Black Sheep Dancing

Why be like everyone else when you can be yourself?

Monthly Archives: October 2010


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It’s a cruel world.

So remember that great gym I talk about? Well, but downside to it is that is has these big gorgeous windows. Why is that bad? Because they face out to the building next door…the building that houses Jason’s Deli, so when you are sweating your butt off on the elliptical machine, you get to watch everyone next door enjoying their yummy sandwiches. Coincidence or marketing ploy? You decide.

So, all this staring got me in a baking mood again. I had an acorn squash to use up, so I made these:

Stuffed Acorn Squash

(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 Acorn Squash, cut in half and seeds removed
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. honey
Butter

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Place squash in a baking dish.
  3. Pierce inside flesh of squash
  4. Toss apples in cinnamon and place in centers of squash
  5. Cut up buter and place on/in apples. Drizzle with honey
  6. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until flesh is tender

This recipe was easy and super yummy. The munchkin helped prepare it, and even ate his entire half of the squash! That’s always a good day!

I also had a baking pumpkin lying around. Yesterday I baked it and made some pumpkin purée, as well as some butternut squash purée from a squash I had laying around. So I made these yummy muffins with the pumpkin:

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

(From allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 teaspoons butter

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

These came out very moist and yummy, but for some reason I can never get streusel right. Don’t know what it is!

Still have some pumpkin left over, as well as the butternut still to use. Not sure what I’ll make this time. Maybe some squash cookies? Pumpkin roll?

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Italian Festival? Check.

So last Sunday we made it to the Italian Festival. We were so pooped from the Ohio State game the day before that we didn’t make it there until an hour before closing. It was very cute, and still very crowded. I was totally bummed. Sold out of cannoli, italian ice, sandwiches…we ended up getting the whee bits that were left – french fries and mozzarella sticks! It was good, but everything (both what was left and what seemed to be there earlier) seemed very Americanized. That kinda bummed me out.

However, the entertainment was lovely. Who doesn’t like some Italian opera?

In other news, I finally found myself a super cute, “I can wear these in the winter” shoe. What do you think?


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Elliptical Machine

I’m participating in a contest/fitness thing at work where you have a team of five people and your team all has to walk so many miles each day (or run, or exercise – there’s a whole conversion chart they provide). Our team decided to be ambitious and go for the 5.2 miles a day. Easy peesy, right? RIGHT?

Now see, I consider myself a pretty active person, but some days you don’t want to do much. However, if I only walk 3 miles today, that means I have to walk 7.2 miles tomorrow to make up for the ones I didn’t walk. Yikes! It can be really easy to fall behind. So today I didn’t park at the far away garage and walk, and I didn’t walk much to meetings and things during the day, so after I got home I HAD to do something to make up for it. So, I packed up the munchkin and headed to the gym.

I also recently joined this gym. How’d I pick it? It’s the only one that has daycare anywhere close to my house. That is a must. They have all kinds of bells and whistles, but I’m a treadmill and a few weights kinda gal, so their fancy heated pool and smoothie bar don’t interest me too much. ALTHOUGH, they do have this movie theater, but instead of seats, they have cardio equipment! How cool is that?? I watched Indiana Jones the other day while running!

Anyways, back to my story. So I drop the munchkin off, go exercise and come back to pick him up. He wants to know if I went running. I told him no, that I used something called the ellipitcal machine. So he asks another question, but I didn’t understand him right away, so he kept getting louder and louder…”Mommy, what’s a ball licker machine?”

If my face wasn’t already red from exercising, it was then. But, at least I got my mileage in!


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I love hummus

So there is a new restaurant in town that I keep seeing pop up in various places, so I decided to check it out. I go through phases of loving to cook, and it seems I am phasing out right now. What does that mean? Time to eat out! The restaurant is called Mazah’s and serves quick mediterranean food. We all know I love me some Greek food!

Since it was a new spot, I opted for the large sampler, which included hummus, fava bean dip, baba ghanoush, 3 bean salad, cabbage salad, med. potato salad, falafel, rice and fatayer. The helpings were generous, the food reasonably priced, and it is a quick meal that is actually healthy. They also designate on the menu if it is gluten free, vegetarian or vegan, so you can take your veggie friends and know they’ll be eating well without having to create a new menu when they order. To top it all off, the service was quite pleasant. I think I’ll be going back. Now if only I can convince the munchkin beans are yummy!

Aren’t you just hungry looking at it???

In other news, munchkin went to the doctor and needed eye drops. Have you ever tried to put eye drops in a 4-year old kid who weighs half as much as you that REALLY doesn’t want them? It took a good 20 minutes to get one drop in and I’m pretty sure we are both scarred for life. I’m TOTALLY looking forward to tomorrow when we get to do it again. (Sarcasm – gotta love it!)


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Cleaning out the fridge

You didn’t think I was REALLY cleaning out the fridge? No time for that now, but did have time to make a yummy dinner with the random bits in the fridge.

 

Beet salad and roasted potatoes.

 

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingreditents:
4-5 red potatoes, washed and cubed
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. rosemary
2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients and arrange on a non-stick or greased jelly roll pan or dish
  3. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes or until tender

Beet Salad

I just threw together greens, goat cheese, cooked beets and some oil and vinegar. Yum!


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This blog thing is hard!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, but I’ve been busy, promise! And not just watching Glee (although I did that too), but lots of other things too!

First off, this past weekend was my birthday. Now, I love being recognized for my work, but I am very uncomfortable being the center of attention unless I have a job, say a part in a play or giving a speech. So, I was quite happy to not do much.

 

Pretty toes

I took Friday off. I got a mani/pedi and went shopping all day!

 

 

Saturday we walked to Stauff's for coffee and breakfast!

 

 

Saturday night we headed home and tried out a new winery. It was pretty good!

 

 

And the winery is the kind where you bring your own food, so of course we got pizza from Angie's. Yummy!

 

 

And I even got a fancy cake from the North Market. Now, I don't like cake, but sssshhhhhh, don't tell my mom and dad!

 

And the best present? A photo of my beautiful Grammy on her wedding day.

 

I’m not that excited about being 31, but I am excited about being able to spend time with my friends and family. Here’s to another year!


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October Events

October seems to be full of things to do! Here is a list of my top picks for the month.

All American Quarter Horse Congress
Date: October 1-24, 2010
Location: Ohio Expo Center

Taste of Grandview
Date: October 4, 2010
Sunday 2-7PM
Location: McKinley Field, 1661 Goodale Blvd., Columbus Ohio 43212

Columbus Italian Festival
Date: October 8, 9, and 10, 2010
Friday – 5PM – 11PM; Saturday – Noon – 11PM; Sunday – Noon – 6PM
Location: Saint John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church, in Italian Village

Culture Fest
Culture Festival will be a day of celebrating the different cultures found right here in Columbus and Central Ohio. You can expect to see and hear performers from around the world that live in our great city. Authentic merchandise and food will be available from every corner of the world, along with many educational activities for the whole family to participate in and enjoy. There will be a children’s area full of fun and learning.
Date: October 9, 2010 from Noon to 6PM
Location: Huntington Park, Arena District, 330 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus, 43215
Admission: Adults $5. Seniors over 60 and children 12 and under free.

An Evening with Matt Groening
Date: October 16, 2010, 7 PM
Location: The Wexner Center, Ohio State

Circleville Pumpkin Show
Dates: October 20 through October 23, 2010

And finally…Trick-Or-Treat! Check out the date and time in your city by visiting here.

See ya there!

Emily