Bake, Run, Live

Cleveland Half Marathon (race recap)

May 22, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

On Sunday, my day started dark and early for the Rite-Aid Cleveland half marathon! I left the house at 4:30 am, in order to make the drive and find parking before they started closing the roads. Traffic was light, so that was a plus! I made it into a parking lot and just chilled for about 30 minutes. At 6am, I made my way to Cleveland Browns stadium, where the start/finish areas were located.

I did not need baggage check this year (last year was rainy, so I had warm-up clothes with me that I needed to check), and I was happy about that as the line was Really. Long. That seems to be an area that they could work on, to get it to flow a little better (maybe 2 rooms instead of just 1?). So I was able to just wander around and take in the atmosphere. I did see a friend and an ex-boss (I received hugs from both!), they were also running the half marathon (and they both did awesome!).

About 6:30am, I made my way to the starting area. Cleveland doesn’t have corrals, and last year they didn’t have anything to indicate where you should start (depending on your finishing time), so there were a lot of slower runners and walkers that started too far up front. This year, they had pacing markers and the announcers did a good job in making sure people paid attention to the markers in order to line up accordingly. That helped a lot!

I like Cleveland’s course. Running through neighborhoods where the people come out and cheer you on. Musicians that are out there with just a guitar and an amp- simple, but effective. There really is only 1 steep incline throughout the half-marathon course, so it’s considered a fast, flat course!

The only negative I saw, was at some of the later water stations – they seemed to be ill-equipped with water and Gatorade. It was a warm day- when I finished, it was 80 degrees, so I’m sure people were taking in lots of fluids. However, a few water stations had either gotten hit with a big group of runners and they couldn’t keep up with the demand, not enough volunteers for the demand, or not enough supplies. I’m not sure what happened, but I do know that the volunteers were working hard to fill cups as fast as possible.

Heading into the finish is always wonderful! The amount of people cheering from the sidelines is enough to make me pick up my pace and it makes me smile (as they yell at you- Finish strong!). After you finish, Cleveland does a great job at getting runners liquids and food. Water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, popsicles, bananas, chips and pretzels- all of these were available to the runners within 100 feet from the finish line. And you can’t forget the finishers medal! So cute! I’m not sure how many years Cleveland has used this design, but I love the spinning guitar!

Overall, I really enjoyed myself and I had a good race. My pacing was better, but I still have a tendency to slow down in the 2nd half of the race- I need to keep working on that!

Race day apparel: Cleveland swag tech shirt and Skirt Sports running skirt!

Heading towards the start!

Posted in Race Recap | Tagged Cleveland, Half marathon, Rite Aid | 5 Comments »

Potato Chip Cookies

May 21, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

Anyone reading not like the combination of salty and sweet?

If you don’t, then you will want to skip this recipe!!

Potato chip cookies are that perfect combination of salty and sweet. They have the texture of a shortbread cookie, with an added crunch. And can you believe I didn’t add chocolate to the recipe? Ha! You could add chocolate, but I didn’t (this time!).

Now, keep in mind that every brand of potato chip has a different level of saltiness. You will want to taste test a few potato chips before making this recipe. My potato chips were not all that salty, so I added a some table salt to the recipe and sprinkled sea salt on top of the cookies before baking. If your potato chips are salty, reduce the amount of salt that the recipe calls for.

Be warned though, the cookies are just as addicting as potato chips…it’s really hard to eat just one!

Potato Chip Cookies
Adapted from Food Network
Makes: 24 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes Bake time: 11-13 minutes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt, optional (see above)
3/4 cup crushed potato chips, divided
2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and salt (if using). Stir in 1/2 cup potato chips, then add in the flour. Mix until well incorporated.

Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough, then roll it into a ball. Place it on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle on a few pieces of crushed potato chips and a small pinch of sea salt, then lightly press the potato chips into the cookie.

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the centers are set and the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move cookies onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Cookie, Potato chip, Salt, Shortbread | 3 Comments »

Weekly Running Recap

May 19, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

(Source)

Another week…another weekly running recap!

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 30 minute run, outside
Tuesday: 30 minute treadmill incline walk
Wednesday: 30 minute run
Thursday: 30 minute treadmill incline walk
Friday: 30 minute run
Saturday: Rest

It’s taper week! Time to slow things down a little. Make sure I’m stretching, eating well, and getting enough sleep.

Sunday will be my 9th half-marathon! I will be running the Rite-Aid Cleveland half-marathon. I ran it last year and really enjoyed the course. Helps that it is close to home also! Still will mean a 3am wake-up time, in order to get ready and get a parking space before they start closing roads!

Anybody else running a race this weekend? I know Miss Zippy is going to be running Cleveland!

Have a great weekend!

Posted in Exercise | Tagged Cleveland Marathon, Half marathon | 1 Comment »

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

May 16, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

If I am invited out to dinner or over to someones house, the first thing I think of, is what can I bring for dessert!

I’m sorry. I can’t help it!

Plus, the restaurants by me, only offer mass-produced desserts. You know the ones- $7 for a piece of cheesecake (that’s nothing fancy), or the generic brownie and ice cream.
Now, I love brownies and ice cream, but it had better be a good brownie- and most of the time, it is not. So, I bring my own dessert.

The other night, Nick and I joined some friends for a late dinner and I made dessert! An easy to prepare pudding cake. Have you ever made one of these? Aren’t they cool? Pouring hot liquid over the batter, it magically becomes a yummy pudding while it bakes! I can’t wait to try a few more flavor combinations. For this one, I stuck to a classic: chocolate and peanut butter!

Side note: the picture below was not from the restaurant! I was too busy eating to take a picture. I had more the next night, with ice cream- that’s the picture you see below!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes Bake time: 25-30 minutes

3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup Reese’s peanut butter cups minis, halved
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch pan with cooking spray, then set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and peanut butter till smooth. This will take a few minutes. Once smooth, add into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add in the mini Reese’s cups, then spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Using the medium-sized bowl (you don’ have to clean it first), whisk together the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and the boiling water. Once the mixture is smooth, pour this over the peanut butter batter. Don’t stir! Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Chocolate, Peanut butter, Pudding cake, Reese's | Leave a Comment »

National Food Day: Chocolate Chip Day

May 15, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day!

I can’t find information on how National Chocolate Chip Day came to be, but here is a blurb on chocolate chips!
“Chocolate chips are a required ingredient in chocolate chip cookies, which were invented in 1937 when Ruth Graves Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar to a cookie recipe. The cookies were a huge success, and Wakefield reached an agreement in 1939 with Nestlé to add her recipe to the chocolate bar’s packaging in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Initially, Nestlé included a small chopping tool with the chocolate bars. In 1941 Nestlé and one or more of its competitors started selling the chocolate in chip (or “morsel”) form.^[1] The Nestlé brand Toll House cookies is named for the inn.” (Source)

I have been wanting to make rugelach cookies for a while now, and I have seen recipes that call for chocolate chips in the filling. So you know I’m going to go with that recipe! It is National Chocolate Chip Day!

The rugelach dough combines cream cheese and butter, so the dough needs to be refrigerated, but it is an easy dough to work with (and tasty too!). The filling of sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and mini chocolate chips, comes together quickly and provides a nice chocolate taste without losing the taste of the pastry dough. If you’re not a big fan of chocolate (I still like you!), you can easily substitute some cinnamon for the cocoa powder and add chopped nuts in place of the chocolate chips!

Chocolate Chip Rugelach
Recipe from Serious Eats
Makes 48 cookies

Note: I only made one small change from the original recipe- I used mini chocolate chips instead of bittersweet chocolate. That said, click on the link above for the complete recipe and detailed directions!

Made with love, not calories!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Chocolate chip, Cocoa, Cookie, Cream cheese, National Food Day, Serious Eats | 3 Comments »

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

May 14, 2012 by Bake, Run, Live

I like making yeast dough, but I don’t seem to do a lot with whole wheat flour. I decided to change that!

I don’t eat sandwiches (well, rarely), so instead of making a whole wheat sandwich bread, I decided to make a cinnamon swirl bread. That way I can toast it and put butter on it!

Whole wheat bread is a little heavier and has a deeper flavor, than a bread made with just white flour (bread flour or all-purpose flour). But it’s really tasty and a nice change from white bread! (Makes the house smell good while it’s baking too!)

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Makes 1 loaf
Prep time: 2 hours 30 minutes (30 minutes active, 2 hours inactive)
Bake time: 35-40 minutes

1 cup milk, lukewarm
1/4 cup orange juice, room temperature
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey (can also use molasses or maple syrup)
1/4 vegetable oil
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
3 to 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
*all-purpose flour for kneading

In a stand mixer with the dough attachment, combine the yeast, 1/2 cup milk, and the honey. Mix on low, just to combine, then turn off the mixer and let the mixture set about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn the mixer on low speed and add in the rest of the milk, orange juice, vegetable oil, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Slowly start adding in the flour, 1 cup at a time. Once the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl, stop adding in the flour (I only needed 3 cups). Let the mixer run for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, lightly flour a flat surface. Take the dough out of the mixer and knead it until it becomes smooth (just a couple of minutes). Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, then place the dough into the prepared bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Note: whole wheat dough will not rise as much as dough made with bread flour or all-purpose flour. You’re not looking for the dough to double in size, but after an hour, your dough should look puffy and have risen some!

While the dough is resting, make the cinnamon swirl. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well, then set aside.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, then set aside.

After 1 hour, turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle (mine was 9″ x 16″, but it doesn’t have to be exact). Spread on 3 tablespoons of softened butter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Starting at a short end, roll the dough into a loaf. Place the dough, seam side down, into the prepared loaf pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour (you want the dough to have crested the top of the loaf pan).

After 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After 1 hour, remove the plastic wrap and place the loaf pan into the oven. Let bake for 35-40 minutes (or until it sounds hollow when tapped). If the top starts looking a little too brown, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Once done, remove the bread from the oven and rub 1 tablespoon butter over the top (this will give you a softer top crust…mmmm, butter!). Let cool completely. Enjoy!