First Watch for the last (sniff) time?

I HAD to see Emily once more before we leave, and since she’ll be out of town this weekend, we met for brunch this morning at First Watch near the Dayton Mall.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE First Watch. I have no idea why. There isn’t anything super unique about it. Maybe because it’s always really light and bright in there, they have International Delight coffee creamer (sweet!) and their staple meal is breakfast. LOVE breakfast.

We did the whole hold-the-camera-out-as-far-as-you-can-and-hope-for-the-best thing. It worked the second time; the first time I forgot that I was still on zoom. Picture of Holly’s left eye and pores? Check.

I’ve never been very good at that, especially with Andrew’s unwieldy camera. I should ask his sisters…they have got it down to a science! About 75% of their photos are self-portraits, taken at arms’ length. I love them.

Anyway, back to brunch. I was running late, so no makeup. Oh well…I was in yoga clothes and Chacos. Emily was on her way to work, so she was beautiful and had awesome lipgloss on.

Susy and I did our last (sniff, tear) long run this morning–we met at the gym at 6:30 to get 10 miles and some lifting in–whoo hoo! So, I splurged and got the Floridian French Toast:

I usually try to get something off the “healthy” part of the menu or do enough substitutions on a regular item to lighten it up, but I figured that today, of all days, I could go carb-heavy. I love the addition of fruit (they have regular french toast, too) so I can use less syrup.

Emily was a good girl and got the Healthy Turkey, another of my faves after she discovered it when we went to First Watch in Columbus on a couples’ weekend trip.

It’s a yummy egg-white, turkey omelette with feta, spinach and tomatoes (she left them out) for about 190 calories–it does not get better than that! I feel so empowered to make healthy decisions at the grocery store and restaurants because of all I’ve learned about food. I get sad when I see people make decisions THINKING they are healthy ones, when in reality, they aren’t. And don’t get me wrong; I’ve made my share of bad decisions thinking I was making good ones. I just chalk it up to a learning experience and try to do better the next time.

I was SO TIRED on the drive home from brunch! Seriously, I could have fallen asleep at the wheel! Perhaps I was slipping into a sugar coma after all the caramels yesterday, a major depletion of energy this morning, then a sugary meal? I tried to nap on the couch when I got home (despite all the things on my to-do list today) but I don’t know if I fell asleep or not. (Story of my life!) At least I got some rest–I’m going on SEVERE sleep deprivation here! I haven’t slept past 6 a.m. in months…(this morning it was 4:40 a.m.) Seriously, I am not exaggerating.

Made an iced coffee and now it’s back to work for me!

it was a caramel-making kind of day

Get ready to salivate.

Seriously. My stomach is in so much pain from the amount of caramel I consumed this afternoon, yet I don’t regret a single taste of it. Or forty.

(99.9% of the photos courtesy of Ms. Jennifer Reaves)

We used Susy’s friend’s grandmother’s recipe for caramels. Barefoot Contessa also has a recipe, so I’ll have to try that one next. (I have this thing with finding the “best” recipe for any given thing… I once made SIX different blueberry muffin recipes one Saturday morning just to figure out which was the best. Results in a nutshell: the recipe I’d been making for the last few years came in dead last, Martha’s came in first [of course her’s would]. Andrew did document that morning in pictures, so perhaps one of these days I’ll share them with you all!)

Anyway, back to the caramels.

Anna, Susy’s daughter, helped the whole time. Here she is getting every last drop of the corn syrup into the measuring cup.

Let the corn syrup, butter and sugar boil for five minutes. And use a wooden spoon. Apparently it’s a requirement.

Here is Susy in her natural state: caffeinated and offering to make her guests an espresso or latte. She loves her espresso machine more than life itself.

Susy and Jennifer have been friends for years. Susy introduced me to Jennifer at Bible study awhile ago and I love her! I love her short hair (finally, someone who understands what “short” really is) and her Southern accent. And her faith in God–such an amazing woman! And, she was our photographer this afternoon, which is nice for me, since I’m not naturally inclined to take photos, yet I love having them and being in them. Note to self: learn to use the timer on Andrew’s camera for times I DON’T have Jennifer around.

Anna and I stirred, and stirred, and stirred, and stirred…

We added two cans of sweetened, condensed milk. You actually add 1.5 cans and use the remaining half to mix (really well!) with 1/2 cup sifted flour, then add that, too. And vanilla. I love the smell of real vanilla extract.

Candy thermometers are a must here. Hmm, I LOVE my candy thermometer at home, yet I’ve never actually used it to make candy… Homemade yogurt, water temperature before making bread–now that we’re moving and Andrew won’t be getting any of Susy’s caramels every time she makes them, guess I need to add making caramels to the list of things I use my candy thermometer for.

Apparently, you test “done-ness” by spooning a tiny bit into a glass of ice water and tasting it. It should be “hard ball,” or relatively solid. We must have tested it five times before it was ready…

Nope, not ready. More stirring, and stirring, and stirring… (and intense gazing).

It started getting darker, which told us it was getting close.

Once it passed the consistency test, we poured it into an oiled dish to cool.

Sprinkled on some sea salt. If I had my way (and probably Susy, too), I’d roll each piece in some coarse sea salt as well. YUM.

We threw the pan in the fridge to speed up the hardening process, then left to do some Goodwill shopping. I scored some BRAND NEW Ann Taylor camis and a pair of dressy, black, knee-length shorts. I’m still on Cloud 9 about trying on size 6’s and 8’s. Never. Been. Happier.

Susy scored the top before it hardened any more, then we popped it back in the fridge.

We finally cut into it and started wrapping. In all honesty, it probably could have stayed in the fridge a bit longer to harder, but we had to get the show on the road!

Picture the stickiest, messiest, greasiest (we oiled our hands to keep them from sticking) scene possible. Then double it.

Finished, wrapped caramels! Andrew will be in heaven when he gets home. Did you know he told me, explicitly, that he WOULD NOT allow me to move to NY until I’d gone to Susy’s and learned how to make caramels? Well, he did. Glad I got that box checked off!

Anna made up banana muffins for lunch. Great photo!

I LOVE Susy’s napkin holder. Does anyone know where I can get one? I’ve been on the lookout for awhile now for a colorful, slightly funky yet simple/traditional napkin holder. And a banana hanger while I’m at it. I have a bamboo one and it’s just so BORING. I am not boring.

And then, because we could, we made salted caramel sauce.

You start with a saucepot and sugar. Turn the heat on.

The sugar will start to melt into what look like clumps. Stir a little, but not too much! (Susy said not to.)

Always time for a photo!

Before long, the sugar looks like this!

Add the butter. It will bubble and sizzle a bit.

Then add the vanilla, cream and a teaspoon or so of salt.

Finished sauce! Yum. I drizzled some on an apple to start, but by the end of the afternoon, we were basically eating it with a spoon. I’m willing myself not to pour the sauce I took home on ice cream tonight…I was in a sugar-stupor all afternoon!

I recovered with a bowl of Ellie Krieger’s Nutty Sweet Potato soup with scallions and peanuts. Healthy! Tonight I plan on packing up all our pantry food and most of my clothes. Wish me luck!

we brought the gym to Thai 9

I am so blessed to have some really great friends. I have Bible study friends, house church friends, neighbor friends and gym friends (and more that I’m forgetting to mention, I’m sure). Tonight, my gym friends and I went to Thai 9. (We probably should have apologized to all the other patrons for our raucous laughter, horrified gasps and random suggestive language…we can be quite a rowdy bunch!)

Here’s the lovely group of ladies, sans myself…I was taking the picture! (A sweet girl came over to take a group shot, but they did not turn out well at all. No, that isn’t code for I-looked-terrible-so-I-won’t-put-it-online, but I will say the way I was hunched over in the photo wasn’t exactly flattering.)

Here’s the group of lovely ladies who sweat it out just about every day here at the local L.A. Fitness:

Here are Nicole (L) and Kelly. Nicole is a homeschooling mom whose children range in age from pre-teen to college. She just ran her first marathon and is one of the most disciplined runners I’ve ever met. Kelly is a mother of two boys whose husband is about to return from a year-long deployment–woo hoo! She’s also incredibly dedicated to her gym routine and has a lost a whopping FIFTY-ONE pounds!

These ladies are two of the funniest around! Mia/Mimi (L) and Kathryn are both commanders’ wives, yet they know how to cut loose…pretty much whenever they want to! Mia is the kind of woman who says exactly what’s on her mind (which may elicit a gasp or two) without a second thought. I wish I could have just a tenth of her confidence. I’ve had such fun with these ladies. Kathryn was in Bible study with Susy and me this past year and started coming to the gym with Mia.

Kathy is also a marathon runner and mother to a daughter in elementary school. She enjoys aerobics and weights as well. Susy and I got to cheer for her in Cincinnati this May when she did the Flying Pig Half-Marathon and Nicole did the full (her first!).

And of course, my dear friend, Susy. She is my running inspiration, a phenomenal friend and an amazing Christian woman who I look up to so much. Knowing her has changed my life forever. I love you, Susy.

Oh, and if anyone is in Dayton with a mind to go to Thai 9, do yourself a favor and order the coconut ice cream with fried banana pieces and honey for dessert. It’s rich and sweet and light and exotic and fruity all at the same time. Other things not to miss: Chicken Spring Rolls with peanut sauce and the Tom Kha Kai soup. You won’t regret either of them!