Author Archives: Cat

Big Ass Pancake

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So we just got back from vacation this week, and as my mother says, the first day back from vacation is always the hardest day of the year.

Because we had been out of town, I hadn’t been to the grocery store in a while, and I wasn’t about to go on that first day back. So dinner was going to have to come out of whatever odds and ends we had in the pantry. Enter the Big Ass Pancake.

The original recipe just refers to it as Big Pancake (also often known as the Dutch Baby), but I prefer the added word, partly in homage to hilarious local blogger and artist Robin, who paints this great, and aptly named, piece here. I have recently become quite enamored with my cast iron skillet—so it’s role in this recipe was the first selling point. The second was that I had almost everything it called for. I say almost because I had to make “milk” out of fat free half & half and some water.

Nevertheless, the Big Ass Pancake turned out delicious in a big ass way. I halved the recipe to make just one pan, and my husband and I split it, topped it with some homemade applesauce, powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. The resulting dish was somewhat like a cross between pancakes and french toast—and my husband said it reminded him of croissants.  But it was good; and I will make it again. Probably this weekend.

P.S.: If you’re curious about cooking with cast iron but worried about the maintenance, check out this article for a super-easy way to keep up the best pan you’ll ever own.

Tip: Bacon in a jar

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After throwing away a few too many half-eaten packages of bacon, I finally got smart. I put a serving of bacon (2-3 slices) in each compartment of a muffin tin and froze it, them transferred the bacon piles to a jar.

I am not, of course, the first person to think of this. I am told that my great-grandmother used to roll up individual slices like sleeping bags before freezing them. Smart lady.

Three miles closer…

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On Friday I completed the third 5k race I have ever run. I came in at 36:01, despite a last-ditch sprint effort to make it 36 even.

By the end of the third mile, I was dead tired and pretty sure I was about to throw up. The temperature on the course was approaching 90 degrees, and although I downed water all day I still didn’t feel hydrated enough. This particular race ends with a gradual but really rather awful uphill climb, and even if you’ve run it before, the whole last mile seems to sneak up on you.

But I did it. And if you’ve seen the rather pixelated photo of my finish line moment (I hope you haven’t; it’s not too flattering) then you would see how happy I was to  finish that race, and more than 4 minutes faster than last year. The smile on my face tells much more of the story than the time on the clock.

It took me more than a year, and a whole lot of lifestyle changes to get to the point where I was able, both physically and emotionally, to run it. Those may be stories for another day, but I do want to mention a couple of things I found helpful in my journey to 3 miles:

  • Getting good shoes: Any running reference or website will tell you this. But you don’t have to spend tons of money—I got mine when a local running shop was having a huge sale. Talk to the people at the store who can help you with fit and the right style for your foot/stride.
  • Considering clothing options: Like me, you may think that a T-shirt is the most comfortable piece of clothing you own, but many athletes will tell you that 100% cotton is the worst thing you can sweat in. For me, investing in the right clothing was not only helpful in running (I am way more comfortable in lightweight shirts and shorts that don’t ride up), but it also sent a message to myself that I was serious about my training.
  • Having a plan: Many, many people swear by the Couch-to-5k program, and I would too—if I had ever finished it. Oops. But seriously, it is a wonderful way to take something that looks huge and undoable (three miles!) and to put it in perspective. I highly recommend their iPhone app, which will play your music and time your running intervals, so you can focus on your workout instead of your watch. (Bonus: Get the $0.99 GPS add on and geek out over your routes and pacing.)
  • Setting a goal: Is there an upcoming 5k in your town? Sign up for it, just leave enough time for safe training. Sites like Active.com maintain lists of athletic events and are often the registration portals as well.
  • Training on the appropriate surface: If you’re planning to race on the road, then train on the road. There is no comparison between treadmill and asphalt running, even with your treadmill’s incline raised. It’s not even close.
  • Creating a support system: Running buddies are wonderful things. But if you choose to workout solo, get someone to run the race with you, or at least find a friend or family member you can talk to about it—someone who will be supportive of your goal and will keep you going when you don’t want to work out.

Have fun! And may the wind be always at your back.

    Bring on the summer.

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    A very pink (and very tasty) pilaf.

    Happy Memorial Day everyone!

    And happy unofficial start to summer. I hope everyone had a wonderful (and perhaps long) weekend. We managed to get quite a few things done around the house, not the least of which was a bit of cleaning made easier by the revelation that we have those cool tilt-in windows. Who knew?

    We also had some good friends over for some good food and some celebrating. I thought it might be a good ideal to kick off some new habits (posting regularly will be one of them, I hope—more about the others lately) by sharing our menu.

    A Memorial Eve Cookout:

    • Rosemary & Thyme Spread with Crostini—Discovered and wonderfully prepared by our friend. She bookmarked this site for later review, and I think I’ll have to, too. Beautiful photography.
    • Beer & Bison Burgers with Pub Cheese—Saw these in this month’s Sunset magazine, and HAD to make them. My husband basically slapped them on the grill and forgot about them until we were ready to eat, and they came out perfect. Oh, and the pub cheese makes a  really tasty (if a little garlicky) dip for pita chips.
    • Grilled corn on the cob
    • Grilled broccoli raab—Prepared according to this suggestion. This was a first for all of us, I think, and we were quite pleasantly surprised.
    • Quinoa & Beet Pilaf—I found this through the @nytimesdining tweets, and when I learned that there would be beets in our CSA this week, I knew we had to make it. I cut back on the caraway seeds because hubs isn’t really into it, and I was afraid it would be really beet-y (ya know, really taste like dirt), but it came out really wonderfully balanced. The leftovers were great cold tonight.
    • And for dessert… Chocolate Eclair Cake! — Also lovingly made by our friend with her grandmothers recipe. This is one of those church cookbook staples, and it was just as amazing as I remember it. I have so many memories of eating this sweet treat on emotional evenings on church trips. Every bite reminded me of why summer is so great. Sounds cheesy, but true.

    Except for a little of the cooking time, we got to spend the entire evening in the back yard with the fire pit and some cold beers. And after all was said and done I only had about a half-dozen mosquito bites. Not a bad start to summer at all.

    A city walk.

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    I have a new job—well new in the last four months—and one of the many things I love about it is my new office’s proximity to downtown Asheville. I’m literally just outside the bit of interstate that runs around the center of our city, and I’m continually surprised that when I walk to a lunch spot, it only takes me 5 minutes. I can’t even go home for lunch in 5 minutes.

    There’s just something about walking in an urban center in winter that feels so perfect: the alternating spots of sunlight and shade; the casual wafting of a shop’s particular smell or the smoke from a lone cigarette; the fade in and fade out of patio music as you walk past a popular eatery; people in their coats and boots and hats, looking so cozy and put together.

    With our NY Resolutions for 2011 (which I will post soon), I’m trying to pack my lunch more and spend less money on eating out. But it’s the end of the month and I had a little cash, and today’s hour of being out and about downtown was worth way more than I paid.

    When I left the office I was headed one place, but on the way I couldn’t help but change my mind and end up at a new favorite. The Cucina 24 Deli is a tiny sandwich shop right next door to the regular dinner-fare Cucina 24 on Wall Street. The deli has three seats at a window-bar and one little table for two, with some overflow seating in the back of the big restaurant. There are about seven highly-artisanal sandwiches on the menu, and the showcase in front boasts side options of pickled vegetables and chick pea salad, as well as meats and cheeses available by the pound. Half-gallon jars on the counter are filled with over-sized pumpkin oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. Last time I went there were even handmade Milano-style cookies.

    The deli is so small that there are rarely more than three people in there at one time, including the fabulous gal behind the counter. She is the only one who works there all day, every day, so she knows every person who comes in. As she is assembling my sandwich, she asks my preference of bread and relish, each time giving a suggestion which I am eager to take. It’s one of those places—you get it like she makes it because she knows best.

    After a grilled eggplant sandwich and some delicious soup, I trotted off to the ATM to make a deposit, and then headed back to the office. Sort of. I stopped at the Chocolate Fetish for a high tea truffle (the filling has black and green tea flavors) and then popped into the new Spice & Tea Exchange, where the walls were lined with shelves and shelves of jarred spices, teas, peppers, and house-made blends.

    And as I was really walking back to the office (too bad lunch is only an hour), I thought of so many more places I could have stopped. When I gets warmer I’ll make the trek down to Pack Square Park to eat my sandwich (home-packed or deli) and then stop at the library to grab a book. Or I’ll go to my favorite boutique and grab a crêpe on my walk back. Check out the new tea shop I’m dying to try.

    I studied in New York the summer before I moved to Asheville, and I’ve told people that being in the big city made me want to live here even more. It’s hard to explain, but a day like today is a lot of the reason why. I love my little city.

    Photo from here.