Color Run 2013

      If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would run a 5K in my life time I would have told them they were insane.   Running has always been something that was very hard for me.  I never did sports as a kid and I shied away from activities that included running.  I have short legs and was never in the best physical shape.  About a year ago I decided I wanted to change it.  I tried running outside and it was terrible.  I felt ridiculous and embarrassed.  My mom had a treadmill she wasn't using so I asked my dad if he could bring it up to me in Chicago.  He did, and I tried running on that.  I felt much more comfortable and did that on and off for about 6 months. I usually only ran a mile but that was huge progress for me. 

      In February I saw that registration for the color run was open for the St. Louis date.  Its a fun run which means it is not timed and it welcomes both runners and walkers.  I thought that maybe this was something I should try.  I talked to my family and we got a team together and registered.  Then it was time to get training.  I wasn't really sure where to start so I just started running/walking for as long as I could on the tread mill.  This was usually about 1.5- 2 miles.  About a month before the race I got serious.  I ran everyday.  I would follow the pattern of 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 miles. I also started running outside so I could see the difference between that and the treadmill.  Luckily the difference wasn't as extreme as I thought it would be.  When I did my first 3.1 mile run outside I was so proud.  I walked a fair amount of it but I did it.  From there I tried to decrease the amount of time I walked and get my time down from the initial 43 minutes. 

     On the day of the race I started my morning with healthy breakfast. I then put on my clean white shirt, running parts, and my favorite Nike running shoes. Sadly the weather wasn't looking too good, but nothing was stopping us from doing this run. My mom, sister, two of my sister's friends, and I hopped in the car and headed to St. Louis. 

     

   When we arrived at the starting area the weather was about 50 degrees and rainy. They had many areas to take pictures as well as a stage featuring Zumba for a warm up.  We took some pictures and jumped around a bit in efforts to stay warm. 

      Finally it was time to start the race.  The course was basically a large rectangle with a color station set up at each kilometer. The color stations have music and people who spray colored cornstarch on you from what look like ketchup bottles.   You can take your time and get lots of color or just run through.  I ran the majority of the course but I did take my time through the color stations. 

    My sisters friend and I were the first people to finish from our team. I was pretty proud of myself as I ran waaay more of the race than I expected.   Since it was raining I didn't want to use my phone to time myself, but I'm pretty confident that was my best time yet. 

     In the finish area they give you packets of powder to throw around.  They also do a large group throw where everyone tosses the color up at the same time.

     Overall I highly recommend the color run, especially for those of you that aren't runners.  It is a great way to get out there and get active. Plus it is a ton of fun!

Cheria - Part 2

This week I made more progress on my Cheria cosplay.  I was about to dye the trim for the skirt as well as attach it to the skirt.  I also got a few of the pieces I ordered in the mail, which was super exciting. I even found over knee black socks which was more difficult than expected.  There is still a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, but I feel like its coming together pretty well.   Luckily I have a day off work this week, so hopefully I can devoted a lot of time to working on the top.

Dyeing the lace went significantly better than I thought it would.  I filled a pan with water, added about 1/2 a bottle of black RIT dye, and tossed in the lace.  I let it cook on the stove for about 15 minutes and it was done.   I then rinsed it off in the sink and let it dry.

Once the lace was dry I pinned it to the hem of my skirt.  I haven't sewed it yet.  I want to make sure that I am 100% happy with the length before I sew it on.  The current theme is to keep making it shorter. 

One of the things I received in the mail this week was my wig.  I LOVE IT!! I ordered this awesome pink wig from Arda Wigs.  It even came with a cute little drawing of Cheria from one of the ladies I know there.   The plans for the wig are to use RIT fuchsia dye to dye it and then to cut it shorter and add the pig tails on the top.

Here is the other piece of the outfit I got in the mail. Finding plain white boots was a tricky task.  I found these on Ebay. Technically Cheria's boots don't have heels, but I'm short and need the extra height.  I plan on making the sole and the heels black with either a sharpie or some black paint.   After that I have to add the red ribbon details to the sides. 

This is rough assembly of the pieces I have so far.  I have the skirt, socks, shoes, and wig.  Goals for this week are to add the details to the boots, dye the wig, and start on the top.  My weekend is all booked up so hopefully I can get most of that done during the week. 

Dark Chocolate Espresso Scones

Today we had a brunch at work for all the administrative staff.  So. Much. Food.  I haven't baked anything in awhile so I decided to contribute some homemade scones for the occasion.  They seemed to go over quite well.  Hopefully there won't be any leftovers to take home.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Scones

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp coffee grounds
• 6 tbsp very cold unsalted butter
• 5 oz. dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

 1) Preheat the oven to 400.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and coffee grounds. I used pumpkin spice coffee so feel free to play around with flavors.

2) Cut the cold butter into slices and add to the dry ingredients.  Using a whisk or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour.  The chunks of butter shouldn't but much larger than pea size when you are done. 

3) Stir in the chocolate chips.  

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, half and half, and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry mixture.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry one. Stir until loosely combined.

5) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press together gently until it forms a ball.  Pat dough into a circle that is about 1 inch thick.  Using a biscuit cutter cut the dough out in circles.  Combine the scraps and press together again. Cut out more circles.  Keep doing this until you have used all the dough.   I got about 12 circles out of mine. 

6) Brush the tops of scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

7) Bake 17-20 min or until golden brown.  Let cool on a cooling wrack. 

Cheria - Part 1

This year I will be attending the Anime Central for the first time ever. For anyone who is unaware this a large anime convention held in Rosemont, Il.   I will also be cosplaying for the first time.  This is a whole new adventure for me, and the next month will be completely occupied getting my outfit together.   I really don't have a lot of experience sewing, so this should be interesting as I am making the majority of my out fit from scratch.  

The character I chose to cosplay is Cheria from the game Tales of Graces.  She is super cute and I hope to do her justice.

So far I have ordered my wig, shoes, and contacts.  I have also bought most of the fabrics and accessories I need.  All that's really left is to throw it all together. 

As you can see the lace I have is currently white, but I have purchased some black dye to attempt to dye it.   The other 2 bottles of dye will be used to dye my wig once I get it.  That will be a fun adventure for another post. I have commissioned another cosplayer to make my broach as well as a set of daggers, more about those when I have more pictures. 

Today I began work on the skirt.  Like I said, I have very little sewing experience so I was a bit scared. Luckily it all seems to be coming together pretty well.  I made all the pleats, and attached the waistband. 

Goals for this week are to dye the lace and finish the skirt.  Next week I hope to be able to start on the top.  To be continued...

Pineapple Coconut Slaw

I love anything that contains pineapple and this slaw is no exception.  The combination of ingredients seems a bit odd but really its oh so good.   I made it for my topical potluck and it was perfect.  It would be great for an outdoor picnic or BBQ this summer. Its also really good on the pulled pork sliders.

Pineapple Coconut Slaw





Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp pineapple juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1 10oz pkg shredded cabbage
• 3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:

1) In a small bowl combine mayo, pineapple juice, and sugar. Mix well.

2) In a larger bowl combine coconut, drained pineapple, and slaw.

3) Pour dressing over slaw and mix.   Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour to allow flavors to combine. 

4) Serve by itself or on top of sliders

Pineapple BBQ pulled pork sliders

This weekend it was my turn to host our monthly potluck.  Everyone gathered at my apartment for a tropical themed meal. We had salad, chips and salsa, tropical drinks, pineapple upside down cake and I contributed pineapple pulled pork sliders and pineapple coconut slaw.  I must say the sliders were one of the easiest things I've made, leaving my plenty of time to socialize with my ladies.  All you have to do is throw it in the crock pot and its basically done!

Pineapple BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb pork shoulder
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1tsp chili powder

Instructions:

1) Combine salt, garlic, onion, pepper, brown sugar and chili powder in a small bowl.  Rub down the pork shoulder and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

2) Place the meat in the crock pot.  Cover with the entire can of pineapple and BBQ sauce.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6.

3) Using 2 forks shred the meat in the crock pot and stir with all the juices.

4) Serve on slider rolls.  I served mine on Hawaiian rolls.  I love how the sweetness of the rolls went with the meat. mmmmm

Corned Beef Grilled Cheese

This year for St. Patty's day I went the easy route and bought corned beef from the local deli.  Along with corned beef sandwiches we had a Irish themed movie marathon that included Snatch, Shrek, The Departed and Boondock Saints (these were watched over a two day span).  If you fail to see the ties to St. Patrick's Day I would be happy to explain. Anyway, back to the sandwiches.  As much as I love a plain corned beef sandwich on rye with a little mustard I also wanted to try out something a little different.   I went with a corned beef grilled cheese which I must say was quite good.  This would be good to make with the left over corned beef you might still have hanging out in the fridge.

Corned Beef Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 3/4 cup Guinness
• 2 ounces deli-sliced corned beef, cut into strips
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• Dubliner cheese
• 4 slices rye bread

Instructions:

1) Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a pan. Add the onion and sprinkle with the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 

pepper.  Cook until the onions are soft.

 2) Pour in the beer and keep cooking until the onions are tender and the liquid is kinda syrupy.

3) Remove from the heat and stir in the corned beef, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.

3) Spread butter on 2 slices of bread.  Lay the first one, butter side down, in a skillet.  Top with slices of cheese and beef mixture.  Cover with remaining slice of bread, butter side up, and cook until golden brown.