Our New Addition

Ta-Da! Our just-the-right-size espresso machine! This was an item on our wedding registry, and it has continually been in and out of stock, not available online or in stores, etc. About two weeks ago, not only did I catch it in stock online, but I also caught it on sale! Woot! So far so good - we've made cappuccinos as you can see, but our frothing skills still need some work. The next adventure is finding an espresso blend that we love. Let the research begin!

And All The Stuff In Between

Well, here we are, five months later, and I'm just getting around to making a new post. Again, never said that this was my forte, but perhaps something I can strive to be better at in 2013. So what's been going on since October? Here's the run down:

Late October: Took an awesome trip to Tahoe! It was the first snow of the season and we had a blast hiking around and checking out several state and national parks. We also had a great experience with Jax - getting to meet up with Jami who lives in South Lake Tahoe and owns Jaxon's dog-father and grandfather. What's better than one Bucher? Three full Buchers. After our meet-up with Jami, I started to get more involved with NEMDA (National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association), and I'm happy to report that as of January, I'm now the Co-Membership Chair!

November: Our trip to Catalina for the races was great, and David and I were both satisfied with our results. Catalina does have its touristy parts, but it also seems to have a decent amount of locals who bring their own vibe. Would I drive six hours and take a ferry to go here again? Probably not. From one visit I have the 'came, saw, conquered' satisfaction, but I can see how Catalina is an attractive weekend getaway location for folks in the LA area. Other big event for November was Thanksgiving. It was David and I's first one at our house! Renee came to visit and we were happy to have her and sweet Miley around for the weekend. Nothing warms your bones quite like having family around.

December: In one word, whirlwind. We were only in Monterey for the first weekend of the month, the rest of the month was this order: San Diego, Monterey, Vegas, Monterey, San Francisco, Monterey, San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach, Monterey. Yikes! And that got us through the New Year! Some highlights from the month: seeing Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity and staying at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas, attending the Navy Bowl Game, and seeing our dear friend Steve for NYE.

January: We went to China Lake to visit our friends Ken and Cherish for David's birthday, and what a cool weekend it was. We finally did some off-roading in the Jeep - in Death Valley, no less, and proving that, as David says, the Jeep is "more than a grocery getter." The picture at the top is from this trip. Jax had a great time playing with their dog Buddy! And we're excited that Buddy now has a new brother named Jake! We're so looking forward to hanging out with the Chambers family again.

February: Seems like a blur! With a much-needed visit to Sunny San Diego in the middle, the month just flew by. Jax also started his next level of Agility, which is Agility 3. I think I have the crazy idea that we're going to compete this summer.... More to come on this later, but David and I just finished assembling some of our own agility equipment in the backyard.

He Zigs! He Zags!

It's hard to believe that our four-legged baby is turning 1 this week! He's grown and developed so much - and I couldn't be more satisfied with what a good (adult) dog he's turning in to. Recently, we've started doing dog agility with Jaxon. Now, for those of you who haven't met Jax (aka the Entlebucher), let me tell you a little about him. He's not a sprinter, and not a super-fast dog like an Aussie or Jack Russell, or Greyhound. But what he is, is a good listener. Agility is not necessarily about time - but more so the relationship between dog and handler. It's that relationship and mutual trust that lets you blaze through the course.....the dog's ability to quickly process your commands and respond correctly.

Here's an update on how we're doing with the different stations/maneuvers.:
-Weaving the poles: Enhhh, still working on this one. Apparently it is the hardest one to teach. My guy isn't skinny, so sometimes he just knocks the poles around and makes his own path :)
-The tunnel: he's come a long way on this one! He more readily goes through rather than having a buildup of uncertainty in the beginning. David and I are still tag-teaming this - one of us at the other end so Jax is more certain of the goal.
-the A-Beam and the Dog Walk - Jax loves both of these, and hits all the markers well. I barely get the whole command out before he's already doing it!
-Jumps: He's improved a lot on this as well. He'll actually jump over (as opposed to stepping over, or just walking around them) about 80% of the time. Occasionally, I still have to jump over them too for him to follow.

Below are a couple of pictures from our last session. It's pretty neat that we can do private gym time and get the whole area to ourselves just to work with Jax.

The above picture is Jax going over a set of double jumps. My finger is a guide for where I want him, so that he always knows what I expect (so he gets a visual and verbal cue). The command here is "over".

This is the dog walk - sort of looks like a balance beam. He has to touch the blue and orange areas on both sides for it to count. At the end of the walk, there's a little disc (aka the "target") that he has to stop at before moving on. It usually has a treaty on it to aid in the training. So here I'm preparing to say "target" to let him know that a) that's where I want him and b) yes, you can have that treaty.

More to come this week - I'm experimenting with pumpkin in the kitchen. 'Tis the season.

Eat well. Love well. Live well. 

The Final Countdown! [Insert Dramatic Music Here]

Clearly, I am struggling to remain frequent on my blog posts. But David seems to be doing great with his EOD blog - if you haven't checked it out, then do it now! Then come back and read this blog.

So, what are we counting down to now? Another Race! In November, exactly one month from yesterday (eeeek!), David and I will be heading to Catalina Island for the Eco Marathon. Before your head spins around, I'll be running the 10k, not the marathon. David, however, will be running the full monty! [wild applause]. Nothing to sneeze at though, this 10k race (a little over 6 miles), will be my longest (distance) race so far. 

(image from www.catalinaconservancy.org)

Hmmm....guess that means I need to run more. And run more by myself since David will be running a different race. Although half the fun of running is doing it with my partner in life/crime (and occasionally Jax), it feels a little exciting and challenging that we are both working towards a separate personal goal. The comfort and happiness is still there -knowing that we are supporting each other while we're pursuing it.

All in all, looks pretty neat. Neither David nor I have been to Catalina before, and the Eco Marathon was named the "Best Island Run" 2012 by Runner's World. How awesome! Speaking of Runner's World, their last issue was great. I picked it up in an airport during recent travels and thoroughly enjoyed it. For one, it definitely clarified this mysterious "negative split" that I hear about. Now that I know what it is, and in theory, how I'm supposed to get it, I can try it out on the road. We'll see how that goes. 

That's it for now! Check back this weekend - I should have a few posts up including some "what's cookin'" and our adventures in dog agility with Jax.

As my dear friend Jay says, Eat well. Love well. Live well.

Back to the Grind

Yes, it's that time...time to start putting the feet to pavement again. I haven't been running as much lately, mostly weightlifting, and with the beautiful fall season coming quickly on California's Central Coast, it seems like a great opportunity to get back to the push.

Although David and I have been jogging regularly (we have some awesome trails close to our house where Jax can be off leash), neither of us have been pushing for distance or speed. I saw the following article today and it helped jump-start the motivation for the return to running (erhm, not to mention that someone has a marathon in April...ahem, David that's you)! We'll be doing the Firefly 5k in a couple of weeks - mostly just for fun. One of our dear friends Kacie will be running it with us as her first race ever! We're so proud of her and know it takes courage to just say "I'll try." As my dad once told me, if you don't get it started, you'll never get it finished.

 (Image from http://www.fireflyrun.com/sanjose.htm)

If you also need a little motivation, take a look at these cool races. What a fun way to enjoy a good run with friends!

Love to Live. Live to Love. 

I.Am.So.Behind. - Parade of Pastries, Part Drei

I can't believe it's been over a month since the last post...although a lot has been going on - David and I had our wedding in Virginia Beach this past weekend. And much like these Blackberry and Honey-Vanilla Goat Cheese Tarts, oh how sweet it was.

Here's the original recipe that I modified: http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/2012/3/25/blackberry-goat-cheese-tart.html

A couple of notes:
- I surely did not have time to make my own tart shells, and the puff pastry shells worked great instead! I followed the directions on the package, then let them cool before I filled them
-I didn't want to re-bake the pastry shells, so I omitted the egg in the filling
-I only used 2 tbsp of honey, and also added a splash of vanilla in the filling
-When I stuffed these, I put blackberries on the bottom, dolloped in the filling, then warmed in the oven for 5 minutes at 350. Afterwards, I garnished with the blackberries....and would have added a basil or mint leaf if I had any.

Ideas for serving:
-Perfect for a brunch treat or a light dessert
-Would be tasty to warm and thicken some jam as a bed for the pastry
-This would become very decadent with a raspberry or white chocolate drizzle

Parade of Pastries, Part Deux

Introducing.... the product of the second round of Kendall vs. Pastries..... the delectable, two-bite sensation, so-good-you-want-to-hide-them-all morsels, Strawberry Tiramisu Trifles! 


Unlike the part one adventure involving the scones, there was no moments of panic when working on these treats. In fact, it was the perfect relaxing activity for an hour on a low-key Sunday afternoon. Here's the basic Paula Deen recipe that I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/strawberry-tiramisu-bites-recipe/index.html

My Notes:

•  Instead of sweet tart shells, I used the mini filo shells that are pre-made in the freezer section (they will be close to the puff pastry).
•  I substituted triple berry preserves in place of the strawberry, and vanilla extract in place of the lemon, since that's what I had in my pantry. I'm all about using what you have when it will work just the same. I did a smaller wedge of strawberry instead of a half - I didn't want the shells to be overwhelmed with the strawberry. 
• I also added chocolate shavings to the top ( 1 small dove chocolate + a grater or microplane = shavings)

The next time, I would change at least one thing. While these are very tasty, I would like them to have a little more of the traditional tiramisu/coffee-ish flavor. The ideas that I'm working with right now include adding the instant coffee powder to the mixture, or perhaps incorporating the chocolate-covered espresso beans into the topping.

-K