Baking success and failure

Last weekend, I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time… I baked!  Truth be told, my freezer was starting to be overtaken by frozen bananas, so this baking experience was more to reclaim my freezer than anything else.  But any excuse works, especially if it turns out with something yummy.  The bread turned out PERFECT, although, I think after I let it cool, wrapped it and put it in the fridge (per my mom’s recipe…), it deflated a bit.  Odd.  Still tastes good, so I don’t mind so much.  My pictures didn’t turn out well, but since I’ve got more bananas, I plan to make another loaf (or two or three…)  Pictures and recipe to follow!

I also wanted to try out a bread machine.  My grandma had given me hers years ago, when she moved into her current apartment, but at the time, I was busy with classes, probably going through the divorce or something else like that, and the machine got pushed to the back of the storage cupboard.  So I pulled it out, did a little research to “healthy-ize” an old recipe, and gave it a shot!  And at this point, I need to decide whether to be honest or not. :-)  Ok, truth be told, the bread turned out like a solid brick.  Literally.  When I turned the pan upside down, it slid out and nearly cracked my countertop.  Not good.  I think I know what I did wrong – the cooking settings aren’t real clear when it comes to anything other than plain white bread, and I think I chose the wrong setting.  I will try again before passing judgment on bread machines…

I haven’t really mentioned it before, but the last two months have been pretty packed with fundraising efforts at the ambulance company.  Every year, the small mountain town I live in has a big arts and crafts festival, and the ambulance company sells homemade apple dumplings with a diabetic-coma inducing sugar syrup and ice cream.  It has become so successful that we pay for our annual mortgage payment off of this two-day event.  I am going to try to get the recipe for the dough and syrup, but if I can’t, I’ll be sure to at least post a few tips and how-to photos for you all.

And as an update to my running… as most remember, I have been training (not so consistently) for the Marine Corps Marathon.  Between the summer heat, some cracked ribs, and some ankle issues I’ve had on and off, my training has been… well, pathetic.  In the best interest of my health and well-being, I resignedly decided to defer my entry until 2012.  It just wasn’t safe for me to try to increase my mileage and speeds to the level I would’ve needed to.  But alas, I am not giving up on running, just taking a little longer to get to my goals.

For now, that's it, but be on the lookout for my apple dumpling post... coming soon!

One of those days...

A rare cup of coffee on my desk...

I had coffee this morning. You may ask why this is important, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s not. Unless you know that I’m not really fond of the flavor of coffee. The fact that I willingly went to the office kitchen and got a cup means one of two things: I am either sick and trying to cover the taste in my mouth with something only slightly-less disgusting, or I am exhausted beyond words. For the sake of argument, let’s assume it’s the second…

The ambulance station is going to be the death of me. Have I mentioned before that I volunteer at an ambulance station? Probably not, but I do. I started about eight years ago, and just recently completed my EMT-I coursework, so I can start running as a medic. I absolutely love the work, too. It’s so rewarding to walk into someone’s life when they are having the worst day ever, and to leave them a couple hours later knowing that I helped make it better. It is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. But calls in the middle of the night make sleep really hard to come by! And unfortunately, I find myself drinking pop (soda for some of you…) in the middle of the night, eating food I know isn’t good for me only because it’s available and you never know when you can eat again. It makes being healthy difficult…

I haven’t really mentioned it here before, but I am also training for a marathon – the Marine Corps Marathon, to be specific.  And let’s just say, training isn’t going as well as I would like. I hurt my leg about two months ago, so I’ve really been taking it easy, and only started running again a week or two ago. And now, it’s so blasted hot outside, running seems like a suicide sentence. But the training has had me thinking a lot about food – what I eat, what I shouldn’t be eating, properly balancing meals while still maintaining flavor and excitement. The more I truly think about it and explore the intricacies of different spices and herbs, the more I fall in the love with the idea of becoming a chef.

No real reason for posting, just felt like babbling...