A Running Tale

My new years resolution 3 years ago (2009) was to start a new and inexpensive workout routine. One that would be fun and that I could stick with. I decided to take up running and joined a Jeff Galloway training group in San Jose. In July 2009 I ran my first real race, the San Francisco Half Marathon. Over the next year I completed 3 more half marathons in preparation for my ultimate goal of completing a full marathon. In May 2010, I accomplished just that, completing the Colorado Marathon in my home town of Ft. Collins, Colorado. I had gone from someone who couldn't run 1 mile to running 26.2 in a little over a year.

After the marathon I felt empowered, accomplished, blessed, and more than a little burnt out. I had given up my Saturdays for months in order to complete my training runs. I was tired of getting up early to complete runs before heading to work. So I decided I deserved a break. A few weeks off to rest and re-juvenate.

A few weeks went by, then a few months. And here I am, over a year from my last run (and a few pounds heavier to boot). But thankfully, that's not the end of this little running tale...

What better way to start the last year of my life (2012 is the end of the world you know), than to get back on the bandwagon and start running again?

And so I have signed up for a race. I will get to re-visit my marathon, but on half the scale. May 16, 2012: Colorado Half Marathon. Here I come.

Oh and did I mention that my BFF Jenna is running it with me. We have a deal though. She said she would run it with me, but only if I trained for a PR. I seriously have the best, most motivational people supporting me! So a PR it is otherwise it's a butt kicking. A Jenna butt kicking. Which, if you know her, is terrifying. Better get training, and quick!

LEMON CAKE WITH LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

As I’m not yet up and running on this new blog yet, I thought I would share some of my favorite posts from my past blogging endeavors while I formulate some new posts. I found this little gem of a recipe when I was baking out of Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan a couple of years ago. There is a link to both the book and the recipe at the end of the post.

Originally Posted June 2009:
I'm going to be honest here. When I think of the Perfect Party Cake I do not think of lemon... I think chocolate and lots of it! But after making the cake this week, I might just make an exception...

Behold, the PERFECT PARTY CAKE.

HOW I DID IT:  I made the cake in two phases over the course of two days due to time restrictions.

Day 1: Cake Baking

Anything that starts with citrus (in this case lemon) sugar, has to be good. Just a little lemon zest massaged into the sugar and you have a whole new monster.

Add some egg whites, buttermilk, lemon extract, flour, baking powder, salt, and Voila!  Oowy, Goowey, Cake Batter!


Pour that into some prepared baking pans (I used 6 inch pans and halved the recipe, there's only one of me for gosh sakes!) and 30 minutes later you've got warm cakes cooling and the whole house smells like lemon.


I had to substitute regular all purpose flour for the cake flour cause I couldn't find it at the store. I used a tip I found online to convert regular flour to cake flour by adding 2 tbsp of cornstarch to every cup of flour. It is definitely worth it to make these cakes with the cake flour to get the lighter consistency. But the cakes baked up perfectly anyways. Don't they just look gorgeous?


Once cooled, I wrapped them in plastic wrap and stuck them in the refridge overnight.

Day 2: Frosting

The cake is frosted with a lemon butter cream with layers of raspberry jam on the inside. Sounds amazing, right?

The frosting begins by whipping together egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until hot. Then you whip them with a mixer until cool. The result...


what Dorie describes as "marshmallow cream" consistency. Shiny, smooth, and bright white.

Add some lemon juice, a couple sticks of butter, and you get the perfect lemon buttercream frosting.

The cake frosting was fairly simple. Cut both cakes in half and top each section with raspberry jam and some of the buttercream. The recipe did not make a huge amount of buttercream and I'm glad. If it had made more, I think I would have over-frosted the cake with it. A little goes a long way!

After covering the whole outside of the cake with the remaining buttercream, you then press sweetened, shredded coconut all over it.

And there you have it…the Perfect Party Cake.
This cake is light and lemony. The bright flavor of the raspberry jam offsets the richness of the buttercream perfectly.

The perfect party cake, even if it's not chocolate.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read mix, mix, stir, stir

About Me

Welcome to Big Skies & Mountain Highs.

My name is Katie. I'm 28 years old and live in the beautiful state of Colorado. Being the typical cubicle dweller by day, I find that I need my creative outlets more than ever to keep me balanced. I have been crafting, cooking, sewing, baking, and decorating since I was a little girl. I began this blog as a way to share and connect with other creative people.

I hope that on this blog you find something you like, can relate to, or can find inspiration from. If you like something, let me know by leaving a comment on the post.

S is for Snowman

Most of my Christmas decorations are hand-me-downs. Disgarded items that were either too old or too ugly for my mom to use in her house. I love these odds and ends that I've inherited. Even though they are old now, they used to adorn my parents' house every year when I was little and probably my grandparents' house before that. They remind me of a time when life was easy and Christmas was still filled with magic.

Among the decorations headed for the garbage were two cute snowman couples probably made by some nice older lady many years ago. These are the types of decorations I love where you can see the time and love that went into their construction. One set was made from plastic bottles covered in quilt batting. The other was made from styrofoam balls covered neatly in crocheted snow. I placed these meager snow couples on the buffet in my dining room and stepped back. They were so cute sitting there with their little hats, muffs, and scarves, but something was missing. I needed to add my touch to this troop of snow people.

As I began thinking of what I could add to this growing snow family, I decided that making a snow couple of my own would make these inherited decorations feel more like my own. I didn't want to have to buy any supplies to make them, so I rummaged through my craft supplies. A few leftover scraps of felt, some random buttons, an old pair of running socks, and I was on my way. Here are the basic instructions for making your own snowman.

SOCK SNOWMEN

You will need:

1 white athletic sock (preferably a tube sock with texture on the inside)
Rice or Plastic Beads
Batting, stuffing, cotton balls, or cloth scraps
Yarn, Twine, or Hair-ties
Fabric (felt works well, but you could use any scraps you have)
Craft glue or hot glue
Buttons, sticks, and other decorations

Instructions:

1. Decide whether you want your snowman body to be smooth or rough. For a smooth snowman leave the sock right side out or for a more textured look turn it inside out.
2. Hold the top of the sock open and fill with enough rice to form a sturdy base for your snowman to sit on. Then add enough soft filling to build your base ball.
3. Lift the sock up slightly, pinch above filling, and slide filling down to form bottom ball. Tie around sock below where you've pinched to seal the bottom ball.
4. Repeat with a little less rice and filling to form the middle ball and the ball for the head. Then trim the top of the sock approximately 1 inch above the last tie.
5. The snowman's body is not complete. Use the buttons to make a face and scraps of cloth or felt to make the scraf and hat. Be creative!

Thanksgiving: Only a Week Late

My sister has been anxiously awaiting word of when her husband would be home on leave from Afghanistan. She has been planning for their reunion since the day he stepped on the plane back in June. When she finally found out the official dates of his visit home, she was so excited to begin planning their time together. He only has two weeks at home and she wants to make them memorable.

They decided together that they would spend a week here with family and friends and then take a much needed vacation to spend time alone. Hawaii was chosen as the destination and my sister got busy looking for a place for them to stay. She logged on to a website where people can list their rental properties in hopes of finding a nice, secluded, unique place to get away from it all.

My family is not a military family. My Grandpa served in World War II, but rarely ever speaks of it. When Danny joined our family and we found out that he would be deployed to Afghanistan, we were thrown headfirst into the military family world. The experience has changed all of us and changed forever our view of how those serving our country and their families are treated.

My sister has contacted many of the properties by email to inquire about availability during the week they will be in Hawaii. She mentioned in the email that her husband is currently serving his country in Afghanistan only in passing to see if people will offer a military discount. Most of the responses have been heartfelt wishes of safety and thanks for the sacrifices they are making.

However, there was one response that I wish I could say we have not seen before. In response to my sister's inquiry on a property, the owner responded with the availability of the property, but also decided that he could grace her with his personal opinions on the war. He said that, although he appreciated the sacrifice Danny was making, he did not agree with the war in Afghanistan or the direction this country was going in.

I wish this was the first time that my sister has had to deal with these sorts of comments, but it is not. Since Danny left for Afghanistan, Joanna has had to constantly listen to people's comments on the war. I don't know why people presume that just because you serve the country, you have to agree with every conflict we are involved in. Or that military families have any say at all in where or when their loved ones will be deployed. People seem to think that because you are associated with the military, you are fair game to hear all of their complaints about the war.

There is a big difference between supporting our troops and supporting our nation's foreign policy. They are not connected and should not be connected. You can disagree with the war, but that does not mean that you should stop supporting the troops. Our military families make sacrifices every day to ensure the safety and security of this country. They should be respected and thanked for their service and not berated by ignorant opinions.



I am constantly amazed by my sister and her husband's strength. We have all learned so much from both of them and I am so thankful to have them in my life.

So this holiday season, if you happen to have the privilege of spending time with a military family, please thank them. Tell them how much you appreciate the sacrifices they make to keep you safe. Ask them if there is anything you can do to make their world a little brighter.

But keep your opinions to yourself. Please.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

This Thanksgiving, I volunteered to bring the dessert. Normally, choosing a dessert is not a very involved process for me, but this was a special occasion. As my sister was making the dinner for the first time this year (and it was shaping up to be an awesome meal), I couldn't let the closing act flop.

So I sat down and began to weigh the options.

There was the traditional pumpkin pie. Being Lutheran and having attended my fair share of pumpkin pie feeds, I knew just how bland and lack-luster they could be.

There was my mom's stand-by of chifon pumpkin pie. This is an ingenious variation on the tradional pumpkin pie. You take the normal filling, mix it with cool whip, and freeze it. It's wonderfully refreshing after a huge meal.

There were also the cranberry cakes, fruit pies, and cookies to contemplate.

None of these options really excited me. I wanted something different, something chocolate. That's when I turned to Dorie and her book Baking: From My Home to Yours. As I leafed through the endless pages of breads, muffins, cookies, cakes, and pies, a picture of a simple piece of pecan pie caught my eye.



As I could have dismissed it as just another traditional, boring Thanksgiving dessert, but my experience with Dorie urged me to not move on so quickly. As I read through the recipe, I knew I had found the perfect pie.



Not only did this pie have the chocolate I was craving, but it was so easy and simple I could hardly believe it. And after all that food on Thanksgiving, a warm slice of this pie with a scoop of coffee ice cream melting slowly over the top was divine in every way.

MY FAVORITE PECAN PIE
From Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecan halves or pieces
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 9-inch single crust, partially baked and cooled

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, whisk the corn syrup and brown sugar together until smooth.. Whisk in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until you have a smooth, foamy mixture. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and give the batter a good mix. Rap the bowl against the counter a couple of times to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then stir in the pecans and chocolate. Turn the filling into the crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make a foil shield for the crust by cutting a 9-inch circle out of the center of an 11-or 12-inch square of aluminum foil.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the foil shield on top of the pie—the filling will be exposed, the crust covered by the foil. Bake the pie for another 15 to 20 minutes (total baking time is 30 to 35 minutes), or until it has puffed (the middle and the edges should be fairly evenly puffed), is beautifully browned and no longer jiggles when tapped. Transfer the pie plate to a rack, remove the shield and cool to room temperature.

Serving Suggestions:

Pecan pie is good at any temperature, and different at each one. It’s softest and most puddingish eaten warm (about 45 minutes out of the oven), most flavorful eaten at room temperature and most candy-like when it is chilled. At any temperature, it’s good with ice cream—vanilla, chocolate or coffee

Storing:

Once cooled to room temperature, the pie can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day.

I did manage to accidentally burn the crust. I made mine from refridgerated dough and partially baked it using the directions on the box. Next time I would buy the pre-baked crust instead.

The Track at Night

Winter is going to be hard on my running.

During the summer, I was a morning runner. I loved getting up as the sun rose and breathing in the new day. But when the time fell backward and the leaves began to change, my bright morning runs turned into dreary darkness.

As the fall colors peaked, I switched my runs to the afternoon and bid farewell to the sun each day instead. I began to like this time each evening to calm the rush in my brain and to stretch my legs after sitting idle all day. But now winter is creeping in and my peaceful sunsets have turned into cool moon rises and starlit skies.

Tonight I decided to stop mourning the loss of the sun and embrace the inevitable darkness of the winter run. As I began my trek in the pitch black, my eyes and ears began to adjust to the muted colors and sounds of the night. Although there were people around me, it felt like I was running alone. All I could hear was the sound of my feet striking the rubber track and the sound of my quickening breath. My eyes could only see the track a few feet in front of each step, so my focus was not drawn to anything other than my run. I didn't have to think about how I looked as I rounded each curve or worry that someone would notice the water leaking out of my water bottle creating a track down the back of my leg.

There is something forgiving about the darkness. About feeling alone, quiet, peaceful.

Maybe these winter runs won't be quite so bad after all.