Half Marathon

I ran a half marathon on Saturday. It was definitely no easy task, but it was an awesome experience. Unfortunately, all of the pictures of said experience are a little less than awesome becuase turns out, running 13.1 miles is not the most attractive activity. I was a sweaty mess. But I did it and gosh darn it I want to document it.This picture is quite possible even grosser-looking than the first. Like I said, I was a sweaty mess.
But after surviving the last two miles (the hardest- no longer downhill but flat, the sun was out, and it was the very end) I was very thirsty, shaky, and happy.
I didn't really feel like eating anything, but they did have some HUGE slices of watermelon that hit the spot. I ate two.
It was at this point that I politely asked Chad for a little kiss and he refused saying, "Now I'm not saying you're not attractive, but you're on the lower end of attractive right now." Gee, thanks honey. Love you too.
I finished in 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 29 seconds. My goal was under 2 hours so I was happy! This list said that I placed 18 in the female, aged 19-24 group, but when I checked today it said I was number 16!
It was an amazing experience and I probably be doing one again in the future. Maybe I can even talk Chad into doing it with me!

Zucchini & Ricotta Galette

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and because of my undying love for zucchini in any form, knew that I had to try it. It was delicious!

Zucchini and Ricotta Galette
Smitten Kitchen

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make filling: Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Yum!

All I wanted was a little white wine...

To the Lady at the Liquor Store,

All I wanted was one bottle of low to mediocre quality, inexpensive white wine so that I can cook a couple of recipes that have been accumulating in my "to cook" file. Is that so wrong? I'm not even going to drink it. Was it really necessary to make me feel so stupid when I tried to purchase said bottle of wine? For heaven's sake, I didn't even try to purchase it, I was making Chad do it. That's why I didn't even bring my purse with me when we decided to come to the State Liquor Store off of Freedom Blvd. Chad did, after all, have his ID with him and provided it in a timely, efficient manner. How were we supposed to know that I also had to have my ID just to stand next to him in the liquor store while he purchased the wine?

Nowhere does it say that ID needs to be produced for any and every person who is in the store, even if they are not purchasing anything. There is that sign in the window that says that children or spouses of people who are of the appropriate age are permitted on the premises; that sign is a lie. It was not very nice that you were so unnecessarily condescending when we didn't know the unwritten policy of the liquor store. What I really don't understand is that after all of the fuss of charging Chad's card, not actually selling us the wine, and then immediately refunding the charge to Chad's card why Chad wasn't allowed to come back into the store and purchase the wine by himself. Maybe you were just having a bad day. I know it happens to all of us, but why did you have to be so mean during my first liquor-purchasing experience?

I almost made Chad drive me home to get my stupid driver's license and then drive right back just to prove to you that I was telling the truth. Then I decided that was stupid and that even though I was embarrassed, it wasn't worth my time. In the future, I think it would be helpful to advertise this unwritten rule so that other people don't fall into this same situation. It would be much appreciated.

-Alyse

as of late

I've got just a few photos of a few of the happenings as of late.

On the 24th of July, we met up with the Saltzmans to go to a Bee's game (baseball). Apparently all of us forgot exactly how boring a full-length baseball game is, especially when it was so darn hot! But it was fun, nonetheless, because we had patriotic cookies to keep us company. They are Shane's favorite. (Don't mind how the frosting looks in this picture... I put them on the plate too soon after frosting them because we had to go. They normally look much better.)

Our days have also been filled with lots of mountain biking. We are definitely loving the warm, summer weather. Last week we hit up one of our favorites: Lambert Park.

curious as a cat

Mayzie is a curious creature. She likes to peek her little face up over the side of the table and pounce on any small, unsuspecting object that happens to be closest. Usually it's Chad chapstick, a pen, or a water bottle cap. Yesterday it was my cell phone.

She's also not allowed on the table (although she tries to be sneaky about it) but has conceded to sitting/laying/standing on the kitchen chairs instead.

Sometimes she even pretends she is a person by standing like one.

Two days ago, I had the dishwasher open so that I could load it up with dishes and when I turned around, she was inside the dishwasher. Apparently it seemed like a good idea. Anytime I open a cupboard/closet, she jumps into the small space to go exploring. I just never expected the dishwasher. (Don't worry... those were dirty dishes)

When she's done exploring, it's back to the kitchen chairs for a good session of "lounging about".

It's a tough life, being a kitty.

The Takya Family

Meet the Tayka Family. We love 'em.

While Chad was serving as the Elder's Quorum in our married student ward, he really got to know Emmanuel Tayka. He was kind of in a unique situation because although he was married, he was living here in Provo by himself while his wife and two daughters were still at home in Ghana. We liked to have him over to our house for Sunday dinner and tease him about his love for "white man food" (aka. pizza & hamburgers). Emmanuel told us all about his family, his wife, his kids, and how much he loves his homeland of Ghana. He totally has us convinced that we need to go and visit him in Ghana next summer.

When Emmanuel graduated with his second master's degree in December, his wife flew out to America and has been here ever since. If we thought Emmanuel was one of the most genuine/loving people we've ever met, we loved meeting his beautiful wife. In February, their 3rd daughter was born: Emmanuella. When we teased Emmanuel about naming his daughter after himself, all he could say through laughing was, "what...it is a good name!"

This afternoon we were just about to eat lunch when we heard a knock on our side door. (We know it's one of our good friends when they come to the side door.) I opened the door to find Emmanuel popping over for a quick visit so that we can meet his adorable baby! We love it when people come over to visit on Sundays, and we haven't seen them in a while. Besides saying hello, they also came over to let us know that they will be moving back to Ghana in 2 weeks where Emmanuel will be starting a MBA program. Although we will miss them, we are excited to see them return to their home that they love so that they can serve the people of Ghana.

Their little girl is absolutely adorable and is all-smiles all the time. We love her. We asked them if they could just leave her here with us while they go back to Ghana, but they weren't too excited about the idea.

If we're able to make it work, we really might go visit them in Ghana next summer. Emmanuel says they are always looking for volunteers at his orphanage and in his village and would love for us to bring our medical knowledge with us. If the people of Ghana are anything like the Takya family, we would love to go spend a couple of weeks there with our friends.

Job Searching...

The Bennett family is currently in the "waiting for a call/interview/job" stage. Although we're currently both employed, we both need a change. I took the test to become LPN certified about a month ago so that I can gain some nursing experience during my last two semesters of school. I have submitted applications to more nursing homes than I thought existed in the Provo/Orem area, however none of these nursing homes seem to be hiring right now. Simultaneously, Chad has decided that now may be the time to make a job change as well. Chad has a great job at Mr. Mac right now but he's looking for some kind of TA or research job on campus that can help him get some experience for his medical school resume. So for now, we're just waiting...

If anyone knows of any LPN jobs in the Provo/Orem area or any TA or Research job on campus, please let us know!