So I know you’re dying for a personal illness update. But that’s too bad because THIS IS AN OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATING WINTER. Valentine’s Day people! That’s when 2010 Olympic figure skating stars. And here is a list of figure skating events leading up to the Olympics. Time to study up.
Trick-or-Treat, originally uploaded by ShotSnaps.
I caught some kind of Mean Viral Funk this week that left me horizontal and sleeping most of the week. I finally dragged myself to the doctor yesterday wearing mismatched pajamas and an oversized sweatshirt. And of course looking like this I ran into an acquaintance. I walked over and from a careful non-germ-communicable distance said hello to this acquaintance who didn’t recognize me. Probably because I looked like a down-on-my-luck carney who was in that waiting room just to spread whatever highly contagious disease I surely had.
After going though my symptoms, my doctor told me he was 80 percent sure I had the swine flu. I was almost relieved that I had a Real Reason for feeling so miserable. But then my flu test came back negative. Which, you know, yay… the Pig didn’t get me. But sometimes it’s nice to put a name on what is making your sinuses bleed. And “flu” is so much neater than “Mean Viral Funk.”
So no Photo Friday this week. Not unless you want to see a picture of a huge pile of Kleenex I used yesterday alone.
I like to call this recipe “Mac and Cheese for Adults” because it is as far away from the box of Kraft Macaroni as you can get. It is really, really good. And if you stop at the word “cauliflower” and think “I’m not trying this one,” then I call culinary chicken on you. I really cannot stand cooked cauliflower, but this has enough cheesy deliciousness to make anything taste good.
Everyone in my family, with the exception of John, love this recipe. And John is just stubborn and doesn’t know what’s good for him.
Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower
from Real Simple
12 ounces multigrain elbow macaroni
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 slices multigrain bread, torn or two cups of prepared breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 slices multigrain bread, torn or two cups of prepared breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions
- Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.
- Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse to combine; set aside.
- Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the pasta, cauliflower, cheese, sour cream, milk, and mustard.
- Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Afternoon Tea, originally uploaded by ShotSnaps.
The Chicago Marathon. Despite it being insanely cold in Chicago at 6:30am, IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME. A marathon is like if you went to a football game where everyone was somehow related to every player on the field. The crowds are crazy! There is some intense family loyalty going on.
Some highlights from my seven hour observation of the Chicago Marathon included watching the pace car and some of the elite athletes running around mile two. Then standing for about 45 minutes at Mile 13 waiting for Rachel to run by with her pace group. I couldn’t remember Rachel’s pace group time so I pretty much stood there the whole time yelling “GO RACHEL! COME’ON RACHEL!” hoping she’d hear me when she went by. Every now and then I became self conscious about yelling “GO RACHEL” constantly so I’d cheer for someone else. “GO FRED! HALFWAY THERE! GO ELVIS RUNNER! MAKING THOSE SIDEBURNS PROUD! GO BANANA GUYS!” Eventually Rachel ran by and I chased her with a backpack full of nice racing clothes I picked up off the street (per request) and ran with her for about .1 miles. Doing that reminded me why I wasn’t running the marathon.
Rosalie ran by about 30 minutes later. To me, Rosalie represented what I expect would be my reaction to running a marathon: generally pissed. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: GO ROSALIE! How’s it going?
Rosalie: My iPod doesn’t work.
Me: How do you feel? (I was sort of interviewing her for her mockumentary for her film class).
Rosalie: Everything hurts.
Me: You made it this far! That’s awesome!
Rosalie: I hate you, and my feet, and I think those bunny ears you’re wearing are stupid.
That’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but you definitely get the idea.
Then I sat for about another 45 minutes at mile 25.5 just as runners were coming over the hill to the final stretch of the race. It was interesting watching their faces. Some were just doggedly plodding along, some were jumping around like they just started the race, and others were completely spent but had this amazed look on their face as it dawned on them they could all but see the finish line. It was like they just saw Jesus. Or Bono.
About the point where I was convinced Rachel was in a medical vehicle on the side of the road somewhere, Rachel came staggering over the hill. She couldn’t bend her left knee and one of the ligaments in her leg was so tight it was pulling her kneecap over. But Rachel is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met, and she was going to finish that race. I walked with her until just past Mile 26, and then she somehow managed to start jogging again and ran across the finish line.
Rosalie was about 30 minutes behind, beating the cut off for finishing by 48 seconds. They seriously denied a finishers medal to people that finished behind Rosalie. That is totally my marathon nightmare; running all that way and making it to the finish line and then being told I was 5 seconds too slow. That and being run over by the End Car.
But she made it and we started hobbling home after they hit the massage tent. My Super Fan reward was getting to drink most of the three beers they were given at the end.
I am so proud of them.
CHICAGO MARATHON
Published October 10, 2009 family matters , it's a sickness , life happens , stuff i read Leave a CommentI’ve had a lot of freelance work on my plate this week, which is why I’ve been so quiet on the blog-front. Michael graciously gave me one whole day of his two day fall break this week to sit in his office and type furiously. It’s amazing how productive you can be when you know you have exactly eight hours to write what ended up being a 3,200 words-after-editing cover article for a local college’s alumni magazine.
The rest of the week we similarly fast-paced. So when one of my sisters called me to see if there was any way I could come with them to Chicago this weekend while she and another of my sisters (I have four sisters) run the CHICAGO MARATHON to give them moral support and “hold their stuff,” it somehow seemed like the perfect Anything Can Happen Thursday decision. (That one’s for you Big Bang Theory viewers).
I did an interview Friday afternoon for another freelance article, then a few hours later hopped in the car with my sisters and transcribed most of that interview on the drive to my brother and sister-in-law’s house in Illinois (have I mentioned I have a lot of siblings?). Then this morning I spent another two hours writing furiously in the car and another hour editing in my sister’s childhood friend’s Chicago basement appartment JUST SO I COULD GET TO THIS MOMENT:
I have finished my work. I am holding a big hot cup of Irish Cream with a little coffee. I am on the verge of finishing a whole book in just under a 24 hour period. I am in Chicago with my fabulous sisters who are getting ready to RUN THE CHICAGO MARATHON tomorrow. And there is an awesome Thai place at the end of the street.
Dies happy.
“We made a scary face!”, originally uploaded by ShotSnaps.
Happy 60th birthday to my lovely mother.
A Time for Beauty, originally uploaded by ShotSnaps.
A Time for Beauty, originally uploaded by ShotSnaps.
