Weekly Running Summary

Yesterday wrapped up another week of running. It went smoothly, for the most part, and I got in 16.5 miles. The .5 was due to an unintended longer run because I misjudged the route distance.

Usually, I don't wear my my heart rate monitor. I had some trouble with rather high heart rates earlier this summer, which I thought was due to the heat and stuff. So I wore it yesterday, and kept an average pace of 10:03 for 4 miles. What was odd is that it climbed up to 177 during the third and fourth mile. A ten minute mile pace should be relatively easy for me, so I don't know what to make of it.

This week, I plan to add .5 miles to two of my runs, and I'll run those at a ten minute pace. The other two runs can be a little faster, like today's run ended up being. I'm just gradually increasing distance to hopefully get up to 25ish by December. If this week goes alright, I'll add another half mile on to one of the longer runs, and keep everything else the same.

For today's run, it was a little windy. That's what happens when you tear down trees for cornfields, one of the midwest's finest achievement. If you can't tell, I hate the midwest.

Splits:

4.10, 40:07


Mile 1 - 10.19:

Sometimes, the first mile feels decent. Other times, it takes me a while to feel like I'm moving fluidly. Today was one of those other times.

Mile 2 - 9:52:

I slowly sped up. My breathing started feeling a little labored, and I was developing a side stitch.

Mile 3 - 9:34:

The wind was against me, and I kind of wanted to get it over with, so I didn't fight the pace as I sped up. The side stitch was in full swing by 2.5. I continued breathing deeply and it seemed t help.

Mile 4 - 9:23:

I sped up quite a bit this mile. It felt alright, but I wasn't feeling very comfortable because I'm not used to running fast anymore (not that 9s were ever fast for me, but it's all relative).

A promising start to the week that ended with a slightly bloodied toenail. I am enjoying a cup of hot tea with lemon, since windy runs usually make me feel queasy. Tomorrow is a rest day and though I run on Wednesday, I likely won't update with another running post until Friday.

Hope you guys are off to a great week!

Liege Waffles

A very long time ago, I bought a box of pearl sugar at a local gourmet store. I had made Liege waffles once before, but that time I just used granulated sugar. Only now did I get around to making them.

What is a Liege waffle, you ask, and why do you need special sugar? I will tell you that a Liege waffle, popular street vendor fare in Belgium and other countries, is a type of enriched yeast waffle made with butter, eggs, and milk. How these differ from standard waffles is the pearl sugar, which is mixed in after the dough has risen. This technique keeps the sugar from combining with the dough, which it would if it was added earlier. As the waffles cook, the sugar exposed to the hot iron is caramelized, while the rest of the sugar remains whole, lending sugary crunch to the waffle.

So I found myself, on a rainy, dreary Sunday, putting together the dough for Liege waffles. I used the recipe from the back of the box. It was a little vague, so I used my own technique (not one I actually created), and the only modifications made were to use a stick less butter and add lemon zest.

After the yeast is proofed in lukewarm milk, it is added to the flour along with beaten eggs. The mixture was really shaggy and wasn't smooth, but once I kneaded in the softened butter, the texture changed dramatically. Once all the butter was kneaded and the dough came together, I stopped and let it rise for a brief 30 minutes. I probably didn't knead it for 10 minutes, though I didn't feel it was necessary in this instance.

Once the dough has risen, the pearl sugar is kneaded in. The recipe called for the entire bag, but I felt that ended up being a little excessive. I had a bit of difficulty getting the sugar thoroughly mixed because there was so much of it. Next time, I would try it with just half a bag and see if it yielded good results.

When the sugar is mixed in, the dough gets portioned into 3 ounce pieces. I got exactly 13 dough balls out of this batch. There is no second rising, so now is the time to heat up the waffle iron while you do this.

Now. My waffle iron is a very basic, nonstick machine. It has no brownness setting or timer, save for the green light that turns on and off when a waffle is supposedly done. Because of this, I timed the waffles manually, cooking them for 4-5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. You don't want to overcook the waffles, lest the sugar cool to be rock hard. At the same time, you want the inside of the waffles to cook. To note, I didn't close the waffle iron completely to allow for the waffles to expand. I was able to barely latch the hinge without letting it flap open.

Did that even make any sense?

And there you have it. With these waffles, you don't need syrup. However, they'd be good with hot fudge, ice cream, jam, or whipped cream. I really liked them, and they're a lovely treat.

The only downside is the cleanup. I wet a double layer of paper towels and put it inside the waffle iron, closing down. This released some of the sticky, caramelized sugar. After that, I ironed bread slices, which seemed to work better than the paper towels. Since it wasn't quite cleaned, I let it cool completely (after unplugging the machine) and got to work wiping between the grates. Now I remember why it took me so long to make them.

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Print this recipe

Liege Waffles
Recipe by Lars' Own, modified by myself

Makes 12-13 waffles

Ingredients -

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of one lemon
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (I used instant)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick unsalted, softened butter, diced into half inch pieces
1 bag Lars' Own Belgian Pearl Sugar (I would probably use less next time)

Directions -

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk and let proof for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is bubbly. Add the yeast mixture and the eggs to the flour, mixing with your hand until a shaggy dough forms. Working with half of the butter, knead it into the dough. The dough might fall apart before it comes back together. Once a cohesive dough is formed, repeat the process with the remaining butter. Knead for 1 minute. Cover with a damp cotton dish towel or plastic wrap; let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.


2. Preheat waffle iron. Add Belgian Pearl Sugar, kneading just until combined. Portion dough into 3 ounce balls and place on a baking sheet. When waffle iron has heated, cook the waffles for 4-5 minutes. Carefully remove from the iron and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before eating (the caramelized sugar will be very hot).

Serving Suggestions
In Belgium, sugar waffles are eaten at any time of the day - breakfast, coffee breaks, or dessert. Sugar waffles taste great and remain crispy either cold or warm. Serve plain or drizzle with warm melted chocolate or caramel. Also try them with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Marzetti Simply Dressed Salad Dressing

I usually make my own salad dressings. It's easier to control what goes in it, and you can adjust the flavors to your own preference. When I saw that Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressings were being offered to review by Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I decided to give it a try. The reason why I was curious was because Simply Dressed is all natural, made with real cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and no additives (save for xanthan gum and cultured whey).

The flavor is really tasty, without an overwhelming, heavy blue cheese. The texture is thick, but not too globby. Mixing this dressing with roasted garlic would make it taste even better. They have a decent selection of flavors, like Greek Feta, Champagne, and Ginger Sesame, so if you're ever in need of a natural, flavorful store bought dressing, Marzetti is a good brand to try.

I made a simple layered salad that I topped with the dressing for dinner last night. Two different lettuces were chopped and layered with sliced bell peppers, chopped chicken, black olives, and then the dressing. The salad was covered and refrigerated for an hour.

I'm not entirely sure what the point of a layered salad is since it all gets tossed together, but I think it's made in such a way so that the lettuce stays crisp while the ingredients are chilled. Usually, the lettuce starts to wilt once it's coated in dressing, though that usually only happens at room temperature. It's nice to be able to make a salad in advance.