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PIONEER WOMAN UPDATE!

2010-06-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted my PDub conquests so here's an update:

Mocha Brownies: Of all the recipes in the book, I was MOST excited about making this one. I love sugar. I love coffee. I love chocolate. This recipe was choc full of all of the above. I was in a hurry to put these together to take to a family bonfire and so I rushed a couple of steps. I'm blaming my rush for the failure of this recipe. I shouldn't say it was a total failure, but it was much too sweet and the texture wasn't great. The icing was TOO much. I think there were about 3 brownies eaten out of the whole pan. I may try this again sometime when I have more time.

Pico De Gallo: Very simple and simply awesome. I'll make this all summer. Ronnie doesn't like onions and Scout isn't wild about tomatoes so I ate the whole batch myself. This was not a problem. :)

Guacamole: The kid made this for me and it was awesome. Another recipe that I'll make all summer.

Iny's Prune Cake with Buttermilk Icing: Scout came in the kitchen when I was making this last week and said, "Mom, I thought you said you were going to lay off the PW recipes because your butt is getting big?". Well, yes, but I get seduced by the beautiful photos and intriguing stories and next thing you know, I'm back at it. This was so delicious right out of the oven. Ronnie and I loved it. Scout on the other hand, said it tasted like goat something or other. I think it's because he saw the prunes cooking on the stove and it scared him. I didn't like the cake as much on day 2 which was really a blessing to keep me from eating the whole thing.

Katie's Roasted Corn Salad: Whoa. I'm not a fan of corn. This recipe has been the biggest surprise so far. It was AWESOME! Very fresh and very healthy. You grill the corn, red pepper, onion, and squash and then de-cob the corn and dice the veggies before adding the tomato and the very healthy dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, BASIL, and garlic. I'll make this for the rest of my life. Ronnie didn't like it but fortunately, Holley came by the house that night and validated my opinion that this was a keeper.

I've made the chocolate sheet cake 2 more times since the last time I posted but I make into cupcakes and use a white frosting. Love.

I've also made a few more things from her website that are not in the book.
Marlboro Man's favorite pasta: GREAT
Fried mozzarella: GREAT
Cinnamon Toast: MONEY

I am slowing down a bit with the cooking but I may just make it thru the book as planned. I love Pioneer Woman.

Sexy doesn't have a speed...and more cowbell please....

2010-04-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the scoop on the weekend...

Bronda and I rode down with Larry Long and we were able to catch the big charter bus of Runner's World folks and wave bye to them before they headed out. Got to the city around 2ish and toured the Expo after picking up our run packets. Let's stop here for a sec. Let me say, Bronda has a fractured foot, but is determined to finish because this will put her at Marathon Maniac status. Same for Larry...but he has a pulled groin muscle and has difficulty walking, much less running a marathon. The foot and leg were doing better after Happy Hour at Toby Keith's. Before dinner, we hung out with the RW group at their hotel. It's so fun to be there with this group that has logged tons of training miles together in preparation for this. I love em.
Bronda, Larry, Dale, and I went to Zio's for dinner and then I met up with Ronnie and we checked in our hotel. I was asleep before 10, then up at 4something. I was terribly sick after the Mardi Gras run so I tried to do things a little differently this go round as far as what I ate and drank the week before and morning of. For one thing...I decided to steer clear of Oysters Rockafeller the night before. Ummhmmm. Wise move. Ronnie dropped me off to get be in the RW picture at 4th and Robinson. PortaPotty/National Anthem/Gun....I felt really good. My first mile was cake. Ok, well...12.1 to go! Bricktown, cool lofts, The State Capital, ....going well. Between mile 5 and 6....GIIITTT URRRRR GUNNNNS UP! Pistol Pete! A house all decorated with Orange and Black. Woohoo! I had my phone and I stopped to take a few pictures at various points. The crowd support was awesome. Belly Dancers, cheerleaders, Bands, DJ's, families, a few people out in their Snuggies. Kids on the side giving high fives. My Achilles was hurting from about mile 3 on so I stopped and stretched a few times. I also walked thru some of the water stops, and yes, I walked up Gorilla Hill. I was hurting at mile 8 and I don't know what the heck is in GU, but after I ate my GU pack, I went from near death to playing air drums to Bon Jovi. Thank you to the man that made me run faster to catch his high five at mile 10. And thank you to the man that said, "huh uh sister....pick it up...we're following your pace and we're counting on you to keep it going". It was fun knowing that my family would be there at the finish for the first time ever. I asked them to come about 4 months ago and it was fairly obvious that they weren't really fired up about making that drive. I KNEW they would love it though, and it was important for me to have them there for at least one of my runs. They don't always understand why I have to make schedule adjustments to fit in my training. They don't particularly understand why we travel to do these runs. I think they have a better understanding of the lunacy now and let me tell you...my MOM, my DAD, and my SISTER committed to training for and running the Route 66 quarter marathon in August! So... I saw them just a few feet from the finish line and it was great.

A few important thoughts from the day:

Fashion:

Sir...with the Texas flag, "More Cowbell" shirt: Well done. Call me. I want that shirt.

Ma'am, with the "sexy doesn't have a speed" shirt....LOVE IT!

Girls with the sequin skirts! HOT!

Crowd support wearing Snuggies...Please don't do that again

Friends:

Those of you who were out there running that I didn't see today, I was thinking about you! Congratulations to the Marathon Maniacs: Bronda, Larry, and Simone! Congratulations to those who ran their first ever half marathon: John, Larry, Nedra, Emily (Marilene's daughter)-who all smoked me by the way! Congratulations to all of my Runner's World friends. Thank you to my RW friends that didn't run but were there to support! Congrats Brian, Kirsten... Congrats to the relay teams (Jeff Dorsey...Whoot!) Congrats to the Asburians and the CRCCr's! Congrats Pastor Tiffany for your first ever marathon!

The Cause:

I passed a ton of people that had photos of OKC bombing victims pinned to their back. I passed a couple that had a picture of a young girl pinned on their back and I was wondering if it may have been their daughter. I wondered if they were runners before this Memorial Marathon. We walked thru the Memorial after the run and there were medals and race bibs placed on the individual memorial chairs. There were medals and bibs pinned to the chain link fence. It is very moving. Runner's World names this marathon one of the "must run" marathons in the world and it's obvious why.

It was a lovely day for a run and I'm so glad to have been there.

Bring it: Pioneer Woman vs. Jamie Oliver

2010-04-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

I'm having some reservations about my project. CRISIS. WHAT DO I DO? PDub's recipes are meant for special occasions or for strapping cowboys who work hard all day and burn tons of calories on the ranch.

I was heavy all thru childhood and I'm so thankful that something just snapped one day in college and I have been very conscientious about the food I eat ever since then. It was the very typical issue of life revolving around food. I was sad...I had donuts. I was mad..I had chicken fried steak. I was happy...I celebrated with cake. Those habits die hard but for 17ish years, I've managed to stay within a much healthier range than my younger days. There are some years where I'm much tougher on myself but since I started running, I allow more leniency. It's not easy being the family nutrition Nazi in my house. Ronnie doesn't care about GI Index foods or cholesterol. I like 100% whole wheat bread. He likes Wonder Bread. I like skim milk and he likes whole. I say tomato...he says, "make me a german chocolate cake".
And then there's Scout who frequently dines at the Texhoma Sale Barn and spends the majority of his time around the best cooks in the country.

Ok...so my family thinks I'm a little obsessive.
Enter Pioneer Woman. AWESOME food, loaded with fat.
Enter Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I watch. I become so impassioned that a tear comes down and I jump up and yell, " want to be a part of his team". I swear it has more to do with admiration for his cause and less to do with the fact that I have a crush on Jamie. Ronnie said, "calm down"...and I said, "would you mind saying that with a British accent and slight lisp". He rolls his eyes.

So what's the deal? What do you do? Is it ok to throw in some indulgences here and there, or should we shift our mindset to be conscientious of everything we put in our mouths? This is the issue I'm working thru. I went to Jamie's Food Revolution site this week and signed the petition to make changes in the school cafeterias. The amount of processed foods they serve is ridiculous! And chocolate milk? Shhhheeeeez. What? Kids won't drink plain milk? So you have to serve chocolate? You know what Jamie says? He suggests we just start pouring sugar over everything that kids don't like. HA! If you care to have a conversation on the virtues of flavored milk, bring it on. Warning...I may punch you out.:)

Continuing my panic...this week at staff lunch, a friend of mine reminded the gals at the table that it's not a good idea to eat like the Pioneer Woman unless you have spent the day working cattle. UGH. She's right. I need more balance. On my way home that night, I bought a bag of whole wheat flour and a bag of zucchini. I bought salad ingredients, strawberries, and a ton of broccoli. I'm on point to rein this thing in. Hit it!

Jaden's Beef Brocolli. The sauce for this was very,very,very,good. I found the recipe on PW's site.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/jadens-beef-with-broccoli/

Chef Meg's Zucchini Muffins. This was a little TOO healthy for Ronnie. He wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. If you are ok with whole wheat flour and no fat, you will be ok with these. They were a good afternoon snack in leiu of something processes. I baked a big bunch and then froze most.

Annnnd, yes...I do have more PW recipes to tell you about. :) I made her pizza dough last week and we had a "make your own" pizza party. Ronnie doesn't like pizza, but he liked that he could control how much sauce was on his and said he would like to have that again. Dad said he wasn't really sure about the make your own pizza thing, but he said it turned out really great.

Egg in the hole: Bread, Egg, Salt, Pepper, Butter. No high expectations. This was so good! Loved it.

Soooo... you surely detect an undercurrent of obsession on my part. Sha. I'm food obsessed. Food/water: essential to life. How you approach food with your family will no doubt shape their future health. It IS a big deal.
Good luck.
Via Con Dios.

More Pioneer Woman Recipe Reviews....

2010-04-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Heyyyyyyy....Head's Up...Ree (The Pioneer Woman) was on The View last Friday! You can google it and watch her. I felt for her. It was an obvious struggle to get in a word edgewise with those yapsters but she did a great job.

Last Friday night our family went to the Asbury Service of Darkness and I had everyone over for a Pioneer Woman dinner beforehand. Here is the review.
Perfect Pot Roast: Best pot roast ever. It will replace any pot roast recipe I've cooked in the past. You brown the carrots, onions, and roast first, then slowly bake in the oven with broth, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Everyone loved it. I really like that she doesn't cook potatoes with it. I hadn't really thought about it, but it's true that they can get a little mealy. Instead, I served mashed potatoes on the side.
Rosemary rolls: This isn't in the cookbook but you can find it on her website. I will tell you...if you make one thing of Ree's, please, please...make these rolls. They were easy and so good. I'll make these often. In fact, I think I'll try to grow a rosemary plant so I'll have some on hand whenever I need it.
This was an easy meal but very homey. My 2 little nephews even liked it.
Last night I made another PW meal. I loved it enough to add to my regular rotation, but Ronnie wasn't a huge fan. Linguine with clam sauce: The first thing that stood out about this dish is how cheap it is to make. Like....really...the whole thing was about $7! Another fantastic thing was the simplicity. It took just a few minutes to prepare and it had a very rich flavor. Ronnie ate it but said he probably wouldn't request it again. I served it with salad and garlic bread.
Good Morning Muffins: Another recipe from her website but not in the cookbook. I made a batch of these last week. They have orange marmalade in them and a cinnamon sugar streusel on top. Ronnie really liked these.

Oh...On the subject of cooking...I should give a shout out to my Shumard family. We spent Easter in Ada and our visit was long overdue. No one can put together a meal like my mother in law and my sisters in law. It was a great visit and a happy Easter. :)

Cookie is Packin'

2010-04-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have an unrealistic sense of security and it's been getting me in some trouble. I guess I'm going to have to do something about it.
I don't think I'm brave. I have been blessed to have avoided any real run in with danger thus far in my life. Well, ...except for the time the loony guy busted out our back door frame to steal....(are you ready for this?)....my undergarments. Gross. We were checking in to a hotel in Las Vegas and Ronnie received a call from the BAPD. Really, there are two important things to know about this crime. #1) Since we were out of town, 4 people ended up at our house, dealing with the police report, etc. My mom. Bronda (Ronnie's ex-wife). Greg Pittman (our pastor). Andrea Pittman (Greg's wife). I'm in Las Vegas and picturing this bunch gathered in my living room, identifying my...ahem...undergarments. #2) I would NOT go to the police station to retrieve the evidence but the guy had to pay restitution. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
I've taken off on several adventures by myself. I've explored cities by myself and hiked a few trails on my own. On a recent group trip to Wyoming, I talked my mom into dropping me off at a Teton trail head and made arrangements for her to pick me up later. Some of our group was back at the camp, fishing. The rest of us had been horseback riding in the Bridger Teton Forest and they were tired and not up for a hike. I convinced Mom that it was a busy trail and I'd be fine. What I didn't realize was that I took the very last ferry across Jenny Lake, so the traffic had wound way down and I was alone on the trail most of the way. The trail was easy, but it was situated between the lake and the Tetons and, you know, ...I started thinking the bears may be heading down the mountain to go for some early evening fishing. In an effort to ward off any encounters with animals, I sang out loud. Probably a Barry Manilow tune. Or Eminem. It was awesome fun and I'm so glad I did it. It was totally worth all the trouble I got into with the rest of the group when they found out what I did.
Last fall we went to Mountain View, Arkansas with Ronnie's family. I discovered that the Ozark Highlands Trail is right there and there was no way I would be able to miss an opportunity to experience it. Another journey on my own. It was beautiful. I only passed 4 other hikers on my trek.

Now...the last few weeks of running in my home city have me rethinking my sense of security. It all started with a run in with a dog. I was running thru a Jenks neighborhood and had a couple of dogs chase after me. One little dog got a fang in my leg. A mail man came to my rescue, chased them off, and gave me some pepper spray. Oh my gosh! I didn't know what to do! I knew there had to be protocol here. Don't you like, have to get shots in your stomach? Take the head off the dog? Have a section of your spleen removed for testing? Like, really,...I had no idea what to do. I ran to the police station and filed a report. The Sargent said, "ok...ma'am..the warden has the suspect in custody and he's on his way now so you can positively identify him". BAAAHAAAAHAAAAAAA. I tried to text that very statement to Ronnie but I was crying too hard from laughing. The doggie was clean. No rabies.
Fast forward to this last Saturday. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY! I have had a cold and thanks to a cold medicine hang over, I overslept and missed the opportunity to run with my group. I really wanted to experience the Katy trail so I took out on my own. I parked at Veteran's Park, headed across 11th, and across the railroad tracks. We're not in Kansas anymore. Everything was going wonderfully, until I cut off the trail early to avoid a scary looking guy. I ended up in a B A D part of town. Really, really, really bad. I had the good sense to take my Ipod off and slip it in my spy belt. Several of the homes had gangs of pit bulls swarming about. There were homeless people everywhere. There was a suspicious dude driving an ice cream truck that I was certain probably had methsickles. I was praying the whole time. I was sick to my stomach to think that people live like this in our city. We go to Mexico for STM's, but there is a tremendous need for major relief and development just a few miles from riverside where families are picnicking and throwing Frisbee's. It was disgusting. I was sure that the gear I was wearing for a simple Saturday run was worth more than they have invested in their living rooms (if they have living rooms). I was consciously aware of how I presented myself. I was petrified of how they may view me. Poverty has many levels and just because they are materially poor doesn't mean that I am better. I ran past one guy and smiled. He smiled so warmly but then growled out the scariest man grunt that made me suddenly wish I was wearing a turtleneck and long pants . I ran past a girl that was hunched over and something was coming out of her nose. A man was patting her on the back. Dear Lord help them.
I was so thankful to make it back to riverside but you can bet that this experience has made an impact on my life. For one...I will remember the needs in our own community and try to plug in more often. Second...I will quit being a giant DUMB DUMB by getting myself in these situations! Third....I WILL BE PACKIN' (heat, pepper spray, mace....somethin')!

PIONEER WOMAN UPDATE

2010-03-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

The project rolls on and the recipes from the "accidental country girl" are awesome. I have slacked a little on the picture taking but my family thinks it's kind of weird anyway to snap pics of our food. Here's a pic of her cookbook. Scout thinks she's "hot". I kind of think so too.

Here's the lowdown:
Twice baked potatoes: These were very good. I think it's actually healthier to cook potatoes this way rather than mash them because Ronnie likes A LOT of butter. This way, I can control that.
Pineapple Upside Cake: Whoa Nellie. This was a catastrophe of epic proportions. I burned the brown sugar and butter for starters. Made toffee. Strike one. I'm pretty sure that my cast iron skillet is too small but at least I had the forethought to use a backup cookie sheet to catch any spills. It did run over. Sheesh. Then, when I thought it was done, I flipped it over on the cake pedestal. The dumb thing was not done. Dilemma, dilemma,.....I maneuvered the heavy skillet back over the cake and tried as best as I could to flip it back in to cook a little more. In summary....I'm not cut out for the baking of the pineapple upside down cake. Moving on....
Chicken Fried Steak: Mommy. This was good. I have cooked chicken fried steak a few times, but the double dipping made all the difference. Ronnie and Jonathan give a thumbs up on this one.
Spicy Pulled Pork: I had high expectations for this one. I made it for a super bowl party. The verdict-it was great. The method for creating the rub was different. I didn't bring much home so that's a good sign. I like that she suggests serving it with lime wedges (and tortillas, of course).
Chocolate Sheet Cake: I made this for my friend Chris's birthday. Several people requested the recipe. I thought the icing was a little thin. I think I like my trusted chocolate sheet cake recipe better.
Simple, Perfect Enchiladas: Be prepared to throw your fork across the table. These were magic. I'm 3/4 Hispanic so of course I'm going to love these. Well, I don't genetically have any Hispanic blood, but my heart is 3/4 Hispanic. Jes, it is. The end result made up for the fact that they were a little tricky to roll. The whole dipping of the corn tortilla in hot oil, then in the sauce, etc was a challenge. Bethany was standing near by and she said, "oh Jennifer...don't give up...you can do it".
Comfort Meatballs: Scout helped me make these and we had to work fast since we were expecting company. I prepared the meatballs (which are kind of like mini meatloaves vs the Italian variety) and Scout made the sauce. Mom is on a strict diet and training program and I think she nearly fainted when she walked in and saw me frying these in oil. She and Dad liked them and Ronnie asked why we hadn't ever had them before. Great with mashed potatoes and salad. (...and garlic cheese bread...and ice cream)
Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich: Scout pretty much made this on his own, with a small amount of direction. According to him, this was "life changing". He will be making this again but he said it needed more Tabasco next time. On a side note, I got another lesson from my cowboy son about selecting beef, including some rambling about myoglobin...er...something globin.

Recipes on the website, but not in the cookbook:
Quesadillas De Camarones: I really like the shrimp and spinach quesadillas at Los Cabos. These were really good. Better than Los Cabos.
Monday Night Stir Fry: This was another thing that the kid helped me with. There was a lot of prep work and you have to work fast once you start the cooking. Stir fry will never be high on Ronnie or Scout's list, but hey...they ate it! She suggests adding cilantro before serving. Magically delicious.

So, how's the running going, you ask? You didn't ask? Oh. I finished the Mardi Gras half marathon in February. It was a blast and I'll post a story about that this week. I've had to run a lot of miles to make up for the calories in PDub's food. I've also started a new program today. Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. More on that later. I will say, I'm SORE today. Yeehaw.

Peace Out.

Miles for the NY: 10.5, PW Recipes for the NY:3

2010-01-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I heard this guy today ask some folks if they had a nice new year. ????? Dude, ...the year pretty much lasts, ...a year. It ain't over.

I fixed P Dub's hot artichoke dip on NYE. We had some friends stop by the house before we went to dinner at Osaka's. They gave it a thumbs up. I gave it a big ol' thumbs up. It was good. So good that I had to ship it off to a family New Year's Day celebration so I wouldn't eat the left overs. I heard they enjoyed it. We didn't go that festivus because Ronnie and I had some stuff to do that day. Uh, Jennifer Aniston movie marathon and football games, hello. Earlier in the day, we had the kids and Holley, Kourt, and the boys come by for our first annual NYD pancake breakfast. This was a cool idea that I stole from Karen Bryan. :) We were shocked that Jonathan was the first to arrive. 30 minutes early! I cooked P Dubs pancakes, but not the ones from the book, so this doesn't count as a mark toward my countdown. They were good though. I hate to say...I think Rachel Ray's plum pancakes hold my mark for top pancakes. I still have to make P Dub's sour cream cakes, so that may just put her back on top.

Tonight, we invited Jonathan over for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. I'm nutritionally conscientious and definitely tend to cook on the healthy side, but you know the deal,...I said I would do this thing, so I'm doing this thing. Bacon and all. Do you want to know what I thought? Well, if ever I were told that I could have one last meal before I die, THIS IS IT. There are no words. I couldn't figure out what made this so fantastic but apparently, when you combine parsley, Parmesan, beef, and BACON...and a tomato sauce with mustard and Tabasco, you get FLAVA FLAVE! Oh, this stuff is money. Jonathan said he wasn't very hungry and asked for a small piece. Oh, he went in for seconds. Umhm.

Ronnie asked me when the next PW meal was.

Running....Cooking....

2009-12-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

I ran 8 miles at the river on Sunday. It was beautiful/icy/slushy/snowy/fun. The west side of the river around Zink Lake was pretty nasty. It was more of a work out than it normally would have been due to all the ice dodging and hopping thru snow banks. I bit it hard at the (dry) Pedestrian Bridge but I was able to finish the rest of the run. I wished I would have had water with me and I could have used a snack.

The cooking is wearing me out. Yesterday I decided I'd tackle 4 of Pioneer Woman's recipes. 3 were pretty easy and one made up for it. Here's the low down.

Beans: Ronnie's review...very good. These were simple but the recipe stands out as a winner because they cook fast.
Cornbread: Ronnie's review...good, but didn't reheat well today. Ok, so he says that, but he went for leftovers. That, in and of itself is a good sign. I think it was well worth the trouble. Texturally, much better than the mixes.

*Make it in a cast iron skillet but DO NOT grab the handle of the skillet when it's on the stove top.

You may think the burn dressing is a little extreme, but I do have a flair for the dramatic. Plus, I have some burn dressing skillz thanks to Jonathan.
PW's Breakfast Potatoes: Ronnie likes fried potatoes with his beans. I don't know if this was his momma's deal, or maybe Bronda's. I tried real hard to be true to the recipe but I couldn't bring myself to use that much fat. My review: These are AWESOME. I usually don't like fried potatoes b/c they're so greasy. These are baked ahead of time so they're not on your stove for long. I'm sold on this one.

And now...for the finale...PW's CINNAMON ROLLS. These are not easy. These are HAYELL to make, in fact. This recipe stretched my culinary skills, so I guess that was good. I've never scalded milk but now, I know how. The recipe makes over 6 pans and I came out with 2. Umhmm. It wasn't cake, I'll tell you that. When the 2 pans came out of the oven though, ...they were good. Ronnie loved them. Reheated beautifully in the microwave. I'll keep plugging away at this recipe until I master it.

I really like this whole Pioneer Woman cooking deal. It's going to give me license to cook things that I normally wouldn't get away with(linguini with clam sauce), but hey...I have to cook it...cause P Dub's put the recipe in the book, yo. I'm no dummy, ...I've started with recipes that I know Ronnie will love. Now he's a P Dub's lover too and he'll likely have a tolerance for sherried tomato soup since "she" said it's good.

NEW YEAR'S Resolutions-2010

2009-12-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Got a plan? I got a plan. Something for me....RUNNING! I'll be running in the Mardi Gras half marathon in February and the OKC half marathon in April. I plan to stick with the program thru the summer (BLEH) and do the "real" Tulsa Run as Mom calls it, and then the Route 66 half. THEN...PERHAPS...POSSIBLY, ...I may attempt a marathon in 2011. So, alright...tomorrow I shall try running 8 miles on the snow and ice. If I can't make it to RW to get Yak Tracks, I'll bust out my sheet metal screws and try that out.
Now, something for the family....I have decided to cook my way thru Pioneer Woman's Cookbook this year. Oh man! Look out Julie and Julia. It's Cookie and Pioneer Woman. I'm bummed that I don't have any foods in my repertoire that are "requested" by my family. My friend Andrea is asked to make cinnamon rolls. My friend Bronda is asked to make chicken and dumplings. My friend Lisa is asked to make artichoke dip. I got nothing. I get the feeling that most of what I cook is just merely endured. :(

Ok, ...so recipe #1...Red Velvet cake. It's money. I heart PW!

I look forward to cooking all of these recipes for my family. Maybe next Christmas, Ronnie will say, "please, Jennifer, ...please cook (fill in the blank)".

One evening that seemed like an eternity

2009-09-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Holley pointed out it had been awhile since my last post so I thought last night would be a good place to start back up.

Our family will be spending Labor Day weekend at Fort Gibson Lake. It's been a production to make this happen. Since the remaining campsites were on a first come first serve basis, we were already in a jam because Ron is in LA all week. We decided to ask Jonathan to pull the trailer on Tuesday night and I'd follow to pick out the spot. Now...I had a great idea to bring Kadence along since he loves the lake. We were late getting on the road because of my ding dong sister who decided that she would GO SHOPPING before dropping Kadence off. Ok....so we got Kadence loaded up, I fed him in the car (let's not tell Uncle Ronnie), and we met Jonathan at the storage facility. Funny story about Kadence....he wanted a drink of my diet coke. I'm a bad aunt so I let him have a sip. He said, "Cookie, will this make you drunker?". I said, "NOOOO...Diet Coke doesn't make you drunk". He said, "No....STRONGER. Does diet coke make you STRONGER?". heehee So...Jonathan is pretty sick. In fact...he's REALLY sick but insisted that he's alright to go. He followed Kadence and I but I was worried by the fact that he was going about 30mph all thru Coweta. On the other side of Coweta, he pulled over. We turned around to see what the deal was. The deal was....he was at death's door, white, sweaty, and....I'll spare you the rest. I called my dispatcher mother who called in my posse for backup. Jonathan took my car to his house and and Kadence and I waited by the side of the highway for Holley, Kourtney, Jaxon, and Dad to show up. Kadence headed home with his rents and Dad and I made the trip to Wagoner.
32 deer, one wrong turn, and 3 cuss words later,.....we got to the Seminole campground. I rode around on the golf cart with Mrs. Camphost and found a spot that I thought Ronnie would be good with. During the excursion, I informed her of Dad's lack of trailer backing experience. She assured me that Mr. Camphost could back it, which he did. The set up process did not go particularly well. I had to get Ronnie out of his "evening meeting" which I assume was probably code for "hanging out at a sports bar in Los Angeles". He seemed really, really, REALLY irritated when I told him I would need a little more specific instruction on how to plug in the trailer. He had a difficult time understanding how I could be so ignorant as to these matters considering I have watched him set up umpteen times. Do I have to remind him I'm a bimbo???? And a darn good cook?? Ok...I'm a bimbo. aaaaaaahhhhhhh.....all set up. Now I'll head back tomorrow night to clean, set up inside, and get the food ready for the weekend.

Oh....about Jonathan... His condition continued to decline and Bre took him to the ER where they administered an IV. He's a little better today, but very weak and sore. Poor guy. FYI...He ate spaghetti from Potbelley's. ??? :)

Vacay with the Whoopdeedoo's

2009-06-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This will be interesting to...well....not many! Our family headed out on Monday for a family reunion vacation in Corpus! We are now on Day 4. Here is our story and some of the highlights...

Day 1: Mom and Dad came to pick Scout and I up a little before 8. Ronnie was at the truck telling us bye (he escaped going on this vacation b/c he had to "work"....whatev!) and he pointed out a large screw in our back tire! First stop....Easley's station. Whoopteedoo! Oh,,,,that's what what we are called b/c of the insane amount of crap that goes wrong when we are on a family vacation. It was good to see Marvin. I hung with his son and nephew all thru HS. Next stop...McDonalds. The road trip went much better than expected. Mom and Dad made it all of 2 hours with the boys in the truck, and then the rest of the trip they rode in the car with Scout Holley and I took turns driving the truck. We stopped at a rockin cool McDonalds near the Dallas zoo with really fun decor - zoo theme. The boys loved it. Oh, oh, oh...when we were leaving..a dude on a bike rode up next to me and started in about his life story....telling me that he just got a job today but someone threw out all of his cans of food so he was hungry. I gave him some money and then asked him a few questions about his new job. He said he is a dishwasher, which is good b/c he has LEPROSY. OMG. It took us a full hour to get thru Austin traffic and we finally made it to Buda where we met some of Mom's family at our hotel for dinner. It was fun to see John, Mary Louise, and Katherine. Scout got on a roll and would not shut up. We all slept good.

Day 2: Breakfast then a trip to Cabella's. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Cabella's. Scout was in his element. We loaded up and headed south. It's so fun to make the trip thru all the little towns that remind me of the trips we made to Corpus every summer. Sequin....Pettus. OH, Pettus. Good times here. Stopped at Dairy Queen and ate with all the locals. We stopped at Wal Mart in Port A and bought groceries for the week. Scout and Kadence ran around together and Scout discovered this helped him to pick up chicks. Delerium set in and we were in hysterics about everything. Kadence was about to get run over by a little old lady going 90 to nothin with her shopping basket and he stopped dead in his tracks, assumed the position, and proceeded to throw Spider Man webs at her. Scout attacked us all with silly string in the parking lot. It took 15 minutes to find the keys to the truck. AH..FINALLY...on to the ferry! Mom and Dad got seperated from us and we had to take a seperate ferry. Holley was nervous about driving the truck...but she did fine. Kadence was SO excited to see the ocean for the first time! We made it to our condo and settled in. Thank heavens, we had the help of family that beat us there to unload. Holley and I cooked dinner for everyone and then we went to the beach. It was a super fun evening.

Day 3: UP AT 6 AM, THANKS TO THE BRATTY NEPHEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) We had breakfast and went to the shell shops in town. I made sandwiches for our crew and we loaded up and spent all afternoon at the beach. Several of Dad's cousins came to spend the day. It's so fun to catch up with everyone. We got cleaned up and went to eat seafood in town with Uncle Kim, Aunt Cindy, and Logan. It was a great meal. Most everyone went swimming when we got back to our place.

Day 4: Scout fixed us all breakfast this morning. It's quiet now b/c Holley and Scout took the little ones swimming. We are waiting on a gang of family to show up for lunch. LOTS of cousins, aunts, uncles coming in.

Free and Easy Down the Road I Go.....

2009-04-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome! My first (not last) half marathon. I woke up at 4:30, had two cups of coffee and a bagel, got dressed, and headed downstairs at 5 to catch the shuttle that is supposed to be running every 15 minutes. Here begins the CALAMITY that threatens to send me into a panic. I was to meet the Runner's World group at 5:45 for group pics. After about 45 minutes and some chatter about the buses running an hour and a half late, I phoned our room and asked Ronnie to come down and drive me to the race. I said, "do you know where you are going?"...he says, "NO" and I start praying. Knowing that streets would be closed and we would be running into 19,000 runners, I was fearful that wherever he would be drop me would not even be close to the start line, and I wasn't prepared to exert myself before the gun goes off! And, here's the God Wink.... He (not having much of an idea of where to go) drops me RIGHT in front of where I need to be!

Now...I'm walking around in the dark, along with 19,000 runners, getting ready for the opening ceremonies and I hear someone call my name. It's BRONDA and MIKE! Wow. I fall in line with them at the 10 mph pace line, not where I should be, but I'll just fall back when the gun goes off. I feel a tap on my shoulder and it's BRIAN RUSSELL! Ok...so the two people I have mentioned in my previous blog post are right here with me. God Wink numero dos!

Opening ceremonies start, prayer, moment of silence, star spangled banner, GUN. It takes forever to get moving. There are so many people that we're just packed in like sardines. The aforementioned runners blow past me and I try to find a pace. I stop at block 3 to use the portapotty. I regret the decision to leave my ipod at home. I struggle to know if I'm pacing correctly. At mile 2, I hear one of my run coaches holler at me. Stelly ran with me, imparting all his coaching wisdom for about 5 more miles. We saw lots of RW folks, including Kathy and Bobby. It felt good to have familiar faces in the midst. Stelly is always saying, "slow down, stop and stretch, eat, drink, be merry. Today was different. He said something like, "uh...this is a race....go faster!". Ok....
There were tons of power aid stops, water stops, and sideline entertainment. There was a saxophone, belly dancers, dj's, costumes, Darth Vader, Paris Hilton, John Wayne, and gobs of families sitting on their lawns with dogs and children, giving cheers and high fives. Bloody Mary's looked to be the beverage of choice for most onlookers. My fav sideline treat by far was the Jagermeister shot tent! No kidding! Jager shots! I didn't partake.
At about mile 7 or 8, I hooked up with Jessica from RW. She's super cool and I enjoy running with her. At mile 9, I felt like my toes on my right foot had broken OFF. Ya, ...bad. Jessica sped up and I held back. The last 3 miles went by s-l-o-w. I was hyped up though and dancing as I ran. One spectator told me I obviously need to ramp up my speed if I had enough energy to dance. There were some turns on the next 2 miles where sudden gusts of wind seemed like they'd sweep your legs out from under you. The last half mile was awesome. The announcer was yelling...if you want to beat 3 hours you have two minutes.....etc, etc. I busted it out. Crowds were yelling like crazy. The announcer came over to me and said, "how many miles did you run today?", and handed me the mic. I said, proudly, 13.1!!!. I got my medal!

I found Mike and Bronda first and then wandered around for awhile looking for Ronnie. In the Runner's Corral I grabbed a water and a couple of cookies, but bypassed most of the food because I was on a hunt for the beer tent. Guess what?? No beer tent!!!!!!! What! So...time to leave! We went to Bricktown and waited for Chellino's to open.

I woofed thru a couple of flautas and some Corona Light.

So...a funny side effects of running....I was covered in salt when I finished. gross.

I'm so excited about running the next race. Even with ice packs on my legs, I'm thinking about the next one. :)

OKC!

2009-04-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

I had fun with my nephew Kadence last night. We celebrated his third birthday by grilling out, eating "pupcakes", opening his gifts, ...hanging at the park, ....watching movies....and ...at, like 11:30, the kid decided to go to sleep. He woke up and reminded me I had to make him some waffles. Then (whew) Holley came to pick him up.
It took forever to get out of town. Finally, ...at 4:30 or so, we made it to the Cox Convention center. Standed in a line of a zillion people to get the run packet, got the chip activated, and headed to the hotel. Then..it was on to the Olive Garden (ok food and an IHOP type atmosphere). Anyhoo...I sufficiently carb loaded (heck..I've been carb loading since 1983). Then...headed to Walgreens to get 64 oz. of water and some vaseline (it's a runner thing), then to Panera to get my ritual bagel for in the morning. We drove thru Nichols Hills and those are with out a doubt the most fantastic homes I've ever seen!
There are runners ALL over the place here, as you can imagine. Bartenders all over the city are probably po'd b/c folks aren't boozin it up tonight.
This is so much fun!!!!!! I'm not nervous at all yet.
I'll let you all know how it goes. Peace out...

Countdown to OKC....and thinking about Zach...

2009-04-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

YEEEHAW!! 5 months of training and we're almost there! The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is what Runner's World calls one of the 12 "Must Run" marathons in the world. The pre-race buzz is awesome and there's not been a minute of my last few days that I'm not thinking about the run. It's been a pretty textbook pre-run week for me....very nervous, very excited, and surprisingly OCD about EVERYTHING. I've been almost frantic about keeping everything constant in my life, as not to throw off my mojo. I think I also let a little arrogance come in on this weeks runs. Fortunately, one of the benefits of my RW training tells me that I should expect the occasional bad run. Last night was one of those! I felt good going in to it, but my shoes felt too tight, my shorts felt too short, I was starving, I was hot, My shirt was too tight, and the hills were killer. I ended up cutting my 3 miles to 2 and even still, had to walk most of it. I don't know what my deal is, but I'm moving on and thinking positive thoughts about the run on Sunday. My new goal is to not die! :)
I'm thinking about everyone heading to OKC Saturday. I'm thinking about Bronda who is struggling with leg pain and a cold. I'm thinking about Ryan who has a knee as big as a softball (but is rocking a new mohawk!). I'm thinking about Brian Russell who has been training for months for his first marathon. I'm thinking about friends of mine that have recently started running and now have goals to experience big races! I'm thinking about all of RW gang who I've had the privilege of running with for the last several months. And...I'm thinking about the reason for the run. It's a chance to remember the loss of lives in the bombing, the chance to honor those who's lives have been changed forever, and a chance to celebrate the resilience of people.
I'll be thinking about the day that I sat in my living room and was chilled at the sight of Oklahoma making breaking National news. I will also be thinking about my family who will be meeting Saturday night for the annual bonfire to honor the life of my cousin Zachery who was taken from us at a very young age. This has by far been the most tragic and difficult loss our family has endured. Zach's parents (my uncle and aunt), Kim and Cindy Dunn will never be the same, but they have responded to the loss in a way that makes our family very proud. They became advocates for public awareness and education of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which claimed Zach's life. They are a light, reminding others that we have eternal hope and can find comfort in our storms. Most importantly, they remind us to never forget those who go before us.
I won't forget! Let's rock!

Cattle Show Update

2009-04-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

AHHHHH....I'm EXHAUSTED! Really....exhausted. Holley and I headed to Stillwater Friday evening, two little ones in tow (Kadence and Jax). I took the boys swimming Friday night in the OUTDOOR pool and scored some extra cool points.

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we headed to see Scout show at the Ok Beef Expo. He did great, winning Champion Chianina with his prospect steer and then later in the day won Grand Champion Market prize with a steer that belonged to the Mckay's. Scout was in his element of course, and did a fantastic job showing.

A few highlights of the trip, aside from the big win:
Experienced Joseppi's for the first time. It's not Joe's, but it had to do in a time crunch
Aunt Cookie has some mad MacGyver skills and can craft a band aid out of a kleenex in a pinch
Wasabi Almonds=MONEY!
We survived Jaxon's sleep issues but I will bring ear plugs for future over nighters.
Visited the blue house....Holla! And SHORTCAKES!!!

All in all, it was a great weekend! I'm ready for a fun week. We will be meeting the Shumards in Krebbs on Tuesday night for an italian dinner. Other than that, I will be conserving energy in preperation for the weekend. Ronnie and I will head to OKC on Saturday.
Make a great week!!!

Eskimo Joe's or Mexico Joe's? Eskimo or Mexico????

2009-04-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting on my posse to get here so we can head out for a fun couple of days in Stillwater. I'm looking forward to Scout's show, swimming with my nephews, eating at Joe's (whichever one that may be), and (hopefully) getting my run in around the campus. Ahhhh....Memories! I posted my campus run to the right....

So here we go! Blog post numero Uno!

2009-04-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

I doubt you will encounter any profound inspiration or insight from my blog posts, but I decided I would venture into this new realm of communication in an effort to post run updates, family news, etc. Also, with Scout's big cattle show coming up this weekend, I thought this would be a good opportunity to fill some of you in on the goings on at such an event. More on that later.

So....The big news of the moment....I'm less than two weeks away from my first half marathon! I've been training with Runner's World Tulsa since mid December and I can't say enough great things about their program. I've been thinking about the email I received from my good friend (who happens to be Ron's ex wife), Bronda, in November, inviting me to go to the orientation meeting. That one invitation has turned into something that has made a big impact on my life. Anyhoo...THANK YOU to Bronda and all my new friends at RW! Saturday was my longest run to date (13 miles).

Last night, I ran 5k at LaFortune and then rode my bike thru the neighborhood trails. Whoa! Reminded me that cross training is SO important. That bike was utilizing some different muscles than I'm used to working. I need to get back in the gym and do some weight training but I think that should probably wait until the big run is complete.

That's it for now. Make it a great day, Chiefs!