Have all the blogs been written?

Ahem.

I believe I'm still due for part 2 of the Four Pass Loop backpacking trip.

Since 2020 and all that has since transpired, I went through a few job transitions, tried running the New York City Marathon twice, got injured or sick each year since 2018, to the extent that I had to take a few months or more off from running, caught COVID, became a cyclist, own a couple or three bikes, baked countless loaves of sourdough and still fail at it sometimes, baked a four-tier wedding cake, fell on a mountain and had to be airlifted off, cycled many miles and many feet of gain, and got married (not in chronological order). While I have yet to get a tattoo, I did get pink highlights one time.

As I moved away from blogging, so did many of the bloggers I enjoyed reading (anyone remember Google Reader?). Some of those bloggers stopped blogging altogether, and others moved on to other social media platforms where I gladly followed. 

It seemed as if the food bloggers I loved, who carefully tested and perfected their own recipes, were replaced by people who changed one ingredient in a recipe from another blog and passed it off as their own (I intentionally and gladly stopped following them). 

Blogging felt disheartening. The community, both in the food blog and running blog worlds, has been replaced by influencers. Every post and picture now feels content and view-driven, with hashtag this and hashtag that. Running blogs are now reduced to posts written with SEO in mind that read terribly. Social media running features daily running selfies with the exact same poses and the same recycled captions. Nothing is organic, if you will. 

My blog, being both food and running related, was not where I wanted to ramble mindlessly about whatever was on my mind. I tried the monetizing thing, and those posts are all around terrible, as most sponsored posts tend to be.

This blog was a place for me to share my running - the training, the races, and the injuries. I also shared my food - the recipes I tried from others and the recipes I very carefully created. Did you know I was once featured in Cooking Light? I don't think I ever mentioned that here. 

I attempted to revive my blog a few times, but was never enthusiastically behind it. I'd either get injured and no longer had running to talk about, or just didn't have it in me to create a recipe and catch the light for pictures -- a difficult endeavor with a 9-5.

On the running front, I am yet again coming back from an injury. This one took me out since June. I've been baking and cooking, and keeping the recipes to myself. To those of you who still make the recipes from my blog, I am forever grateful for you and always love hearing about it. 

There really isn't much of a point to this post. I suppose it's an ode to all the blogs I've read before, whose domains were no longer renewed. They were friends, even if I never met the blogger in person.

Four Pass Loop - Aspen, Colorado - Day 1

I kept sleeping on these posts because there were many pictures and I was drawing a blank on how to blog it. Now, though, I want to get it out there, since this vacation was one of my favorites and I'm not sure I'll be able to visit Colorado again this year.

A few weeks ago last year, we visited Colorado for the first time to do some backpacking and to hike up some 14ers. Other than a trip to Oregon the year prior, I hadn't done much backpacking out west, and I certainly have not hiked above ten thousand feet. While I knew I could handle the hiking, the elevation is what most concerned me.

Another concern is that we had no real idea about the conditions of the trails. Friends in CO said that there was still a fair amount of snow, and although the trails out west are less rocky than in my side of the country, the lack of experience in that area meant we didn't really know what to expect.

From reading online trail reports and calling a ranger station, we learned that the loops we were considering still had heavy snow fall, leaving some passes almost impassable. Certain parts of the trail were blown out from avalanche debris or completely covered in snow. Many stream crossings were difficult to cross due to broken logs or sketchy snow bridges, etc.

Originally, we had thought about doing the Capital Creek Circuit, which is about 40 miles and far less traveled than the Four Pass Loop (4PL), but because it is less trafficked, there were less trail condition reports, and attempting 40 miles when we didn't know how we'd handle the elevation was probably not smart.

Given the information we collected, we opted to hike the Four Pass Loop, covering 26.6 miles in three days, two nights.

Day one -

Tips to know: You can only drive to the overnight parking at the Maroon Bells Welcome Station before 8:00 am or after 5:00 PM, otherwise you need to park at the Aspen Highlands Village parking lot, pay per night (which is about $25 a day), and take the shuttle (pay per person) into the welcome station. If you drive in early enough, you only pay $10.

Rather than beginning the loop the day after arriving, we spent our second day in Colorado hiking up to Buckskin Pass and back, giving us additional time to acclimate. We stayed in Snowmass Village that night to make our drive to the trailhead shorter. Not having to wake up at 3:00 am? Sweet!

By the time we got to the parking lot, pulled out our packs and self-registered, we got started at about 7:00 am. The hike to Crater Lake is about 1.8 miles of a slow uphill. The starting elevation is around 9580 feet, and the passes are over 12,000 feet, so we had a lot of ground to cover. 

When we got to Crater Lake, we briefly stopped to snap a few pictures and drink some water. I began having altitude headaches the night before, so I wanted to keep on top of my hydration. Some dumb woman asked me to move, as I was in the frame of her picture. Despite arriving to Crater Lake before 8:00 am, she didn't seem to have the time to wait a few seconds for her precious picture taken by her precious DSLR. Have a great day! 

People can be the worst and the best part about being in nature.

Further down West Maroon Trail, we discovered that sections of the trail are entirely submerged in water. My boots are fully gusseted, so I could carefully step through deeper sections without worrying about soaking my boot. Except for further down the trail when I lost my footing and stepped into water, soaking my right boot. It eventually dried out.

The second obstacle was this massive snow bridge over West Maroon Creek. The snow seemed pretty solid further away from the exposed portion, but you never really know just how deep or solid the snow is, so it's best to walk as quickly as possible.

I saw two women approach the other side just as we finished crossing. I never saw them again, so I don't know if they turned around or eventually crossed.

This is somewhere further down West Maroon Trail, but before the pass. We basically kept hiking, stopped to filter water and eat some food, and continued hiking. The scenery was so beautiful.

Ominous clouds began rolling in as we neared West Maroon Pass, elevation 12,480. We put on crampons when the pass became steeper, moving as quickly as we could. Some people run this loop in a day, and they probably just use spikes. Not knowing what to expect, we came over-prepared. At the top, a rain/snow mix started and we heard thunder and saw some lightning, so as quickly as we could, we descended the other side of the pass.

Once we descended the other side of the pass, the time was around 1-2 PM. I forget. The rain kept coming and we weren't sure we wanted to go over another pass that day. According to the map, we saw this campsite that had a bit of shelter from the rain and wind, so we made a beeline for it to scout out a tent spot.

Once the rain stopped, we finished setting up the tent and I went to a tiny stream to collect water for dinner and the next morning.

We had a pleasant evening cooking dinner and relaxing before we called it a night. I, once again, did not get up in the middle of the night to see the stars.

NYRR Manhattan 7 Mile Race Report

Yesterday, I ran the NYRR Manhattan 7 Mile race. I haven't run over six miles in a while (hahahlol), and based on how I felt last week, I wasn't sure if I could run the whole thing without walking. Then I ran my three mile shake out run earlier than usual on Saturday, and realized I run much better if I get out before 9:30, so perhaps I'd be okay, after all.

Nevertheless, I opted to run it as a longer run rather than a race, as reflected in my splits, which I managed to take correctly this time!

Hair report: Low pony

Nail report:

Garmin time: 1:06:21 -- a few second longer than the official time
Garmin distance: 7.13 miles, longer than the official time
Official pace for 7 miles: 9:28

Warm up run: 1 mile

Lap one - 1.03 miles, 9:41: Since the course included all the hills, I ran the first mile extra conservatively. This was an uneventful mile.

Lap two - 1.01 miles, 9:31: Up Cat Hill. Kept it easy, since Harlem Hill was coming up. I had thought thought about bringing my hand held water bottle, but I didn't want to, so I took water from the stops to drink and pour over my head. Pouring water over my head seems to be a winning strategy to keep me from overheating.

After the water stop, a man kept making hacking noises, and this continued for the duration of the mile. I was even listening to music, and I could still hear him. Good grief. 

Lap three - 1.01 miles, 8:53: The downhill before Harlem Hill. I didn't purposely speed up, and I didn't purposely reign myself in. I was focusing more on perceived effort and that kind of thing.

Lap four - 1.04 miles, 10:16: There is quite the disparity between this split and mile three's split. I didn't even try to power up the hill like in the last race, and I came to a full stop in the cluster fuck that is the water station to drink a full cup of Gatorade and to grab a water. One day, I'll be stronger on this hill.

Lap five - 1.01 miles, 9:27: After Harlem Hill, the course continues on in a gently rolling fashion, and as long as you aren't depleted after the last mile and manage the remaining hills well, the rest of the course is pretty easy. That's what I think about when I'm actually racing, and not running super slowly.

Lap six - 1.01 miles, 9:15: I think the last few miles are usually the fastest of my previous races, but I didn't check to confirm that. Just by the nature of the course, there are more downhill parts that make it easy to speed up.

Lap seven - 1.02 miles, 9:14: I was surprised I didn't slow down here, since my legs were feeling kinda tired. I remember talking myself into not slowing down, since this was the last mile.

So that's that. I actually like the longer distances, and hope that if I do a seven mile race again, I'll be prepared to race it.

With this race, I have four down, and five plus one to go. I'm registered for two more races in August, and my volunteer race is in September. After that, I'll have three left, and I'll finally be able to take my picture next to the 9+1 display set up at each qualifying race!

Front Runners LGBT Pride Run 5 Miler Race Report

Here's my belated race report from the Front Runners LGBT Pride Run 5 miler on June 29. Not only were the race shirts snazzy, but the overall atmosphere of the race was exciting and fun.

My one hope for this race was to move up a corral, but I didn't know if that would be possible considering how humid and hot it was that morning.

I also really messed up manual lapping on my watch, so my watch time is about thirty-seconds faster than my actual time of 44:08, and thus, my splits and average pace are all off. I'm not even going to post them.

Even the race bibs are pretty!

In the end, I was excited to find that my time of 44:08 came out to an 8:49 pace, which, when converted to a 10k pace, is 8:56, putting me into corral G! 

Realistically, given the heat and that my running has been sporadic, I don't expect to do much for the next three August races but finish. The next race is a 7 miler, which I am not in shape to race, the following is a 12-miler training run, which I will run-walk or something, and the last August race is a 1.5 miler that NYRR added as a 9+1 race. I may be able to pull off a quick time there, but it'll be hard to do anything spectacular enough to move up to corral F. 

\

Also, this was the first race that included the Harlem Hill in the course, and it hurt. The rainbow popsicles were much appreciated.

Achilles Hope & Possibility 4 Miler Race Recap

Yesterday, I ran the second race of the 9+1, the Achilles Hope & Possibility 4 Miler through Central Park. I didn't quite know what to expect, since I hadn't run at all the week prior due to a backpacking trip. I figured all the elevation I hit during the trip, as well as the rocky terrain, would help with the hills in the park, which I felt great on, but I simply didn't run that week and I only ran 9 miles total the week before that. hahahalol

Last week, I ran 16 miles, not including the race itself. The first two runs were in super humid conditions, and my legs felt trashed from all the backpacking. Yet, my shakeout run on Saturday went fairly well, so I figured I'd be set to run decently on Sunday.

I was pretty happy with how I ran. I told Alex that I wanted to finish in 35 minutes, and I was over that by 7 seconds, so overall I improved quite a bit from the first race. 

Additionally, I turned off auto lapping on my watch to get get accurate mile splits based on the markers. I felt like this helped me pace myself better, too.

Highlights: Because I ran an 8:47 average pace, my converted 10k pace is now 9:02, which moves me into corral H, from corral I. I wish I was aware of how close I was to the cutoff for corral G (8:57, I think), so I could have pushed a little harder. Next time!

Grievances: Ellie Goulding playing at the start. Not my favorite music. 

Hair report: French braid. The braid keeps my hair from feeling nasty on my sweaty shoulders. Also, long hair is super disgusting in this weather and I am thinking about cutting it to shoulder length.

Weather report: Warm, but considerably less humid. Hopefully it stays the same for Saturday.

Total time: 35:07

Pace: 8:47, according to NYRR

Lap 1 - 1.01 miles: 9:06

My goal during the first mile of every race in the park is to go out strong, but conservatively. The first mile goes over Cat Hill, and you usually see quite a few runners start off too fast and slow down considerably. I pay attention to how I'm breathing and concentrate on my form. 

Last race, corrals H and I did not have a staggered 45-second start, leading to a pretty claustrophobic, chaotic feeling. This time, each corral started 45-seconds after the previous corral, and I never felt uncomfortable. It also helped that I ran a little quicker, too. 

Lap 2 - 1.02 miles: 8:47

This is the downhill after Cat Hill. I slow myself down a bit, because there are more hills in the next mile or two, depending on whether it's a 4-mile or 5-mile loop. Still feeling good.

Lap 3 - 1.02 miles: 8:54

Besides there being another hill, I noticed last race that I slowed down considerably during mile 3. I focused on maintaining a pace near lap 2 since I tend to subconsciously slow down. I can work on this more, but for now I am happy that I kept the lap under 9 minutes. 

Lap 4 - 1.02 miles: 8:17

The course description says this mile is slightly downhill and flat in sections, so I knew I could pick up a decent amount of speed at the end. I am working on finishing my races strong, and one of my mental tricks for doing so is telling myself I can be tired after crossing the finish line. I did have a little kick near the end, though that might have been because I wanted water. 

Alex usually waits for me around the finish line, after completing his run. I tried looking for him, and although I apparently looked directly at him, I just didn't see him. In fact, he told me that after I looked in his direction, I started running to the outside of the curve, rather than the inside, and I was stride for stride with the woman in front of me, so the only good picture he took was the first one. I have no idea how I didn't see him, and I don't know why I ran to the outside, since it adds a little more distance and time, other than that I just don't know how to race.

Next up, I have the Front Runners 5 Miler on Saturday. I'm looking to run 5 miles tomorrow, and two 3 milers Wednesday and Friday.

I realize that I have no races for July, so I'll use that month to focus on increasing my distance, since I have 7-miler and a 12-miler in August. August is hot, so I don't know if the 7-miler will be decent in terms of pushing me into another corral, but we'll see.

Check out the awesome tan lines I picked up in New Hampshire!

Italy Run 5M Race Report - and my 9+1 goal

 

Hey! Yesterday, I ran the Italy Run 5 Miler, one of NYRR's races in Central Park. Except for the humidity, the day was nice and I felt pretty good on the Central Park hills. 

I didn't randomly decide to run this, though. Earlier in the year, I gained back a spark of ambition and declared to Alex that I'd like to try running the New York City Marathon next year. Since I'm a slow runner, my only guaranteed way to do enter is through NYRR's 9+1 program, where you run nine qualifying races and volunteer once. After I complete the 9+1, I will be able to register for the marathon next year. 

 

With that, I planned out all the races that fit into my schedule. From now until December, I will be running around one race every month. It just so happens that I have two more later this month, which I'm excited about. 

As for the Italy Run, here's the mile split breakdown: 

Total Watch mileage/time/pace: 5.09 - 46:39 - 9:10

Total Race mileage/time/pace: 5 - 46:37 - 9:20

Because of all the weaving that occurs in the slower corrals, my watch has slightly higher mileage than the official course. Once the first mile split went off, I realized I forgot to turn off auto lap, since I want an accurate pace that reflects the course mile markers. As such, these splits are off by about .04 miles from the official split.

Mile 1: 9:37
This mile in in the direction of Cat Hill, so I knew better not to push the pace. I didn't warm up beforehand, so I made sure this mile felt comfortable. And honestly, with how crowded it was, I feel like it'd have been impossible to go faster without running into people.

Mile 2: 9:25
My second goal was to pay attention to my effort. There are a few hills in this course, so I didn't want to run too fast for me early in the race only to slow down during the end. I continued feeling good here and my pace quickened a bit.

Mile 3: 8:58
I was handling the hills very well. I wasn't slowing down considerably on the uphill, and I managed to run down smoothly, yet conservatively, based on my effort and breathing. I credit my leg's ability to handle the hills with the elevation gain of the recent hikes I've been on.

Mile 4: 9:19
While i was hoping to keep this split closer to 9, there were a few more hills here, so I wasn't upset by it. I haven't raced in forever, nor have I done any speed work, so race pace is a foreign concept to me right now.

Mile 5: 8:39
Even though these splits were off from the official mile splits, I was still happy that I had the energy left to put out a quick final mile. I passed a lot of people during this mile, whereas I would usually be one of the runners slowing down.

Mile .09: 0:39.37
This was the last little tidbit, according to my watch. Hopefully I remember to turn off auto lap next time.

Norvo Nordisk New Jersey Half Marathon Race Report - 2:04:46

Hello there! Let's see, this is the first road race I've entered since the Army 10-Miler way back when. As I've mentioned in the past, I've been struggling finding motivation to run, since I just wasn't enjoying it very much. Alex paces the marathon every year, and I've been wanting to run the half each time, only I was never prepared. Finally, though, I was prepared enough this year.

A little backstory, if you will:

In December, a climbing friend asked Alex and I if we were interested in a 10-miler trail race in February. Instead of thinking I wouldn't have time to train, I decided to use it as an opportunity to return to running. All the while, this race was in the back of my mind. The trail race came and went (pro tip: walk the uphills of a trail race), and I hadn't yet registered for the half. My semester also picked up, and I used that, the cold, and early morning wake up times as an excuse to slack off. Yet, I knew I would be disappointed for putting it off once again.

Eventually, I finished up with three 10-mile runs, which should allow me to at least complete the race.

About the course:
The NJ half marathon features a decently flat course through the surrounding neighborhoods of Long Branch, finishing on the boardwalk of the beach. The only inclines are bridges, and maybe one or two slight uphills on the streets. There is water and Gatorade at every water stop, and they hand out Honey Stinger gels around mile 7-8. The only con is the construction along the first section of the boardwalk, resulting in some tight turns before heading onto the straightway of the boardwalk. Those condos gotta get built, though!

I'd definitely run the half again next year.

The weather was cool, slightly windy, and drizzling at the start, eventually warming up to a respectable temperature with no rain. The sun came out during the three hour mark of the marathon. By that point, though, I had finished and was wearing all four layers of clothing from my gear bag (pants, fleece top, Uberlayer, and rain jacket.)

Outfit report:

Energy gels: Boom Nutrition. The ingredients include actual fruit purees and are some of the best tasting gels I've ever used. My favorite is the apple cinnamon, though I like all of them, except the orange vanilla.

Shoes: New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v7 Brooklyn Half.
I got them on sale. I had been developing a hot spot on the inner side of my right foot almost each time I ran, unless I taped that spot up. The other downside is that they're not very cushioned, and I don't think I'd buy them again. I had considered wearing an old, comfortable pair of shoes for the race, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Nothing terrible happened to my legs in them, though I know I'd benefit from a softer shoe.

Socks: Wrightsock in size large (for a women's 9.5 shoe size). I bought these last minute at work. With the shoes mentioned above, the thicker socks I usually run in make my wide foot feel too squeezed. I really enjoyed these socks and would buy more.

Shorts: Patagonia Strider Running Shorts. My old Pearl Izumi racing shorts are too small and my Nike Tempos are blagh. These are very comfortable and include a small zippered pocket on the back. I'm gonna get the Strider Pro shorts next time because they have more pockets for gels and such. I wear a size small in these.

Watch: Garmin 230. Measurements always seem off from the course.

Top: An old Adidas top that doesn't chafe. It's a little long, and normally that's not a problem, except I wore a Nathan running belt underneath so that I had my phone with me after the race. The belt was too big and my shirt rode up the entire race.

Bra: Brooks Frontrunner in size small. This is a seriously flattering bra with good support for me. I have two of them and love it.

Hat: An old Brooks hat I picked up a while back.

Hair report: Low pony.

Race details:

Watch time and distance: 2:04.47 - 13.43 miles

Despite what my training paces indicated, I thought I might have a chance to break two hours if I paced decently. I opted to start near the 2:00 pace group and see how I felt.

Mile 1 - 9:19.24
Decent. My "fastest" 10-miler had been with the half marathon's training group, with an average 9:20-ish pace. I felt comfortable here.

Mile 2 - 9:00.47
Seemed a bit fast, since a 2-hour half is a 9:09 pace. I felt okay, and figured the pacer would adjust eventually.

Mile 3 - 8:55.43
At this point, the pace group began pulling ahead of me. I immediately knew that trying to keep up would be futile, so I attempted to keep them within sight. Still feeling okay.

Mile 4 - 8:57.61
Still trying to figure out why the pacer kept pulling further and further ahead, but was not trying to catch up.

Mile 5 - 9:02.73
Beginning to realize that I'm out of practice regarding pacing, and I should have stuck to my own plan.

Mile 6 - 9:01.53
While I'm maintaining my pace, I'm beginning to feel tired, which isn't a good sign halfway in.

Mile 7 - 9:12.46
The slowdown begins. Had I paced correctly in the first half, this is the pace I should have sped up to by this point in the race, not slowed down to.

Mile 8 - 9:12.54
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to finish the race at this pace.

Mile 9 - 9:25.64
Unfortunately, I was just unable to maintain it. I was feeling worn down, my hips hurt, and I simply didn't have the base mileage to back up what I was trying to do.

Mile 10 - 9:30.09
There was really nothing I could do at this point other than to focus on my form and look at the restaurants through the downtown portion of the course. I was fortunate that this course is relatively flat.

Mile 11 - 9:29.22
I'm still relatively pleased that I hadn't slowed down more than my training paces, but, boy, was I struggling. I kept thinking about my last half, in Pittsburgh, where I mentally lost it the last two-three miles and walked. At this point, I knew a sub-2 wasn't happening, but I could at least finish the race running.

Mile 12 - 9:39.41
Yup.

Mile 13 - 9:56.84
This is a pretty slow mile. I think it was part boardwalk congestion, partly the wind, partly that my body just would not speed up.

Mile .1 - 4:04.19
My watch measured every mile short by about two tenths. It's never fun, because whenever my watch signals a mile, I know I have to wait for the race markers to see what's actually happening. According to my watch, I averaged a 9:18 pace over 13.4x miles, but according to the race website, it's more of a 9:30 pace.

Clearly, and this has always been my issue, I have yet to learn the art of pacing. Regardless, I'm very pleased that I actually got myself together in time to run it.

My PR in the half is 1:51.xx, and I believe that with actual training, I can break 1:50, so that's going to be my goal for the fall. If not sub 1:50, then close to it.

Thanks for reading!

What was your first race back from an extended period of time off like? What would you have done differently in retrospect?

summertime, and the runnin's easy

Summer is basically the best time of the year. Sure, it gets hot and humid, but the SUN is out, flowers bloom, and everything is green for a while. After a particularly difficult winter, where I basically became a shut-in and was generally unmotivated to do anything but the absolute essentials (and I can't say I did that very well), I plan to maximize every free moment I have this summer by taking advantage of all the things I've been wanting to do, and things I keep saying I want to do but never did.

Rocket Fuel Granola

 

This is some special granola, folks. Eating a bowl of Rocket Fuel Granola has the potential to provide you with the energy to tackle your toughest workouts, hardest adventures, and hectic days!

Perhaps that's partly hyperbole. During that backpacking trip, where I thought a solid breakfast each  morning was a good idea, I carried four pounds of granola on my back like a newbie. This seems like a terrible idea, especially since we didn't need two four-ounce bags of granola per person, per day, but on the days we ate it, we felt like we could hike for miles. This granola has sticking power, a claim to which I can personally attest. I've asked myself if I would bring it on future trips, and the answer is yes, only less of it.

Rocket Fuel Granola is not just good for hiking, though. Alex often eats it to fuel for his long runs, and we take it to the crag for a day of rock climbing. Unlike oatmeal, I can eat a bowl of this stuff for breakfast and not feel hungry until lunch, or even longer. Granola has long been my favorite breakfast cereal since I can't remember when. Most versions aren't even really healthy, save for the oats, because of its density, but I tend to favor it for its heartiness. Store-bought granola pales in comparison.

lemon bars and life updates

Last we spoke, I had completed my first multi-day backpacking trip. I had hoped that it would light the blogging fire I let go out, but it didn't have such an effect. I still wasn't baking very often, and ran even less. Truth be told, I was, and still am, feeling incredibly stressed out with school and the hells of retail. As the stress built up, I slowly backed away from activities I once found pleasurable. When pleasurable activities became challenging, I tossed them into the pile of stress that accumulated in the corner and disengaged. Eventually, all I had left was that big ol' pile of stress with nothing left to counter it. 

Despite the good things that had (and are happening) in my life, it felt as if I had been handed a giant pile of lemons with instructions to figure it out on my own. I chose to wallow. What I've learned about myself over the years is that I am an expert wallow-er, and if left to my own devices, could probably turn it into a full-time gig. I needed something productive, something with no expectations, to counter my negativity. So, what to do when you have lemons? Turn it into something sweet.

That Backpacking Trip Through Shenandoah

 

Living in Indiana for so long, I yearned to experience the wonder of the trail. I had just assumed I would take to hiking, despite the lack of trails in Indiana. What I liked was the idea of trail life, of testing your limits, and the independent nature of the thru-hiker. A thru-hiker I am not, though now that I've gotten my boots broken in on legit trails, I can make the claim that I am a hiker. Day hiking soon became too easy. After experiencing the Smokies for the first time in 2015, I knew I wanted to try backpacking.

Over spring break of this year, I went with Alex on my first overnight backpacking trip to the Smokies. I had a great time, and the clear skies and warmish temperatures, unusual for the Smokies in springtime, made for a good experience. Since then, I wanted to tackle a more challenging trip - isn't that how it always goes?

We planned a four-day excursion through Shenandoah on the Appalachian Trail. Though after a tiring summer spent at school, I wasn't confident that I would enjoy it, especially considering we'd be heading out during the very worst of summer weather - heat, humidity, and bugs galore! The only other option was to stay home and do things we normally do, and that would be a letdown.

Adventures in New Paltz, New York

Slowly, but surely, I am creating favorite places in and around New Jersey, and New Paltz, New York, is one those favorites. It all started with a trip to Minnewaska State Park shortly after moving here. We took a hike to the lake, swam, and finished with a harrowing mountain biking adventure back down that was only harrowing to me. That excursion ended with a meal at the fantastic Turkish restaurant in the little city of New Paltz. Nowadays when Alex and I go, we start with a hike/run -- I hike up, he runs up a different route, and of course I try to beat him to the top.

Morning Glory Muffins

Good morning, folks. Today, I will be hiking through Minnewaska State Park, fueled by morning glory muffins. I had this recipe on my mind all week and eventually got around to baking them yesterday morning. My mom would often make a similar muffin with shredded carrots, apples, and ground flax seed, only I forgot to ask her for the recipe. Until I get it, I settled on a recipe for the original morning glory muffins, found from Earthbound Farm. I dig the tropical inclusion of pineapple and coconut paired with spicy cinnamon. I wish I realized beforehand I didn't have enough pecans, because a crunchier bite would have made the muffins even better.

Truth be told, the reason I put it off is because I loathe grating cups and cups of veggies/fruit. Procrastination at its finest!

My biggest pet peeve about muffins are squatty, hockey puck things, usually resulting from underfilled cups. When the recipe says to "fill to the brim", you best be filling those cups to the brim. Mine were filled just under the brim because I can't read real well.

You should make these muffins. Alex, who isn't a muffin man, enjoyed two of them. My writing club group did, too. From this batch, I got twenty-two muffins -- enough for eating now, and some left over to freeze for later.

I insist you start your morning off right by getting up immediately and baking these glorious muffins. They'll come in handy for fueling your weekend adventures. I'll see you when I get back from my hike!

The Great Food Blog Cookie Swap 2014

Since the end of The Great Food Blog Cookie Swap in 2013, I've looked forward to the event all year! What better way to get in the spirit of the season than by baking cookies for your fellow food bloggers? With sponsors like Oxo and Dixie Sugar matching up to $3000 in donations for Cookies for Kids' Cancer, we're also baking for more than just ourselves. Many thanks to Love & Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen for continuing to host this event.

They also threw in a few treats for us, as well! The Oxo decorating kit looks especially awesome, and I can't wait to try it out.

This year, I went with a recipe I've made before, but have never blogged about. It's a shortbread type of cookie flavored with orange zest and toasted pecans that isn't too sweet or crumbly, and would hold up well during shipping. The dough comes together easily and isn't difficult to roll and cut out. If you've ever heard of the Archway Christmas Nougat cookie, that's what these are like, only this recipe is called 'Christmas Angel Cookies'.

Last year, I didn't do too well with the packaging. I made up for it by purchasing these cute Christmas tins from the dollar store, lining the interiors with decorative paper purchased from the craft store.

I sent these out to Jennifer from Honey and Birch, Sheryl from Lady Behind the Curtain, and Melissa from The Baked Equation. I heard back from two of them and they both enjoyed the cookies!

I received Butter Almond Cookies from What Micky Eats, which were incredibly good and had an amazing texture. My other cookie elf was Becky from The Cookie Rookie, who sent Mint Chocolate Brussels Cookies that reminded me of milano cookies, only better.

If you're interested in participating next year, subscribe to receive notifications.

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Christmas Angel Cookies
While I was unable to locate the source where I originally found the recipe, I was able to find a copy of it here

Ingredients -

1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups roasted pecans, finely chopped

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (300°F for convection ovens).
2. In an electric mixer, cream the shortening, powdered sugar, and orange zest for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides from time to time. Add the salt and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment, mix in the chopped pecans. Add the flour, and mix just until it is thoroughly combined with the other ingredients.
3. On a well-floured surface, with a well-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough 1/4” thick. Using a 1 1/2” round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place 1/2” apart on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 minutes, being careful not to let the cookies brown (they should still be white when you remove them from the oven). Transfer to racks and let the cookies cool completely. Store Christmas Nougat Cookies in an airtight container.

pie talk.

This is it! Are you ready? With less than a week until Thanksgiving, our menus are pretty much planned by now. You don't need me telling you what to make, though I'm gonna link to the few seasonally appropriate pie recipes from this here blog, and a few from other blogs that look tasty, just in case.

Mostly, I thought it would be fun to talk pie -- your go-to dough, a comprehensive breakdown on dough 101, and filling types. There are many ways to make a pie and most result in deliciousness. I'm forever perfecting my skills and learn from these kinds of discussions. What I'm going to do here is go over a few areas I've struggled with, and the ways I've learned to fix them. I'll also list actual expert advice, because we all need that.

Up first, pie dough.

Over on Serious Eats, the superhero managing culinary director, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, has a series called The Food Lab, wherein he breaks down a recipe to the most minutest of details to give you the best possible version of that recipe. (He has an excellent pho tutorial, but I'll reserve that for another time.) He has a very comprehensive post about pie dough, which is very apropos for the holiday season. He covers everything from the best type of fat to use, how to blend it into the flour, how much water is needed, and whether or not you need to add vodka. He advocates weighing the flour, which I've never done. I mentioned the other day on my Facebook page that I have yet start weighing ingredients, but it's something I need to begin doing if I want to improve my baking. Take a look at his post!

The fat. Do you use butter, shortening, or a combination of both? I do the latter, a la Julia Child. Occasionally, I will make the all-butter pastry dough, but I prefer a butter-shortening dough. It's easier to work and doesn't shrink back as much as an all-butter dough, and it gets super flaky. I follow a recipe I found a couple years ago from How To Eat A Cupcake, only I use all all-purpose flour and removed the baking powder, as I found it caused the dough to puff out of shape.

On the King Arthur Flour blog, Flourish, there is a detailed post about different types of crust, including the vodka crust. It explained to me why my butter crusts never maintained the perfect crimped edging after baking -- it's just going to expand and puff (and possibly shrink) more than a butter-shortening crust.

I have a dough exception. I came across a recipe on Chez Pim for The One Pie Dough to Rule Them All, an all-butter dough using a rolling and folding technique. It also has a different manner of incorporating the butter into the flour compared to most recipes. The flour gets dumped onto the counter, the slabs of butter get tossed into the flour mound, and you work it in with a pastry scraper and the heel of your hand. A minimum amount of water is added to just bring the dough together. After that, the dough is folded and turned. This is similar to a fraisage, a technique used to create superior flakiness. At first, it might seem contrary to every piece of advice you've ever learned about pie dough for ABSOLUTELY NOT OVERWORKING THE DOUGH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. I understand! But trust me and trust the recipe when we tell you that it's going to be fine. I would advise waiting to test this out for when it doesn't matter.

Banking on the fraisage techniqe, I have a tendency to add too much water to my dough to make life easier. I either add too much and it gets a little soggy, or I add too little and it's difficult to roll out. The middle ground is to give the dough a gentle fraisage to further incorporate the dough after adding just enough water to make it come together.

Filling.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I tend to stick apple pies and pecan pies. I enjoy a good pumpkin, but it's not my favorite. I've had good success with both pecan and pumpkin, though I've struggled with apple. The filling would never completely cook, despite slicing the apples thinly, or the crust would still be soggy after more than an hour in the oven. To top it off, the slices wouldn't retain their shape.

Then, I stumbled on the apple pie recipe from How To Eat A Cupcake. In that recipe, the filling is cooked for a few minutes prior to baking, practically revolutionizing my life. The apples come out perfectly each time and the filling stays in place without getting too gelatinous. I use 1/4 cup lemon juice and add more spices, increasing the cinnamon a little and playing around with the combination of ginger/allspice/nutmeg/cloves. This last time, I added a little cardamom and loved the results.

As for apple varieties? I stick to Granny Smith because that's what I like. It's tart, and works with the sweet and spicy filling. But like I mentioned when it comes to baking a pie, there are as many ways to fill a pie as there are apple varieties, and I'll take you back to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for the ultimate apple breakdown. (How lucky is he to be able to make pies all day? If you need an intern, I'm available!)

He also touches on the subject of precooking the filling, explaining how it won't cause the apples to become mushy.

Enough talk. What pies will you be baking (or eating!) for Thanksgiving? What do you struggle with the most when it comes to baking a pie, and what are your successes? I want to hear it all!

Here are a few recipes.

- Apple Custard Crumb Pie

- Apple Pie

- Cheesecake Cherry Pie from Sugar Plum (I have not made this, but I trust her recipes and it looks delicious!)

- Cherry Pie from America's Test Kitchen (I use frozen sweet cherries)

- Maple Pecan Tart

- Tigger-Proof Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

The wind is howling and leaves are swirling through the air. It is definitely autumn here in New Jersey, and not a moment too soon. For whatever reason, I feel very comfortable in weather like this, even when I'm not outside in it. Now that things like sugar pumpkins, apples, and cider are in season, I've been trying to get as much out of it as I can. This weekend, Alex and I took a short trip up to New Paltz to pick up a half bushel of Ida Red apples, apple cider, and cider doughnuts from Jenkins-Lueken Orchards, and some New York maple syrup from Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple at the farmer's market! We drove up to an outlook to take in the view before we left.

We'll be busy working our way through all that the next few weeks!

I also made a pumpkin pie this weekend, as you can see. I've made and blogged about this recipe before, though those pictures never did justice to the Tigger-Proof Pumpkin Pie. I have been meaning to update it for a while, because it's a pie you all really need to make. Typically, I use canned pumpkin. This time, I roasted a sugar pumpkin and pureed the pulp (not a difficult feat at all). Boy, I'll tell you, it tastes even better than I remembered, and it's all because of the fresh pumpkin puree. I don't mind using canned at all for things like muffins and breads, but when it's in a dessert where the filling is in the forefront, taking a little extra time to prep your own puree takes it to a whole other level. I ended up with extra puree that I'll likely use for muffins, if I can't think of a better pumpkin dessert. (There is a pumpkin yeast bread from Baking with Julia I've been eying for a while now.)

Pro tip: After pureeing pumpkin, place in a fine mesh sieve to allow the excess liquid to drain.

The ingredients for this pie consist of the pumpkin puree (fresh or canned), spices (a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves), eggs, and three types of sugar: sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and white sugar. Anyone who knows anything about the 100 Acre Woods knows that condensed milk is one of the main food groups, second only to honey. Not shown is the blind-baked pie crust.

Whisk filling together.

Pour into prepared pie crust and bake.

What you see here is a mighty fine piece of pumpkin pie. The filling is smooth and custardy, the crust is perfectly browned on the bottom, and now I get to enjoy some pie for the next couple of days while listening to the howling wind outside.

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Print this recipe

Tigger-Proof Pumpkin Pie
From The Little Big Book of Pooh by Monique Peterson
(Personal notes: I used a different dough recipe that is actually quite similar to this recipe - chill before rolling, chill before baking - and I opted to pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes)

For crust -

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons ice water

For pie -

1 1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. To make crust, sift together dry ingredients. Using pastry blender or processor, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over dough and mix with fork until pastry is moist enough to form into a ball.
3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14" round circle. Transfer and press into 9" pie pan. Trim overhand and crimp edges. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes.
4. To make the pumpkin filling, whisk all the pie ingredients together in a large bowl until blended. Pour into the prepared crust.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Serve with whipped cream!