A hiking we won't go.

We were planning this past weekend to go on an amazing hike and taking beautiful pictures of all the fall colors. We even bought Diesel some fun shoes because we had heard horror stories of other dogs having sticks go through the paw and how their pads were shredded if they were not used to being outdoors for long periods of time. Even after being made fun of by our friends and families, we still bought the shoes. ;-)

However, the Friday night before the hike, we had the youth church lock-in. I don't know what I was thinking! The last time I stayed up all night long was a church lock-in when I was a youth! Well, I had stayed up to study for a college final but I had also consumed at least 6 cups of caffeine. Anyway, I figured that John would drive to the two hours to the park and I would sleep on the way.

OOPS! John was on call that night and HE went in at 12:45am and came home at 5:30am.
Unfortuantley, we both slept until 2pm. Fortunatly, so did our sweet dog...kind of.

Anyway- here is Diesel in his new shoes...... feel free to laugh.

Pot Sticker Fun

John introduced me to a small edible delight know as the POT STICKER.

When I tried to make them, they turned out VERY soggy but still had great flavor. When John made them they were perfect. We ate about 5-6 each and then we froze the rest for later. Here

is the recipe and some pictures for you to enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
100 (3.5 inch square) round wraps
1 3/4 pounds ground pork - I used a pound of Lean pork- Fatty Pork is better for taste though.
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root - I bought ground ginger in a bottle
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
5 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage - I used 1/2 of a green cabbage.
1 tablespoon Veg/Canola Oil

1/4 cup water - I used Chicken broth because I had it in the fridge.

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the pork, ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and cabbage. Stir until well mixed.
Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pork filling onto each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water and fold edges over to form a triangle shape. Roll edges slightly to seal in filling. Set dumplings aside on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook.

In preheated vegetable oil, cook pot sticker approximately 1 minute per side, until lightly browned. Place water into skillet and reduce heat. Cover and allow pot sticker to steam until the water is gone.

For dipping sauce, we bought a POT STICKER dipping sauce. however, there are several recipes on line.

John did about 8 at a time- turned out great. If you want to freeze them, place them on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper in the freezer overnight. Put them in a Ziploc bad and store.

Fun Fall Weekends

Before we move from Lexington Ky, which I am not sure when that is happening, I have been determined to enjoy the fall weather and the "entertaining" KY venues.

Last weekend, John and I went to the Maker's Mark distillery and to Boyd Orchards. It was a gorgeous day other than it being hot for a fall day in KY.

At the Maker's Mark Distillery, we had the chance to take a free tour of how they make and bottle the bourbon.

This is the process of Fermentation. John thought it would be fun to share this process...I hope you enjoy it.
Wasn't that fun?

John is standing in the room with all the bourbon doing its thing for three years.

After the tour we went to the gift shop to buy our own bottle and had the chance to dip it into the wax ourselves.

John is dipping his bottle in the wax now, my bottle is the one drying there on the table...I did the technique called the "Slam Dunk." (yes, there is technique.)

Now, besides the fact that I do not like bourbon, I was so excited to buy a bottle and dip it into the hot wax. Whoo HOO! It kind of reminded me of being at the Renaissance festival and dipping my hand in the wax.

Afterwards, we drove towards home and stopped at Boyd Orchards. It was about 81 degrees when we got there and it happened to be their Fall Festival. It was crowded and hot and I felt like a little kid who wanted to go home. We picked some apples for baking and eating and found our perfect pumpkin.

Go ahead John, take the Apple!
I think his back braking position is for dramatics.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. This weekend, we are headed to Cumberland Falls for some hiking with our puppy!

By the way- I made a fantastic pumpkin cheesecake with sour cream bourbon topping! I got it off of the Maker's Mark website. It was very yummy. I have no pictures only because I was so excited to eat it.

Diesel Update

This is for all of you who care about our sweet child...yes, our dog.


He loves comfort.







He loves to eat. Just kidding! He actually does not eat very much, but we went crazy with buying dog food so he thought he would enjoy some too. ;-)




HE loves to play with his friends!






Isn't this place gorgeous? This is the view from one of John's Attendings home! Must be nice.





And..he loves to make hideous faces when he is super excited.

I made it!

YEA! I Did IT! We woke up early this morning, ate breakfast, and headed out the door. After setting up my station, We walked to the pool and got ready for the swim.

The swim portion last year was my hardest, this year, it was my easiest. Last year, I biked every other day, this year, I did that with the swim. I am not sure of my individual times, but my overall time was 2 h and 11min. Last year, 2h and 10 min. At least I am consistent. I guess you can add a min for the added year older. :-)

It was a bit colder this year so when I got on the bike and rode a little, I began to notice that my toes were freezing! It is hard to bike with no feeling in your toes. It is also hard to run right after that! I had to walk a little more during the run than I wanted, but I did get a boost of energy around the 3rd mile. My friend Kathryn (who made me do this all over again this year...and I am thankful) cut 15 mins off her bike time! WOW- she placed 3rd in her division. Go Kathryn!

ME after the swim- all smiles.

Me after the bike...where is that smile now?

Miss Kathryn and I after the race.

Diesel Dog...who is still sleeping after 2 hours of being home. Apparently he was very popular at the race.

And of course, Susan B Cox of the Susan B Cox Triathlon. Who by the way told me she would see me at swim practice tomorrow. :-)

WISH ME LUCK!

Tomorrow, I will wake up around 5 am and head out to complete my second triathlon. I feel like I will finish, but not sure how I will compare with last year. My dad has driven up from Alabama and John will of course be there to cheer me on. And we could not forget the amazing super dog Diesel! It will be fairly chilly for the bike ride and nice for the run. I am a little anxious but also very excited! Let you know how it goes sometime after the race.

This is me setting up my area last year. Hopefully I will get the end spot again!

This is the pool that we swim in- most Tri's are open water like in a lake... thank goodness for walls to push off of!

Yes, I know I look cool!

And the final leg.. running. Last year a did an 8:43 mile... we shall see how it goes this year.