Fit & Fabulous

Call me crazy, but I want to know what it feels like to get into the shower without being sore. Or sweaty. Or physically challenged for that matter. Actually, I wouldn't want to know. I would be slightly disgusted with myself. I am not Joan Benoit. But I like to workout. I am a runner. And I can't imagine getting into the shower, day after day, without a workout. How do you do it? Doesn't it feel gross? Imagine how much more you could do. The energy you would have. The food you could energize with.

Now that I have lived in Madison for over three years, I am no longer impressed with the amount of outdoor activity. I want to know why more people aren't involved. I can't relate to just waking up and getting in the shower and getting dressed. That sounds gross to me. How do you do it?

I recently read an article in the "Times" about begginer runners. They wanted to know what podcast was motivating people to run. And I realize that it's not normal - this need to run every morning [well, six days a week, anyway]. Most people need an accountability partner. Or they sleep in their running clothes. Or they attend a "weigh in." There is something that makes them get up and go running. For me, it's just part of who I am. One day at work, someone asked me, "Did you go running this morning?" And I was appalled. "Did you brush your teeth this morning?" I wanted to ask them. If you see me at work, I have gone running. If I have the stomach flu, I have not gone running. Otherwise, I run. I have become even more strict as I have gotten older. And I have become faster. "I don't have enough time." is a completely unexucusable truth - you are telling me "It's not a priority." And you know what? It's not for a lot of people.

So besides doing it for yourself, be healthy for your kids. I notice a ton of people who are obese. NPR just published an article stating that the american population is becoming more and more obese. And I have a real problem with people who aren't eating real food. I am currently finishing my dinner of all natural-local-tortellini, organic kale and organic mushroom sauteed in garlic. Does your meal have color? I am not better than you. I may be healthier, that's all. You're probably cooler than me.

I am not saying I am superior. But the next person who tells me while they are eating their "Wonder bread" [which isn't even real bread, mind you] that my sauteed, locally grown onions "look gross" can suck it.

2001 Versus 2011 - Halloween

I love Halloween. Besides my famous soup in a pumpkin, I love all fall dishes and desserts. And I sense from facebook that I share this passion with a lot of my 198 friends.

I finally had that infamous Halloween party I have been wanting to host for the past nine years. While we held one my senior year in college with the football frat, this one differed slightly and here is how:

1) I didn't have to have anyone "work" the door, turning away unwanted party-goers. Although there were two other parties going on on my floor, there were no mystery guests. The only non-invited guest was a miniature pincher dressed as a lobster, but Scout didn't mind [and neither did I].

2) I baked all day long and served homemade cupcakes, cookies, dips, snacks and my famous soup. Meanwhile, back at the Zeta House in 2001, We spent twenty-five minutes hiding all of our food so drunk guests wouldn't eat our groceries.

3) I had a little wine/beer table. Flashback to 2001: We had five kegs of Milwaukee's Best Light - AKA "The Beast".... and the kegs were kicked by 2 AM. Oh - and we had to get up at the crack of dawn [you know - like 10 AM] to drive to Canton, Ohio to get the kegs by closing time at noon.

4) My mini pumpkins/gourd decorations are still in tact today. Back in the Zeta house, the mini pumpkins were dumped in the washing machine, unbeknownst to us and my roommate ended up washing [and drying, mind you!] a mini pumpkin - only discovering it while she was folding all of her laundry. At least we had a laundered pumpkin.

5) There is no evidence of a party in my condo this morning. In the olden days, those new rushes were forced to come to our house before noon with hangovers to scrub our house clean like unpaid maids. Besides a pumpkin gone missing - I think I saw it smashed outside today, my peers are pretty mature - having helped clean up my place before I passed out at 1 AM.......

The Best Cookies I Have Made

So, a few years ago, I was looking for a blueberry crumble bar recipe and I stumbled upon the smitten kitchen blog. This blogger has the best recipes. If you are looking for something wholesame and tasty, she has a great site.

I was looking for a good cookie recipe a few months ago, when I found her most delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. These babies are Divine (with a capital "D").

Here is the recipe:

Makes about 3 dozen cookies (I had to continously bring 6-10 to work on a daily basis, until my co-workers asked if I had poisoned them and was trying to slowly kill them).

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (I only had a clementine - worked fine)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

(I added craisins which I highly recommend!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack.

These make a ton of cookies. You will not be disappointed. I promise.

And this is one of the reasons I got my brand new mixer for my birthday.

A Brief Getaway from Madison

I've decided it is best to keep the political situation that is happening here to myself and not publicize my opinion on my blog.

It is very close to home, physically and literally. For me, there is no way to avoid the news anchors as they film live coverage, the chants and the feeling of what "democracy looks like."

It feels good. Let's put it that way. These are peaceful protests, as I am sure you know by now.

For Christmas in 2009, I gave my boyfriend a bed and breakfast gift certificate. He decided to use it at an Inn near Milwaukee in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

After a charity evening at the Madison Club on Friday night, we packed our bags and left the "biggest rally" down the road from my condo to hightail it towards this quaint town of Cedarburg, not far from Milwaukee.

Supposedly there is a zoning law on the main drag that only permits independent businesses. My two favorite stores were Lillies Goods and their other store, Weeds, owned by the same people. If you are looking for a nice gift, I recommend either place. After walking around the Cedarburg winery & shops, we sampled a few wines (Cedarburg's wine is the "sister" to Wollersheim) and checked in at the Washington Inn.

Walking around the little shops, we were told that our Inn has a 5:00 wine and cheese hour (of course, we had read about it online), and we made sure to be there promptly for our free wine and "spread" hour. But first, we settled into a huge jetted tub that is inside the room and warmed up from a day of non-stop fluffy snow. It was so relaxing. After sweating and trying to cool off from this luxurious tub, we enjoyed the snacks in the dining room. We had unlimited wine and cheese spreads, crackers and grapes. The room was mainly full of other couples besides one older woman. There were just enough tables so that we didn't have to sit with strangers.

We then walked over to Anvil, a former blacksmith shop with neat concrete walls and a two story dining room. It felt cozy and special, though. Even though it is two stories, it had a warm feel to it. We saw about three other couples from our Inn and pretended like we didn't see them (just kidding). As we sat at the bar, waiting for a table, the couple next to us chatted us up and we ended up next to them when we were seated.

A friend, Taylor, recently got me hooked on Old Fashions, so I ordered one while we waited. Old Fashions are very popular in Wisconsin. And tasty.

Our food was pretty good. We had veggie burgers. I thought it was tasty. Nothing incredibly special. We then walked down towards the Inn and I stopped in a chocolate place where I had a delicious milk chocolate turtle that was pretty special.

We then sat in the whirlpool tub and I was asleep by 10 PM. The best part of the stay was when we got breakfast in bed in the morning. I think that is the first time I spent an hour in bed, drinking coffee, eating fruit, enjoying my book. (without a starving golden retriever begging for food by my side).

I was also able to finish my 562 page book this weekend. It was so relaxing. Cedarburg is a special place. We plan to go back.

Cheers.

A New Eatery

You have to pay attention to the commerce in your city when you like it a lot. I don't know how my friends completely missed the big Italian restaurant that just opened in between the Starbucks and Ocean Grill off the square. It just opened this past week.

Always excited to try a new restaurant, I went there on Tuesday night. Now this is the difference between Cleveland and Madison (I know I have mentioned the differences before). In Cleveland, there would be an hour and a half wait. And a zillion people in front of you with those pagers that I haven't seen since I moved. Because the ambiance of this place was very, very chain like. I give it a thumbs down. Sorry, Francesca. But I like your name.

The food didn't taste so local to me. It wasn't very busy. There just wasn't anything special about it. But, I am willing to give it a second chance. When I am dining on a square that serves as the largest farmer's market in the country, I expect all of my food to taste like it came from them.

Madison Locals do not like chain restaurants. However, I think it will attract people. Like the folks I see every Saturday, walking a half a mile an hour, eating something with food coloring and a hairdo from 1987. But not the gray haired lady I see gardening in her linen pants at 6:30 AM, or the guy I see training his puppy to swim in the bay. You get the picture?

The service is always questionable when a place first opens up. After waiting for quite some time for the server to come to our table after our food was delivered, my dining partner asked her, "You busy?" in a nice, friendly manner. Her reply: "I, I .... I don't even know what's going on..." She was a nice gal who would serve herself better at a coffee shop as a hippie barista. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think she was bad. I think she was overwhelmed with the place being new.

Good Italian food is hard to come by in Madison. I am sticking to Lombardino's or the most romantic, cozy and tasty Italian place - Osteria Papevero.

My favorite part of "The Isthmus" is finding out the juice on the restaurants. Who is going out, who is coming in, what's good and what's bad.

Now - has anyone noticed that promising looking spot across from Marigold? It is going to be called "Merchant Market?" It looks like it will be an urban market with a wine bar and cocktails. Sounds good.

How to Stay Skinny

Now there is the "Skinny Girl" this and "Skinny Bitch" that and the "Skinny Italian" and the list goes on. The sociologist in me says healthy eating is related to class.

I can tell you my secret on staying thin. Several years ago, I started including a minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day. When I moved to Madison and had more local resources, my diet improved. For me, my vegetables and fruit intake does not include apple sauce, marinara with mushrooms, jelly and the sort. I also don't eat "Walmart" type produce where the strawberries look like they are on steroids. Most of my requirements are raw or close to it.

Here are some examples of what I put in my mouth every day:

-Raw peppers (yellow, green, red)
-2-3 clementines
-Organic Blueberries (they don't have to be organic. Just not sprayed).
-Organic Strawberries
-Steamed Chard
-Steamed Broccoli
-Grapefruit
-Raw Spinach
-Raw Mushrooms

These are just some examples. I eat the spinach out of the bag from the farmer who grew it. I don't dress it. I don't steam it. I just eat it. The same with the mushrooms. I just eat it out of the bag from the person who grew it. Who I met. The mushrooms have been transported from his farm to the stand where I have purchased it. It's quite simple. No sprays. No flights across an ocean.

I hate shopping for clothes. I would much rather wander an upscale grocery store. And I would much rather spend my money on good food for my body.

Many years ago, I babysat for a family whose three year old told me, "If you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it." I totally agree.

My freezer has ice and fruit popsicles from when I had a sore throat. That is it. I don't even buy frozen food any more. Or canned food. It's just not fresh. I don't want that in my body.

So, I am thin and I have the fresh food and five fruits/vegetables intake a day. Of course, running 25-30 miles a week helps, too!

But here is another secret. I eat a lot of junk, too. Certain times of the month, I love a Dairy Queen blizzard. After miserable hangovers, I love a stuffed crust Pizza Hut pizza. I live in Wisconsin now, so cheese curds rock! But I just don't feel well eating that stuff all of the time.

I thank my friend for posting this article in the "Huffington Post" because this is what made me decide it is an appropriate topic to address. Even people who have the means to afford better quality (yet more expensive) food choose not to.

Madison being the healthy city that it is makes it easy for me. I don't know how I got here. My mom never liked "fake food." We never had margarine or fake sugars such as diet sodas and she always made everything from scratch. As good as Annie's frozen Mac & Cheese is, I just can't bring myself to eat it. And it's organic. It's just not fresh.

In the "Huffington Post" article, Joel Salatin, an American farmer is quoted, stating, "Most of us have a more intimate relationship with our hair cutter than we do with our farmer." This is an ironic statement for me because I do not have a hairdresser in Madison. However, I do have my favorite farmer stands.

I know I am a minority. Instead of spending your money on a pair of jeans for your expanding waist, how about buying some local fruits and vegetables and watching your waist shrink and your risk for heart disease decrease? Come on, Americans!

Stop Photographing My Meal

Real food. Food obsession. Food blogs. Food Photographs. Long before I read the article in the NYT, I thought about writing about this craze. This thing with social media where people like to photograph their food and then upload it online.

There may be something self indulgent about it. But it has become a real epidemic. A big hipster trend. Not only am I going to go to my farmer's market and tweet and blog about it, but I will also blog and tweet about the CSA I belong to, what I prepared for dinner on my food blog and then, upload all of these colorful photos! (Or, if I want to be even cooler, I can do black and white photos).

So, I don't think there is anything wrong with the sharing of recipes and comments. That is how we all get new dishes, right? The food blogs are nice and helpful. It's the photographing that is a little strange from time to time.

I made a salad nicoise a few weeks ago. Asparagus, potatoes, lettuce, olives, lemon juice and olive oil, tomatoes - all real food. The next thing I know, I am putting it out on the counter and my dinner is being photographed by my friend. Can't we just eat it? Was my salad nicoise uploaded online and exploited? Without my permission?

I have discovered various meals I have ordered on various websites. The hipster movement seems to think it's just plain cool to photograph a real natural and colorful meal before digesting it. It's an art form. And a trend.

Sitting in a recent panel presented by the Social Media Club of Madison a blogger in the audience mentioned a wonderful blog she follows written by an attorney who has a food blog. I thought she was implying that it is something different or unique. Maybe I read her wrong I am not sure. But, a food blog seems to be the thing to do - I have thought about it many times. Viewers probably enjoy it immensely and it's a great tool - but it's not unique. (Ummm... have you heard of "Julie and Julia?" I am just saying).

So this every growing popularity is probably good for the economy. Just think - camera businesses make money selling special cameras. Hipsters like to make sure everyone knows that it is "organic and local," so the farmers are making money. And so are restaurants that are serving sustainable ingredients. It's a win-win.