Huffing & Puffing & Hobbling. The Half Marathon.

Well, here we are again and it's been a while...again. I've been neglecting TheSizzle in favor of Body Pump class, sunbathing, work and Skype. I'm also leaving in 16 days (not that I'm counting or anything). 

I digress. I promised y'all San Diego, and here she is. 

SAN DIEGO PART ONE:

MainSqueeze and I hopped on a red-eye flight from Honolulu to LAX, then squeezed into what I was certain was Amelia Earnhardt's first prop plane for the short ride to San Diego. I hadn't slept, and we were supposed to run 13.1 miles the next morning. Riiiiiiight. 

In true Sizzle form, I pinched myself and went on a hunt for some caffeine and got the spring back in my step. We had a great brunch at Café Chloe. Mimosas happened, and all was right in the world. Except I still needed to sleep. 

That night I whipped up a pasta primavera of sorts with linguine, fresh basil, blistered cherry tomatoes, olive oil, lemon, prosciutto and blanched asparagus; topped with some reggiano cheese. It was a great "carb load" meal. 

After MainSqueeze forced me to drink 13123423 bottles of water, it was bedtime (he worries about my hydration. But he'll be very proud to know I currently have a 1.5 litre Nalgene of water on my desk that I have dutifully been chugging as the day wears on).

We were up at 3:45 am for the race. As we shuffled around that morning looking for shoes, shorts, lucky rabbit feet (just kidding) and bibs, we made it to the start line. Before the race, I spotted "Teddy" the mayor from the TV show "Nashville" and made a fool of myself. He got a laugh and I walked away feeling awkward. 

ANYWHO. The race was great, I finished with an OK time considering I hadn't trained like I planned on. I'd like to run another and really push myself. Remind me to tell you the story about our friend #guau accidentally putting a popsicle stick with a glob of vaseline in his mouth during the race. I still laugh. every. time. 

Post race, we rehydrated by way of margaritas on the rocks and fish tacos at a local spot Downtown in the Gaslamp that I do not recall the name of. Probably because the food was unremarkable and I was covered in a thin layer of salt and grime and my joints were about as stiff as a poker. #runningproblems

HOWEVER. That night we had reservations at Cowboy Star, a well reviewed steak house in town. Now, you put 9 red blooded Texans in a California steak house and...well. It was surprisingly decent. 

Amouse Bouche.

We obviously wore our race medals to dinner, and so this deserved a complimentary amouse bouche to start the night off. MainSqueeze and I ordered a nice red (it's good for post-race muscle soreness...or something) and others around the table ordered more wine and various cocktails as we perused the menu. 

pardon the funky photo.

I was immediately drawn to their asparagus salad. I have to say it's one of the most interesting salads I've had to date, and the asparagus were cooked perfectly. 

Grilled asparagus, pro blanco, grapefruit, cardamom-lemon ice cream and Thai Basil. 

The salad was the highlight of my dinner. Being the carnivore that I am, I ordered a  NY Strip steak medium rare and it was a tad overcooked. Honestly, I was so tired that I didn't even care. I usually have a minor conniption if a steak house can't get a steak right, but I figured I'd give these Cali folk a break and suck it up. I didn't have the energy to throw a hissy fit, and hissy fits aren't really my style anyhow.

After steak and sampling the variety of sides we ordered (sweetbreads, mushrooms and some sort of mac and cheese concoction) I obviously had to satiate my hankering for dessert. 

deconstructed cherry pie

I love cherries. I currently have 2 bags of fresh cherries in my kitchen and have made several delightful treats (recipes coming soon). My Dad and I used to hole up in the kitchen on Thanksgiving and make about 10 pies. One of his specialties was a cherry pie that would have you licking the pie pan. Literally. So MainSqueeze and I opted to share their "deconstructed cherry pie" and it was eh. Good but not something to lick the plate over. 

Our good amigo who we will call #guau ordered some bread pudding of sorts as well. Please note that we really did wear our medals our in public. The more laughable thing is that we were all gussied up for dinner, and I was literally HOBBLING everywhere. I don't know why I thought wearing wedges was a good idea, but other diners sure got a kick out of watching me hitch and totter in and out of the restaurant. 

bread pudding something or other and a MEDAL.

After dinner, we all struggled to keep our eyes open and I dragged myself up the stairs to bed. We were truly a sight to be seen. 

Next on TheSizzle, I'll tell you about one of my favorite days ever, spent in the sun with MainSqueeze, rented bicycles, a near death experience, impromptu poker games in the sunshine, cliffs and coves, choreographed dance moves and a coconut margarita that changed my life. 

Until then my friends!

Meathead Friday

Feliz Friday folks! It's actually here, and it's not longer "Thriday" (someone asked me if it was "thigh-day"..soo Thriday isn't going to happen anymore.)

For starters, Meathead Friday is not necessarily going to be an ongoing "thing" but I figured I'd give it a shot.

¿Qué es Meathead Friday? You might be asking...Well my friends, it's a bit of a one two punch. First we shall discuss fitness, then we move on to how to undo all the fitness....FOOD.

Sidenote: My amiga Kelsey over at Foodie Photo Blog and I ran out from work for a quick #nom on Thursday and came up with the term...#nomaste. like namaste but..not. Cheesy, yes? Did we get a kick out of it? Obviously. And that's what matters. Frequent and hearty laughter is the answer.

 As you may/may not know, I'm gearing up to run a 1/2 marathon in San Diego this June. So I've been running a lot (duh) and have peppered in a few "Tabatas". Tabatas are also known as "15 minutes of constant muscle burning". But I LOVE them. Sometimes you feel like you might die, but you always want to hug your sweaty self after you're done. I noticed an increase in strength and muscle tone after a couple weeks. I also pair these with the iPhone app "Nike Training". You can build and customize workouts and they also make me feel a little bit like fainting, but in the healthiest way possible. Below you will see the Tabata link that someone showed me, and then I'll include a Nike link. See? This way you can be fit and eat all the foods. 

SOURCE

Here's the NIKE LINK.

Now. Onto the foods. I love red meat. I eat it very sparingly as I used to not be able to eat it at all, so I have to eat it in moderation. That being said, every once in a while, all I want is a delicious, juicy, well crusted and seared STEAK. 

Back in the old days when I was just a fledgling cook, my idea of cooking a steak was handing it to my Daddy and watching the magic happen on the grill. NOW, after some total meat fails, I have tweaked and perfected my method. I don't think it's "unique"  by any means, but it's amazing. 

MEAT RULES:

1.) Find a sexy steak at your butcher. I usually go with a NY Strip. Hug it, take it home. 

2.) Let the steak sit out till it's room temp, pat it dry with some paper towels and SALT that thang like you've never salted before. Cracked pepper too if that's what you like to get down with. 

3.) Heat your skillet. I mean HOT. Preheat your oven to 350.

4.) Do not be afraid of smoke. Maybe you should turn off your smoke alarm and open a door/window. Serious. 

5.) Slap your dry steak onto the skillet and enjoy the sizzle. Now, I'm a firm believer in the medium rare/rare move. So I usually go 2-3 minutes each side. Once both sides have seared and cooked for the desired amount of time, put a large pat of (gasp!) BUTTER on top of the steak and pop it into the oven. 

6.) Baste. Baste like you've never basted. Take a spoon and baste your steak with the melted butter for about 3-4 minutes. Now take it out, and let it rest another 4-5 minutes. 

7.) My favorite method is to slice up the steak and serve with a nice pretty salad or some hearty mashed potatoes. VOILA.

hi you.

And there you have it amigos, 'Meathead Friday'. Lemme know what you think!