Saturday, April 17, 2010

Cake time


I think I may have matured and I came to this conclusion when I decided, just the other day, that buttercream frosting was really was too sweet and overrated. I'm starting to enjoy cakes that old ladies like. They don't necessarily need frosting and don't have to be gooey. I hate getting old.

Whenever I offer to bring something to an event the hostess usually requests a dessert which I am thankful for because I love baking and am not confident in my cooking skills. Their faith in my baked goods works for everyone involved. So I had this small family event to attend and was in charge of dessert, luckily I brought this tidbit up with a friend as she told me about Oprah's Favorite Things and this cake that was on the show. (I don't do Oprah and the only thing I know about her has to do with her marathon running experience, go figure.)

For $28 and $19.95 shipping you could order this in an 8" size. I don't do Oprah like I don't do mail order cakes. If I won the lottery that would all change, the cake part at least.

So I searched my friendly internet and found what I deemed to be the closest thing to the We Take the Cake recipe and I think I succeeded. My glaze wasn't as glazey as theirs but that was definitely my fault for not thinning it as much and the zest in the cream cheese glaze sort-of made it look like relish but the taste made up for the condiment-like appearance.

Totally an old lady recipe, or maybe a mature audience selection, rated R for really good and not worth wasting on a child that just wouldn't appreciate the melding of pie flavors with cake.






Thursday, April 8, 2010

Marathon status


The New York Road Runners kindly informed me today that I was not accepted into the 2010 NYC Marathon:

"Dear Mechelle Kuchar,

We’re sorry, but you were not selected in the ING New York City Marathon 2010 lottery. We appreciate your commitment to running with NYRR, but we must limit the size of the field to make this race safe and enjoyable for participants."



My sister, on the other hand, got an invitation to join them! We had hoped that we would both get in so that we could run together in my come back marathon and her post-second baby marathon. Alas, she will have to enjoy the crowds without me. I'm now contemplating if I want to attempt a fall marathon and which one. If I had gotten into New York it would have been a done-deal because they charge you your entry fee ($185) just after you are accepted whether you plan to run or not.

Instead, I now have the option to select a different race with the benefits of less distance to travel, cheaper entry fees, and smaller crowds. At first I was aiming for Detroit, Grand Rapids or even Columbus but now I see that Ryan Hall will be running the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10 and perhaps there is a chance that my tech shirt could rub against his tech shirt. (At the expo of course and not on the actual race course because he will probably finish before I hit the halfway mark.) And that would be an exhilarating experience. I guess I'll be waiting for another sign, maybe in the form of a personal invitation from Ryan to join him in the Windy City.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Playing the lottery


I'll know tomorrow whether I'll be at this precise location on November 7th of this year. In a moment of weakness, or possibly insanity, my sister and I decided to enter the lottery for the New York City Marathon. For $11 you can enter the random drawing to run in the largest marathon in America. Our chances are slim, according to some it is easier to get into Harvard than to run the NYC marathon as a lottery winner. There are other ways to get in: 1) By running a qualifying time which are more stringent than Boston 2) Be a charity runner. However, it is lottery or bust for us and neither of us are hinging any training or hopes on this entry. You can watch the drawing live from your computer and I'm sure thousands of people will take advantage of this opportunity. I'm not sure if I'll watch or not, in fact I haven't decided yet whether I'll be praying for a bib number or thankful that I got passed up.

This would be an amazing race for a marathon comeback after the disaster of 07', but if I don't get in I've got back-up plans that may or may not include a replacement marathon. My DNF still haunts me and I know the only way to kick it in the butt is to toe the line for another 26.2 miles. Unfortunately, tackling that distance would take something I'm not sure I have in me: COMPROMISE. And by that I mean training carefully, very carefully, and listening to my body. To accomplish what I am doing now involves precisely timed medications, overlooking pain and fatigue, and making sure I have my RoadID strapped around my wrist. Non-runners might just think I need a bit a therapy and someone to toss my running into the garbage! I'm not certifiable, yet, and tomorrow I'll know if I will be facing that demon this fall.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter!

The older the children get the crazier our egg decorating gets. Might I add, while knocking on wood, that it has become much less stressful and I don't even think about drinking alcohol before we get started anymore.

And the better looking they get too.

Bunnies! Ollie selected this "easy" project for me to do and many hours later they were marching upon us.

Cute :)

This might just be the best lemon meringue pie I have ever made, a mix of regular lemons with meyer lemons and Sherry Yard's pie crust recipe are guaranteed to be a tasty hit!

Have a wonderful Easter! I'm off to make pierogies so our ham won't be lonely.