Pre-Thankful Part II

Since the internet's hatred of Thanksgiving hindered by complete list over the weekend, I am going to attempt to sneak more Thanks under the internet's nose. Tricky, I know, but I think with a little patience and cunning, I will succeed.

I will attempt to do so.... right now!

Nouns (mostly) I am thankful for continued....

If you missed out, I am also thankful for these: Family, Duncan, Animals, Friends, Hearth & Home...

6. The ability to run, dance, jump and generally frolic. I think far too often, the simple (or maybe not so simple) things are taken for granted. With a few minor injuries in the bag, I have been trying to more thoroughly appreciate the fact that I have a body that allows me to run half marathons, dance while cleaning, dance while running (yes, sometimes I cannot help it and end up busting a move while running), dance at weddings, dance at work (only the most professional of dancing of course, like the foxtrot), dance at parties (I like to dance),  walk my dog, jump on the bed, rustle and shuffle fall leaves and jump in puddles.

7. A job, with benefits. I enjoy supporting the work of the University of Washington and as for the bennies... I use them, a lot.

Photo Credit - Atomic Taco via Wikimedia Commons

8. Dunc's Whole Foods employment, which he enjoys and also provides us with a discount. Hooray for delicious, nutritious, affordable food!

9. Girls on the Run! I love volunteering with this group and it only keeps getting better. For example, last week I met my "girl buddy" to whom I am her "running buddy". We ran a practice 5K together and will be running the race together on December 12th. My girl buddy is the coolest 8 year-old I have met in a long time. Why, you ask? Welp, when all the 3rd - 5th grade girls at the program site were asked who their favorite bands were, she said the Talking Heads. Take that Jonas Brothers!!! How cool is that?

Photo Credit - Rolling Stone

10. VACATIONS! And traveling in general. Traveling to see family, to tropical paradises, to the Oregon Coast. What a wonderful way to spend time.

I am exceptionally excited to have a mini vacation beginning in one day. I just wish we could gather and give thanks with all of our family that stretches from one coast to the other... everyone, please move closer. THANKS!

I will be spending all of Wednesday cooking, baking and photographing with my Mamsie. I see a food post in the near future. Until then, much love to you all, Happy Thanksgiving and have fun cooking up a storm.

Thanksgiving Pre-Thankful

So I just tried to be a good blogger and come back with a vengeance... a full post with a list of 15 things I am thankful for, a bajillion photos, and my recipe list for Thanksgiving this year in case anyone needed inspiration.

Unfortunately, the internet HATES it when you give thanks and erased all 2 1/2 hours of work. Thank you internet. You are awesome. But as it is now midnight and I have lost all creativity and spunk, that leaves you, my dear friends and family, with a much shorter post.

In the words of one of my favorite characters:"Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

First, I give you my list of people, places, animals, things (NOUNS?) I am thankful for... well maybe a few verbs or adjectives might fall in here too:

1. My FAMBILY! All of you, "nuculur" (nuclear), extended, in-"law", made-up (read: Waddams-McGillicuddy)...And instead of the 10 photos showing ALL my loved ones that I am so dang thankful to have in my life, I give you this:

Look at that all American fambily!

2. Duncan Face. Although he most certainly fits into the above category, he deserves his own number. Dunc, you are the awesomest of the awesomes.

Aaaaaaand! I love you.

Here, have some love pretzels.

3. Animals! Ours, yours, theirs, the Arctic's (I'm talking to you Polar Bears!), the kingdom in general... the animal kingdom that is.

4. Wonderful friends... and the best race cheer squad EVER.

5. A roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in the fridge and a bed to call my own!

I had 10 more, but me sleepy. So I will share more later. Because SHARING IS CARING!!!

Photo cred- Scholastic via Amazon

And now, I will provide you with the kick booty recipes I will be mixing up for Thanksgiving (my first as an omnivore in 6 years!):

Mushroom, cheese and vegetable strudel (Only change to recipe: I will be creating single serving pieces like triangles of spanakopita.) I made this last year and it was an awesome vegetarian entree and totally tasTAY!

THE BEST Cranberry Chutney in existence. Seriously. I cannot tell a lie... or was that someone else. Regardless, I am not lying when I speak of the level of deliciousness this recipe achieves.

Pumpkin Pasties Harry Potter style. Basically Pumpkin Hand Pies made with an incredibly flaky, tasty crust. (Logan, if you haven't tried this crust, do it!!! Just follow all her tips and you will bust out something awe inspiring.)

Side note: I will also be making vegan pies that will not have such a buttery crust, but still good... no butter... thus not buttery.

A new addition to my cooking repertoire, Smitten Kitchen's Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie. I'm excited for this one. PIEEEEEE!

So there you have it! THANKS for reading and THANKS for being awesome. I will be back with more THANKS soon! I promise.

The Half! It is finished!

I did it!!! Hooray! Yesterday at approximately 10:56 am PST, I completed my first half marathon in the picturesque Bavarian village of Leavenworth, WA.


Since Leavenworth is about 2 hours away from Seattle and my race started at 9 am, we thought it would be a good idea to stay closer and avoid a 6 am wake up call. Methinks it was for the best. Hence, on Friday afternoon, we headed to a cabin ("An Oasis") in the Plain area of Washington. No, that isn't me being silly and calling the area around Leavenworth "plain"... there is an actual town east of the mountains called "Plain". If you want to draw the tourists in, that is how you do it. Believe you me, that town was HOPPING! Horses, goats, old trucks, a market - it was CRAZY!


Anyway, back to the cabin. Duncan and I were joined by Rawb, Sarah, Colin and Liz. The first night after enjoying a massive pretzel with some beers at little restaurant in Leavenworth, we picked up my race packet and headed into Plain for some pre-race enchiladas and sleepy time! Woo sleep!


Then, 7 am wake up for me! I have a terrible time sleeping before races, so it was no problem. I tried to down some oats and hydrated a lot. Rawb, Sarah and Dunc left with me to bid me farewell for 13.1 miles of awesomeness.

Here I am with my game face, stretching before the race.

And I was off!!! Oh, it was really cold. I don't know, like 35 degrees cold? I wore that coat for about 3.5 miles until I ran into my awesome full crew of cheerleaders:

Yep, they are spelling "BETSY" for me at about mile 4... but I couldn't really read it... I see it now, very clearly.

I only expected to see them here and then at the finish, but this crew was most excellent and took their job very seriously. I saw them again just about at mile 9 at the top of the last hill on Duncan Rd. (what a crazy coincidence!!! My boyfriend's name is Duncan!!! WHOA.):

That is my surprised running face. It was nice to see the gang again, it got hard after mile 9.

After Duncan Rd, I was looping around through neighborhoods back to the start at the US Fish Hatchery, when I hear this crazy car yelling and blasting "You're the best around, nothings ever gonna keep you down!" 

I knew I would probably get to see my team once more before the finish, and there they were at mile 12:

Still waving, I was very happy to see them. That's how I got the juice to beat those two goof balls behind me.

I was cruising at around 8 minute miles through the last couple of miles and check this out...

18

595

ELIZABETH

EVANS

HALF

24

F

F2024

01:56:29

01:55:59

00:08:54

Smashed by goal (1:59:59) by almost 4 minutes!


After some water, a bit of food and electrolyte replacement, I was pretty dang pleased with the race:

Got a sweet medal, an awesome finisher's sweatshirt and a delicious breakfast.. pumpkin waffle! Yum!

Plus, we were in town for the first weekend of Oktoberfest in Leavenworth. Which apparently means you need to wear funny hats... the boys tried it out, but in the end decided against these beauties:

With Dunc's love of German food and my need to replenish my calorie stores, we all happily visited King Ludwig's for dinner and demolished a massive platter of food...

Drank some delicious German brews

And clapped along to the totally sweet Polka band

We had some awesome times at the cabin and in Plain, but I think I will leave it up to Dunc to recap the good times at An Oasis.


Thanks to everyone for all the race well wishes. I couldn't have done it without all your love!

I got worse!

Well not worse than before, but worse than last month... I ran another 10K this weekend and it was significantly less flat than the Covey Run I ran last month. So with the addition of hills (Covey was almost completely flat. I am going sub-50 next year... 48?) I guess a one minute addition isn't too terrible. But I still can't help be unsatisfied.

4

216

ELIZABETH

EVANS

10K

24

F

F2024

0:51:45.4

00:51:27

00:08:17

As previously stated, I suffer from a competitive problem... so I definitely plan on running both these 10Ks again and kicking my own booty. Seriously.

Here I am finishing the Bank to Bay 10k. I'd say since I could smile and wave at the finish, I probably should have pushed it a bit more... yeah?

In other running news, I have the most awesome friends and family EVER! As a Girls on the Run SoleMate, I am required to raise $262 (but I'm aiming for $1,310) with my upcoming half marathon. In dollars pledged and gifts already in the door, we are over halfway to the required amount and more than 10% to super high reaching goal. You all are the best, thank you so much for helping me complete my first half marathon with a purpose and helping to foster a generation of strong and healthy young women.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

 

If you still would like to support Girls on the Run, I have a fundraising page here.

Only 17 more days til Leavenworth!

All Grows Up!

Welp, another Waddams-McKillicuddy has hit the 24 mark. One of my best friends, Mr. Brett Horn, moved back across the country, got an awesome job and today turned the big 2-4. 

I know, he's old.

Dunc, Brett and I met in our first few days in the dorms of McCarty Hall our freshman year (although Brett was way ahead of us... younger and already further through his undergrad... over achiever!). The three of us quickly joined forces to become the most awesome dorm family that ever existed... The Waddams-McKillicuddy Family.

We had a number of adventures, mud wrestling, playing in the snow (through the quad to the gymnasium!), traveling to Canada, you know the usual. Even to this day, with full time jobs, living in different cities or states, crazy life decisions, ch-ch-changes and the like, Brett still manages to be even awesomer than the day we all created our faux family and we still manage to squeeze in an adventure or two. 

With that brief history of our family, here is a pictorial ode to Brett on his birfday:

The aforementioned mud wrestling.

Canadia! Notice that both Brett and Dunc are holding the bears paws. Aww...

Bowling! Brett likes to act like a dragon sometimes. Or is that a bear...

He also makes really good Blue Steel-esque faces...

Not our snow adventure in the quad, but equally awesome.

Possibly one of the best photos.

Here's to you Brett! Happy Birthday!!! You're old like me! And I'd be remiss, if I didn't provide this birthday wish for you...

Oh and Brett really likes beer, so drink a good one for him. Cheers!

Cromblers: A Study in Baked Fruit Dessert

Alas, my crombler partner in crime, Ms. Ashley Rose Burke, is leaving me to bake alone for all of eternity.

That may be a bit too dramatic, perhaps not for all eternity, I can bake with other people and I'm sure I will see Ashley again. But for now, she and Jamie are leaving the Pacific Northwest and heading to Denver where Jamie will start grad school this fall.

Since she is deserting me and our desserts, and the desert of desserts and the desserty desert desserts, dessert face...so anyway... we decided that we need to join forces again for more CROMBLER!

To make our crombler, we decided some local blackberry picking was in store and headed to Magnuson Park. In less than an hour, between the two of us, we had just about 8 cups of berries! And only 586 thorn pricks! Score! We are extra skilled in the berry-picking area. Earlier that day we visited the Ballard Market to get our SeaBreeze Farms milk and ended up finding some delicious peaches and nectarines. These beauties definitely needed to make an appearance in a baking dish.

Let's get this baking party started!!!

Building our fillings on the stove top. Not fillings for our teeth, for the cromblers silly!

Ashley making some biscuit magic happen. Her biscuit magic is different than say, a kitten making biscuits. Maybe not as cute, but probably tastes better.

Crumble topping in the works.

Crumbles mixed! (Hey Momlette, check out that beautiful bowl!)

Adding the crumbles atop the lovely biscuity joy.

Ready to bake! Yay!

Cobbler+Crumble=CROMBLER

Rawb inspects the goods closely. Brotherly approval?

The happy taste testers unite and top the cromblers with ice cream. The verdict...

...another great success!

And because you may or may not want to have this deliciousness in your own life, here is the very complicated and technical recipe...

And a photo of our fabulous lard from Seabreeze Farms.

The Cobbler Biscuits

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp butter or butter and lard (70 butter/30 lard)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Gradually add milk until it's doughy.

The Crumble Topping

1 cup of oats

1 Tbs flour

¼ cup of brown sugar

¼ butter or butter and lard

Combine ingredients.

The Filling: we precook our fruit filling on the stovetop – whatever fruit mixture you like, plus some flour or cornstarch and some sugar.

Put it all together and what d’ya got? A hot snot sundae with a booger on top… or a crombler.

1. Put the filling in the bottom of a baking dish.

2. Plop on the biscuits.

3. Sprinkle the topping on top of the biscuits and all over any exposed filling.

4. Bake at 400.

Please to enjoy.

I got bettah!

Get it... anyone? Okay, here's a hint:

"She turned me into a NEWT!!!"

Got it now? No?

This whole thing was totally off topic, although said topic has not yet been established... that of course, was a quote from a scene in Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

But what the "I got better/bettah" was all about is that I have officially shaved about 8 minutes off of my 10K time:

Clyde's 2008

808. Betsy Evans     Seattle, WA       59:41.45      58:09.10      810

Covey Run 2009

44

201

BETSY

EVANS

10K

24

F

00:50:59

00:50:32

00:08:08

Boo yah! Half Marathon, HERE I COME!!! (In a month and a half...)