They weren’t kidding when everyone was warned of flooding.  The sewers were on the attack!

Just glad I didn’t have to run past that today. 

I had slightly slushy roads for my run today. It was snowing when I set out and the wind was certainly not helpful.  But I pounded out 20 miles. Not saying it was easy but I did it.  I didn’t walk. When I wanted to quit, I kept thinking about those ultra runners who go for 24 to 30 or more HOURS through amazing environments and outrageous temperatures.  Thinking of the pain and discomfort others endure somehow makes me think that I can push through what I have to for such a small amount of time in comparison.  The best part of my run…I got that runners HIGH going on right now. I’m going to rejoice in it. YAY!

Things you find in your email.  Honestly. I’m not sure who it was from, an address I didn’t recognize. Of course no one signed it but this is what I found:

On day a redhead, a brunette, and a blonde were on their way to heaven.
God told them the stairs to heaven were 1,000 steps and on every step he was going to tell them a joke. If they laughed they would not be able to get to heaven.
So the redhead made it to the 45th step and laughed.
The brunette made it to the 200th step and laughed.
But the blonde made it to the 999th step and laughed even before god told his joke.
God asked "Why did you laugh I haven’t even told the joke yet"
The blonde said "I know I just now got the first one!!!"

It’s an old one. I’ve heard it before along with the 999 others! Still, guess you gotta appreciate a joke, no matter what.

Do jokes make you smile even if you don’t think they are that funny?  I love jokes, just not the raunchy ones.

Great recipe!  I found it on VegMag but changed it up a bit.  Eggless and delicious. 

Chocolate Blueberry Beer Cupcakes – Makes 12 standard sized cupcakes

A neat recipe for St. Patrick’s Day if you decorate them green. 

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Carob powder (or use cocoa powder if you have it on hand)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Blueberry Beer

• 1/4 cup really strong brewed flavorful tea, such as Spiced Chai or Hot Cinnamon tea. *The orig. recipe used coffee.
• 1 TBS chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp apple cinder vinegar

Preheat the oven to 325 F. 

Line cupcake tins with 12 cupcake liners. .

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients:  sugar, flour, carob/cocoa, baking soda, salt.

In a small bowl, add the beer, tea (or coffee), syrup, and vinegar.

Mix the wet into the dry but only blend until JUST mix. Don’t over do it.

Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake for 20 minutes. Frost as desired. 

A few green sparkly sprinkles or a big dark chocolate kiss

Maybe just colorful sprinkles

Easy.  I made these in 20 minutes between getting home from work and getting dinner on the table.

Well worth that little bit of effort.

If your St. Pat’s Day parade is today, have fun. If not, have a GREAT Saturday anyway.

The other day, I had to be up early there was so much to do.  Ted ditched us for our usual Sunday walk so Shane and I made it a quick walking/jogging 5 miler around the golf course.  We played with a stick around the cart path at the 7th hole.  It was icy in spots but for the most part, a pretty descent morning for some good exercise.  I dressed too heavy for such warm weather so I worked up a good sweat. 

So why was there so much to do?……here it is….

It’s a party for Jillian.  She is officially 3 years old.  Jillian is a big fan of Minnie Mouse so I did my best to help Minnie celebrate Jillian’s birthday with her and her friends.

Cupcakes to match…

And a NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE for the mature tastes at the party…

The recipe for NY Style Cheesecake based on “Joy of Baking.com” recipe

The Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Spray a 9” spring form pan with non-stick spray.  Place on a large cookie sheet to catch any drips that might escape the spring form.  Preheat the oven to 350 F and put the rack in the center of the oven.

In a medium bowl, combine all 3 crust ingredients.  Press into the spring form pan and 1/2 way up the sides.  Refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.

The Filling:

• 16 oz (2 x 8oz cream cheese) *don’t use reduced fat.
• 16 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 TBS flour
• 5 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBS lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl and using the electric mixer, place cream cheese, Mascarpone cheese, sugar and flour.  Beat on medium until smooth (2 minutes). *BE CAREFUL HERE!   If the batter is over beaten, it may cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat about 30 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Add the heavy cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat JUST until incorporated. 

Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 F (bake it on that cookie sheet in case of dripping).  After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 250 F and bake 1 1/2 hours.    It won’t look done to you.  What is SHOULD look like is a little wet in the middle with a wobble.  Remove from the oven and let sit while you make the topping. *Don’t turn off the oven yet!

The Topping:

• 1/2 cup Yogurt (*original recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream however I made this a CHERRY cheesecake so the topping was not going to be seen just barely detected on the tongue.)
• 1 TBS granulated sugar (use 2 TBS if using 1 cup of sour cream)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (no need to double this if using 1 cup sour cream as 1/2 tsp will do fine).

In a small bowl combine yogurt (or sour cream), sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the top of the cheesecake (it will still be warm).  Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let sit with the door open for 10 –15 minutes. Remove, use a knife to gently loosen the inside edge of the spring form pan from the graham cracker sides of the cake.  Let cool completely. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day. 

To Freeze:  YES – cheesecake can be frozen.  Place the cooled cake on a baking pan and put in the freezer, uncovered.  When it has frozen, cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and put it in a large freezer bag.  It will keep for several months.   Thaw uncovered in the fridge overnight.  ENJOY!

This morning as I went into the gym and got on the Elliptical Trainer, I saw “something” scurry around the corner.  “OH NO!”  I gasped.  I left the Elliptical and peeked around the wall. Nothing.  I continued looking into the corner and out he came. “HOW AM I GOING TO CATCH HIM?  I CAN’T STOMP HIM!  IT WOULD MAKE A MESS AND I DON’T WANT TO KILL HIM.”  These were my thoughts… way too early for me to speak out loud, besides, there was no one to hear me.   I didn’t have to worry about catching him nor making a mess since the mouse made himself skinny and slipped under the heater boards.  By the way, I really have no clue whether HE was a SHE.  I’m guessing here.

Hence my purchase from Wal-Mart (yes, another trip to the dreaded store, but the cheapest place for live traps): 

Notice “LIVE”.   I’ll get that little guy with some good peanut butter and then take him down the road.  He’ll just have to begin a new life somewhere else.  If I get more than one (I hope not!!!), I’ll take them to the same place just in case it’s family. 

After Wal-Mart, I treated myself to a cup of Panera’s coffee.  I also bought 2 French Toast Bagels, one for Ted and one for me (misery loves company).  I intend to eat this whooper of a bagel over the course of a few days or at least until my teeth will no longer go through it.  Ted put his in the freezer.  Oh the will power!   

What About Cupcakes?

 I have recipe clippings all over.  They are tucked inside books, on the counter, and in my purse.  Sometimes I just get sick of seeing them.  I picked an easy one to get out of the way first thing this morning that looked interesting.  Since I had the Maraschino cherries out the other day (stealing the juice for my “HURRICANES”), I converted the recipe to incorporate this sweet “pickled” fruit.

Easy Coconut Cherry Cupcakes (based on recipe in PARADE Magazine “1 2 3” by Dorie Greenspan)

• 4 large Egg Whites
• 7 oz Bag Shredded Coconut Flakes
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped maraschino cherries (dry on a paper towel before stirring in)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk the egg whites until foamy.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients one at a time. Do not over mix.

Line 10 to 12 cupcake tins with liners (I got 10 cakes but if you use less batter per liner, you can easily get 12).  Bake for 20 minutes. 

These are heavy little cakes but delicious with the coconut, cherries and the hint of almond.  You’re going to like these so watch out because I make no claims to “healthy” on this one. 

Approx. Nutrition: Helpful Hint = make mini muffins and reduce these values Calories:  263 Protein: 3.5g Carbs: 27g Fat: 16.3g