Last weekend I ran my first road race in about 3 and a half years. Not only was this my first race in quite some time, but it was also the first race I’ve competed in since moving here to the Great White North. During my previous life as a desk jockey in sunny Sacramento, I spent a lot of my free time training and racing. But with the wacky schedule we’ve been living since the day we arrived here, I had quickly given up any hope of being able to wake up early enough to make an 8am race start, let alone find enough time to properly train for an event. It actually took a morning spent watching Chris compete as a last-minute member of a triathlon relay team to realize that, while I certainly won’t be able to compete the way I used to, I can certainly squeeze in an event or two during the racing season. Not being one to waste any time, I signed myself up for a 14K the morning after Chris’s race. Six weeks later I crossed the finish line faster than expected and with a huge smile on my face. It feels so good to be back! (more…)
All posts in category Dessert
Off to the Races Again (Tropical Smoothie Recipe)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on September 30, 2013
https://aforkinhand.com/2013/09/30/off-to-the-races-again-tropical-smoothie-recipe/
Summer Lovin’ (Grilled Fruit Crisp Recipe)
This right here, this is summer. A crazy simple fruit crisp cooked outdoors on the grill. Ideally it should be eaten outside, either for dessert or for breakfast, and you should be wearing a sundress or shorts or a swimsuit while you eat. You should devour the entire thing yourself without a bit of guilt, or share it with someone you love straight out of the baking dish. You should top it with a little yogurt, or maybe a little ice cream. You should savor every last drop of sweet, juicy fruit with a smile on your face and the warm sun on your skin. Because this is summer. (more…)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on July 16, 2013
https://aforkinhand.com/2013/07/16/summer-lovin-grilled-fruit-crisp-recipe/
Belgian Ale Wishes and Cupcake Dreams (Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe)
I insist on baking a cake for each of the birthdays in our household. I usually make something in the banana bread genre for Zoey, something ridiculously chocolate for myself, and carrot cake for Chris. With Chris’s birthday coming up, I was all set to try out a new carrot cake recipe when I realized we would be spending his special day camping and it would be quite a feat to get his usual multi-tiered, cream cheese frosted birthday confection from our house to the campsite in one piece. I suppose I could have taken the easy way out and served his birthday cake the night before his actual birthday, but that’s just not my style (i.e., I like to make things more difficult than they need to be). Instead, I drew some inspiration from birthdays past (way past) for the most easily portable and shareable birthday cake of all – the cupcake! (more…)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on June 7, 2013
https://aforkinhand.com/2013/06/07/belgian-ale-wishes-and-cupcake-dreams-carrot-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/
Hopping Down the Bunny Trail (Chocolate Covered Coconut Eggs Recipe)
Several weeks ago I asked my mom to send me the recipe for my grandmother’s famous Easter eggs. My grandmom would make these delectable confections every year around this time, giving a giant tin of them to each of her children to share with their families. As far back as I can remember, I looked forward to those little eggs every year. Biting into one would reveal a snowy white coconut filling so sweet it could only be balanced by the shocking bitterness of straight up unsweetened chocolate. Even with all of the other Easter candy available to us as kids, those eggs were usually devoured pretty quickly once we got them home. Luckily for us, Grandmom had quite a bit more willpower than we did and also something of an obsession with freezing food so there were always a few extra batches hanging out in her chest freezer next to the ice cream, bread, and potato chips. Yeah, that’s right. Frozen potato chips. I was serious about that freezer obsession.
Mom came through for me with the recipe and here is the email I received back: (more…)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on March 29, 2013
https://aforkinhand.com/2013/03/29/hopping-down-the-bunny-trail-chocolate-covered-coconut-eggs-recipe/
In the Dog House (Peanut Butter Swirled Banana Bread Recipe)
Yesterday was our sweet baby girl Zoey’s birthday. She turned two. We had a wonderful day full of play time, yummy treats, and lots of love. We did have to cancel the run in the woods that we had originally planned due to the lake effect snow that pummeled us for most of the day, but I promised Zoey we’d reschedule for later in the week. Oh, and don’t worry; I haven’t been taking a toddler trail running in the middle of a central NY winter. Our little girl is of the furry, four-legged variety.
Being an only child, Zoey gets pretty spoiled. Not quite spoiled rotten, but pretty close. And one of my favorite ways to spoil her is to cook up some tasty dog treats for her to enjoy. I know, what a surprise! For an extra special day like a birthday, I like to make something that we can enjoy together as a family, because as much as Zoey loves her parsley and buckwheat “cookies”, Chris and I just don’t really share her enthusiasm. Fortunately for all of us, I’ve found this peanut butter swirled banana bread to be just the thing to satisfy both dog and human taste buds. (more…)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on February 5, 2013
https://aforkinhand.com/2013/02/05/in-the-dog-house-peanut-butter-swirled-banana-bread-recipe/
Tricky Treats (Dark Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Recipe)
For chronic over-planners like myself, the day after Halloween means only one thing: an overflowing plastic cauldron full of way too many fun-sized candy bars. This, of course, leads to me aggressively pushing candy on everyone I come in contact with in a desperate attempt to get rid of the extra candy before my willpower fails and I end up with the kind of stomach ache that can only result from eating excessive amounts of Halloween candy and the guilt that comes along with it. This year, in an effort to break this pattern, I’ve made a healthier version of one of my favorite candies so I can satisfy my candy craving without digging into the chocolate cauldron too many times. (more…)
Posted by Katie (A Fork in Hand) on November 1, 2012
https://aforkinhand.com/2012/11/01/tricky-treats-dark-chocolate-covered-peanut-butter-balls-recipe/