Top 10 Highlights of 2008 (in no particular order)

1. It is December 31, and the 2008 year-end reflection list is complete
2. Raced 136.4 miles in 13 different events.  Still on fire following a sweltering Chicago Marathon performance, the major running accomplishment was a 4.5 minute half-marathon personal best in Philadelphia (1.37:35 unofficially, 1:40:20 officially), despite missing the turn-off for the half-marathon finish line and continuing along the full-marathon course.  Resolution for 2009 is to eliminate unintentional detours and grow a sense of direction.
3. Two trips to Colorado this year, including a mid-August vacation planned around my "little sister's" wedding and my mother’s 10^th Annual 50^th Birthday Party.  Key takeaway is that Boulder in late summer is much warmer and sunnier than Boulder in December, so plan your trips accordingly.
4. Celebrated Christmas with the family on gem of a non-airline-frequent-flyer-miles blackout-date-weekend in early December.  The next day we lit off fireworks, uncorked a champagne bottle, fired up the grill, dyed some eggs, and baked cupcakes just to cover our bases for the rest of the year.
5. Became an official charter holder after earning a CAIA designation (the “alternative cousin” of the Chartered Financial Analyst program).  Now striving for as many letters after my name as actually in my name, so began studying for the “C” in the CFA exam, a three-level process (and minimum 3-year commitment)  
6. Fortunately still gainfully employed in the never-a-dull-moment financial industry, following one decision to sell a business, one highly anticipated merger, one strategic re-alignment from sales to the strategy team, and one gigantic credit crisis/consumer-driven recession.  Biggest misconception about working for a French bank in New York City is the mythical 35-hour work week and the 2-hour lunches over a bottle of wine.  Yes, and the tooth-fairy is also French.
7. Bought 615 ft² of bliss in a Manhattan studio just off of Central Park with a view across the Hudson River and a piano.  Feel incredibly grown up with all the painting, decorating, cleaning, cooking, and mortgage paying. 
8. Re-kindled a relationship…same two people, just three years older, wiser, and better.  
9. Memorable moments with houseguests include my sister & brother-in-law who graciously indulged me on a 12-mile sightseeing walking tour, 2 visits from Mom, including a Thanksgiving layover with her fiancée, Ralph, reconnecting twice with my cousin Melony (and the respective apartment baby-proofing for her 1-and-3-year old boys), and a bit of Boulder chez moi with two of my childhood best friends (and besides, when else would I get to go to a Jewish Orthodox wedding in Brooklyn?)
10. Thankful, as always, for health and happiness, and the joy of being surrounded by wonderful loving people.  Hoping that 2009 brings just as much pleasure as this past year, though fully confident that whatever the New Year may bring, there will be no lack of excitement.

Biscotti-baking machine (yours truly)

Super easy biscotti recipe.  This one was originally adapted from Mark Bitten, as well as a New York Times article.  Very easy to make, and after 3 batches, clearly also pretty tough to mess up.  

I highly recommend baking a batch for a) your doormen and b) your bosses, especially if you bring them in on the day you have your yearly review.  Talk about good timing.  The comment elicited from each was something along the lines of "Oh, now you can get married!" or "Wow, you'll make a great wife."  Needless to say, they went quickly.

Don't forget to wear your apron while baking :)

Toasted Almond & Chocolate Chip Biscotti

TOTAL TIME

1 hour

INGREDIENTS     

1 cup whole blanched almonds (toasted)

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 1/4 cups flour, plus flour for work surface
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon anise seed

PREPARATION

1.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, place in the oven and toast for about 15 minutes.  (Or you throw them in a frying pan and toast on the stove).

2.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and anise seed together and set aside.  (I've yet to be convinced you need to sift the dry ingredients... probably because I do not have a sifter).

3.

Cream butter and sugar with a whisk. (Yeah, strong arms!  Note I do not have a mixer either. Clearly they didn't in the old days and somehow managed). Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add almond extract, and beat the sugar mixture into the remaining eggs until blended. Stir in the flour mixture (slowly) to form a soft dough.  (Yes, by hand)

4.

When the almonds are toasted, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a bowl. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

5.

Divide dough in half and place one portion on well-floured work surface. (Okay, to be honest, I keep the dough I'm working with in the mixing bowl, but my hands are well floured.  I don't want flour-y counters!)  With floured hands, roll into a cylinder and scatter half of the almonds and chocolate chips on the dough.  Work them in gently by stretching the dough and folding in half until toppings are evenly distributed.  Roll dough into cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. (Or as long as your baking sheet!  A word of note if you have to improvise and make a snaky-shaped biscotti log... slicing them on the diagonal becomes increasingly more difficult, but I'm sure you can get creative.  You can also squish out to make the log fatter instead of longer).  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Dust with flour. (For that just-baked-from-an-Italian-bakery-look).

6. Place in the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch (and ideally, when the top begins to go a little Grand Canyon and form a pretty little crevice).  

7. Lower oven temperature to 275 degrees and let biscotti logs cool about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. (One great idea is to cut the really tiny little slices off the end of the loaves to maintain the "aesthetic integrity of the entire batch.  Besides, who likes to eat the little crusty biscotti heels?  That's right!  You do!)  Return the slices to the baking sheet, and return them to the oven. Bake another 10 minutes on each side, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.

YIELD 60 biscotti (in theory... but let's be honest, it'll make as many pieces as you cut. Make sure to factor in the little tiny heel pieces- sacrificed to your belly for the sake of making the entire batch pretty and non-heely

Doesn't this look "Fun?"

9.3 mile race on December 20th.  19 degrees, with wind, and some icy rain.  The race was downgraded to a "fun run."  What kind of fun idea is that?

I was unable to enjoy the full irony of the situation because my abs were sore and I had to refrain from laughing.

Time to retire the old beast

My old digital camera is now an antique.  Once dependable through 3 continents, 5 years, and too many memories to count, not to mention even a few scandalous ones were all captured on that little 256MB memory card.  The camera also weighs about 25 lbs and flat-out quit working after a fussy few months of bad behavior and threats of rebellion.  Time for the upgrade.  

Post-Christmas electronic sales in a consumer-driven recession?  Thank you for the opportunity to get a new one.  

And the blue color... talk about a little something extra to make a gal feel special. 

Hasselback Potatoes

I made these potatoes last night... called Hasselback after a town in Sweeden. This particular recipe was adapted from Allrecipes.com.  I used drizzled olive oil, seasoned with Rosemary, and sprinkled with Servechio cheese instead of Romano.  I also prepared the potatoes a night ahead and let them soak in the water.  Next time I'll have to make sure that they cook all the way inside (in the slots), but they were pretty delicious.  And visually, they look great!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 4 (8 ounce) baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

1. Peel the potatoes, and place in bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Place potatoes into a large wooden or metal spoon. Using a sharp knife, make slices across the potato the short way about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, making sure to cut down to the lip of the spoon, not all the way through the potato. The slices should stay connected at the bottom, and the spoon helps keep the depth even. Return the potato to the bowl of water, and proceed with the remaining potatoes.
   
2. When all of the potatoes are cut, place them cut side up in a shallow baking dish or small roasting pan. Drizzle with half of the butter, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the remaining butter. Sprinkle Romano cheese and bread crumbs onto the tops of the potatoes, and season with a little more salt and pepper. Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Piano!

Yes, it is a toy... nobody actually "needs" a piano.  But if it makes you happy, life is too short to not have one.  Cheaper than Rolex and makes me much happier.   I honestly believe my neighbors are okay with it too.

Mod Podge... everybody loves it

Step 1- cut out all your pictures etc

Step 2- paint on a layer of mod podge to attach pictures to whatever surface you're working with

Step 3- paint on another layer on top

That's easy.  The hardest part is avoiding air bubbles.  They happen.  Practice, practice, practice.  And make sure you paint all the way to the edges.

What a trooper... NYRR Holiday 4 miler race

It had always been sort of a joke that I would only date a runner.   To my girlfriends, I'd kid that my second-date litmus test was subtly (or not) suggesting going on a run together.  The test was his reaction.  I figure you can learn a lot about someone that way.  

Running is an important part of my life, so ideally any potential dates would support appreciate and support my running habit too.   If not be swayed by curiosity to drink the kool-aid and actually participate just and see what all the fuss is about.   If nothing else, throwing a run out there is at least an efficient way to weed out the duds.

For example, if the response is, "gee, I'd love to but running would likely get in the way of my crack-smoking habit," then clearly it was never meant to be.  If we actually went on a run and the guy totally smoked me (refusing to slow down to run together at my pace) then clearly he is an inconsiderate ath-elitist hardly worth my time anyway.  But, if he's moderately active/healthy, though not necessarily a big runner, and willing to try just a short little run together, that's always a good place to start.  

So in walks (runs) Serge.  He took me on a 5 mile run on the beach a few weeks earlier (we ran in the sand... my calves were aching for 4 days).  He had already cleared the imaginary second-date running test early on, though we didn't actually run together until months later.  The cheering support in the Philly marathon definitely helped the cause- yes, we could continue dating.  (I kid, I kid).  I ran an unofficial 1:37:35 that day (a huge personal best, though my official time was about 2.5 minutes slower due to an accidental wrong turn).  

Anyway, when I threw out the idea of a 4-mile race together in the middle of December, he registered before I did.  Race morning was probably about 25 degrees.  We ran the whole thing together and finished strong.  This was only his second race ever, after the Corporate Challenge (a total organizational mess, from a racing perspective) and I distinctly remember him saying, "Yeah, that was fun.  I bet I can run faster next time.  And bet I could definitely do a 6 mile race.  But wouldn't want to do more than a half-marathon.  That's just crazy"

Watch out, Serge, that's how it all starts.  It is like a gateway drug.  You start with 4 miles, then 6 feels like nothing.  Then 8 or 10 or 12 miles suddenly doesn't seem much longer than what you've already done.  And before your little toenails even grow back (just kidding!  most runners keep all 10! I promise!), the evolution has begun, and running a marathon sounds...fun.

Serge's birthday party

A delicious dinner at Sea in Williamsburg with friends, followed by cake, cookies, and wine at Serge's house.  

How hard can a hat be?

I just recently re-discovered and started working scarf number (probably) 8.5 or so... basic pattern of knit 2 purl 2 (cast on 40 stitches).  I think I started this scarf right after I moved to NYC in June 2005, if not even earlier.  The big goal is to finish it by New Years (it has gone from less than 1 needle length to about 4 lengths now).  I'm fine if it takes another week past New Years, as long as I finish it in time to wear it while it is still winter.

Not that I'm hoping for the cold weather to last any longer... but after this scarf we're going for a hat.  

Oh yeah... this blog thing?

Ooh, it has been a while.  A very very long while.  In fact, I hadn't even remembered that I started a blog.  Yet here we are, so I'd better get cracking once again.