Magic Cookies

You know those Magic Bars that appear every Christmas season?  Graham cracker base, sweetened condensed milk, with coconut, nuts and chocolate chips on top?  YUM!  What a wonderful treat!  Well, I have no idea where I got this recipe from, but I've been making them for several years now and they are always well received.  If you like Magic Bars, you'll love Magic Cookies....and the good news is...that these are a year-round treat!

Magic Cookies


Ingredients
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup softened margarine or butter
1-1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts


In a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder.  In a large mixing bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk and margarine until smooth.  Add graham crumb mixture; mix well.  Stir in coconut, chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Yield:  3 dozen.

Fifth Season 5K Race 2010

Yesterday, July 4th I ran my 4th race of the season.  But the significance of it is the fact that since I just started running a year ago, this was my first repeat race.  I didn't make any great improvement over last year, but I did do better.  My time was 31:27 (10:07 pace); I finished 8th in the W50-54 age group out of 40.

What made this years race a lot of fun was that I did it with three family members.  My daughter Rachelle..i.e., the triathlete of the family, a.k.a. the ironman of the family, and the one who got me started running...raced with myself, and my two sisters, Patty and Cathy.  Last year, Patty and I ran this race together and it was our very first race ever.  Since then we've ran quite a number of races both together and separately.  This year my sister Cathy has entered the running arena and this was her second race ever.  It is really exciting to be doing this TOGETHER!  What a great way for a family to spend time together.

Back to the race - the temperature was pretty good - 75 degrees but the humidity was present.  The fortunate thing was that the rain had held off.  (We had a potential for showers for the entire day.)  Patty, Cathy & I warmed up for about 10 minutes prior to the race, made multiple potty stops and were ready to go when the starting pistol went off.  This course is a very good one.  There is one hill that is very low grade right at the beginning.  I really liked having a downhill run going into the finish line as opposed to my completely opposite experience at the Madison 1/4 Marathon that I just did on Memorial Day!  (That hill about did me in.)  My pace was pretty steady throughout the course but when I was approaching the finish line, I heard my daughter Becca yell out, "Come on Terri!" and a shot of adrenaline poured through me and I kicked it into high gear and really sprinted the rest of the way in.  Mission accomplished.

Going forward I'm going to really work on improving my speed.  Short term goal is to do a 5K in under 30 minutes.  My next race is 8/14/10 - Hobo Days 5K in Britt Iowa.  I know I need to more running in the heat so that I'm more acclimated.  (The humidity really wipes me out.)  Once a week like I've been doing it isn't enough.  So I'm going to try to run one of my weekday runs in the evening when it is warm.  I'm also going to get a running watch that will provide me with pace, heart rate and distance.  Rachelle has recommended that I get the Garmin Forerunner 110.  I'm planning on ordering it this week and I'll post my opinion on it after I get it and have had a chance to use it.  Happy running...

Madison Quarter Marathon - 5/30/10

I'm a little tardy in getting this done but late is better then not at all, right?  Two weeks ago I ran in my very first quarter marathon in Madison WI.  I've been preparing for this race for quite some time.  And this was an instance in which I flew solo.  My sister Patty and daughter Becca were both running the half marathon so our start times and locations were different from each other.  Rachelle tells me that a race report is important if for no reason other then to document what worked and what didn't.  No reason to make the same mistake twice. 

First of all, was I ready?  Yes, definitely.  In the 4-6 weeks prior to the race I had ran distances of 6-7 miles on several occasions.  So knowing I could do it was not an issue.  I've continued to suffer with plantar fasciitis in my left heel over the last 6 months.  The more often I run the more it hurts, so I had cut back to twice a week.  That seemed to allow enough down time to recover between runs.  Why don't I see a doctor about it you may ask?  Because I don't want him to tell me to stop running.  It is something that I can deal with.  It doesn't get worse, it just continues to be a nagging problem.  I don't want to stop running.  So anyways, yes I had the distance training in although I may not have logged all the miles that I should have.  I was ready for the race.

We got up very early that morning, had our coffee and ate our small breakfast and off to the race site about an hour before it started (6:00).  We scoped out the starting lines and restrooms and made several pit stops.  The surprise was how warm and muggy it got before the race was over.  Patty and Becca's race started at 7:20 and mine didn't start till 7:40. 

The quarter marathon race was very scenic and nice for the majority of it.  I actually felt like I had a good pace.  (I was wearing Rachelle's Garmin watch so I was able to see my paces and my heart rate as I raced.)  The water points were well placed and there were plenty of volunteers.  So everything was good right?  It was....till I hit the sign that said 6 miles.  I had another .55 miles to go and a big hill to climb.  I resorted to walking up that hill.  I felt like I had nothing left!  I hated to do it.  I hadn't walked a race since my very first one but I knew that if I was going to finish the race running I had to get a quick recovery in.  So I walked up that hill, knowing that my time was going to suffer, but oh well!  At the top of the hill there was a right turn, another short block, another turn and then the finish line.  I started running and ran the rest of the way in.  I finished at 1:15 for the 6 miles and 1:33 for the quarter marathon. 

Would I do it again?  Not sure.  If I do, it won't be for quite awhile.  At this point in the game, I've determined that I don't like the longer distances.  I want to improve my speed on the 5K and start doing better there.  The last two weeks I've started running three times a week again and I'm incorporating some sprints into each one.  On the alternate days I'm doing strength/stretching exercises.  Time will tell....

Pistachio Eclair Dessert

 Pistachio Eclair Dessert (photo by Taste of Home)

This is one of those desserts that goes together very quickly and tastes great!

Pistachio Eclair Dessert (Taste of Home - Simple & Delicious Cookbook)

prep: 20 minutes + chilling

Ingredients

3 cups cold milk

1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant French vanillla pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 pkg (14.4 oz) graham crackers
1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping. In a 13-in X 9-in X 2-in dish, layer a third of the graham crackers and half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Spoon the frosting into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 15-20 seconds or until softened, stirring once. Spread over graham crackers. Chill at least 20 minutes or until frosting is set. Yield: 15-20 servings

Here are some step by step pictures:

 This is a look at all of the ingredients to make this dessert.

  The first layer of graham crackers is down and half of the pudding mixture goes on top.

After another layer of crackers, the rest of the pudding the final layer of crackers goes on.

After warming the frosting it is spread on the top of the crackers and refrigerated.

Time to enjoy!!!

Marion Arts Festival 5K - May 15, 2010

Patty, Cathy and myself just before the race

On May 15, 2010, I joined my sisters in the Marion Arts Festival 5K race. In actuality it was Cathy's race and Patty and I were along for support. Cathy had completed the Couch Potato to 5K training program and was now ready to put it into action. Since the race was at 8:00, I got up at 5:30 to eat breakfast. By 6:30 I was heading over to pick-up Patty and then off to get Cathy. We were at the race site by 7. Packet pick-up was being done prior to the race, so we got our packets and t-shirts and took them back to the car. Then we started our warm-up jog. The morning was sorta cool - temp in the the upper 40's so we needed to get our core warmed up. We jogged around for 10-15 minutes and then went back to the car and shed our jackets. Another stop at the porta-john and then we headed to the starting point for the race. Even in a sleeveless top I was warmed up and ready to go.

There were a couple of hills but nothing seriously challenging. The weather was perfect and the course was run very well by the volunteers. We were all happy with the results as this was not about "time". It was not a "race" for us. This was about Cathy finishing her first 5K without walking any of it. And....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! Being together...sisters...doing something that was good for all of us was absolutely awesome. This was just the beginning!!! Congrats Cathy!!!

Update on Jim - 5/3/10 - Cancer free!

This afternoon went very well. Jim had to be there at 3:30 for lab work. Around 4:00 he was taken back to the room where they do the procedure. Dr. Nabi came in and did her exam and gave Jim the results of his PET/CT Scan from last week. She said that everything looked great. There is "activity" that showed on the scan in the pelvic area but she is confident that the "activity" is in the form of healing that is taking place. She wants to see Jim again in 3-4 months and will have another PET/CT scan done before she sees him. The appointment has not yet been set, the nurse will call with it in the next day or so.

So, anyway Dr Nabi did the spinal infusion procedure and Jim said it was pretty much the same as each of the three times previously done. It was all over pretty quickly and we were on our way home by 5:00. Once home Jim had to once again lay down for 4 hours. At the time I am writing this he has less then 30 minutes left.....and then he is all done!

Now all that is left is for him to regain his leg strength and with the help of the trainer that he is working with that will soon be done. Over the last couple weeks we've been taking walks in the evening. A little bit further each week. If you ask him, Jim will tell you that he feels very good. Isn't that wonderful? Thanks for all your prayers. They have definitely been answered! God is very good!

Please drop him an email on his work account: jim@customhose.com .

If you have been reading my blog for purposes of following Jim's progress then you have reached the end of regular updates. I plan on posting info as Jim has his re-checks which will be every 3-4 months for awhile. So that you don't have to scroll through all my recipes and running info, you can go to the column on the right and find the label that says "Jim" and click on it. That will bring up everything that has been labeled with his name. You can easily find the latest info that has been posted. Thanks again for your continued interest and prayers!

Oriental Salad

Can you remember where you got your favorite recipes? I can. Its funny how things work that way. But this is one that I fell in love with right away and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've made it. Becca was a cheerleader in high school and we had gone to one of those end of the season potlucks. This salad was on the table. After everything was over I went searching for the person who made it and found her! I told her I had to have this recipe, gave her my address and she mailed me a copy. (This was at least 10 years ago, so email wasn't an option.) That was the beginning of a long lasting relationship. Hardly an Easter or Thanksgiving goes by that I don't make it. I take it to many potlucks and I will oftentimes half the recipe and make it for us here at home throughout the year. I get asked for the recipe regularly and am always glad to share it!


Oriental Salad (source unknown)

2 pkgs broccoli slaw
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 pkgs Oriental-flavored Ramen (crushed) - seasoning packets are used in the dressing
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds

Dressing:
1 cup peanut or canola oil
1/2 cup sugar (I sometimes use less - 1/4 or 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 seasoning packets from Ramen

Mix all salad ingredients togther in a large bowl. Mix together all dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Refrigerate.

Here are a couple of the step-by-step pictures:

I put the ramen in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush it.

Here is a picture of the ingredients and the mixed up dressing in the container on the left.

Here are the dry ingredients in the bowl before the dressing is added.

Enjoy!!!