Got up this morning, and H and I got to work preparing for Thanksgiving. First, wild mushroom soup (serves 6):
2 lbs wild mushrooms, 1/2 c unsalted butter, 1/3 cup chopped green onions, 6 garlic cloves, peeled, 3T flour, 6 cups chicken stock, 3/4 c heavy cream, 2 tsp tarragon, 1/4 cup Creme Fraiche, 1 egg yolk, 1 T lemon juice, 2 tsp salt, 1 Tb Metaxa.
Saute mushrooms in 1/4c butter for 5 minutes. Add green onions & garlic, saute for another minute, set aside.
Make roux of remaining 1/4 c butter and the flower. Cook for 4 mins over medium heat, whisk constantly, don’t let it brown.
Add chicken stock (you can do veggie stock if you want) to the roux, bring to a boil/stir frequently, then simmer for 5 mins. Add mushroom mix,simmer for 15 mins. Take off heat. Puree, add heavy cream. Add tarragon, salt, Metaxa.
Make liaison: Stir together egg yolk, lemon juice and creme fraiche (made by mixing a cup heavy cream with 1 Tb buttermilk – or as many cups as you want with 1 Tb buttermilk to each, combine over medium heat just to take the chill off, pour into a glass jar, cover lightly and let sit in a warm place at about 70 degrees for 20 hours). Pour soup in heated bowls, Dribble liaison into the soup in a design.
(We made the soup, and the liaison, but will heat the soup back up for dinner at 4:00).
Next, made the salad: Arugula & Roasted Pear Salad w/Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese (serves 6):
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place a baking sheet on the rack, and heat to 500 degrees.
Peel and halve 4 firm Bartlett pears lengthwise. Remove core. Set each half cut-side down and slice lengthwise, into 5ths (4 cuts). Put the slices in a large bowl, and toss with 1 T melted unsalted butter, then add 2 T sugar and toss again. Spread the pears in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure each lies flat. Roast until browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip each slice and roast until deep golden brown on the other side, about 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and put on plate to cool.
Take 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toast in a small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Be SURE to not let the smaller pieces or “dust” get in the pan – go for even pieces. Otherwise the small ones burn and the big ones don’t get toasted. Trust me. We discovered this the hard way.
Make vinaigrette: Whisk together 1.5T extra virgin olive oil, 2 t white wine vinegar, 1/2 t salt, ground pepper.
Combine 2 bunches arugula (stems removed, leaves washed and dried then torn into bite sized pieces) with 4 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler off a big block with the roasted pear slices in a large serving bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Put in bowls – put walnuts on top.
We have stuffing and an organic, pre-roasted turkey from Whole Foods (yeah, cheaters, cheaters, I know), and mom is bringing spiced onions with almonds, plus some appetizers (cheese/veggies), plus some small French tarts (as in, SMALL) for dessert. Champagne for before – wine with din-din.
After doing the above, I went for a RUN. We were supposed to do 800 repeats – oh, come ON. That means finding a track, or knowing exactly WHERE 1/2 mile is. I just wanted to get out, do it, and come back. So instead, I ran out to Court Street and back (I have done that mileage before, I don’t have it here and don’t want to map it right now, but it’s way less than 5 miles I know that). I decided to run to the tempo of the music I had in the playlist. Some were too slow (noted – I will move those to a lower “position” in my playlist – hey, it’s all a learning!), and some (Sexy Vampire in particular) kicked my boo-TAY! I had fun. Total, including walking Moody up home (which was 7 minutes) was 56 minutes.
PLAYLIST (and comments):
When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down), Great Big Sea. I know I know I am stuck on this one. It makes me happy
Scar That Never Heals, Jeremy Fisher (ditto above comment)
Suddenly I See, KT Tunstall. This was my favorite song from 2006 when I last exercised!
Oh Oh Oh Sexy Vampire, Fright Ranger. This kicked my BUTT! The tempo was actually a blast to run to. I just kept my steps small.
I Am The Walrus, Bono & The Secret Machines. Too Slow
With A Little Help From My Friends, Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson. Too Slow
Spotlight, MuteMath. This was a great one! Thanks Hannah!
She’s Got The (Who-Hoo), Sugar Ray. Too Slow.
Single Ladies, Beyonce. Fun, but just not quite the right beat – couldn’t get into the “running groove” with it
Calle Ocho, Pitbull. Good one, Leann!
This is How A Heart Breaks, Rob Thomas. Ditto – great one Leann!
Solsbury Hill (Live), Peter Gabriel. Too slow.
Daniella, John Butler Trio. Surprisingly this worked – I was slowing down by then though!
Get The Party Started, P!nk. Just not quite the right tempo. Sort of like the Beyonce one. Surprising.
Mony Mony, Billy Idol. This worked well.
That got me home! Time to get the turkey in!
This was my view for an hour yesterday as I sat on my bike trainer on the driveway, peddling away. Well, until dusk, then dark – then I wasn’t seeing much of anything (smile).
Week 3 is here!
So, on Sunday, H decided that we needed to get away. We actually did the Run together, which was fun (did I blog about that? I think I did), and then headed off to Bodega Bay Lodge. It’s about an hour’s drive away. The photo to the right was from our deck, out over the marshes and to the ocean.
H wanted to bike, and so Monday became a bike day instead of a “rest” day. H had reconditioned his bike before we left – but didn’t have any extra handlebar tape. We picked some up at 
Today was another coached workout – we did bike drills, a LOT of swimming, and then learned more about the bike. It was at Redwood High, where I went to high school. W-O-W, the school is beyond gorgeous now. Landscaping, HUGE pool, the works. W-O-W.
First we did drills on a “trainer.” The last time I had a “bike trainer” was 20 years ago – and it was basically a flywheel on a stand. The funniest part is that I only gave that thing to charity about a year ago. I dragged it around all this time – now here I am needing a trainer again! Coach Mike is going to loan me one of the fancy-schmancy ones – the photo on the right is Coach Mike and Coach Tony from LLS putting the trainer together.
OK yeah, I know, how sexy is this photo – me drinking swamp water (a/k/a InnerLight AlkaBlast, Prime pH and Super Greens combo, suggested by Coach Stu Mittleman) with my sunglasses on and my goggles on the top of my head!
Today we were to do Strength Training (I think), and then do another Run/Walk combo for about 40 minutes (5 min/1 min). It was a “buddy run,” and Paula, another lawyer I’d met at the Kickoff, and I met at Tennessee Valley.
We ran from the parking lot, and I know she was really just “jogging” with me. We did the 5 minute/1 minute thing as best we could – we would get chatting, or I would get out of breath, and so we sort of did what we (I) could. The area is so pretty out in Tennessee Valley. We are so lucky to live in Marin! In fact, this morning I was out taking photographs for my adopted grandson Caleb’s school when I took the dog on a hike – and that really brought into focus how gorgeous our area is.
After the run, I actually was lucky enough to have a facial that my mom had given me as a present – what a perfect end to the day! I nearly fell into deep, snoring sleep right there on the table! I think that a day that includes a mile hill hike with the dog, an hour of strength training at pole dancing and then dancing, and then MORE Strength training and also Running is a bit much. As Coach Dave said, “More is NOT More!” I know that, though it’s hard for me to figure out how to be sure I do what I’m “supposed” to do. I can’t not walk the dog. I like going to pole class. I really liked the buddy run with Paula. I guess maybe combining the Run with the dog walk is the way to go – but then I lose the buddy part. Hmmmmm! It’s all a process!
SWIM COURSE: “The Swim Course is a point to point swim; set in a time trial fashion (athlete position is first come first serve, one at a time). Athletes will jump off the dock at Tumbleweed Southwest Grill to start the event, finishing at the Great Lawn. The swim course will close 2 hours, 20 minutes after the final athlete enters the water. Utilizing a unique time-trial start, the final athlete is projected to enter the water by 7:45 a.m.” So what this seems to mean is GET IN THE WATER EARLY! I can’t figure out if they will “personally” chip you if you don’t finish the swim in a certain amount of time – seems that’s not the case. But they WILL chip you if you are the last swimmer, and don’t do it in 2 hours, 20 minutes. Checkin is at 5:00 – Pros start getting in the water at 6:50, Age Groupers at 7:00. So basically they get all the Age Groupers in the water in 45 minutes. It says ARRIVE EARLY – yeah, no doubt.
BIKE: “Athletes will be required to reach the 61-mile mark on the bike course (located at the intersection of State Road 42 and KY-393) and start the second loop by 2:15 p.m. Athletes have until 6 p.m. to reach the transition area at the completion of the 112-mile course.” So again, getting in early in the swim is KEY! Obviously “Mile 61” would be a good mile to sponsor on the fundraising – as that’s one of the “if you are not here by this time, you are out” miles. OK and what the HELL is an elevation chart doing in the middle of the Bike Course Picture? I thought this was a FLAT RACE? I’ve been duped! 🙂
RUN: “Athletes will be required to reach mile 14 on the run course (located on Muhammad Ali Drive just prior to the second loop) by 9:15 p.m. and complete the marathon course by midnight.” So there you go – once again, that would mean “Mile 14” would be a good mile to sponsor on fundraising as it’s a “get chipped” mile.