Culinary Adventures

Diameter x 2 = No. of coals
required to bring over to 350F

Chili done in 45 minutes

We were busy all weekend and briefly forgot that it was St Patrick's Day. We celebrated my birthday Friday night with short ribs at Char steakhouse (my son had his usual NY strip steak, truffle oil mac and cheese, and a side of asparagus). Saturday, my hubs got down to seasoning his newly acquired Dutch oven, and then cooking chili (meatloaf mix, can of crushed tomatoes, dried spices) from a recipe we got from a University of Scouting course called Dutch Oven Magic. That turned out really well. And spicy. My son and I ate our chili over mac 'n cheese, while my hubs ate his without any added carbs.

Sunday was a different story. My hubs decided to try smoking a 9 lb picnic pork but got to the prep a bit late. So the brined meat didn't go into the smoker until 11 am. He injected a mix of brine and apple juice into the meat, and poured some into a pan to add steam. The charcoal was hard to manage, and we wondered how the meat would get to temp (210F) if the smoker was only suppose to reach 200F. By 10 pm the pork was only reading 180F. Time to put it in the oven at 225F and set the alarm on the thermometer once it reached 210. It got to 216F by 1 am. My son had given up and gone to bed by then, but my hubs and I were still patiently awaiting porky results. It was well worth it, and hands down the best pork he's ever cooked. Slightly briny, smokey, juicy and glistening, the meat was delicious. He's determined to try this again, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Today was a Push Day although I wasn't entirely certain I'd be able to get on the Smith when I was ready. So, I always have a back-up plan, which is just do core, or more cardio. After 30 minutes on the new cross-trainer, I was warm enough for pull ups, push ups and core. The fellow on the Smith had just finished, and all the plates were nicely re-racked. Yaaay! What was new was the hole in the wall just under the mirror, as if someone had accidentally lost control of an errant dumbbell or kettle bell. Or maybe it wasn't accidental. I got my Inclined presses done and moved on to the DB super sets. Then a few Rip Skulls before finishing Mat Stretch. Under my Golds Gym tank, I'm wearing the new Tahari Sports® bra, the boring grey and navy one I bought last week. I'm really happy that not only do I not need to keep tugging it down, I don't have to constantly adjust the straps either. Normally I'm leery of wide straps because they can cut into my neck, but these don't. Winner! Fitting rooms can only tell you how a sports bra will fit in static positions. Nothing quite like doing pull ups and push ups to really test how a bra fits. This one passes!

Samosa cut open

I'm meeting a friend for her birthday lunch at a new local "curry and Caribbean joint" we've been curious to try. I'm a bit wary as Mondays aren't usually good days for restaurants. Food tends to be old at the beginning of the week, leftover from busier weekends. We're the first people to be seated for lunch. It's a bright, nicely decorated little place on a side street. The service is friendly, but really slow. It's a good thing neither of us is in a hurry to be anywhere. While we wait for appetizers, a couple comes in with a very cranky baby who screams and fusses. My friend hopes she won't have to spend her birthday lunch listening to this, but because the couple are sitting at the bar with a couple of beers, I surmise they're waiting for their take-out to be ready. It's 1:30 pm and a bit early for a Monday beer, but maybe it's the stress of having a cranky baby? We have a spicy chai tea and the Mixed Vegetable Platter, a combination of shaheena (chickpea & spinach fritter), pholourie (Trinidadian chickpea fritter) & vegetable samosa (turnover stuffed with potato & peas). There is enough to share but we've each ordered a platter, so there will be doggy bags.

Eventually, the server brings white rice with a smattering of mushy peas and carrots atop, in typical Indian fashion. I order the Stew Lamb, which is a Caribbean dish. My friend orders a chicken dish in a red sauce, but she decides it's too salty. My lamb is lukewarm. At least her dish is hot. Both meats are chewy, and not the pleasant tender texture stew meats should be. There is an olive green dish of lentils as well. It's not daal, the tasty yellow lentil slurry, but something more akin to a lentil/split pea soup. A basket of naan (triangular puffed bread) arrives late to the table. It is deliciously buttery and clearly the best item on the table. The dessert of gajar halwah (warm shredded carrot pudding) is actually also quite tasty but very sweet.

I've mentioned to the hostess that it's my friend's birthday, so she comes out with a lit candle atop what looks like a frozen mango cupcake. It's difficult to slice, and some of it goes skittering across the table. By the time we're ready to leave, a few more diners have come in. I'm not sure I'd come back here though...

Push Monday

30 min x-trainer
Calories 242
Miles 3.75

HGPU 26
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12
70 x 25
60 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets