Maui Getaway....Sort Of

As a reward for my achievements, our company decided to send us to Maui. Never having gone to vaca with work colleagues, I had no idea what to pack so I did the logical thing, I over packed, but in the end it was just right, because I had great outfits to choose from every night. As soon as we landed, we were off to dinner with the gang. Day 2, we went to the spa and relaxed. Day 3, we went on snorkeling excursion, which was a bit of a disappointment since we didn't see much fish. However, the food was great, fresh baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and shoyu chicken, salad, and rice for lunch. Day 4, we rented a car and drove to Lahaina. It was great to leave the resort to explore, where we grabbed a Hawaiian lunch and visited a museum. In between all of these activities, we hung out at the serenity pool, which was made quite unserene by my raucous work colleagues. It was a trip highlighted with highs and lows. We were exhausted by the end of it but both grateful for having each other to share this experience. I guess you can say we feel like we need to take a vacation from our vacation?

After driving an hour, Eddie spotted this great Hawaiian place right on the beach.

Wo Hing Museum - The first Chinese Temple and Cookhouse in Maui

Cookhouse

It felt peaceful in the temple.

Eddie insisted on a photo by the lion.

Large woks and Eddie watching a movie.

What a great photo opp!

Received another compliment on my ring!

Good-bye Maui! Our last day.



Eddie taking a candid shot of me while we're waiting for our shuttle.

A Fun and Productive Weekend in SF

Let me first start by saying how great it was to spend some time with my family. Not every mom is willing to say yes to doing a 5k at 8am on a Sunday morning while her daughter runs a half marathon. I was proud of my mom for completing her 5k, although she ended up lost on the 5k route so her time was recorded properly. The best part of the race was the end when I saw my mom cheering me enthusiastically at the finish line. We ate breakfast with my Aunt Tina afterwards. My Dad has been a great help with wedding planning. We went to Chinatown to a print shop that's probably been there for 50 yeas, and found our invitations - sorry that will have to be a surprise! It was very nice to have my Dad help me choose. After my half, Dad and I went food shopping and then enjoyed the most best meal ever, hot pot, or in other words, kind of like Chinese fondue, perfect on a cold day. It was better than a meal at any fancy restaurant. We talked, we laughed, we ate. The perfect ending to a great day. Mom found a fantastic make-up artist too. It's all coming together!

Run with the Jets Review:

Pros:
Flat course
Small intimate race
8am start time
Free parking and lots of it
Food offering was decent, bagels (which were super soft and chewy), cookies, bananas, and lots of free drinks, water, flavored water, coconut water
Chiropractor providing complimentary stretching for runners
Clearly marked mile markers

Cons:
Scenery, wire cables, sewage smells every now and then, saw a few planes, but it was foggy and tough to see
Narrow running path, you'll always be running near or next to someone, so if you're next to a couple of chatty cathys like me, bring headsets
Volunteers weren't helpful with information - I asked if there was bag check, the volunteer didn't speak English , but speaking the language should probably be a requirement if you're at the info table. At a water station, I asked where the next bathroom stop was, she didn't know or did she intend to find out was the tone.
No gear check
Couldn't hear the announcer at the start of the race, we still didn't know when the 5k runners were supposed to start
1 porto potty at the 4 mile mark - there should have b
For the 5k, lack of volunteers for the slower racers so some weren't exactly sure where to go
Medals were a flimsy
For such a small race, it would have been great to announce the race finishers' names as they end

A lonely road - a view of my course at the 9 mile mark.

The end of a 13.1 mile journey. Happy as a clam.

Now let's eat!

Me at my makeover - nice lashes, wish they were real.



Love my new purse - what a find.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Every now and then I make a recipe that Eddie raves about. He has approved this dish to be on our regular rotation! It's so easy and healthy. We paired it with a light Caesar salad. Eddie prefers this with no sauce, but you can easily serve this with a cream of chicken soup as a topping. Enjoy!
               

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

6 string cheese or slices of low fat Sargento Mozzarella Cheese                                                

18 slices of thin sliced ham deli meat

1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs (panko crispy Italian is my favorite)                                                 

Cooking spray 

1/2 tsp salt (optional-mix with bread crumbs)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lay out the pounded chicken breasts on a clean surface. Place 3 slices of ham on each piece, then one stick or slice of cheese. Roll the chicken up around the cheese and ham, and secure with toothpicks. Spray the chicken with cooking spray, then roll in bread crumbs. Place in a shallow baking dish.
3. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

The Grill Master General

Who knew Eddie had a gift for grilling? We broke in the new grill with some hot dogs and drumsticks. Next up, maybe ribs. I had some leftover ground turkey so I made dumplings for the first time without Dad. It was nice to have Eddie wrap a few even though I teased him for overstuffing them. Wish our family was here to enjoy the good food and fun. We have some great trips to look forward to, but somehow they just seem so far away at the moment. To pass the time, I've signed up for my 7th half marathon - Run with the Jets when I visit my family in a couple of weeks. What's exciting about this is that my mom will be walking the 5k so we'll both celebrate with medals! Here's to a eating well this week!



Grill Master General in motion.



Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. 45 min on the grill on med-hi heat.
Drumsticks were crispy and tasty.


Easy Dumpling Recipe

• One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
• thawed 1/2 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 1 scallion, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger finely minced
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Squeeze out all excess liquid from thawed spinach. In a bowl, mix together spinach, chicken, scallion, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Wrap with potsticker wrappers. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until they float. 



We Got a Grill!

There's something very grown-up about having a real grill. After toying with a portable charcoal grill, we finally decided to go with this one. Here's Eddie proudly showing off our newest addition to our home. Looks great on our patio.



A man with a grill is a happy man.

Huntington Beach Getaway

Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City USA because of having the most surf shops per square ft. and surfers in the water, was just what we needed. We started off our getaway at The Sky Room, a dinner at the first Hilton hotel. Surprisingly, we drove the route of the Long Beach Half marathon. The drive was much less strenuous, but still a good 40 min. away from our hotel. We took the old elevator to the top floor where dined with sweeping views of the city. Eddie ordered the short ribs with gnocchi and I had the ahi tuna with soba noodles. The night before I surprised Eddie with a swing dancing class, so with a live band, we attempted to show off some of our moves. It was nice to take in a run in the am, while Eddie opted for the super nice gym onsite. We had a relaxing lunch at the resort in the shade. Although we had planned on going to Oktoberfest nearby, we opted to not drive and took a walk across the street to the beach boardwalk where we rented a surrey bike. It's a lot harder than it looks! We didn't go anywhere very fast, but it was a fun day.

Dessert - Panna Cotta, Bread Pudding, and Crème Brulee

The Sky Room

Surrey Bike

Eddie couldn't resist a photo op by the fountains at our hotel.

Go Yankees!
 

Los Angeles and Wine Country

Me and Mom at my fitting.

We had an action packed weekend with my mom in town. First, Mom and I drove to LA to pick up my wedding dress. While I was a little nervous about my mom's reaction since she had said she had liked another dress better based on photos I had shown her, I breathed a sigh of relief when she said the dress was beautiful! My dress designer couldn't have been more sweet to us with all of tips and patiently explaining the nuances of slight alternations for the dress. Having watched a gazillion episodes of "Say yes to the dress", she reacted like any mom did when the designer put on a veil. My mom said, "I can't believe my daughter is getting married," and she was glowing with happiness. Of course, she raved about how perfect Eddie is - I couldn't agree more. The next day we visited Temecula for a lunch at a winery and then followed by a champagne tasting. The favorite of the day was Wilson's Creek Molly Medley with a miniature pig on the label - who can resist the pig in a tutu? We had more than our share of some fantastic meals beginning at the Lumberyard and ending with dim sum. Can't wait for the next visit.

Mom initially declined, but then couldn't help saying yes to Rose. 

These grapes were very sweet.

Eddie was very hot here.