So remember two weeks ago when I was all excited about the Ravens playoff win and those cranberry muffins? Well now I’m not so excited about the Ravens–it’s been nearly a week and I’m STILL in shock at that missed field goal. Seriously, how do you miss that? Le sigh.

But I am still excited about oat based quick breads–and I made this one that night of the football excitement. Oats just make everything so warm and delicious. Like a big thick, snuggly blanket turned into bread. And the apples allow this quick bread to be low on sugar, but still big on taste. And thanks to the oatmeal, this bread stays nice and moist…and dare I say it, even better the second day than the first?

But the bread wasn’t the only thing I was excited about that weekend–my cousin Christi was also up to visit! Christi deserves a special shout out, because I’m pretty sure she’s one of the longest regular readers of the blog, even if she isn’t a big commenter. We all grew up together, but had fallen out of touch for a few years, and I’m so happy to have her back in my life! We had a great weekend together–girl talk, Once Upon a Time, Beauty and the Beast in 3D (my favorite Disney animated movie EVER, even with an unfortunate interruption for a power surge) and sushi happy hour! And I’ve seen her three times in the last year, which means I get to cross another one off the list!

Apple Oat Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1-1/2 cups (about 2 medium) chopped apple
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and oats in a large bowl. Add apple, eggs, milk, and oil. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Mixture will be stiff.

Put mixture into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until done. Let sit for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.

Drinking around the World makes you do funny things…

Are you ready for some football?!

I know we are! The Ravens are in the AFC Championship game this weekend and the whole town is painted purple. All of the buildings downtown, all of the folks at work. I’m even watching Sportscenter at the gym. CAW!

Do not judge these wings by the camera phone picture…they were too good to stop and photograph!

And since these chicken wings were SUCH a hit last week, and they’re so easy, I think they’ll be on this Sunday’s menu. Because if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. It may even be lucky! Along with my purple stick on Fu Manchu.

Easy Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
As many wings as you want to cook (I usually make 3 packs) Try to buy the ones that are separated
Good Barbecue Sauce, like Bone Sucking Sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 and line two cookie sheets (for two packs of wings) with foil.

Spread wings out on cookie sheets. Spoon sauce over them. Bake, in preheated oven, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove sheets, flip wings over with tongs, and spread remaining sauce on the wings. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until wings are crispy. Serve hot, with lots and lots of paper towels and beer!

And GO RAVENS!! BALL SO HARD U!

It’s freezing. Like literally. I tried to go out for a long long run this morning and I ended up cutting it to a medium long run, because 5 miles in my legs were so frozen that they weren’t moving. No good.

So for the rest of the day, I’ve been cocooning in the house. Cuddling on the couch, watching football, and of course, baking. Okay, that sounds way more blissful and relaxing than our afternoon actually was. We were really stressed out watching the Ravens game and trying to keep Noel from breaking things at the Broadkill Beach Club. Yikes!

But there was baking! And what better thing to make on a cold day than some warm and hearty muffins so keep you warm and satisfied on a cold January day? And these muffins are so easy, you can whip them up during a commercial break from the football game!

Cranberry Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup regular oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
1 cup milk
1 egg

Toss cranberries in granulated sugar to coat.

Combine dry ingredients well. Stir together milk, egg, and melted butter. Combine liquid ingredients with dry mixture. Add cranberries. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in 12 well greased muffin cups at 425°F.

When I think about this past weekend and the races there is just so much in my brain. I think I’m still a little bit in shock that I actually ran two half marathons in 24 hours and did it with shockingly low levels of pain. Maybe this means that I’m ready to knock that fist goal off my list?

But let’s back up, and start at the very beginning. I apologize in advance for one LONG post!

I actually arrived in Florida on Wednesday morning, a whole three days before the race. This was a good thing, because it gave me some serious relaxation time before the onset of pre-race freak out mode (does anyone else get this?). The tendonitis in my lower right leg had been bothering me so I had taken about a week off of running so I was REALLY well rested. Which meant I was able to really enjoy some time with my sister and Larry, a visit to Islands of Adventure, and some bumming around time. Which was really needed.

The Donald

But I suppose perhaps I was too chill, because before I knew it was Friday night and I was climbing in bed at 8.30 to get ready for that big 3am wake up call. Amazingly, I had the BEST night’s sleep I’ve ever had before a half. Unfortunately, I don’t think Noel (who also ran the half!) was quite so lucky. Before we knew it we were on the monorail headed to Epcot with one of my teammates, and then soon after we were headed into the corrals. As we dropped off each runner at their corral, my excitment built just a little bit more. I had never been worried about this half–after 4 I know I can finish one–but it really started to build! I was in the A corral so I headed up to the front, hoping that I would be able to hold my pace back with all of those fast people in A!

Before I knew it, we were over the start and heading towards the Magic Kingdom. I remember loving the quiet right after the start at the Disney half last year, and this year was no different. It’s calm and quiet, and you’re surrounded by runners. It’s really a running zen out moment. The miles seemed to fly by–soon we were under the Magic Kingdom gate, then in the parking lot, and very quickly in front of the Contemporary, where a good portion of Team Peacock was waiting to cheer me on! After that we were into the Magic Kingdom proper–always my favorite part of this race! It was still dark (last year the sun was rising as I was in MK) but it was still wonderful, especially because it wasn’t as crowded as during last year’s race, thanks to my first corral position.

As we wound our way out of the back of MK, I was feeling good and I was right where I wanted to be for pacing. I knew the hardest part of the race was in front of me–the “boring” stretch of World Drive back to Epcot, followed by those horrible overpasses between miles 10 and 12. I got a serious pick me up from seeing Mary Poppins in front of the Grand Floridian, although I could have killed someone because she had NO LINE and I was sans camera! It figures!

The overpasses were just as horrible as I remembered them being, which just proves that even though I’m in much better shape this year, running up a banked surface is never fun! I felt so much stronger than I did last year as we turned into Epcot and headed towards the finish–no deaths doorstep pictures this year! Soon I was crossing the finish, feeling good and knowing that my journey was halfway over. Knowing that recovery was a top priority, I made it to the medical tent and had them ice my quads and left knee, before heading out to meet up with the team. I had a bagel with almond butter waiting, and I patiently ate it while we waited for Noel to come in. I was so happy to see him at the finish–I think he was just happy to be done!

The Chip and Dale

My preparation for Chip and Dale continued on Saturday afternoon after Noel finished the half. I didn’t want to sit around all afternoon and let my muscles tighten up, so after a quick nap we headed out to the Magic Kingdom, where we rode the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad :-) I was pretty much starving all day, so I was happy to head our friends Robyn and Scott’s for some wonderful homemade lasagna for dinner! I was in bed and passed out by 9.15 or so–that early wake up call for the first race sure did make it easy to sleep for the second!

Friend and Usual Suspect Carlos was running the first leg of the relay, so I got up with him at 3am to see him off. I knew he was in good hands meeting the team at the race start, so I planned to go straight to the exchange zone (thank goodness it was in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, which was easily accessible from the monorail!) and enjoy a much needed extra hour or so of sleep. I was back up at 5 to do the normal pre-race routine, plus destress a bit by joking around with Noel and Eileen. My legs were a little bit sore, but I could tell the ice had helped.

Soon we were off, Eileen to wait for Carlos in front of the Contemporary, which was mile 10 in the full marathon, and Noel and I to the exchange zone. In a happy surprise, the exchange area was only a few hundred feet away from mile 8 on the course, so we were able to watch the runners stream through for a bit and actually see Carlos before I settled in the exchange zone and waited for Carlos to finish. Before too long I saw him turning off the marathon course and coming down the chute. And then I was off!

I had done a good number of back to back long runs, but nothing quite prepares you for being out there on race day. Although I wasn’t in a ton of pain from Saturday, my quads did hurt almost immediately, but not so bad that I couldn’t keep chugging along. I think it helped that the back half of the marathon course was totally new to me–and I LOVED seeing all of the backstage areas! About 8 miles in my quads really started to hurt, so I did stop and apply some Biofreeze, which was a real life saver.

After a particularly horrible stretch on Osceola Parkway, we were coming into Hollywood Studios. From the Studios to the end there were a TON of people cheering, which really helped me to power through those last couple of miles when I was starting to feel the time on my legs and the heat of the day. I got seriously emotional as I went around the Boardwalk and into Epcot. I also started cursing any sort of rise in the course (even if it was just a baby bridge between England and France!) The last mile around the World Showcase seemed to last forever, but soon I could hear the gospel choir that always hangs out just before the finish. I did it. I was done! And I pushed myself right out of my comfort zone!

And not only did I have a great weekend of racing, I also had an amazing weekend with some wonderful friends. I have a very supportive group of running friends online, and most of them were at Disney for the race. It was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and sharing such a big accomplishment with them. I always get a little bit emotional at Disney, but this trip was one for the special books!

Four Disney Parks. Many miles of highway. Two stops for Biofreeze.

Pushing myself further than I thought I could go.

Two halfs in 24 hours. Total time 4:26:10. WDW Half Marathon time (Saturday) 2.13.12. WDW Marathon Relay time (Sunday) 2.12.58. Full race report to follow :-)

Now that it’s the new year and my 30th birthday is scarcely 10 weeks away, I knew it was time to get serious about the list. So a long weekend to start the year seemed like the perfect time to tackle one of my more ambitious baking projects on the list–homemade baguettes!

Baguettes might seem like a strange baking project, but they’re one of my all time favorite things to eat. I think I could give up sweets and alcohol, but if you took away my bread, I might get ANGRY. So the idea of making my own baguettes–crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, seemed like a perfect thing for me to try.

And you know what? They weren’t particularly hard to make, just a lot of waiting. And the results were amazingly delicious–like a good artisan one from the store. So I think this is a project I’ll be undertaking again, when I have some time to wait for delicious bread!

Crusty Baguettes
Adapted from the King Arthur Catalogue

Although the baguettes were surprisingly easy, you do need some special equipment. Either a flour sack, a baker’s couche, or a baguette mold will help the bread rise into its desired size and shape.

Ingredients:

Starter:

1/2 cup cool water
1 cup unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:

All of the starter
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Directions:

Mix the starter ingredients until smooth, cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.

The next day, mix the starter and the remaining ingredients. Knead until the dough is spring, but not totally smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 3 hours, deflating and flipping over after one hour and two hours.

Divide the dough into three pieces and shape each piece into a log about 15 inches long. Place each log on a well floured couche shaped into pouches. Cover and let rise until puffy but not doubled, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Toward the end of the rising time preheat the oven to 425. Carefully transfer loafs to baking sheet. Brush or mist each with warm water, the slash the top. Bake loafs for 22 to 28 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Turn off the oven. Take the baguettes off the pan and place them on the oven rack. Leave the oven door slightly ajar, and allow loafs to cool completely in the oven.

So this one is done and done! And I’ll definitely be doing it again!

The Dream Suite in Cinderella’s Castle Edition