Monday, December 28, 2009

Come... and Gone

Well these last 2 weeks have probably gone by faster than any 2 weeks in my entire life.

Week #1- I can make it through!

I was still in school and I happened to have two lovely teachers who put exams on the last Thursday and Friday before Christmas break. So that week was spent studying... a lot. We were also training pretty hard because the following week was oyo training so Patrick wanted to get in a good block before the rest. I believe the one Saturday of training consisted of 3 workouts and I started at 6 on deck for a swim- half hour break- strength/weights-15minute break-3 hour ride= 6 hours of basically non-stop work! It was good though! Having the feeling that your body is just so unbelievably tired and every muscle is sore in the "I've worked extremely hard" way is a perfect feeling to start some time off; it feels more deserved.

Week #2- Oyo training and xmas!!

Started the week off with a day of no training, watching movies and eating a lot of popcorn...really cannot complain!! The days leading up to the 23rd consisted of last minute shopping for everyone and a single workout of some kind (no running!). Went to Vancouver for Christmas Eve and had yummy sushi! Christmas morning was slow and relaxed. I believe my family (10) finished opening presents around 1pm and had brekky around 2pm! That's what I call a lazy day!!
*Best Present- A beautiful necklace from Matt. It has a little pink world and binoculars, so when I’m travelling ill always have good luck from him- very thoughtful!

Wear a helmet.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Calling All Chocoholics!

So this past week has been busy with school and some great training! We have managed to do road rides the last two weekends which has been great because I am not the biggest cross fan!:) The weather is starting to get pretty chilly, but I guess compared to the rest of Canada I can’t complain. We have the NTC Christmas dinner party tomorrow night at Kirsten’s house. It’s a formal, turkey dinner where everyone is going to pitch in and bring family dishes and desserts and come dressed in their best! (Pictures will follow in the next post!) Last year our team party landed on the Saturday night of the first snowfall...and according to the weatherman history could repeat itself! Looking forward to a great night! I am contributing tomorrow with a dessert of the bestest chocolate cookies ever....and anyone who knows me well is aware that when I am talking about chocolate it’s serious! This is not the healthiest recipe, actually far from, but we’ll work it off later! I thought I would share the recipe that Gaby so generously shared with me!

Super Gooey Chocolate Drops

Ingredients: •
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
-4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (4 Baker’s Chocolate squares)
-4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (4 Baker’s Chocolate squares)
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-4 large eggs
-2 tablespoons buttermilk ( I used regular milk)
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I personally put in a little extra)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-11 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks (1 bag) (I do ½ bought chunks and ½ regular chocolate chips)

Directions:


1. Preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats.

2. Put the butter and the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt for about 45 seconds. Stir and heat again until melted.

3. Stir the light brown and granulated sugars, and vanilla into the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat vigorously until thick and glossy.

4. In another bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. (Try not to eat half the batter before it goes onto the sheets)!

5. Drop the batter in heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets--a small ice cream scoop is ideal for this. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies set but are soft and fudgy on the inside, 12 to 15 minutes.

6. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve. Or wait about 2 minutes and pull one apart and see the melted chocolate chunks and then eat it!!

-wear a helmet