Ridiculous Shoes and Soup
Earlier today I went for a very, very short run in my shiny new Vibrams. I bought them while up in Duluth with my friend Amy and I am super-excited about them. They look like this. The store I bought them at (Duluth Running Company) had them in all four colors but I thought the red ones looked the nicest. I like red.
Short run: Awesome. My calves are a little twinge-y now but not in a bad way.
I was in Duluth Friday night through yesterday afternoon to do the Harvest Run with my friend Amy. We stayed with her fiance's aunt, who is an incredibly nice person with the most comfortable spare bedroom I've ever slept in. Sleeping there was like sleeping on a soft, appropriately supportive cloud. Even if I did dream mostly about zombies.
The race was great! Only they didn't have a mat at the starting line, which is a first in my (admittedly limited) experience -- the chip-timed races I've done so far have all had mats at both the start and finish. So I don't think my time was quite right. There were 400 runners on a very narrow bike/running trail, so the start was pretty staggered and I know I started a little while after the gun. I wouldn't care except that I really gave it my all in this race and I was sure my time would be better than last weekend's time, and it wasn't. My official time wasn't, anyway. In my heart I am pretty sure I did better and that's encouraging.
Now I am making soup, using a recipe I more or less made up myself. I'm going to share it here and I'll tell you later if it was good or if it sucked!
Experimental Soup
1 butternut squash
3 tablespoons butter
6-8 scallions, finely chopped, or 1 small white or yellow onion finely diced*
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes, diced fairly small (1" or smaller)
1 quart vegetable broth
Pierce the butternut squash all over with a fork or sharp knife and bake for one hour in a 400-degree oven.
While the squash is cooking, slice the scallions or onions and dice the potatoes.
When the squash is done, remove it from the oven. Slice it in half, carefully peel it, and then slice it into small-ish cubes (2" or smaller). In a stockpot, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and seasoning and toss to coat; sweat for 1-2 minutes, then add the potatoes and squash. Stir until fully combined and heated through, then add the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately one hour, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Blend, either in a blender or with an immersion blender, until smooth.
*I used scallions because the onions I had in my fridge had gone rogue and had to be put down. I would probably use both in the future.
The soup turned out not to suck, but it was a little on the bland side. Not bad, though.
Short run: Awesome. My calves are a little twinge-y now but not in a bad way.
I was in Duluth Friday night through yesterday afternoon to do the Harvest Run with my friend Amy. We stayed with her fiance's aunt, who is an incredibly nice person with the most comfortable spare bedroom I've ever slept in. Sleeping there was like sleeping on a soft, appropriately supportive cloud. Even if I did dream mostly about zombies.
The race was great! Only they didn't have a mat at the starting line, which is a first in my (admittedly limited) experience -- the chip-timed races I've done so far have all had mats at both the start and finish. So I don't think my time was quite right. There were 400 runners on a very narrow bike/running trail, so the start was pretty staggered and I know I started a little while after the gun. I wouldn't care except that I really gave it my all in this race and I was sure my time would be better than last weekend's time, and it wasn't. My official time wasn't, anyway. In my heart I am pretty sure I did better and that's encouraging.
Now I am making soup, using a recipe I more or less made up myself. I'm going to share it here and I'll tell you later if it was good or if it sucked!
Experimental Soup
1 butternut squash
3 tablespoons butter
6-8 scallions, finely chopped, or 1 small white or yellow onion finely diced*
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes, diced fairly small (1" or smaller)
1 quart vegetable broth
Pierce the butternut squash all over with a fork or sharp knife and bake for one hour in a 400-degree oven.
While the squash is cooking, slice the scallions or onions and dice the potatoes.
When the squash is done, remove it from the oven. Slice it in half, carefully peel it, and then slice it into small-ish cubes (2" or smaller). In a stockpot, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and seasoning and toss to coat; sweat for 1-2 minutes, then add the potatoes and squash. Stir until fully combined and heated through, then add the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately one hour, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Blend, either in a blender or with an immersion blender, until smooth.
*I used scallions because the onions I had in my fridge had gone rogue and had to be put down. I would probably use both in the future.
The soup turned out not to suck, but it was a little on the bland side. Not bad, though.