Spaghetti Squash – the Fun Vegetable

On October 29, 2014October 29, 2014 By DGThomaIn Food, WritingLeave a comment

“Spaghetti squash is a slightly oblong variety of winter squash. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti.”

Spaghetti squash defined courtesy of Wikipedia. It’s the “strands like spaghetti” that make it fun!

The first time I was introduced to spaghetti squash was about 30 years ago. My dad, who loves to garden, was intrigued enough by the concept to pick up some seeds and plant them alongside his zucchini. Like most things my dad grows, the spaghetti squash flourished.

Having no idea how to prepare spaghetti squash, I stuck it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes and starting poking it with a fork every 15 minutes or so until it was somewhat tender. We didn’t cut it in half until it was finished cooking.

Once we cut it, we scraped and discarded the seeds. My kids had a blast shredding the inside. However, shredding it was more fun than eating it. The flavor of a spaghetti squash is pretty bland and my preparation didn’t include any seasoning.

Now when I make spaghetti squash for dinner there is no comparison to the version I served 30 years ago. I like to cook the spaghetti squash a day or so in advance and store it in the refrigerator until I need it.

My “recipe” follows but I have to say, on this one, I don’t worry about exact measurements.

Slice a medium size squash in half and place the squash cut down side down in a baking dish. Add water to about one inch over the side of the squash and bake at 450° about 20 minutes, You should be able to pierce the skin with a fork relatively easily when done.

When the squash is cooked, scoop out the seeds and refrigerate if you plan on using it later.

Instruction for preparing:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet. I prefer coconut oil. Saute ½ of an onion chopped for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in a clove of garlic. While the onion and garlic are cooking, pull the squash from the fridge and use a fork to scrape the flesh into a bowl.

Stir the squash and a cup of tomatoes into the onions and garlic to warm them. Remove the mixture from the skillet, add ¼ cup of black olives and ¾ cup of feta cheese tossing lightly. Fresh basil leaves add a nice flavor if you have any on hand.

Delicious! For our meal, I paired it with some freshly baked sweet potato fries, lentils and a quinoa vegetable medley for a wonderfully fresh meal.

Cheerios and Shoelaces

On October 22, 2014December 14, 2014 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

For several years, the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco had been an elusive goal. It was on my “to do” list, but it seemed something always interfered. Either my training schedule was off or the timing of the race kept me from being able to participate.

After all who wouldn’t want a medal from Tiffany!

When I decided that I would take the time to train and would definitely run in 2008 I discovered the only way for me to participate was through a lottery.

Although I didn’t believe I would make it in, I decided to register and take my chances with the lottery. I immediately started soliciting family and friends to participate with me. My first call was to my daughter, who was in law school. I convinced her to train with me so we could submit for the lottery as a team. I soon had enlisted my sister and my son’s girlfriend as well. Of course the unexpected happened and our team was selected in the lottery! Now I was forced to train!

I was determined to stick to my training program. I am notorious for getting pulled off my training schedule by daily demands. As a result, when I went to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Tulsa, OK, I made sure to pack both my running bag and my commitment.

Tulsa has a very nice running trail not too far from my daughter’s apartment. I got up early on Saturday morning, and created one of my favorite running snacks, (Cheerios, pecans, dried fruit and bits of a bagel). Since I managed to forget my SPIbelt (a stretchy fabric pouch on a belt), I pinned a baggie to the back of my shorts and my husband and I set off for a quick 8 mile run. I chose to run out 4 miles and back and my husband soon left me behind as I settled in at a comfortable pace.

At about mile three, my shoelaces began to loosen and for some reason, they were hitting against the back of my legs. Frustrated, I stopped, retied my shoes and took off again. My new shoes had particularly long shoestrings and soon I could feel them blowing against the back of my legs again. Checking the shoes, I discovered the laces seemed fine. Puzzled, I finished my run.

As I waited for my husband to meet me I reached for my snack, only to discover the baggie was empty. Apparently, friction had worn a hole in the plastic and the snack mix had slowly dropped through until the bag was empty! It turns out it wasn’t the shoelaces hitting my leg, it was the snack mix. I wondered why everyone I passed had such big smiles! My husband confirmed that fact, when he said he followed the trail of Cheerios and pecans to find me.

I Remember…

On October 15, 2014October 15, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Writing1 Comment

Several years ago, I completed a writing exercise that began with the prompt “I remember when”. Looking back through my notes, I decided to reinvent it as a blog post, if possible. Working with one of the thoughts, the result is this week’s post.

I remember when yesterday was today. I remember climbing a tree and my older brother scolding me and insisting I come down. I remember tagging along after my brother and his friends. He was only 18 months older but always acted like he was in charge.

I also remember how he begged me to pitch to him so he could practice his batting. Terrified of being hit, I refused. After numerous pleadings and promises that he wouldn’t hit the ball at me, I finally acquiesced. I must be an amazing pitcher. I threw the ball over our makeshift home plate and my brother swung. I heard the ball hit the wooden bat as the bat and ball connected. Instinctively, I ducked, covered my head with my arms and felt the ball sail over my head.

Shocked, my brother dropped the bat and ran toward me. After making sure the ball didn’t hit me, he grinned and said, “That would have been a home run!” I wasn’t as impressed with his batting as he was. Although I never pitched to him again, in retrospect, I’m sure it was the pitch that was truly impressive!

Growing up, my brother and I were very close at least from my perspective. To him I was probably an annoyance and a pest. To his credit, he never actually said as much.

When we were in high school, I backed into his car, breaking both his headlights. At 16, I was terrified to tell him, but I knew I would have to face it. I went to find him and let him know what I had done. I expected his temper to flair but was pleasantly surprised with his response. He walked to his car, looked at the lights and grinned. Shaking his head, he simply said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” I remember being immensely relieved!

Not all memories regarding my brother are happy ones. Years after the batting incident, I recall a memory I will never forget. My plane landed in Washington DC and I turned my phone on to listen to messages. Returning my calls, I discovered my brother had been diagnosed with cancer. For several years he fought a tough battle valiantly before losing the fight.

But I don’t choose to remember those years. When I think about my brother, I remember climbing trees, pitching baseballs and long talks. Those are indeed very good memories.

Cows and Bananas

On October 11, 2014October 11, 2014 By DGThomaIn Animal Stories, Family, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing2 Comments

I live in a somewhat rural area of a large Texas metropolis. On any given day, my visual experiences may include a view of farm animals at a doughnut shop or someone whose complete attire consists of a thong and stiletto’s walking down a major downtown street.

This week, on my way home from work, I had the pleasure of seeing a banana riding a bicycle. Yes, it was really an individual wearing a yellow banana costume while riding his bike but even that takes a fair amount of talent.

That smile invoking moment was followed about half an hour later by a cow chasing a calf chasing a family of deer. And no, sadly I didn’t get pictures of either of these.

When we turned off the highway, the traffic noise immediately fell away and the home trees came into view.

As we neared the turn to our house, I realized the pond which had been bone dry was now filled, thanks to our feast of recent rain showers. Thinking happy thoughts, I suddenly noticed a calf sprinting, (yes sprinting) along the fence line headed in the general direction of the pond. The calf was followed by his mother (I can only assume) lumbering after him at something close to a sprint. Thinking they thought we were coming to feed them, my husband and I were startled when a family of deer, burst out of the trees along the fence line and sprinted across the road in front of our car. No one was harmed and all made it home safely.

I know I am easily entertained, but I love living where I get to experience such a diversity of entertainment. It mostly makes up for the lack of cable and the faltering internet service.

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon – Part 2

On October 8, 2014November 17, 2014 By DGThomaIn Family, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

The Seattle marathon started June 21, 2014 at 7:00 AM sharp on a cool Saturday morning. After grabbing coffee and a bagel from our hotel, we walked the few blocks to the start line. The temperature was in the low 60’s; perfect running weather for me.

As I waited outside the portable toilets, commonly known as Port-a-Potties, I met a fellow runner from Seattle. We visited and spent about 15 minutes discussing the best angle to take a picture of the space needle when you are directly below it. As we said goodbye and left to find our corrals, she asked where I lived. I responded, “Texas.” Laughing she said, “I could tell you weren’t local, you have a strong accent.” I laughed too and said, “I was just about to say I knew you were local because you have an accent!” Smiling, we both headed to our corrals where we lined up with more than 14,500 eager athletes.

One of my favorite parts of running a marathon is meeting new people and making new friends. After you’ve run a few marathons, you start seeing familiar faces.

Lining up in Seattle, I stood near a group of Team and Training (TNT) participants from the San Francisco area. TNT is an organization, that in exchange for training and support, you raise money towards cures for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. As an alumni participant I am always watching for the bright purple shirts. Participants are always so upbeat and energetic.

The starting gun sounded at 7:00 AM and the first wave of runners were off. Since I was in a corral several blocks from the start line, my start was about 30 minutes after the elite lead runners.

My plan was to run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute, a method developed by Jeff Galloway. I finally made it to the start line, and John Bingham, also known as the Penguin, started us on our way after announcing this would be his farewell tour. He is a champion of the non-elite runners. I set my Garmin (watch) on intervals and pushed the start button. I was officially off! I was able to maintain the 4:1 ratio for the first 18 or so miles and still felt reasonably okay.

At about mile three, I met more TNT runners from Texas. There were two ladies from San Antonio, whose name I didn’t get. Then I met Tom from Dallas. Tom was run/walking for Team in Training and on the out and back paths where we passed each other, Tom would call out to me “Go Texas!”

The course took us down Ranier Ave and through Seward Park both offering a beautiful view of Mount Ranier. By the time I hit mile 15 it was starting to warm up significantly.

At mile 20 when I was starting to wonder if I had enough cash for a taxi, Tom spotted me again and yelled, “Go Texas!” so I did.

I finished about 45 minutes after my husband based on time, but since he started almost 20 minutes before me, he had quite a wait for me to finish. Still moving forward, I crossed the finish line much faster than I had expected. I was thrilled to have the finishers’ medal placed around my neck and a cold bottle of chocolate milk to drink. I wanted food and rest, in that order! Marathon number 16 was done.

Finisher’s medal

We were too tired to participate in the post marathon festivities, so we opted for a bath, a nice meal and pajamas for the evening.

On Sunday, we scheduled a tour of the Pike Place Market. The tour started at 10:00 AM. We booked the tour through Public Market Tours. We walked about 12 blocks to meet our tour guide so we could stretch our muscles after the run on Saturday. We were a few minutes early and went for coffee while we waited. We skipped the line at the “original” Starbucks and ducked into Tully’s for a delicious cup of coffee. We were the only two signed up, so we had a personalized tour. I won’t spoil the tour for you in case you ever make it to Seattle, but it was a great guided tour with a lot of historical information and laughter. It was just what we were looking for and the highlight of my day. I even managed to view the gum wall without getting too grossed out!

We ate lunch at Maximilien which sits in the heart of downtown Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Maximilien is a charming restaurant located with a view of Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, West Seattle & the Olympic Mountain.

Before heading back to our hotel, we visited the Lionheart Bookstore, located in Pikes Market. The owner likes to respond to questions by singing his answers. He told us he wasn’t just an owner but was the sixth custodian of the bookstore.

I love bookstores and Lionheart did not disappoint. We wandered in and out of the shops of Pike Place market exploring the shops at each level. In the afternoon we headed back toward our hotel, tackling the steep hills leading away from Pike Place Market.

We stopped in at Cherry Street Coffee House where I had a piece of Ginger Peach, Gluten free bread with a Coffee Latte. It was a lovely treat!

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When we reached our hotel, we put our feet up, and snacked on some fresh cherries we purchased at the Market.

All in all it was a wonderful trip!

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon – Part 1

On October 1, 2014 By DGThomaIn Musings, Travel, Writing1 Comment

A lot of people think running marathons is absolutely crazy and some days I agree.
Other days, it keeps me sane. My husband and I normally run one or two marathons a
year. I may run or I may walk, but there is something about completing a 26.2
mile course that makes me think I can do anything.

However, my dedication to running this past year has been almost nonexistent. I was
sidelined with some health issues for a while and had difficulty regaining my motivation to restart my training.

Nevertheless, when my husband suggested we should run the Seattle Rock and Roll
Marathon in June, I decided to give it a shot. Seattle would be
marathon number 16 for me and the first for Washington State. I was hoping
registering to run 26.2 miles would motivate me and maybe it did, just a bit. We
registered for the marathon, made flight arrangements and reserved our hotel. The big “C”, (commitment) did get me out of bed on weekends. I managed to get in some runs with
my running group and even a few runs on the treadmill.

Finally marathon weekend arrived and we headed to the airport for our evening flight. The marathon was scheduled for Saturday, but we were hoping to maximize our relaxation time and minimize any last minute stress by leaving on Thursday.

Our trip started out a little rocky. When we pulled up to our regular car park, we were stopped at the gate by a very nice young man. “Reservation?” he asked. Of course we didn’t make a reservation. In response to our “No”, he replied, “Sorry, we are completely full.” Well, a bump in the road, but nothing major, right? We headed for the airport in search of terminal parking. Still on schedule, we arrived at the airport and discovered that due to construction, all parking was full except the overflow parking lot. Off we went to find a space in overflow parking which was out in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, we were able to find (uncovered) parking quickly, catch a bus back to the terminal, and finally make it through security.

Knowing we would arrive late in Seattle, we grabbed some food and made it to our gate with a little time to spare. Hoping the rest of the trip would be uneventful, we boarded on time and with the exception of the crazy lady on the plane (but that’s another story! Planes, misgivings and singing), we had a pleasant trip.

When we landed we exited the plane, made our way through the chaos of airport security and retrieved our luggage. Discovering our hotel didn’t provide a shuttle, we opted to rent a car. Dragging our bags behind us, we followed the rental car signs to reach the rental counter and negotiated a vehicle. Finally, worn out, we headed to our hotel.

Checking into our hotel turned out to be the best part of the day. It was late when we arrived, but the night manager was awesome. He was already working with a guest, so there was a small wait to check in. It was almost midnight, but the manager was upbeat, smiling and apologetic, even though the wait was only a few extra minutes. We even scored free parking!

The hotel was a suite with two bedrooms, a kitchenette and a separate living room area. Much more space than we needed, but staying there for four days was wonderful. The Space Needle was one block from our hotel and could be seen from the window. Everything we needed was within walking distance. Seattle Space Needle

After a great night’s sleep, Friday morning, we headed to the Seattle Health & Fitness Expo. The expo was a huge market where exhibitors offer free samples, showcase the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health & nutritional information and more. We walked a block to the Seattle Center Monorail station and rode the monorail to Westlake Center where we caught a bus to Century Field Event Center for packet pickup. (shirts, race bibs, timing chip, etc.).

We spent several hours wandering around the expo before leaving a few dollars lighter, juggling our packets and multiple purchases. Weary and hungry we went in search of lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax and prepare for our early morning event on Saturday. More on the Seattle trip next post……..