labor Day holiday!

Tasty Experiment

A few weeks ago, Jenna from the blog, eatliverun posted this recipe for zucchini pasta. It looked so good! The only problem was that it included sausage. :-/ Not to fear, though. I thought, "Why not try vegetarian sausage?". Now, first off, I'm not a big fan of "fake meat", so this was the first time I have ever bought anything quite like this. I have started to get a little tired of my other protein options (ie. eggs and beans) and Will is always harping on me that I don't get enough protein in my diet. :-)

 I changed Jenna's recipe a bit. I think it turned out to be pretty tasty. I'm not sure I'm totally sold on the fake sausage though, it might partly be due to the fact that I really don't like real sausage. Oops!

Zucchini Pasta
(Adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup whole wheat rotelli pasta
-1 veggie sausage link
-1/2 sliced zucchini
-Handful of cherry tomatoes
-1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-Few leaves of basil, chopped
-1 tbsp olive oil
-Generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, spray a saute pan with oil and brown the sausage. Once sausage is browned, set aside. In the same oiled pan, add the sliced zucchini and oil. Saute the zucchini until it begins to soften. When the zucchini is nearly done, add the garlic, basil, and cherry tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are just warmed and garlic becomes fragrant.
3. Slice the sausage and toss with vegetables in pan. Toss in the pasta and mix it all together well. Sprinkle it all with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! :-)

Today, I finished up my day and a half of "Coach/Mentor" Training as we will soon welcome our second class of interns (I feel so unprepared!). Anyways, if you ever have a random serious desire to discuss your life goals, I'd be happy to practice the GROW model on you! Haha. Most of the training I felt was painfully awkward as I was forced to do sooo many practice coaching sessions with strangers (some of whom now know some personal information about me as a result!). Tomorrow I'm NM bound! So excited!!