Weekend Things

Happy Memorial Day weekend. We hope our US readers are looking forward to a nice, long weekend. The temperatures have taken a nose-dive where we live, so those visions of lazy afternoon picnics and other outdoor activities have sort of faded for us. But that's OK. I'm getting an eye exam (FINALLY) to see if I can get some contacts again. Summer running with glasses is the pits!

Let's get to it . . .

// Hilarious //

What It's like to Talk to a 2-Year-Old video via Huffington Post

8 Movie Moments You Once Thought Were Sooooo Deep via BuzzFeed

Julianne Moore cuts her toes off -- take that, perfection!

Duck + Dog = Best Friends, which is Stephen's pick.

// Active Family //

Great sale on Kelty Packs + Carriers -- for kids up to 50 pounds.

2-in-1 Allen Bike Trailer/Jogger for the upcoming summer months.

We actually bought one this week -- I'll write about it ASAP.

// Drool-Worthy //

Homemade Arugula Ricotta via Lady and Pups

Grilled Veggie Tacos w/ Cauliflower Tortillas via Roost

Chocolate Tart w/ Smoked Sea Salt via Leek Soup

// Smart Stuff //

Pretty + functional magazine racks to store produce -- brilliant!

How to Build Raised Garden Beds -- incredible!

DIY cement garden letters -- what a cute idea!

// Good Books //

Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Treats Without All the Junk

Real Food: What to Eat + Why -- seems simple enough.

Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli -- for the kids.

// Fashion Finds //

I need a couple good quality t-shirts for the summer season ahead.

Update: I LOVE those Leopard Print Crocs I bought. Embarrassingly so.

Up to 70% off Kate Spade Jewelry + more to punctuate a simple wardrobe.

 // Also . . . // 

I've pared my closet down to just 50 clothing items.

No, really. And it's already much easier this way. I'll write more soon.

Been looking back through Kendi's 30 for 30 archives for outfit inspiration

// NY Times Reading Assignments //

Beware Social Nostalgia

Gitmo is Killing Me Op-Ed

Power of Concentration

And here's what you may have missed this week on Writing Chapter Three:



Have a great weekend!

Psst: You can check out more Weekend Things here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here + here.

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Cheesy Old Bay Biscuits

I struggle with my identity as a "food photographer" -- which sounds like a ridiculous statement to make at all (because who really cares?), but it's true.

Do I want my photos to be fun + brightly colored?
Do I want to make quirky doodles all over the place because I'm feeling insecure?
Or how about some simple + moody shots. Food. Is. Serious. Business.

I honestly think it has more to do with the cloud cover on any given day than it does with my mastery of any sort of tone. Or use of props. Or editing. We'll see what things look like tomorrow, next week, etc.

Nothing new here. Just cut up Brussels sprouts, an onion or two, and a couple portabellas. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roast for about a half hour, stirring every once and again.

Set aside and drop the oven temperature to 350 degrees F to make these!


CHEESY OLD BAY BISCUITS
Just like the ones at Red Lobster, except not at all. Makes 12.

What you'll need . . . 

• 1-1/2 cups white + whole wheat flour 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 
• Heaping half cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 1 cup almond milk

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard size muffin tin and set aside. Alternatively, you can just make these drop biscuits and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet.
2. Pour your flour into a large bowl, then add the olive oil in the center and mix around with your hands + fingertips. You want the texture to become crumbly, almost as if you're cutting in butter. I just didn't have butter, but this worked well.
3. Then add the baking powder, Old Bay, and cheese and mix. 
4. Stir in the almond milk until everything is juice moistened. Do not over-stir.
5. Divide evenly into muffin tins. I found heaping tablespoons worked well as a measure.
6. Then bake for between 15 - 18 minutes. Or until the tops are golden brown on the edges. The centers may feel a bit soft, but that's OK. There's CHEESE!

We'll definitely be making these again. Baking powder biscuits in general are so easy to throw together. And you can improvise. I usually just stick with around 1 to 1-1/2 cups flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and the rest can be fun to play with.

Like even sweet ones! I made Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits for breakfast yesterday. I didn't get good photos and our strawberries are now long gone, but I will share the recipe soon. Ada helped!

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Boilermaker Training Plans

It's been effing hot and I hate running in the heat. Last night's 4+-miler was in 87, sunny, and super muggy. With pollen basically choking me the entire way. It's everywhere. Ick. BUT I've started my training for the Boilermaker 15K that is in about 8 weeks. (Oh, crap -- we still haven't made hotel arrangements!)

I don't have a goal for this race except to beat my last time, which -- in 2010 -- was 1:13:45, 7:55 pace. I'm thinking it won't be terribly difficult since my recent half marathon was run at that exact pace. Rather, I RAN it at that pace, stupid passive voice! 

Possible secret weapon: 

I added a spinning workout to my routine last Wednesday. A way to get my legs moving fast without impact. And with the added resistance, I know it's helped in the past shave seconds, even minutes off race times.

As much as I'm dreading it (because it's so damned hard to get back into spinning after a 2-year hiatus), I'm going to give it another go tonight. Does anyone else have the Spinning Turn + Burn DVD? I swear the instructor must have been sleeping with half the class with all those swoon-eyes.

(My mind wanders to strange places when I physically challenge myself.)

15K PLAN:

To develop this plan, I used Smart Coach via Runner's World at Jen's suggestion.I likely won't run my easy miles at certain paces (I usually come in around 8:25/mile versus 9+ -- but with the heat, who knows?) However, the harder workouts are definitely something I'm sticking to. And the good news? They aren't all that far off what I did in my last training cycle.

I like that most weeks are just 4 days of running and those that are 5 have some pretty low mileage. I'll be fitting in a spinning workout + a yoga class each week, too.

I'm not so sure about the 1:10:50 magic number that the calculator came up with for my finish time. The course is hilly and hot, hot, hot. But at least doing the speedwork to try and achieve this goal will help with my longer-term 1:40 half marathon plans for the fall.

So, that's what's going on in my training. How about you?

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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