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

Fish. It's What's for Dinner. Oh, and Sriracha.

David and I are not huge red meat people. Not that we don't enjoy a fine steak from time to time, but in general we prefer chicken, pork, and you guessed it - fish. From salmon to rock cod to mahi, we don't discriminate on our flavorful finned friends. Tilapia is what happened to be on sale at the grocery, so I picked some up to have for dinner this past Friday night. Long story short - I have found the best marinade for fish. I usually do it with salmon, but it works well with any fish, and I think it would be great for chicken too. Best part is that it's easy to make, and mostly uses things you already have in your pantry. You can control the heat/spicy as well. And so it shall be called...drum roll please...the

Spectacular Sriracha Sauce! 

Here's the general recipe that I based my marinade on: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/salmon-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard-glaze-recipe/index.html (thanks Bobby Flay)

Here are my notes: I used regular brown sugar and only two tablespoons (it's what I had in my pantry and I didn't want it to be too sweet); I left out the ginger because I didn't have it in my pantry; I didn't use this for 8 fillets, I just use it for whatever I have; I also left out the butter (shocking, I know); But the biggest addition is the Sriracha or spicy chili-garlic sauce that you find in the asian cooking aisle - it works wonderfully and adds the perfect heat. Just add however much you like. I usually add at least two tablespoons.

The thing that I love most about this marinade (besides it's awesome flavor) is its ease and convenience. I put the fish down in a shallow baking dish, then pour the marinade on top of it and let it sit for a while... really however long I have before I start cooking. If it's going to be a few hours, then stick it in the fridge. If it's only going to be an hour or 90 minutes, leave it sitting on your counter. Remember - a key to well-cooked and tasty meat (any kind) is that it needs to be at room temperature before you start the cooking process.

Other deliciousness on the plate: Green beans and mushrooms roasted with olive oil (1.5T) and balsamic vinegar (1T) and then topped with shredded parmesan when they are fresh from the oven. And tomatoes roasted with a little pesto and parmesan (you really just want to melt the cheese and warm the tomatoes/pesto through - you don't want the tomato to be runny).

Overall, a moderately healthy meal. Well, if you don't count the irresistible garlic bread :)
-K

Parade of Pastries, Part 1

I've had a lot of time lately to focus on cooking and baking - which is one of my passions. I love to try new things and see what happens, especially in the kitchen. Admittedly, I think I am a better cook than I am baker, but I have several recipes laid out for the next week or so that should help balance out my skills and expand my repertoire. Last night was a victory over a basic pastry: Lemon Blueberry Scones! Yes, I did indeed make a true scone. Glazed and golden outside, moist and delicious inside. There was a span of fear for about 3-5 minutes when I didn't know if the dough would come together, and I wondered "What the heck am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing!!" After wrangling the dough (I really mean kneading, but I think it looked more like wrangling as puffs of flour flew in many directions) and baking the wedges up, I was surprised with how well they turned out! I was sure I would end up with a heap of mess from the oven, but David even came from the back of the house to tell me how good they smelled! The verdict: they tasted equally as good. Yum.
Notes for next time: Add more lemon... maybe even in the batter, or use the glaze both before and after baking. These would work well with a mix of berries. Also, I need a pastry cutter.

"If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes."

Did anyone see the 2005 version of The Fog?  No?  Neither did I - after all it received a 5% on Rotten Tomatoes by critics and only a 35% by the audience (which is usually incredibly more forgiving, I would know).  But if I did see the movie, I'm pretty sure it would be based off the normal Monterey afternoon.

This is what I came home to this afternoon: a perfectly clear day in one part of town - and the fog rolling in like slow wave over the Monterey Pines in another.  I never thought of fog as a living being until I experienced the weather here on the peninsula.

The Monterey Peninsula Toy Box tells us not to complain about the fog, and in fact it is truly a sight to behold.  Sitting on your back patio, watching the fog roll overhead, the slow wave engulfing you in a matter of minutes and as they say, "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes..."

And We're Off!

It's official! The Scherr household has a new blog to "share" our adventures, starting with those here on the left coast! We hope to keep our friends and family in the loop: what we're up to, cooking endeavors, school, jobs, owning a Entlebucher, and some commentary on current events around the world. Feel free to stop by often and leave comments!
-K