'tis the season to be freezin'

Alternately titled, "Winter Running". This isn't a "101" list to check-off on your way out the door, but rather a humorous (or not) posting about what I've found through personal experiences of running in the winter. In the freezing cold. With ice pellets of death that bore your eyes out of the sockets; and believe me, you think dropping your iPod mid-run is a nuisance, eyeballs roll around and if they fall with the pupil down, in the snow you won't see it. Or feel it, if both eyes fell out.

1. The cold. And the wind:

It's not that big of a deal. About 3 out of the 3 previous winters, I'd take somewhat of a "break" during the winter. Maybe I'd get out there once a week. Maybe. I went with the excuse of not being able to find my footing in the snow and ice, or that the snow was so deep that it'd throw off my gait and I'd get injured. I pretty much psyched myself out of running in the element of cold.

So, have I changed? A runner friend decided he was going to streak through December, and that means to run everyday. Every. Single. Day. I decided on a whim that I would, too. And I decided that meant I wouldn't make a big deal out of the weather. So, yes, I've been running everyday since 1 December. Guess what? It's amazing. I'm focusing on running longer when the weather and wind is good, and going out for a minimum of 2 miles of the weather is crappy.

What running daily has given me is a realization that the weather doesn't matter all that much, besides dressing appropriately. Sure, the wind freezing your face off isn't altogether pleasant, but after that first mile it's really actually nice. If you warm up in the house for 5-10 minutes before heading out, it feels even better. And, it's just not that big of a deal. If you hear anyone complaining about how awful it is outside, how it's just going to suck and they aren't really "in" to the run, they're full of it. If you hear anyone telling you how awesome they are for "battling the elements" and how they overcame the obstacle, tell them that they reminded you of this guy who climbed Everest who said something similar. Unless they're constantly running in single digit, bone-chilling temperatures with a "real feel" of -28, or anything close to that, that's something to write home about because nobody nowadays really needs to be out in that condition.

Or just call them crazy. Either will work.


2. It's not that big of a deal:

Unless you make it a big deal. Nothing is really as bad as we like to think, and I've proven that to myself multiple times after I realized in retrospect that I could have chilled out just a bit. Especially with the weather and wanting to stay inside sipping peppermint cocoa topped with marshmallows, it's just that first mile that may make you want to turn around and go inside. Even if you plan on a simple 2-3 mile run, you may realize that you can run a few more and actually enjoy it. Don't let your mind keep you from heading out there, if you do run outside. To help yourself out, keep a calender out in the middle of the house and write your run and time after completion on it. It's pretty cool to look at it and see what all you've done the past month, and it motivates you to keep it up. And if it's where everyone can see it, you don't want to be mocked for slacking off.


3. To run long or short:

Depends. What I'm doing is heading out for longer runs when the weather is nice and tolerable, and running shorter runs on the rather nasty days. It also depends on how I feel that day, too, because if I have a long run and I feel wonky, if it doesn't go away after 1.5-2 miles I do NOT want to be walking out in the cold because you cool off quickly. It feels good when you're running, just not so much if you're walking.

Keep this in mind when you're making out a schedule, if you do a schedule. You may not want to stick to it tightly, but rather have a weekly mileage to aim for and switch around the runs if need be.


4. Should you run with an iPod:

I've decided that if I get hit by a car and die, which my chances may have increased since the worse the weather, the worse the driver, it's not my fault. When I run with an iPod, and I think that almost every single run this month has been sponsored by many a singer to keep my mind of the weather, I pay more attention to my surroundings. I keep the volume low enough to hear the sound of cars coming, and I pay attention to where the line on the road is (no sidewalks here) to see if I need to scoot back to my side. Just don't zone out to the point where a car zooming by actually surprises you unless you really believe in Darwinism.


5. How to dress:

The standard rule of thumb is to dress for how you will feel and not how you feel stepping outside the house. Why? Your body temperature warms up about 20 degrees and if you overdress so you feel warm and toasty right out the door, you'll soon be running in a sauna.

How do I dress:

A thin knit hat. Rather tight fitting, it looks cute (because I knit it), and is a somewhat bright color. I never used to run with a hat, but now that I have started I don't want to know what it was like before. It just keeps me warmer.

Gloves. If the temperature, or "real feel", is anything under 30 degrees and the wind is more than 10 mph, I wear my running mittens. Over 30, I wear a pair of standard knit gloves. I've gone out sometimes in just the knit gloves and my fingers make me say terrible things at the end. A thicker pair of 5-fingered gloves would work if you have one, most definitely.

Shirts/jacket. I've been wearing a cotton long sleeve shirt, a tech shirt, and a fleece jacket. The jacket blocks the wind, the tech shirt does that whole moisture wicking thing that keeps you warmer when it's cold out, except I've been putting the tech long sleeve shirt over the cotton shirt. Rebel.

Shorts or pants. I've been running mostly in capri running pants because my legs don't really get cold. My brother still runs in shorts, and I could too, but my shorts are shorter than his shorts and when I factor that in, it's probably not a good idea. Seriously, though, you *can* wear shorts if the temp is around 35 degrees.

Socks. I wear the socks I've been wearing all summer, though thicker and higher socks will work if you need them. My shoes have that mesh panel thing that lets the breeze in, but the only time sock thickness matters is when I step in a puddle unintentionally.

Cell phone. It's a good thing nothing bad happens to me because I don't run with one. I stick around where I live, though that doesn't mean anything when I'm lying on the side of a road with half my body submerged in a snow bank. I rationalize this by realizing I probably won't be able to reach the cell phone if half my body i submerged in a snow bank on the side of the road.

Reflective gear. Probably a good idea. And I'm not talking about the reflectors on your shoes, maybe on your headphones, or possibly on the sides of your running pants, but a reflective vest or jacket. You could buy reflective tape and write, "I DARE YOU" on the back and front of your jacket.

While I have one, I haven't been wearing it. And at night I especially should be wearing it, but I'll have time to think about this if I'm in the hospital with nothing better to think about because I didn't wear my reflective jacket at night. I could at least have worn shorts so my paleness would stand in for the jacket.


6. Motivation:

Something you look forward to after you get back from a run. For me, it's a mug of the aforementioned peppermint hot cocoa topped with mini marshmallows and a cookie or two sometimes. I really get so much pleasure out of that post-running drink that I want to go running no matter what. During the last few miles I count down the minutes to myself, "Just 20, 10, 5 more minutes until cocoa time!" As benign as it is, it works. Find your own cocoa that gets you going and motivates you.

Last, but probably the most important, enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, it won't last, no matter how little or often you run. Notice how the setting sun colors the trees, or the sparkles of the snow. Notice the silence, even if it means turning off your iPod. Don't get locked into a singular state of mind that bypasses why you really continue to run outside in wintry conditions, because you could always run on a treadmill, but there's a reason why we like running outside in the winter. Yes, that's correct, we really do like being outside at this time of year. Go for a nighttime run with other runners to look at the Christmas lights, and leave your watches inside.

Celebrate with cookies and hot cocoa at the end. =)

Hostess Giant Orange Cupcake Birthday Cake

My mom's request for her birthday this year (earlier in November; yes, I'm behind; Happy Thanksgiving!) was for a giant Hostess Orange Cupcake cake.

I settled on a yellow cake recipe from Nick Malgieri, a vanilla pastry cream buttercream, and orange marshmallow fondant to cover the cake. This butter is for the frosting; the butter gets whipped, the pastry cream is slowly added. I liked the frosting, but at room temperature it wasn't as sturdy as a Swiss meringue buttercream, or even a regular buttercream. It did have more of the texture and taste of the vanilla filling the regular snack cakes have, though there's room for improvement.

If you don't like fondant, I urge you to try marshmallow fondant. In fact, I will pester you until you do. Not only is it incredibly simple, but so tasty that you'll want to pinch pieces off and eat it. The bad part is that I broke my hand held mixer because I continued to use it instead of using a giant wooden spoon once I realized it might be too thick. But now you know that it's possible to mix it by hand! At a certain point I began kneading the fondant and it was all really easy. I added the flavoring (orange oil) and food color (orange, obviously) after the marshmallows were melted.

Easy to roll out with a bit of confectioners' sugar to keep the fondant from sticking to the surface. I quickly realized that I should have halved the recipe; even now, a few weeks layer, half of the fondant remains.

And here we are, a giant Hostess Orange Cupcake, complete with the squiggly line across the top.

The cake was a hit, and Mom was very pleased! We decided the coating should probably be an orange white chocolate ganache next time, but none of us picked the marshmallow fondant off the cake.

Happy Birthday!

spinach-poblano pesto sauce

What to make for dinner? An oft-asked question, most likely, and one that sometimes remains unanswered. To answer this question for myself, I asked what I could make with frozen spinach. Yes, frozen. The answer?

Spinach-poblano pepper sauce, using the frozen spinach and a charred poblano pepper I had that was shriveling up. I also added cashews to the mix since I like the taste of cashews in pesto, as I used when I made cilantro pesto.

What I ended up with was an incredibly delicious take on pesto, and made light with the addition of chicken broth (vegetable broth would work) instead of cream, which not only would have made it heavier but tempered the flavors a bit. The flavor from the poblanos was a tad on the spicy side, and you want it that way since you'll mix a bit of pasta water in after you toss the pesto with the pasta.

Green pasta might be a bit disconcerting to some, though no one will have a problem with it once they taste it.

The next time you don't know what to make for dinner, look at what you have and try to think of a simple, creative way to utilize it with anything you have. Not only could this have been used as a sauce, but as a dip for chicken fingers or quesadillas, sandwich spread, or used to fill wonton wrappers, a rub for a roast or a plating sauce served alongside steak, chicken, or fish. As for the pasta, you can easily cook a chicken breast, slice it, and place on top of the pasta, or saute cubed, cooked meat with an onion in some olive oil before adding the pasta and sauce like I did. Want shrimp? that would work. There is more than one way to use this, and it can even be frozen (might want to add a bit of lemon juice if you do) for super easy meals on nights you don't know what to make.

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Print this recipe

spinach-poblano pesto sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

ingredients ~

12 ounces farfalle
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, cooked according to directions, omitting seasoning, drained and pressed
2 poblano peppers, charred on a skillet or under the broiler, peeled, deveined and seeded
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cashews
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
A shake white pepper

optional ingredients ~

Cubed, cooked meat
Raw shrimp
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra

directions ~

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt. When water boils, cook pasta for 2 minutes less than recommended amount of time for al dente (pasta will continue to cook when added to skillet).


2. Meanwhile, place spinach, poblano peppers, garlic cloves, and cashews in a blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper plus around half of the chicken broth. Pulse to combine, using a spatula to scrape down the sides, adding more chicken broth as needed until the mixture is roughly blended together. Slowly stream in olive oil and continue to pulse/blend until the pesto is cohesive. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.


3. For optional ingredients: In a large skillet, heat olive oil medium heat and add the cooked meat and saute until heated thoroughly. For shrimp, time it so the pasta is ready shortly after adding the shrimp to the skillet, as it cooks quickly. Just before the shrimp turns pink, dump in the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Toss both the pasta and meat/fish together, then add pesto and toss to combine thoroughly. Add about 1/2 cup pasta water, and more as needed to thin out the consistency of the sauce to create a smooth texture.


4. Remove skillet from heat. Serve the pasta with a bit of olive oil drizzled on top. For the presentation factor, cook the shrimp separately and place on top, or thin the pesto out with pasta water in the skillet, sans pasta and meat, then drizzle it over cooked pasta.