It apparently crashed hard because it was down for a couple of days.  My website and my email was out of commission.  If you emailed me and it bounced, I apologize.  Please resend it!

Clearly my blog is back up at this point and by now I don’t want to talk Super Bowl snacks because pizza is more important.

Scott fixed my oven this week and replaced the heating coil.  Looking at the old coil, the coating just didn’t burn off, the coil burnt right in half.

Yikes!  Check it out.

It seemed fitting that since this coil gave up the ghost as I was reheating pizza, that the new coil got broken in heating up pizza.

I have to say that this new coil is amazing.  It heated up my oven with the pizza stone to 425 in about 15 minutes.  Possibly shorter time frame as I was working on our half bath at the time.  It’s super hot and works so well!

Ok, so now pizza.  I totally copied Lori this week and made a Kale and BBQ sauce pizza.  I saw her version and I had everything on hand to make it.

This pizza had a cornmeal crust and if you remember my first try at making this style crust, I used cast iron to cook the pizzas.

This time, I followed my basic dough recipe and used 2C Unbleached AP Flour and 1C Cornmeal, this mix worked out well.  It rose beautifully and rolled out nicely.

I braised the kale earlier in the day in a little beer (Great Lakes Eliot Ness) and chicken stock.  Then I tossed it in a little apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.

I had some leftover Bourbon BBQ Sauce in the freezer and pulled that out for the base.

Topped with red onions, shredded carrot, and chopped up buffalo chicken sausage.  The cheese was shredded mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar.

It came out great! Totally fell in love with this pizza!  I kept the BBQ sauce layer light so that it wouldn’t over power the other flavors and it baked right into the crust.  Very flavorful and light.

I think some bacon or pulled pork would also make a great topping for this pizza.  If you haven’t made a cornmeal crust before I highly recommend you trying it!

Comments: 0

Sunday, January 22nd:

It was super windy when I got up and instead of putting on my shoes, I changed into my painting clothes.  I got the first coat of primer up before I even had my morning coffee!

Two rooms and two coats of primer for each.  That took all day and completely wiped me out! I might not have run but I did get a lot accomplished and painting is most definitely an upper body workout!

Monday, January 23rd:

It was windy again and I turned on the coffee pot.  I couldn’t sit idle for long though and at lunch I headed out for a quick run.  It started raining and the wind was still blowing strong. Ugh!

I completely hate running in the wind AND rain.  However you gotta burn it to earn it, right? I was already dressed and already outside, so I might as well run.  I did 2.5 miles.

Tuesday, January 24th:

I had an early morning appointment so there was no morning run.  I considered running later in the day but the wind had picked up.  I’m over the wind! After having run in it already this week, I didn’t feel like doing it again.  Instead I did a weight routine and added in some extra ab work at the end.

Wednesday, January 25th:

Tuesday evening I started feeling like my body was going to crash.  My throat was sore, my eyes were itchy, and I kept sneezing.  All indications that I was on the edge of a light cold.  Because of that I decided to take it easy and only focus on painting.  Two coats in a spare bedroom.

Thursday, January 26th:

Rain, cold, and gloomy.  Yuck!  I did Jillian’s 6 Week Six Pack Level 2 for my workout today.  I wanted a bit of cardio and this workout delivers.  I like it because while it does focus on abs, it’s an all body workout.

Friday, January 27th:

I did nuttin’.  I’ve been feeling like I’ve been battling the beginnings of a cold all week.  One day I’ll feel lousy and the next I’ll feel fine.  Friday I was tired, both physically and sleepy feeling, so decided to just roll with it and chilled.  It was raining all day yesterday as well.  Bah! We’ve had so much stinking rain, our backyard is flooded out and there have been flood warnings all week.

Saturday, January 28th:

Run run! I got up early and it was warm out so I headed out for a run.  It started snowing while I was out, alternating between big fat flakes and small little bullets pelting me in the face.  It was hard to see most of the time because the snow was falling so hard but I didn’t care, the weather was finally calm enough that I could get out to run. Whoo!

My legs also felt very strong and I knew that I could have gone longer if I wanted to.  That makes me happy especially since I haven’t run since Monday.  Yikes!

Summary:

Not the best week on the books in terms of running however I did get in some other workouts and didn’t completely slack off.  Bonus!  Here’s hoping that next week goes a little smoother.

Comments: 1

Um.

I opened the door to find smoke and a small fire taking place in the left front corner.  Crap!  I gave it a sec to see if it would burn out (In case it was food related) but it kept getting worse so I shut the oven off and pulled out the pizza (Save the food!).

After the heating coil cooled for a bit I realized what had happened and not only was I flummoxed but also annoyed.  It seems that the coating on the heating coil decided to just melt off leaving a section of the coil exposed. The exposed coil reacted with the remaining coating causing it to spark and then catch fire.

Ugh.

So my oven is out of commission.  Thankfully I have a double oven, the bottom half being a smaller oven drawer.  It’s not large enough to roast a chicken or anything, but I can roast veggies in it just fine. Or, you know, heat up pizza.

That’s a lot of backstory to say, we got pizza out this week!

Scott ordered a new coil that should be delivered next week.  In the mean time we took this as an opportunity to visit one of our favorite pizza spots in Columbus, Figlio!

Yes I do love me some Bono, but it’s not close enough for a quick pizza run.  Figlio is and they make the perfect personal size pizzas.

We got the Figlio classic which has sausage, pepperoni, and proscuitto plus veggies. Scott got the same only his also had mushrooms on it.

We munched on our pizza as we watched the 2012 NHL All Star Draft and kicked back after a busy week. Did anyone watch?

This weekend we’re looking at more home improvements, this time it’s all painting.  We are wallpaper free! Hooray!

What are you doing this weekend?

Comments: 1

It would be nice to be able to purchase more variety of bottles in singles for sampling.  Sometimes you don’t want to invest in a six pack (or four pack) of something you haven’t tried yet.

We try to be good sports about it though and my thinking is, if I don’t care for it all that much I know I can still cook with it.  That’s something at least.

Alright so let’s talk winter seasonals!

21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat: 21st is one of Scott’s favorite breweries and when he saw this pop up earlier this winter, he snagged it right away.  It turned out to be a great beer.  Very dark in color with a creamy head.  It’s brewed with spices which come out strong in the flavor.  You can pick up the heat of cinnamon right away in this beer.  It’s mellowed out and not overpowering.  Nor is it in any way similiar to that of say, the cinnamon you find in a pumpkin ale.

This beer is hardy and warming.  Perfect for sipping while chatting with friends or kicking back watching a hockey game.  Only brewed from October to December, so if you see any out now get it before it’s gone.

Snow Cap Winter Warmer by Pyramid Brewing: This is a brew we discovered in winter of 2010 but we found it late and it was part of a sampler pack.  I fell in love with it immediately but was unable to find any more that year.

Tragedy!

So you bet this year, I was on the hunt for it and bought a six pack as soon as I saw it.

This is a warm dark ale.  It doesn’t have the spice or seasonal flavors that other winter warmers carry but it’s a smooth beer with malty goodness.

It has a caramel and slightly nutty taste to it. It reminds me a little bit like New Holland’s Cabin Fever.  If you like caramel sweetness then you’ll dig on this beer.

Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale: I’m not sure if we picked this ale up in a sampler pack or if we bought a six-pack of it outright.  Regardless it’s turned into one of our two go-to seasonals this year.

A little bit on the thicker side for winter ales it’s got a smooth start with a bit of a tangy finish.  By tangy, I mean that it sort of bites your tongue a little at the finish.  That is what keeps the ale from being too heavy by perking things up a bit.

This is the perfect beer for when you just got done shoveling the driveway or finished a long day of removing wallpaper (ahem).

Follow the link so you can read more about it because it’s a beer of love and has an intense aging process!

Harpoon’s Winter Warmer: This is the second of our seasonal go-tos this winter and my pick for favorite seasonal.  I love it!

It’s not quite as dark as the other winter warmers I profiled but it’s got an amazing cinnamony taste to it that reminds me of winter and not pumpkin.

It’s fizzy and a bit lighter making it refreshing.  The first time I had this beer I was out at a local bar getting a burger. It impressed me enough that we purchased a six pack of it not long after.

Since then, I’ve been stocking up when I see it because I know it won’t last long.

The description on the website says it has a pumpkin-pie flavor to it but I wouldn’t say that’s the case.  We all know I love pumpkin beers, and this is far from that.  The cinnamon is spicy adding a heat to the beer that I haven’t come across yet in other brews.

If you enjoy a spiced ale, definitely give this a go!

These are all malty brews, if you enjoy a more hoppy flavor, I would recommend Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale.  I found it alright (but I’m not a hophead) but a lot of folks really enjoy that seasonal.

What’s your pick for winter seasonal this year? 

Comments: 2

Now those that know me or have been reading this blog for any length of time will know that I have always enjoyed a great beer.  However, the past few years I’ve been picking wine over beer.

I would have beer on occasion but mostly preferred opening a bottle of wine.  A nice red to go with pizza or maybe a crisp white to go with some salmon.  All sounded good to me!

But this fall and then more heavily this winter, I’ve been reaching for a cold brew.

I’m at a point now where I would rather have a very tasty beer than a glass of wine.  I still have wine on occasion and almost always when we go out to dinner.  But I don’t have it nearly as much as I used to.

And since Scott and I have a favorite hangout, I love going out to get a pint and shoot the shit.  It’s one of my favorite things and something I look forward to very much.

I love tasting new beers (I’m still trying to find an IPA that isn’t quite so bitter) and finding different breweries.

Scott and I have a road trip planned for later this year and we’re currently trying to plot out breweries along the way.

Lately beer just seems more fun!

Tomorrow I’ll chat about some of our favorite seasonal ales we like this winter.

If you like beer, what’s your favorite style?

Comments: 2

You can read recaps of Week 1 and Week 2.

Sunday, January 15th:

Rest day! There are two reasons why I took this as a rest day:

Body was tired.

Work needed done around the house.

We’ve been really hauling butt this past week to get wallpaper removed and two rooms painted.  Saturday, we didn’t get nearly as much accomplished as I was hoping which meant that unfortunately I had to make up time on Sunday, pushing my run aside.

Bummed out? Yes.  But at this point it’s necessary.  Since I would be scraping walls all day long, I’m considering that as “something”.  Because it leaves me dog tired at the end of the day and sore the next day!

Monday, January 16th:

It was slow going and a little rough but I made it happen, 2.5 on the books.  I’m beginning to like starting the week off with a run.

Tuesday, January 17th: 

Rainy and gross outside.  I was orginally going to workout at the end of the day, however, I started painting our laundry room and got sucked into that completely.  I’m not calling it a rest day but it wasn’t as active as I would have liked.  Let’s go with that!

Wednesday, January 18th:

Completely wiped out from painting, I hit the sack around 9:30pm.  I wanted nothing more than to sleep and that I did! Woke up too late for a run and my body was feeling very tired from the previous day’s painting.  I decided to play it by ear and see how I felt later in the day.

About 4pm, I decided to head out for a run and oh was it a tough one.  My legs would. not. go.  My shins kept tightening up on me and felt very fatigued.  Not enough to cramp, just enough to be really uncomfortable while running.  I thought my shoes were tied too tight, so I fixed that.  Still happened.  Plus I was making the horrible “clomp clomp” sound as I ran which told me my form was out of whack.  My legs hurt enough that I almost cut this run even shorter but stuck it out for 2.5.  They got better towards the end but not enough that the feeling went away.  Weird!

Thursday, January 19th: 

I felt like I could use a good stretch so I did Jillian’s Yoga Meltdown Level 1.  I love this DVD for stretching and working the muscles.  It’s not an intense workout by any means, it’s more of a stretch and works on strengthening your muscles and your core.  It’s great if you feel like a good stretch or want a bit more of an active cooldown from another workout.

I’ve done Level 2 and I don’t like it as much as Level 1.  I don’t feel like it provides quite the same amount of great stretching.  Plus, for an at-home DVD I think it throws poses at you that should only be done with supervision or if you’re experienced enough (like crow pose!).  So I stick with Level 1.

Friday, January 20th:

There was a light snow on the ground and it was a chilly morning, 11F for my run.  I did a short run, 2.5 and it was a great run.  It was a gorgeous crisp cold outside plus the added bonus of running in the snow.

Running in the snow provides a whole other level of working out.  You have to keep your balance in check, you have to stay focused where you run to make sure you don’t trip or slip, and it provides a bit of resistance.  Your legs and core get a super workout when you run in the snow.  Such fun!

Saturday, January 21st:

Not a rest day because I spent all day in the half-bath stripping wallpaper and prepping it for getting painted.  I knew that I wouldn’t get a chance to run because the weather turned and we had an inch of snow on top of about a 1/4 of ice.  Even with yak trax, that makes for a difficult run.

I busted it inside instead.

Summary:

Not the best week and I’m not happy with it at all.  I did get some runs in but the mileage and duration were way too short.  Must change this in the upcoming week!

Total miles: 7.5   Bah!

Comments: 0

For someone who likes organization, that’s the one part of home renos that drive me bonkers.  The disarray!

The half bath will get completed this weekend, oh yes, yes it will.  Because I am over wallpaper.

I decided to experiment a little with pizza this week.  Remember last week when I used a bit of beer in the dough?  This week I used all beer in the dough and I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Unfortunately the beer I used was cold and I had to warm it up so that I could add yeast to it.  I think this most definitely effected the rise action and stunted it a little bit.  The dough still rose and acted beautifully, it just didn’t rise as much as I would have liked.

Next week, warm beer!

I made two pizzas this week, I used my basic dough recipe with beer as the liquid and then split the dough right in half when I was ready to bake.

Sidenote: I’ve been doing 1 1/2C AP Flour and 1 1/2C of Wheat Flour lately.

One pizza was all veggie:

• Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Shredded Carrot
• Spinach
• Red Onion

And the next pizza was the experiment!

Breakfast style pizza!  I’ve been wanting to make a pizza with eggs for ages and last night I finally bit the bullet and made one.  This had:

• Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Caramelized Onions
• Cooked crumbled breakfast sausage
• 2 eggs

This smelled amazing as it cooked!

I wanted the eggs a little more on the cooked side and less on the runny yolk side but I think I let this go a little too long in the oven.  Next time I’ll pull it out sooner.

I thought that the onions might enhance the flavor of the sausage a little more and I was right, the combo worked perfectly.  Next time I’ll go a little lighter on the onions and sausage though, this pizza was definitely a heavier pie.  I ate a slice with egg and was good.

I loved and hated making two pizzas.  I loved it because the cook time on each was shorter and the crust got super crispy.

I hated it because waiting for that second pizza to cook was torture!  I have a small pizza stone and it can only handle one pizza at a time.

Despite that, I might start making two pizzas more often.  It’s easier to handle getting them onto the stone (I don’t need Scott’s help!) and I liked the crust as a change up.

There’s plenty for leftovers for tonight’s dinner as well!  Which is a relief because there’s work that needs to be done and not having to focus on dinner on a Friday night is a plus.

How’s your week going?

Comments: 2

We had some leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner and I had some chard that needed used up.  Combine the two and you’ve got a great lunch!

It was super quick to put together.  I sauteed up:

• 1/4 Onion, sliced
• 1/4 Green Pepper, sliced
• Once large bunch of chard, chopped
• Shredded carrots
• A few broccoli florets

Sauteed in some olive oil with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Added in the leftover rice at the end and cooked just long enough for it to heat through.

Spooned in bowls, topped with a bit of shredded cheddar and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Perfect warm lunch and super easy to put together.  Could be assembled the night before or early in the morning to take to work.

The only thing I had to chop was the chard. I already had shredded carrots on hand ready for weekday salads.  I had sauteed onions and peppers leftover from dinner a previous day and I had broccoli in a bagged, prepped and ready to go.

The idea was to use up what I had on hand to make a quick meal.

You can also add in some extra protein by adding in beans or some scrambled eggs.  If you have leftover meat or fish from dinner the night before, you could add that too. Whatever you like and whatever you have on hand is the concept for this dish.

It’s a great way to utilize leftovers and to make a quick filling meal.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 6

It’s a short grain rice and I was curious to see whether the green color stayed once the rice was cooked or it if faded away.

I typically cook all my rice in chicken stock and this was no exception.  When I first made it, not only was I excited by the gorgeous green color but the flavor is really unique.

It has almost a floral and yet earth quality to it.  It also sticks together making it perfect for dishes where you want clumpy sticky rice.

Bamboo rice is green in color because it is infused with bamboo juice.  It is a short grain white rice and takes on the color of bamboo from the juice.

Here is a description from Wisegeek.com

Bamboo rice is not a specific varietal of rice, but is rather a short-grained white rice which has been treated with the juice of young bamboo plants. While milling the rice, the chlorophyll from the bamboo is added. This process causes the rice to be high in vitamin B, and gives it a flavor and aroma much like that of a jasmine green tea.

It does have a very unique flavor to it and I do encourage you to try it if you see some out.  Yes it can be expensive but for a little change up to rice, it’s worth the splurge.

Also check your store’s bulk bins. I have discovered that my local Whole Foods now carries bamboo rice in their bulk section.

Because it acts like a sticky rice, it can be used when making sushi.  Gives the rolls a pretty color and makes them stand out just a touch more.

Comments: 6

Here’s a recap of Week 1.

Sunday, January 8th:

4 miles this morning!  Whooo!  I was going into this run hoping to get 4 miles in but also realizing that maybe my legs wouldn’t be into it, so I would have to go with the flow.

My legs were a bit tired but not enough that I couldn’t complete 4 miles.  I felt strong during the run and like my legs are starting to get used to running again.  I was able to get through the 4 miles without issue.

Since my legs have been feeling a little tired and achey, I busted out my leg sleeves after this run.  Just to help ease with the achy feeling.  I haven’t seen them in ages either so it was nice to pull out my little purple lovelies.

Monday, January 9th:

Quick 2.5 run to start the week off right.  It was on the warmish side, pushing 30F to start.  I felt really strong during this run.  I kept the mileage short because I was coming off a longer run.

Tuesday, January 10th:

Another gorgeous morning! It was again pushing 30F to start and was great running weather.  Cranked out 3 miles with strong legs and breathing being more in tune.

Wednesday, January 11th:

It looked like rain but I wanted to head out to try and get something in before it started.  It was damp and even though it was close to 30F again, it felt a lot colder.  I was able to run a nice 4.5!  My legs were strong and the run was solid.  This is the most I’ve run since I tried running 5 miles two months ago.  At that time 5 miles was just too much and my hip screamed in pain for the rest of the day.

I dialed my running back a lot because I got really discouraged.  I remembered that I needed to bump my miles up slowly starting with .5 mile increments.  This was it, 4.5!  I felt great during the run and my hip didn’t bother me at all!  YaY!!

Thursday, January 12th:

It was pouring rain all day long so I took this as my “off” day.  Nice rest day!

Friday, January 13th:

Sadly I didn’t get out to run.  We were experiencing high winds all day long and there was no way I would have been able to run in that.  Instead I did some free weights work for lower and upper body.  Along with ab work at the end and 2 30second plank holds.

Saturday, January 14th:

2.5 miles in the snow and cold!  Whooo! My most favorite run of the week!  Okay, that 4.5er was pretty good but running in the snow is the best.  There was only a slight breeze and big fat fluffy flakes falling.  Scott ran with me and it was his first snow run.  YaY!

Summary:

5 days of running this week but a total of 6 days working out.  Not bad!  I am definitely already starting to notice some changes but we can talk about that in my wrap-up post a little later.

Total miles: 16.5 miles

Comments: 2