Dashing Through the Snow

OK, we didn't have any actual snow to dash through although it rained a bit just before we went out on the run.

Twenty seven runners came up to our house on Wednesday night for our 4th annual Christmas Lights Run.

After a pleasant 3-4 mile run during which we stopped for some pictures and some refreshments we all gathered at the house for hot soup and fresh baked bread.

Marc passes out the sleigh bells at the door.

Many of you asked about the recipe for the Mushroom Artichoke soup. Here it is:

Mushroom-Artichoke Soup

1 lb. fresh brown mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sliced shallots, or yellow onions, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
¼ cup butter
3 tbsp flour
½ teasp. dried thyme
½ teasp. garlic powder
¼ teasp. crushed red pepper (optional)
½ teasp. salt
½ teasp. black pepper
2-14 oz. cans vegetable broth
2-14 oz. cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup half-and-half (optional)

Green onions, sliced. Shredded Cheddar cheese

Melt butter and sauté onions, mushrooms and carrots until mushrooms are tender.
Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir in, add thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper
and red pepper. Stir, and add broth all at once. Cook, stirring occasionally until the
mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add artichokes, tomatoes and bay leaf. Simmer,
covered, for 15-20 minutes. Stir in half-and-half. Discard bay leaf before serving,
sprinkle with green onions and cheese, if desired

NOTES: Can use any type of mushroom, flavor will with vary with types. Mini-
carrots work well instead of sliced whole carrots and add extra texture. Oil-packed
tomatoes make the soup seem a little greasy, stir very well before serving, or buy
dried tomatoes and re-constitute in water before adding, if the oiliness is a problem.
It does enhance the taste, though. Can omit the cream if a lighter, more fat-free soup
is desired, can also use olive oil in place of butter when sautéing the vegetables.

Serves 10-12. Reheats well, add water or more broth and extra seasonings if too thick.Can use any type of home-made vegetable broth, if desired instead of canned.

Happy Holidays to Everyone

See you when we get back.

Powered by Zoundry Raven

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

We had a WONDERFUL time at the track on Monday night. The snow was very pretty and with the way it diffused the ambient light we didn't need headlamps at all.

Besides yours truly, this is the great group that showed up to run.

Except for the fact that the track itself was a little slushy, we actually had a great night for a run. There was no wind so the snow flakes were falling straight down.

Believe it or not all these tracks in the snow were from the three of us.

Here's an action shot of the group running around the track. You can just see my antler tip in the upper left corner.

The snow built up on my bag while we ran.

You can get an idea of how much snow fell during the day.

Looks like 2-3 inches on the infield.

After we finished the two mile run that the Magic Workout Hat gave us (good thing it was short on a snowy night like tonight), we high fived and headed home.

By the way, there were prizes for everyone who showed up last night. Diane, I'll give you your prize (no, it's not a box of Saran Wrap. You'll like it.) Wednesday night at the Lights Run.

Come and join us next week for Monday Night Track at Eldorado at 6:00PM

The Bag Lady

It all started pretty innocently. I sent out my usual email encouraging people to come to the track workout. Later on that day I'm working diligently away at my desk and this shows up in my email inbox:

I could just hear Kim "saying" those words with that sarcastic humor of hers and it just cracked me up. Then I got an inspiration. Now you know the origin of the idea for the track prizes last Monday.

Then, later Monday night, I get an email from Kim's Blackberry. Here's what she sent me:

It's a wonderfully organized wrapping supplies drawer don't you think?

But I did notice that there's room in there for more sandwich bags, which gave me another idea. That's when I decided to ask you all to bring sandwich bags to the Academy Run with the plan that we would bury Kim in sandwich bags when she showed up.

So Wednesday evening rolls around. I've got 5 boxes of sandwich bags in my car in case anyone doesn't get a chance to get some before the run. Everyone is showing up with sandwich bags and wondering what the deal is. Then I get a call on my cell. It's Kim. She's stuck in traffic in Rio Rancho. I tell her that's OK, we'll wait for her. But no, she's too far away and it would take way too long. I extract a promise that she'll show up on Saturday at Montgomery and Tramway and decide to postpone the plan.

Friday night I called Scott, Kim's husband, and enlisted his help in making sure that Kim shows up on Saturday morning. Scott says he'll do his best even though Zack, their 7 year old son, broke his arm the day before.

Saturday morning rolls around and I get to Montgomery and Tramway early. People with sandwich bags are everywhere. I pass out the extra bags that I have and nervously wait to see if Kim shows up. Finally, close to 8 o'clock, Kim's car pulls into the parking lot, Kim gets out of the car and disappears. Where the heck did Kim go? A few minutes later, Kim finally appears out of nowhere and the fun starts:

Boxes of sandwich bags show up out of nowhere:

Here's Kim with the full load:

And so we inaugurated the Winter Warriors "Bag It" award. The Bag It award will occasionally go to the runner who comes up with the most original, the lamest or just the funniest excuse for not showing up at one of the runs. This week the award went to Kim, making her the "Bag Lady" for the week. If a guy gets the award he will be the "Bag Man" of the week.

Then we went out for our run on a lovely morning with a great view of the mountains wearing a wintry shroud:

Nice shoes Jennifer! What brand are those anyway?

Then we all (OK, some of us. Others allegedly had "things" to do) went over to Starbucks for refreshments.

So, when you decide not to come to one of the runs, be careful what you use for an excuse. Your excuse could become a theme of the week and you could become a "Bag Person".