That's What Jenni Said

  I started running in June 2010, working the c25k program. I am still working it (never quit!). Below is the visual representation of my progress, with the program week on the vertical axis and the date on the horizontal axis. The first drop in fitness represents the injunction of my program following a new job (hired at CSC) and the stress that comes with such a major life change. The stagnation over early 2011 represents the grief period dealing with my father’s death. The sudden drop at the end of the summer in 2011 represents the tendonitis injury I suffered by running the Chicago half marathon without adequate condition. The November 2011 stagnation represents the grief period dealing with my sister’s unexpected death. The minor blip in progress this spring represents a bout of bronchitis. I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS PROGRAM. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP. I post this to show that the road to fitness for some can be very bumpy. You are not alone. Don’t give up! I encourage you to k...

  Chicken Chasseur is a well respected French classic. Shocking then that I’d never tried it in a restaurant nor attempted to make it at home. Until now. I found it to be a much more satisfying “hunters” preparation for bone in poultry (also works well for pheasant or other game poultry) than Chicken Cacciatore. The best part just might be that it is ready in just under an hour, making a great weeknight meal when served alongside a salad and roasted vegetables. The following recipe is what I used in preparing Chicken Chasseur; it is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Serves 2 Ingredients 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (10 to 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skin ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced 1 medium shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons) 3 tablespoons port 1/4 cup dry white wine 3 cups low sodium chicken broth 1/3 cup drained canned diced tomatoes with green chiles 3 tablespoons unsalted bu...

  This year has been a whirlwind of activity so far. We’ve carved out several weekends for travel- to Los Angeles, New York City (twice), New Orleans, Barcelona via Paris and Amsterdam. Each trip had a very different feel both because of the variety of scenery/activities and  because each time we traveled with different friends. I will write more on the trips in a later post. Have much to write about the good things going on at work also but that too will have to wait. This morning’s post is all about Jolene. This is Jolene (we will call her Lena affectionately). Jolene is a three month old retriever mix (perhaps with Corgi) that we adopted from the same local animal shelter where we found Julia 6 years ago. She has to remain at the shelter while she completes all her pre-adoption tasks this week (shots, medical screening, spaying) and we will be bringing her home to major fanfare on Friday, April 13th. Hubby and I are both so excited to have a new furry ball of joy to l...

  So this is pretty fascinating. Barigoule once referred to a specific Provençal variety of woodland mushroom. French peasants would stuff fresh artichokes with the barigoules and then braise them in a white wine thyme broth finished with lemon for a bit of tartness. Over time the dish evolved to artichoke hearts braised alongside barigoules along with other vegetables such as onion, carrot, etc. Eventually barigoules fell entirely out of favor and Barigoule came to simply mean a thyme and vegetable braise where the vegetables may vary (except for the artichokes- you must always have artichokes in your Barigoule!) as does the broth (wine, vegetable, or chicken broth). Bon Appetit provided a new twist on the classic in this month’s issue with a Barigoule recipe substituting broccoli for artichokes and featuring the addition of vanilla. Thou shall not take away my beloved artichokes! Accordingly, when I made this for dinner tonight I used artichokes (4 of them) that I hand trimmed...

Made these this morning and they were a big hit. Will never make home fries any other way again. Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated . And as noted in CI, whatever modifications or additions you make, DO NOT leave out the baking soda. It’s what coaxes the perfect texture out of the potatoes. Serves 2   1.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced kosher salt and pepper Pinch cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 small onion, diced 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring water to boil in Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Add potatoes and baking soda. Return to boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and shake pot occasionally, until any surface moisture has evaporated, about 1-2 minutes. Add butter, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and cayenne; mix with rubber spatula until potatoes...

  Saturdays are Soup Suppers at our home. We often experiment with new recipes on these days. Tonight we tried our hand at Persian Noodle Soup, or Ash-e Reshteh. I used two differing recipes as inspiration- one from Saveur Magazine and the other from Najmieh Batmanglij’s A Taste of Persia cookbook. My adapted recipe combining the best of both follows below. Serves 4. About 45 minutes to prepare. olive oil 3 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1/2 cup white wine 1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 1 can small white beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup small green lentils, rinsed 6 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 T dried dill weed 1 /4 pound ground beef 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 cups dried egg noodles 1 T dried mint leaves, crushed Plain Greek Yogurt salt and pepper In a large dutch oven heat 2 T oil over medium heat. Add 2/3rds of the sliced onion (salt them lightly) and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and...

On May 13, 2010, NoVA Travelers dashed off to Colorado Springs for an active weekend of  outdoor activities. We flew into Denver and rented a car for the jaunt to Colorado Springs where we bunked down for the night. In the daylight of morning, the city revealed its beauty. Pike’s Peak overshadows the entire city and provides a scenic backdrop for the everyday goings-on of its residents. Views of Pike’s Peak as seen from Colorado Springs We treated ourselves to breakfast at Crepe Francaise downtown. Great little gem nestled among an otherwise run down avenue. Everyone had a little free time to explore on their own before we headed out as a group to Garden of the Gods for hiking. The land was donated to the public in 1909 by the family a local landowner and exhibits several unique geological structures. We took several pictures and tackled a few trails (such as the Siamese Twins) before the rain began to come down and forced an early exit from the park. Panoramic vista o...