9 degrees, feels like 5.

You may have heard of the ridiculous snowstorm that's been going across the Midwest the past few days. It's definitely put a stop to running since I don't have access to a treadmill, so I got some running in on Monday and Tuesday. Not really much, but my plan is to go back out tomorrow and Saturday or Sunday, finishing the week with 20 miles.

When it comes to training for races I've always kept a loose schedule. In my mind. This kind of helps the bit of me that's type-A keep from becoming overwhelmed with sticking to a schedule even if it's not working, though lately its been more of an excuse to slack off. I don't get to the track much and somehow that translates to not running many tempo runs, either, two things I need to change. Perhaps over the next week I'll figure out a plan for a half marathon that will help me focus better on training.

Concerning the half, I am contemplating running the Holy Half at Notre Dame. I had a great time last year as the weather was wonderful (for April) and the course relatively flat. My time was better than I expected so it left a good impression. Seeing people run in costumes was pretty funny, too, especially when Scooby Doo and someone else sprinted at the beginning and ended up fading into the back of the pack. The Waldo group did well, though! If not here, there's a May half I am considering, but it depends on what the weather decides for April. I've also decided to run the half at Sunburst this year. I've wanted to for a long time but was never in a position to do it, thanks to poor training preparation and also because I never made up my mind soon enough. I have until the end of March to register with early sign up!

My main issue last year was that I started off the year running strong, but didn't reign myself in. I'm not entirely sure what all happened, but over-training was most likely the biggest factor. I will make sure to keep that from happening this year.

How's running going for you guys? Are you dealing with the snow, or are weather conditions good? Any special races coming up?

banana buttermilk pancakes with caramelize cinnamon walnuts

I posted about banana pancakes a long time ago but didn't include the recipe. Thanks to a recent reader request I'm finally blogging about the them again, this time with the recipe.

My mom created this recipe ages ago when she decided she didn't like traditional recipes. What makes these unique to your standard buttermilk pancake is that the fat isn't melted and mixed in with the wet ingredients, it's cut into the dry ingredients like you would for biscuits. This isn't to make flaky pancakes since the fat to four ratio isn't high enough, and because there's a higher liquid ratio, it's to create a fluffy and high rising pancake.

We kept making alterations to the master recipe until we got it how we wanted. With a bit of sugar, a combination of baking powder and baking soda, shortening, buttermilk and an egg, you'll have everything on hand to whip these up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The rules for pancakes are the same for any other quick bread in that you don't want to over mix the batter after you've added the liquids to the dry. The batter should be mostly mixed with possibly a few streaks of flour, but lumps will always remain. Don't worry about it. If you mix to the point of a completely smooth consistency you'll over work the dough, over develop the gluten, and the texture will be wrong.

After mixing the batter up, let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

I enhanced the recipe a little by adding caramelized cinnamon walnuts. It doesn't take very long to make and adds a great taste and crunch to the pancakes. Toast walnuts for 5-7 minutes in a skillet then add butter. When it's melted, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and cook for another minute. Turn out onto a sheet of wax paper to cool and harden before coarsely chopping and adding to the flour mixture.

Each pancake is topped with five thinly sliced banana slices. alternatively, you can slice two bananas into small chunks and stir into the batter. They might turn brown, so add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the liquids if you do this.

The saying goes that the first pancake is always trashed. Well, it's a lie. If you properly heat the skillet up and spray with a light mist of cooking spray, you won't find yourself tossing the pancake out.

I don't often pay attention to cooking time with pancakes because they kind of show you when they're ready to flip. As you can see in the top right picture, the surface is beginning to erupt with bubbles and the edges are still raw. This is when you want to flip it. If the surface of the pancake looks dry, it won't rise as high after the flip.

Whatever you do, DO. NOT. PRESS. THE. PANCAKE. DOWN. WITH. A. SPATULA.

That's all there is to make delicious pancakes with a special twist to surprise your family this weekend.

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Print this recipe

banana buttermilk pancakes with caramelized cinnamon walnuts
Recipe by my mom and Christina Provo

ingredients -

1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup shortening (or butter, if you prefer)
2 cups buttermilk (I used half yogurt, half milk)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
Cooking spray
2-3 bananas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Additional butter
Syrup

directions -

1. In a skillet over medium heat, toast walnuts until beginning to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter to skillet and toss with walnuts until melted. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon; continue to stir with a spatula, coating walnuts, for 1 minute. Remove onto a sheet of wax paper. When cool, coarsely chop.


2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening until flour resembles wet sand. Stir in chopped walnuts. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Pour into bowl with flour and stir just until combined. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.


3. Heat 2 skillets on medium. Spray surface lightly with cooking spray. Using a ladle, scoop no more than 1/2 cup batter per pancake onto center of skillet, spreading a little to create an even pancake. Top with 5 slices of banana. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface (some will burst). Using a thin spatula, carefully flip pancakes and continue cooking for another minute. Place on plate, banana side up. Continue cooking pancakes in this manner.


4. Serve with butter and syrup. Batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days in a covered container.

orange buttermilk scones with orange glaze

What better way to start a weekend breakfast off than with fresh scones? I've always favored scones as a classy breakfast pastry that can be prepared in under an hour (great for when you feel lazy!).

What I look for in a scone is a stand-alone pastry that doesn't need butter and jam. This means they have to be sweeter than a biscuit -- really, do you want to be eating a scone and think, "Hey, these would go great with a bowl of chili!" No. So I tend to favor scones that are on the sweeter side. A glaze is optional as long as it enhances the scone without taking it from pleasantly sweet to tooth-aching.

A quick bread means all the dry ingredients are mixed together before the liquid is added. The butter is cut into the flour mixture, helping the scone develop its flaky texture. I grated the butter and placed it in the freezer as I prepped the remaining ingredients.

Since the original recipe called for cream and not buttermilk, I replaced a 1/2 teaspoon baking powder with baking soda to help with the acidity. Also, I didn't have buttermilk. Instead of souring milk with a tablespoon of vinegar, which I find has a thinner consistency than buttermilk, I used a yogurt-milk mixture. It's made up of a 2:1 ratio of yogurt to milk, so 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup whole milk. This makes an excellent substitute for buttermilk.

Edited to add: I've since been using a 1:1 ratio of yogurt to milk and find that it's not quite as thick as the 2:1 ratio but works just as well.

Use a light hand when mixing any type of quick bread, and especially biscuits and scones. Over-mixing over-develops the gluten and produces a tough pastry. Mix just until a dough comes together, then turn out on a lightly floured surface to pat down. I patted the dough into a rectangle instead of a circle and cut 12 scones instead of 8.

The glaze is just a mixture of confectioners' sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a pinch of salt. This didn't a thick icing, so if you want it thicker just add more sugar.

These scones baked up into a one of the best I've ever made. The texture was light, fluffy and flaky, and the outside had a nice crunch. The orange flavor came through wonderfully and was enhanced by the glaze. I liked the bright flavor. These would be perfect as miniature scones for a brunch or breakfast party.

The changes I made to the original recipe were to add the orange zest to the flour mixture. When mixed together, this helps the zest release oils, giving the scone more flavor. Since I opted to make 4 more scones than the original recipe, I had to pat the dough out a bit more, making the scones smaller in height than what they would have been. You could try patting out to 1 1/2 inches (a square, not a circle) and simply slice more than eight scones, but I didn't go for that. Otherwise, the height would have been incredible. Other than the glaze, I didn't differ much from the recipe except using buttermilk over cream.

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orange buttermilk scones with orange glaze
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.com

Yields 12 scones

ingredients -

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, grated and frozen
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup buttermilk, or 1/2 cup yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

glaze ingredients -

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

directions -

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder and soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in grated butter until mixture resembles wet sand.


2. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture and mix just until combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1/2 inch rectangle. Cut out 12 triangles and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the scones are a delectable golden brown.


3. While the scones bake, prepare the glaze. Mix confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and salt together to form a glaze. If you prefer a thicker consistency, add 1/2 cup more sugar and 1/2 a tablespoon to a tablespoon of extra juice.


4. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let scones cool for 3 minutes before glazing. Put scones on cooling rack and place the rack on top of the baking sheet. This will help catch the glaze that drips down and minimizes a mess. Portion glaze out evenly amongst scones and spread with the back of a spoon. Serve with tea and enjoy.