#worstsisterever
Happy Birthday Ike and Maddie! Since the both of you are celebrating big mile stones (Ike =
Showing posts with label Ike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ike. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2011
en route
Approximately 30 days late, I finally managed to put together birthday gifts to send to Ike (Iraq) and Maddie (Sweden) and get them in the mail.
#worstsisterever
Happy Birthday Ike and Maddie! Since the both of you are celebrating big mile stones (Ike =ancient 30, Maddie = 25) I thought I would help to extend your celebrations by sending your gifts in August...
#worstsisterever
Happy Birthday Ike and Maddie! Since the both of you are celebrating big mile stones (Ike =
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
brother isaac
I don't often wish for people to lead a boring, uneventful life. However, when that life takes place in Iraq and that person is my brother - I wish for him a nothing but a boring and uneventful year (and the rest of the guys).
And of course, good conditions for marathon training. :)
Be safe Ike.
And don't get too dizzy running in circles as you train for Stockholm!
And of course, good conditions for marathon training. :)
Be safe Ike.
And don't get too dizzy running in circles as you train for Stockholm!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
visitor in the night
Look who showed up while we were sleeping last night!
My brother, Ike, texted me yesterday asking if we wanted a visitor for the night. Sure thing brother!
He was on his way to Minnesota from Texas to drop off his car at our mom's house to store while he is in Iraq. He leaves on Wednesday.
Muwahaha, blinking while taking photos must be a family thing.
Sooo happy that he stopped, otherwise I would have been the worst sister in the world (okay, in North America), by not making the trek up to Minnesota this weekend to see him before he leaves.
Even though his visit was short, we had fun. Our activities included a trip to the vet, drinking numerous mugs of coffee at Dodici's Shop, indulging in scones and biscotti while sipping on coffee, purchasing graduation gifts for our mom, the Master (she just got her Masters on Thursday!), and then grabbing lunch at Unc & Nephs before he hit the road.
I love my brother Ikey.
He loves me too - especially after I told him that while he is in Iraq he has to train for the 2012 Stockholm Marathon. Hehahah, yep - that's right! Our next sibling marathon will be this one. Maddie and Ike are sooooooo excited.
Our last sibling marathon was the 2009 Twin Cities marathon*. Ike was home from Iraq for like a week, so we snagged him a last minute entry. With very little training, he kicked my ass - what a punk.
Never again brother, never again.
*Read that post. In the first 12 words I proclaim that one marathon in life is enough. Here I sit two years later ready to embark on my third marathon ever and first of three this summer. Funny.
My brother, Ike, texted me yesterday asking if we wanted a visitor for the night. Sure thing brother!
He was on his way to Minnesota from Texas to drop off his car at our mom's house to store while he is in Iraq. He leaves on Wednesday.
Muwahaha, blinking while taking photos must be a family thing.
Sooo happy that he stopped, otherwise I would have been the worst sister in the world (okay, in North America), by not making the trek up to Minnesota this weekend to see him before he leaves.
Even though his visit was short, we had fun. Our activities included a trip to the vet, drinking numerous mugs of coffee at Dodici's Shop, indulging in scones and biscotti while sipping on coffee, purchasing graduation gifts for our mom, the Master (she just got her Masters on Thursday!), and then grabbing lunch at Unc & Nephs before he hit the road.
I love my brother Ikey.
He loves me too - especially after I told him that while he is in Iraq he has to train for the 2012 Stockholm Marathon. Hehahah, yep - that's right! Our next sibling marathon will be this one. Maddie and Ike are sooooooo excited.
Our last sibling marathon was the 2009 Twin Cities marathon*. Ike was home from Iraq for like a week, so we snagged him a last minute entry. With very little training, he kicked my ass - what a punk.
Never again brother, never again.
*Read that post. In the first 12 words I proclaim that one marathon in life is enough. Here I sit two years later ready to embark on my third marathon ever and first of three this summer. Funny.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
vegan lasagna
Happy St. Patty's Day (what's left of it!)! We totally celebrated in the right fashion by eating Tex-Mex for dinner. :) Hey - what else are you supposed to prepare when you have a Texan staying with you? Thankfully tonight's dinner was another hit and actually quite easy to prepare. But that's not what I am blogging about...maybe I'll make it again and share it with you then.
These past few days have been an absolute blast! So glad I was able to take a few days off work on such short notice to spend time with Iker and Kim. And with some beautiful weather to boot! I tortured them on Wednesday by taking them on a 5 mile tour of town with Maia and we ended up at central park enjoying a picnic lunch.
In true "Ike's visiting" fashion, we also enjoyed a few good brews and of course a couple of movies - The Fighter and The A Team - both were really good!
And of course, I made them eat many of my kitchen experiments. Some of them weren't true experiments, but new to them dishes (like oatmeal with carrots in it...!) and one was a total experiment and something new to all of us - vegan lasagna!
Lately (as you can probably tell) I've been trying to create more vegan dishes, not that my intent is to become a vegan (at this point), but since we are not eating too much meat anymore and dairy doesn't always "agree" with me, most of my experiments just naturally go in that direction.
So the other day I was dreaming of lasagna and trying to come up with a suitable substitute for the creamy ricotta layer. I've seen recipes that call for using tofu, but I am not so much a fan. So I decided to take a chance and use beans as a replacement. Total win!
Vegan Lasagna
A veggie packed lasagna that screams comfort food. Served up with a slice of garlic toast and you've got heaven on a plate! Even the meat eaters in your life will leave the table utterly satisfied.
In the mix::
Pre-heat your oven to 400*
Roast eggplant rounds until lightly browned - about 20 minutes, flipping once. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Do the same with the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. I did all of these separately and without oil. This was a quick process as each veggie was only in the pan for 1-3 minutes.
In a food processor, add beans, basil, and garlic. Process until smooth and creamy, adding water a few teaspoons at a time if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Prepare your lasagna. In your baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of your sauce, add three lasagna noodles, a generous portion of your bean mixture, layer with half of your veggies and spoon on some more sauce. Repeat layer once more (noodles, beans, veggies, sauce) ending with the final three noodles topped with sauce.
Bake in a 350* oven until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
I was a little leery of this at first, especially since I used a pan that was way too small! And you know...making a vegan lasagna for your brother and his girlfriend that you are meeting for the first time - the pressure was on! Thankfully everything worked and the dish got eight thumbs up.
The bean mixture was spot on and really did have the texture/flavor of ricotta cheese. I didn't end up using all of the puree, but think I will next time and make thicker layers.
I contemplated skipping the lasagna noodles and subbing in zucchini, but thought that would be a little overboard and i didn't want to scare away Ike's girlfriend too fast!
The sauce I used was another new creation. I normally make my own pasta sauce using canned tomatoes, and don't get me wrong - I love it, but wanted to try something new.
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tomato Sauce
A great combination of flavors - this could be used as spaghetti sauce or thinned out a bit with some veggie stock to make a delicious tomato soup!
In the mix::
In a large bowl, coat the onions, jalapeno, peppers and tomatoes with the olive oil. Spread onto two sheet pans and roast at 400* until browned, stirring occasionally - about 40 minutes.
Place un-peeled heads of garlic onto a corner of one of the sheet pans and let roast with the veggies.
Remove the veggies to a pot, add in the reserved tomato juices and bring to a simmer. Set the garlic aside to cool.
Into the pot, add tomato paste, vinegar, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes (if you like your sauce a little spicy - the jalapeno was not enough for me!).
When garlic is cool enough to handle, slice in half and squeeze out the pulp. Add to pot.
Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until as smooth or chunky as you like. Add in fresh basil and remove from heat.
These past few days have been an absolute blast! So glad I was able to take a few days off work on such short notice to spend time with Iker and Kim. And with some beautiful weather to boot! I tortured them on Wednesday by taking them on a 5 mile tour of town with Maia and we ended up at central park enjoying a picnic lunch.
In true "Ike's visiting" fashion, we also enjoyed a few good brews and of course a couple of movies - The Fighter and The A Team - both were really good!
And of course, I made them eat many of my kitchen experiments. Some of them weren't true experiments, but new to them dishes (like oatmeal with carrots in it...!) and one was a total experiment and something new to all of us - vegan lasagna!
Lately (as you can probably tell) I've been trying to create more vegan dishes, not that my intent is to become a vegan (at this point), but since we are not eating too much meat anymore and dairy doesn't always "agree" with me, most of my experiments just naturally go in that direction.
So the other day I was dreaming of lasagna and trying to come up with a suitable substitute for the creamy ricotta layer. I've seen recipes that call for using tofu, but I am not so much a fan. So I decided to take a chance and use beans as a replacement. Total win!
Vegan Lasagna
A veggie packed lasagna that screams comfort food. Served up with a slice of garlic toast and you've got heaven on a plate! Even the meat eaters in your life will leave the table utterly satisfied.
In the mix::
- 1/2 onion - sliced
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 3 carrots - grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 8 oz mushrooms - rinsed and sliced
- 1 small zucchini - sliced as thinly as you can
- 1 eggplant - sliced into thin rounds, salted and rinsed
- 1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles - cooked according to package (9 noodles)
- 3 cups cooked navy beans
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic - peeled
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (recipe below for a new PS household staple!)
Pre-heat your oven to 400*
Roast eggplant rounds until lightly browned - about 20 minutes, flipping once. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Do the same with the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. I did all of these separately and without oil. This was a quick process as each veggie was only in the pan for 1-3 minutes.
In a food processor, add beans, basil, and garlic. Process until smooth and creamy, adding water a few teaspoons at a time if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Prepare your lasagna. In your baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of your sauce, add three lasagna noodles, a generous portion of your bean mixture, layer with half of your veggies and spoon on some more sauce. Repeat layer once more (noodles, beans, veggies, sauce) ending with the final three noodles topped with sauce.
Bake in a 350* oven until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
I was a little leery of this at first, especially since I used a pan that was way too small! And you know...making a vegan lasagna for your brother and his girlfriend that you are meeting for the first time - the pressure was on! Thankfully everything worked and the dish got eight thumbs up.
The bean mixture was spot on and really did have the texture/flavor of ricotta cheese. I didn't end up using all of the puree, but think I will next time and make thicker layers.
I contemplated skipping the lasagna noodles and subbing in zucchini, but thought that would be a little overboard and i didn't want to scare away Ike's girlfriend too fast!
The sauce I used was another new creation. I normally make my own pasta sauce using canned tomatoes, and don't get me wrong - I love it, but wanted to try something new.
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tomato Sauce
A great combination of flavors - this could be used as spaghetti sauce or thinned out a bit with some veggie stock to make a delicious tomato soup!
In the mix::
- 2 large yellow onions - quartered
- 1 jalapeno - cut in half (seeds left in)
- 4 red bell peppers - quartered
- 10 small roma tomatoes - halved and squeezed of their juices (reserve the juices for later)
- 3 whole garlic heads
- 3 T olive oil
- 4 T tomato paste
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 t each oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves - chopped
In a large bowl, coat the onions, jalapeno, peppers and tomatoes with the olive oil. Spread onto two sheet pans and roast at 400* until browned, stirring occasionally - about 40 minutes.
Place un-peeled heads of garlic onto a corner of one of the sheet pans and let roast with the veggies.
Remove the veggies to a pot, add in the reserved tomato juices and bring to a simmer. Set the garlic aside to cool.
Into the pot, add tomato paste, vinegar, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes (if you like your sauce a little spicy - the jalapeno was not enough for me!).
When garlic is cool enough to handle, slice in half and squeeze out the pulp. Add to pot.
Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until as smooth or chunky as you like. Add in fresh basil and remove from heat.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
13.1 & 6.2
Last weekend I randomly registered for a half marathon (Saturday) and 10K (Sunday). I was in MN and needed to get in a 13 mile and 6 mile run, and what better way to make sure you actually run than to pay to run in a race?
On Saturday, I rolled out of bed around 5:30 and headed out to Hudson, WI at 6AM for the Gopher to Badger Half Marathon. Therace training run went really well, besides to humidity. I managed to eek out a 1:47:45 (just 2 minutes shy of my PR!).
Pre-race!
The route was really quite nice. We started in Stillwater and ran through some nice neighborhoods and then ended the race running along the river, over the 94E bridge into Wisconsin. There was one long section in the middle that was totally flat and straight - the worst in my opinion! It stretched out for a few miles so you felt like you were getting no where! I would probably run this one again though, kind of an under the radar race and not too $$$$.
My splits:
mile 1 - 8:00 mile 2 - 8:04
mile 3 - 7:57 mile 4 - 7:59
mile 5 - 7:55 mile 6 - 8:08
mile 7 - 8:30 mile 8 - 8:39
mile 9 - 8:24 mile 10 - 8:20
mile 11 - 8:26 mile 12 - 8:14
mile 13 - 7:56 last steps - 7:24
Total Distance: 13.17 miles
Total Time: 1:47:45
Average Pace: 8:11
Overall Place: 134/736
Overall Female: 31/389
Age Division: 11/142
On Sunday, Maddie, Ike and I all rolled out of bed early to do the Snail Run 10K. Let me introduce you to us, on Sunday morning:
Ike - hungover. Had too much fun crashing a wedding the night before.
Maddie - hasn't run since July 4. Had too much fun watching Ike crash a wedding the night before.
Kier - just ran a half marathon and didn't stretch. Legs are sore. Had no part in crashing a wedding the night before.
All of us - clearly I need to take some self portrait lessons from Leah. :)
There, that's a little better.
We could not have asked for a more perfect morning to run - very low humidity and temps in the lower 60s. The route was gorgeous as well, running along a lake and through a park. We had a lot of fun....
Mehhaha, these guys were only doing the 5k and had to take a walking break. They should have trained harder. :)
These guys should really work on proper running form...
But who am I to say anything...
We all survived!
And then we got home and this happened...
Our splits:
mile 1 - 8:29 mile 2 - 8:14
mile 3 - 8:33 mile 4 - 8:31
mile 5 - 8:36 mile 6 - 7:58
last steps - 8:00
Total distance: 6:16
Total time: 51:38
Average pace: 8:36
Overall places: 29, 30, 31/107 total
Overall Female: 12, 13/64 total
Overall Male: 18/44 total
Age Division: 3,4/12 (K&M), 4/16 (I)
Such a good weekend of running! Can't wait until the three of us are together again for another race - possibly in Spain in January???!!
On Saturday, I rolled out of bed around 5:30 and headed out to Hudson, WI at 6AM for the Gopher to Badger Half Marathon. The
Pre-race!
The route was really quite nice. We started in Stillwater and ran through some nice neighborhoods and then ended the race running along the river, over the 94E bridge into Wisconsin. There was one long section in the middle that was totally flat and straight - the worst in my opinion! It stretched out for a few miles so you felt like you were getting no where! I would probably run this one again though, kind of an under the radar race and not too $$$$.
My splits:
mile 1 - 8:00 mile 2 - 8:04
mile 3 - 7:57 mile 4 - 7:59
mile 5 - 7:55 mile 6 - 8:08
mile 7 - 8:30 mile 8 - 8:39
mile 9 - 8:24 mile 10 - 8:20
mile 11 - 8:26 mile 12 - 8:14
mile 13 - 7:56 last steps - 7:24
Total Distance: 13.17 miles
Total Time: 1:47:45
Average Pace: 8:11
Overall Place: 134/736
Overall Female: 31/389
Age Division: 11/142
Post race - it was a hot one!
On Sunday, Maddie, Ike and I all rolled out of bed early to do the Snail Run 10K. Let me introduce you to us, on Sunday morning:
Ike - hungover. Had too much fun crashing a wedding the night before.
Maddie - hasn't run since July 4. Had too much fun watching Ike crash a wedding the night before.
Kier - just ran a half marathon and didn't stretch. Legs are sore. Had no part in crashing a wedding the night before.
All of us - clearly I need to take some self portrait lessons from Leah. :)
There, that's a little better.
We could not have asked for a more perfect morning to run - very low humidity and temps in the lower 60s. The route was gorgeous as well, running along a lake and through a park. We had a lot of fun....
Mehhaha, these guys were only doing the 5k and had to take a walking break. They should have trained harder. :)
These guys should really work on proper running form...
But who am I to say anything...
We all survived!
And then we got home and this happened...
Our splits:
mile 1 - 8:29 mile 2 - 8:14
mile 3 - 8:33 mile 4 - 8:31
mile 5 - 8:36 mile 6 - 7:58
last steps - 8:00
Total distance: 6:16
Total time: 51:38
Average pace: 8:36
Overall places: 29, 30, 31/107 total
Overall Female: 12, 13/64 total
Overall Male: 18/44 total
Age Division: 3,4/12 (K&M), 4/16 (I)
Such a good weekend of running! Can't wait until the three of us are together again for another race - possibly in Spain in January???!!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
happy 4th of july
Hope everyone has a wonderful day and remembers why we get together with friends and family to grill and enjoy fireworks.
Thanks, Ike, and all of our troops, for serving your country.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
ISU Graduation
Well, we certainly had a fun time in Ames last weekend! Maddie and Christian [finally] graduated from Iowa State University each with a degree from the College of Design.
On Friday, we all met at The Cafe for a late dinner and drinks. And boy were they needed! The following day, Maddie and Christian had two graduation ceremonies. One for the College of Design and one for ISU as a whole.
Here Maddie is receiving her fake diploma from the College of Design. Sorry CKE - the photo I have of you is totally blurry!
The College of Design ceremony was by far the most interesting/entertaining! It even had its own fire drill!
We were all surprised by a call from Ikey right before Maddie and CKE had to be at the ISU graduation ceremony. Maddie, Mom and I all tried to sneak in a few moments talking to him before: Maddie had to rush to her ceremony, and Mom, Roger, Gma & Gpa had to head back to the TC to catch their flight to England...lucky ducks!
After the ISU ceremony, all of us, including CKE's family headed out to a park for a BBQ! Quite frankly, this was probably one of the most interesting BBQs I have ever been to with a family I hardly knew...
Nic and I ended the night pretending to be in college again...
Fun Fun Times!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Heroes and Golden Birthdays
So Maddie and I came to an interesting revelation today...let me give you a little background first.
So it is my golden birthday this year. Big deal, right? 26 on the 26th (of August...but you knew that already!) I am totally stoked because I just know Nic has something spectacular up his sleeve. In fact, he had to remind me that it was my golden birthday. Well, I was talking to Maddie today as we were figuring out if we really were crazy enough to register for the TCM and I told her how excited I was for it to be my golden birthday and that IKE IS COMING HOME just to celebrate this awesome day with us. It took Maddie a second, and then she said "it is my golden birthday this year too!" WHAT?! Don't steal my thunder sister! COME ON! Well, Maddie is going to be out of the country for her birthday, so technically it doesn't count, right? So we are going to celebrate our GOLDEN BIRTHDAYS together. And since Ike MIGHT BE HOME, it will be a golden birthday party, plus an "IKE IS HOME!" party! (Just so you know...Maddie and I are fully aware that everyone will come just for Ike and not actually to celebrate our golden birthdays...but we are fine with that.)
So it is my golden birthday this year. Big deal, right? 26 on the 26th (of August...but you knew that already!) I am totally stoked because I just know Nic has something spectacular up his sleeve. In fact, he had to remind me that it was my golden birthday. Well, I was talking to Maddie today as we were figuring out if we really were crazy enough to register for the TCM and I told her how excited I was for it to be my golden birthday and that IKE IS COMING HOME just to celebrate this awesome day with us. It took Maddie a second, and then she said "it is my golden birthday this year too!" WHAT?! Don't steal my thunder sister! COME ON! Well, Maddie is going to be out of the country for her birthday, so technically it doesn't count, right? So we are going to celebrate our GOLDEN BIRTHDAYS together. And since Ike MIGHT BE HOME, it will be a golden birthday party, plus an "IKE IS HOME!" party! (Just so you know...Maddie and I are fully aware that everyone will come just for Ike and not actually to celebrate our golden birthdays...but we are fine with that.)
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