the whole nine yards lasagna… was a coin flip, both blogposts work/rock! not one to be shy w/leftovers… #foodforafrigginweek! meat sauce is my most complicated, time involved, meatsaucemakingendeavourever. oxtail and veal are the stars of this show… took hours of low ‘n slow-cooking perfection. puts my awesome lasagna bolognese to shame, it’s THAT good! sheets are Italian (of course), these are the thick-ass ones w/wavy ridges, made from durum wheat semolina (of course, again). five cheeses – don’t ask, and went w/a chianti reserva to seal the deal! mangia tutti!
megamofodeepdishlasagna! now, that’s a blogpost folks!
I have a perfect course, well, it’s 5.85K and I make up the rest at the end – kinda sucks. I’ll be blogging about my 6K progress, and I promise to blog only if I better it! I ran three consecutive days, and was hoping for a sub 30 minute time today… I almost made it sub 29. I have a goal of 26:30, if I get 27 minutes (was running that fast in 2013), I’ll be stoked, but will continue pushing to go faster. It’s good to have goals… funny, as I was running Saturday, a elderly woman yelled out, “reach your goals”, as I was approaching her. I blew past her, and yelled back, “you betcha”! Great getting inspiration from unexpected people/places!
not mine, mine! zucchini and eggplant agnolotti, and mushroom moons (stuffed w/grilled mushrooms and garlic bread crumbs – my fave). all on a tuesday night after a long hard day at work, and after a 6k run… not bad dan, not bad!
Yesterday + today! First time I ran in 13 days… worked 11 of the last 14 days – over 110 hours… good for the pocketbook, not so much for fast times on the pavement. Still getting shortchanged by Garmin, not that it matters (just sayin’), need new satellites tracking me. Times are well off 27 minutes of my old form, but I’ll take them. Actually, feels so good/refreshing using running muscles, even if only on the weekend. Hoping for 2 more good runs next weekend… then the following weekend, I’m off to Vancouver!! I can’t believe it’s almost here… am so stoked, can’t wait!
… so long roger! knew my first ad asking for a yard was too much. reposted yesterday, and today settled for half a yard! better than a kick in the arse, especially knowing no one wants these fecking things!
… shite! wish i snapped a pic of it stuffed into dude’s pontiac aveo, lol!
… oh, and other awesomeness news; today boss says, tomorrow is pizza friday!!
Rich and creamy homemade lentil noodle soup! Served along w/ preservative free Black Forest Ham & Canadian Edam on a COBS bun sandwich! Good, healthy eats on a frigid Canadian winter day!
… I know I was posting last year some ‘o this good stuff … healthier foods/drinks etc., that w/ my running became an integral part of whom I am in the here and now … my, in the grand scheme of things effort becoming a healthier (better too) human if you will! Tiff found the recipe on one of her many foodie sites; is the second time I’ve made it this week. I love salads, especially tasty-good-for-you-salads … chick peas, lentils, radishes … drizzled & tossed w/ a lemon, dill, dijon, garlic, vinaigrette … so mothereffing awesome!!
… 5.94K – 27:04 minutes! I’ll take it – was a great day for a run, blue skies and cool, albeit a bit breezy by the lake for my liking. Don’t know what to make of my runs lately, I don’t necessarily feel strong yet, not like last year … but my pace doesn’t indicate that?! Funny; my final run, saw a strong runner approaching, so I waited and let him pass – allowing him a generous lead, then took off following. Was never my intention to pass, just to keep pace – but surprisingly was quickly on his heels and knowing I’d be stopping shortly, wasn’t about to pass showing him up. BUT he veered off onto a parallel path – THEN, I figured all bets were off – all’s fair in love and running … so I kicked it into high gear for my remaining 400 meters, intentionally giving him a periphery of speedy danzoles, lol!!
Finally showing some speed! And you know how you can’t always tell how fast you’re running? I was well past my road marker waiting for the 5 minute audio cue, and I ran for another 5-10 seconds before it came. My distance was 1.10 kilometers so I decided to push. I knew it’d mean a shorter run, I had to run back home, so it’s still a 5K + run … and, it was freezing cold, so I was happy to be finished!
… I’ve had it for years. It’s an ongoing, anal thing of mine, lol! Starts w/ the best ingredients! I’m partial to mushroom and cheese for fillings … cremini, and anything Swiss is my absolute favourite (and fresh thyme from my garden too – sadly, am still weeks away)! AND, don’t compromise; you MUST use the best/freshest eggs you can get! Whole Foods always fits the bill. Here’s my haul y’all!
Brown Eggs from Hens on Green Grass
organic cremini mushrooms
cave aged Gruyere
hey, don’t forget buying the best bacon
proof of my omelette obsession; a new pan purchase – Zwilling! Zweet!!
will post omelette pics later if photo worthy. if not remiss to snap some I mean, lol!
… 49.1K tracked! Finished with my strongest showing to date, even took time for a running-selfie too! Expecting a high of 11° with full blown sunshine beating down. Perfect day for a Sunday brunch on a patio …
Exactly what I wanted/expected! I almost stopped a million times, but I didn’t … I pushed. I wanted my 8K, I got my 8K. Considering it’s my 1st run of the season, and that I’m about 8 pounds away from optimum running weight, AND, that it’s still mucky, so much debris from the ice-storm littering the sidewalks – felt more like a mud run than anything, lol … I’m very pleased! Yep, right where I wanna be …
This is another one of my famous throw everything in the pot and hope for the best type of creations!! I bought sausages (hot Italian), and used whatever else I had in the house. I’ve been on a chickpeas roll of late, incorporating them in many meals I’ve been making … talk about awesome and healthy!! I grilled the sausages, then combined them w/ sautéed sweet onions, red peppers and kale. After a few minutes of sizzling ‘n flippin’ on high heat, I deglazed w/ white wine, added a bit of chicken broth, tossing in the chick peas, and bringing everthing to a simmer before placing in the oven to finish! Served w/ the obligatory/proverbial Italian crusty peasant loaf to sop up all the goodness, the best cheese you have in the icebox, a glass (or bottle, lol) of red vino, the lights dimmed creating the perfect ambience, Sting, or maybe Annie Lennox, playing softly in the background setting the mood… and yep, dansyermothereffinguncle …
mungia mungia! farmer style mungia mungia …
yum, yum, and YUMMO …
my stingy/meager portion (another blog post/lesson – another time) …
… and, I’ve made many variations, today’s was extra killer! It hit me? I haven’t been food bloggin’ for quite some time. And, knowing it’s cyclical (people come, people go), it made me realize many newcomers to danistrulytheman don’t have a clue about me, especially when it comes to my cooking skills. I really have neglected this part of me, my blog … and I also realize, no one can be bothered to peruse a blog that extends 4 years+ back, just want you newcomers to know, I do have exceptional (Italian) cooking skills. So much, that lately, things I see on other blogs that would make me cringe, now elicits a friendly “like” … lol! I could go on ad nauseam about it … in fact, I MAY have previously. I kept it basic for today … I think that’s been my problem of late; too lazy … can’t be bothered to teach y’all! typically, I use minced veal, today my market had gorgeous beef (cheaper too) … was an easy decision. normally, I put my tomatoes (San Marzano) through a food mill, but at a dinner party once, a non-foodie commented that she used an immersion blender … her thinking was that any tomato skins/seeds contained nutrients, and she didn’t want to waste any of it. I’ll never forgot her words, and it made me rethink my method, and to this day, I use her approach. BUT, today pressed for time, went sans blender, dumping the cans into the browned meat, breaking up the tomatoes with my wooden spoon … pulling out any obvious tomato skins. here’s a pic of my bolognese (chunky) simmering …
and here’s my pasta boiling away. notice the high boil? plus, I don’t use ANYTHING but pasta from Italy (sorry, another topic, for another day). when the water comes to a boil, I dump in about 5 tablespoons of salt; the pasta water should taste like the ocean ( again, another day – oh, and kosher/sea salt too).
and, finally plated … my bolognese linguine piccolo w/Romano Lupa and OMG’s focaccia. and, please believe me; this pic doesn’t even begin to give the meal justice – it WAS more awesome than you can imagine!
danistrulytheman 