Chewie!! I wanted to post a picture of Abbey and Chewie but my application will only add one picture per post. Boo

Getting in shape sucks

I have started to jog twice a week, and I have to say I'm not a fan of running. Maybe I just haven't hit that point where is is easy to run miles and miles because I am still huffing and puffing after the first half mile. My boss told me about a program on the iPhone called Cycle Meter which has a lot of cool features like a stopwatch, calculating your times, there is multiple activities that you can choose skating, mountain biking, hiking, cycling, jogging, etc. The program also uses GPS and it will send you an e-mail when you are done with the stats of your jog/cycle/etc. The application also keeps track by date and also by any route.

The picture above is what the stopwatch looks like. This is the furthest I have run in awhile but I'll be honest... I did walk about a quarter of it (if not more). I just don't have the endurance. My goal is to reach 3 miles, then my goal will be to improve my time and not die during the run :). Hopefully soon I can post another picture of my stopwatch and have it be far more impressive

Technology

I downloaded a new Application to my IPhone that will allow me to post from my phone. This is the photo that was supposed to go with the last post :) My new tool wouldn't let me edit the photo(good to know) so here I am with another post :) Hopefully with this new tool I'll be posting more since I can easily post while on the go!

Monkey's Nest

I tried a new coffee house in the hood called The Monkeys Nest. It is a great space that was renovated, it used to be a thrift store. They have a few large and small tables along with cushy chairs and couches. My first trip was a quick one, a latte to go. I tried their special which was a spiced brown sugar latte which was spiced with cayenne pepper. The pepper play on the back of your throat but wasn't really a strong flavor. Overall it was a tasty latte. I look forward to coming back and trying one of their sandwiches.

Hearty Pork Soup


I have had a couple of cans of Hominy in my pantry for months now. I have wanted to use it, but I either forget to add it to a dish or I just plain ol' forgot I had it. I had hominy in dishes at a few restaurants and knew I liked it so I wasn't worried about that. I found this recipe at the right time... I had just made carnitas (shredded pork) and I had a bunch left over. I used the shredded pork instead of cooking the pork tenderloin. I simply used the same spices by sprinkling them on my shredded pork while heating them up in the pan. You could also just add the spices to the veggies while they are cooking if you are using left over pork for this recipe.

This soup was hearty yet not heavy since it is broth based and not cream based. I look forward to making this again because it was so easy and very tasty.

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew
Adapted from: Cooking Light, December 2009
(found here http://tinyurl.com/4mt6ky2)


2 tablespoons ancho chile powder (Central Market has this in bulk, but for those of you living outside of Austin, check with Whole Foods in their bulk section. This is a spice that gives a smoky flavor without the spiciness)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (see above about finding it in bulk sections at your grocery store)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (such as Hunt's)

In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients (ancho chile powder through salt). Set 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture aside. Toss pork with remaining spice mixture in bowl, making sure each piece is coated.In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add pork to dutch oven and cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pork from pan; set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. (This is where I started since I already had my left over shredded pork ready to go) Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the pork back to pan along with the reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.Serves: 6

Baileys & Chocolate Chip Cookies...

yes they are as good as they sound!

I found this recipe on Batter & Beat's blog through Foodgawker.com. Foodgawker.com is a great place to find recipes and great food blogs to follow. As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. I substituted the generic brand of Baileys and it worked out perfectly. The house smelled WONDERFUL while these cookies baked, it seriously should be the next Fabreeze candle sent.


Baileys Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from RecipeZaar


1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Baileys Mint Chocolate Irish Cream
2-1/4 cups cake flour (sift before measuring) (I used regular flour and the cookies weren't as puffy but still delicious)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg. (6 oz.) bittersweet chocolate chips (Used Milk Chocolate chips since I already had them)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375º F.In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg, vanilla and Baileys; blend well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to mixture a little at a time, until thoroughly blended. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.Drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.


My cookies didn't spread as well, and perhaps that is due to the different type of flour used. I smooshed my batter down a bit once it was on the pan or else you'll have a bunch of ball shaped cookies to eat. But that being said... shape didn't matter, these cookies are wonderful.

2011 Austin Marathon

Ever since we have lived in our house, the Austin Marathon's route has gone by the house. I enjoy watching the runners go by because I am always in amazement that they have the determination to run 26 miles. This gal is lucky to run 2 miles without having my body revolt against me. There are runners of all shapes and sizes that run this race. There are looks of pain, joy, exhaustion, blank stares, determination, and wariness on the faces of the runners. I love to go to the corner near our house to join the rest of the people who showed up with signs to cheer on their loved ones. They all get so damn excited to see their friends/family run by, and it seems to give the runners an extra boost with the cheering.

I went out back with the pups to enjoy the cool morning and to keep an eye out for the runners. Chewie was watching with me :)

This was the first person we saw competing in the marathon. As he rolled by he waved at me and said Good Morning :) He was holding a conversation with the motorcycle cop while going down the street.

This is how I enjoyed the marathon this year, with my coffee

This lady jumped out of her seat to cheer on her friend/brother/boyfriend/husband and he ran by. She was quite the cheerleader and it put a huge smile on my face to watch the sweet interaction

I did a double take when I saw this guy run by... ummmm... Now I know I already said I'm not much of a runner, but isn't he supposed to be wearing his shoes?

While watching the runners our neighbors dog Romy came out to visit. I ended up walking her back to their house because she was perfectly content staying by my side while watching the runners.
If it wasn't for the marathon tag he was wearing, I would have though he woke up, saw the marathon going by and figured he would join wearing just normal clothes

Polka Dots?

After spending a couple of hours watching the runners go by, I went out to meet friends at Union Park to enjoy some mimosas. Our friend Mike ran in the Half Marathon and a few people met up to congratulate him.

Lovin the weather

This past Sunday we headed out to the Barton Creek Greenbelt to enjoy the sun and get in some exercise. The dogs were ecstatic to be out and about. There are parts of this trail that get pretty narrow, which makes it a little bit of a nightmare because there are mountain bikers that zoom by. Chewie and Abbey don't really get that when a biker is coming right at us, they need to move to the side. We walked through the river bed for a bit because of the open space so the dogs could roam without us worrying about the bike riders.

A couple of weeks ago I took Abbey to the vet for a little rash on her tummy (turned out to be dry skin), and I found out that she was a little overweight. Our baby girl is 65 pounds. 65 POUNDS, she is a damn chunky girl! :) Her chest has started to barrel out a bit, and her legs stopped growing. So we have been feeding her a little less each day and we have been exercising more with her. Looks like Abbey and I will be on a quest to slim down for summer :)

Chewie sniffing the air

The hubs and I
No matter what type of noise or stomp of my foot I did, they would not look at me at the same time. Damn them, don't they know mama wanted to take a picture??!?!

We walked for about 45 minutes to an hour, and could tell that Abbey was done. She was panting but still prancing along the path. However.. as soon as we stopped at the car, she laid down on the cool ground and stayed there for a bit. Doesn't she look like some type of crazy dog in the picture?

After 5 minutes on the ground, and a lot of water, she perked back up

We decided that we weren't ready to go home, so we went to Cuatros to enjoy some lunch and drinks while the dogs rested below the tables. Well, they did a lot of standing but they did behave.

Cuatros was nice enough to bring over a large water bowl for the pups. We had a great afternoon out in Austin... I look forward to many more of these afternoons this spring

Valentines Day

for the dogs :)

Jim and I aren't huge Valentines Day type people. First off... I hate going to dinner and being forced to order off of a limited menu. When we first started dating we would search for concerts to go to or other fun events. Now... we are just old and boring. :) Tonight I made a nice pot roast (i know... sounds sexy doesn't it?), we drank some wine and we caught up on shows we had recorded on DVR. I did buy the dogs a couple of Valentines Day gifts... a couple of teddy bears.

When we adopted Abbey, her birthday was listed as Feb 14th at Town Lake Animal Shelter. Sure they were just guessing but it still meant something to us.

Last year Taylor died on Feb 13th,

(http://austinfotofreak.blogspot.com/2010/02/taylor-april-1998-february-13-2010.html) so the superstitious part of us thought it was fate that Abbey was born on Feb 14th, the next day. I can't believe it has been a year since we lost Taylor, but I think of her often. She was such a stubborn dog, but I loved her to pieces!

I found these Teddy Bears at HEB and I knew the dogs just had to have them.
Abbey LOVES her stuffed toys. Unfortunately she doesn't exactly cherish them, so they are usually in shreds within an hour

Chewie isn't a fan of most teddy bears because normally they have a squeaky toy inside... which he is not a fan of

Chewie is still checking out the cute teddy bear

Chewie and the teddy bear took a tour around the back yard,,, he was being a nice host

They even hung out for a little bit and talked about the weather

Abbey and her stuffed toy got to know each other quite well




Here she is taking a moment to rest while gnawing on the bear :)

GRRRRR

Abbey brought her toy inside with her

The poor teddy bear lasted about 2 hours,,, which is a long time around Abbey. At least she had a good time on her first birthday!

Super Bowl

This year we went over to Mikes house to enjoy the Super Bowl festivities... food, friends, commercials, and football. There was a ton of food to enjoy... unfortunately all of the foods aren't exactly good for you, but tasted delicious! :) I brought the Chicken Wing dip and a toffee shortbread cookie.

I didn't really have a team I was cheering for but I preferred that Green Bay win. No real reason why, just like them better than the Steelers.

Erin and Vannessa enjoying the sun before it went down
Lindsay and Chris

Vannessa and Matt

The Fantasy Football wives

Kyndal and Jackson

Jennifer