Take Cover
I really want to know how this happened.
Spike
Meet Spike…and his hippo. The newest members of the family (and hiking enthusiasts.)
We got Spike from a farm in Eastern Kentucky that serves as a rescue for dogs from high-kill shelters. The father of the family that runs the farm (who came out wearing overalls with no t-shirt and a John Deer trucker hat), told us he is a little less than a year old, most likely full grown, probably a Boston Terrier mix, and that he “sure is sumpin’ else”. (He came with the name.) Aside from the fact that he’s taken 2 dumps in Paul’s closet (even though they said he was housebroken…fortunately he is small and so are his turds), he is pretty cool. And he (and his hippo) would like to meet you.
For some more pics, you can go here.
Last week’s recipes
My first week of cooking was….less than exciting. (And it was cut short by a weekend wedding in Texas.) I was a little bit disappointed by my creativity, I tend to gravitate towards recipes I know and like as opposed to the Kentucky Proud site. And the theme this week was apparently turkey.
Sunday:
Turkey loaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Green Salad
The turkey loaf was surprisingly healthy comfort food that I had never thought of making before. Mashed potatoes and salad were fine. Off to a good start.
Monday:
Tacos (with the leftover turkey from the turkey loaf.) Boring. But still tasty.
Tuesday:
My most favorite turkey chili recipe ever. It is super easy to make and there are lots of leftovers. I add a little extra chipotle (careful, it’s super hot…and P.S. no one in Kentucky knows what en adobo means…I had to go to three stores to find it), corn, and use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. If you have avocados it’s even better. Super delish. (My colleague told me that to maximize the scrumptiousness of any chili, corn and chipotle are a must. So true.)
Wednesday
Leftover chili
Thursday
Beef Stroganoff (per Paul’s request)
A few changes to make it a little bit healthier: wheat noodles instead of egg (makes a huge difference in the amount of cholesterol), fake soy meat instead of ground beef (a bag of it stolen from Paul’s parents’ house), and again plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Wasn’t a huge fan of the recipe, tasted like it was missing something…maybe meat. Though I’ve made beef stroganoff before with fake meat and it tasted just fine. Probably won’t use this recipe again.
Friday-Sunday
Tacos at 3am at taqueria Taco Cabana in Austin.
Here’s to a better 2nd week of cooking.
Letting go of the past…in the kitchen
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely…
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
The cookies that came out like scones because there was a little mix up between baking soda and baking powder, almost burning everyone’s eyes out because you accidentally substituted 3 tablespoons of cayenne for what should have been paprika in the frying pan…those days are in the past. Nowhere to go but up.
…and as fate would have it, I came across this site the other day. What better way to start a new chapter in the kitchen than by following Kentucky Proud Recipes. Because I am in Kentucky. And I am proud.
Kentucky Hike #1: Raven Run
Location: Fayette County
Distance: 7ish miles
Entry fee: $0
The “run” part of my grand plan hit a small road bump this past week…shin splints. Damn. So instead I have been swimming, spinning…and hiking! The weather here has been beautiful, and this past Saturday (when I would normally do my long run) it was 85 and clear and gorgeous, and I was bummed that I couldn’t run. So I decided to take a drive through the horse farms and hit up Raven Run, a local hike. I chose Raven Run namely because Paul assured me that the trails are wide and clear and well marked and there are families everywhere, so I wouldn’t get attacked or lost if I went alone.
On the way out there my gas light came on, so I GPSed the nearest gas station on my phone and ended up here:
I was a little nervous, because I had never pumped gas from one of these things before, but didn’t have much of a choice…the next closest station was 15 miles away. While I was inside paying, the electricity went out and they told me that the pumps wouldn’t work with no electricity. Fortunately, as I was about to leave, it came back on. Crisis averted. I finished pumping my gas and got back in my car when there was a knock on the drivers side window. It was the guy who worked there, he had come out to ask me if I “wanted to hang out sometime”. I smiled, told him oh, I’m married, and showed him my ring, and he said, “Oh, I don’t pay attention to that.” Sleazy smile. Time to go.
Got to Raven Run, decided to do the simple 4 mile loop. No problem. Sure enough, the paths were very clear, well marked, and I passed a number of families along the way. Took a few detours to some outlooks and down to the Kentucky River, took some pictures, enjoyed the view, and about an hour and a half in I should have been close to the end.
At that point I somehow veered off the red trail and onto the orange trail (red, orange…pick colors that don’t look the same when the paint fades) into some grasslands where I saw…absolutely nobody. For like an hour. I also started hearing what sounded like a large animal in the surrounding grass stalking me.
I know that I’m not in California or the mountains, where the mountain lions roam, but the UK mascot is the wildcats. And if there is one thing that I am really good at it’s freaking myself out. Fortunately, I found a plethora of these on the ground:
I have no idea what they are, but they are big and easy to throw…which is exactly what I did–started throwing them into the grass when I heard something (even though they were kind of soft). I also started singing out loud (if you’ve forgotten the rules of avoiding attacks) and picked up my pace. Finally made it back to the point where I originally veered off course (always nice to walk for a long time feeling lost and end up back in a place you’ve already been) and, after another 3o minutes of hiking, made it back to the car safely.
Total hiking time: 3+ hours. Kentucky hike #1: more or less a success. It is beautiful here.
I missed hiking, it’s good to be back.
…and we’re online.
THANK. GOD.
So, as I may have (or may have not) mentioned, after 3 months we decided it was time to move out of the in-laws and in to our very own apartment…at least for the next few months, until I get a job and we can get a loan for a house. We have been without internet or TV for almost 2 weeks. Yesterday, we got hooked up. And we have Netflix.
Yessssssss.
Cook, Pray, Run
Being new in town and unemployed, where the one person I do know well is attempting to survive the first year of med school, while living in a small apartment with very little furniture (our living room is 2 chairs), no internet, no TV, and few working appliances…I need to get out, find ways to maximize my enjoyment during this rare period of time off.
And so, in the spirit of productivity and enjoying my (hopefully) short-lived freedom, my days have been (and will continue to be) devoted to three central activities:
- Cook: I am not a good cook. But I am going to be. I have been trying to make sure Paul has dinner every night when he gets home (because, well, I am a lady that lunches, and that is what we do). For both his and my own sake, I am committing myself to improving my technique…through practice. I am cooking a different meal (that requires more than throwing bread and cheese or something frozen in the toaster oven) at least 5 nights a week.
- Pray: for a job.
- Run: I have that half marathon in December. Instead of just trying to finish it (which was my original goal, considering I didn’t exercise at all for over 3 months), I have decided I am going to try to PR it…which may not be as impressive as it sounds, considering the only other half-marathons I’ve ran were 1.) with a friend who walked part of it, and 2.) the day after Halloween in San Francisco.
And coaching (but that messes up my title, and it’s a job, so I left that out.) Not a bad way to spend your day. Anyone who’s around is welcome to join in the trifecta.
Willy
I ran into this guy on my 5 mile run through the burbs this morning.
He weighs 300 lbs and his name is Willy.
World Equestrian Games Come to Town
Git your horses ready…the World Equestrian Games are in Kentucky. These are the World Championships for equestrian events and are held once every 4 years…so it’s basically the Olympics for equestrians. This is a very big deal, primarily because this is the first time ever that the games have been held in the US (apparently equestrian events like dressage, vaulting, eventing, jumping, and reining are super popular in Europe…and no one here knows what they are.) Lexington has set up a city full of vendors, exhibits, etc at the Kentucky Horse Park a few miles outside of downtown. So my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and I headed out on a beautiful Friday to check it out.
They had all sorts of booths and demos set up to pay homage to the bright stars of Kentucky and highlight some of the equestrian events, including:
Pedro, the dancing horse (this guy’s story is pretty amazing):
The most famous Kentuckian (except for maybe Muhammad Ali), the Colonel:
The art of horse-tail braiding:
Obviously coal, the future of Kentucky:
Another no-brainer, bourbon:
…and meet Molly, the tiny horse with a fake leg.
Her story is kind of amazing, she was a Katrina victim that someone found, and a doctor that made human prosthetics decided to help her out with a leg. Yeah.
We also saw a reenactment of the Sound of Music by gymnasts in full costume doing flips on horses (a demo of vaulting, apparently), $800 cowboy boots, and a video of a horse giving birth (which I really didn’t need to see.)
Overall, pretty cool, head over there if you’re in the area and take a look. Lots to learn.
Rambulatory Ambulatory 
