Chef Kate's Corner: CD

i know this is a tad bit late, but who cares - it was too yummy to not share. i did, however, forget to take pics - but i will try to remember for the New Year's feast so you can enjoy it too :) stay tuned for that one, but for now...enjoy :)

Christmas 08 breakfast menu:
dark chocolate coffee from Harry and David's
gingerbread and chocolate chip pancakes (the mix was from Harry and David's too - MPC had been begging for it for a month, so i finally gave in to the premade mix!)
with a homemade mascarpone eggnog sauce
topped with crushed candied pecans
scrambled egg whites with sharp cheddar cheese
organic peppered bacon
and freshly sliced gala apples

Christmas 08 dinner menu:
appetizer:

organic peppered bacon wrapped dates

red wine that i cannot remember the name of...oops!

main course:
cornish game hens oven baked with various spices
topped with a mandarin pumpkin marmalade glaze
fresh green beans cooked with bacon and spices
and homemade cream cheese, caesar mashed potatoes with chives


ooooh, i can't wait for New Year's day. i went shopping today and found tons of fresh ingredients. looking forward to putting on my chef's hat again :) its always nice to ring in the new year with good food - my specialty!

New Year's Eve

finally.

the close to a very tumultuous, trying year filled with massive change, weighted realizations, enormous accomplishments and mixed emotions.

i have a lot to be thankful for and even more to be thankful that i can leave behind.

no more talking about putting the past in the past, time to just do it.

starting yoga again has been a huge catalyst in releasing the bad, the old, the things that no longer hold purpose in my life and welcoming in the new and yet unseen potential of the future. this is going to be a big year - Vineman Half, AFC Half, IMCozumel to name a few and i'm starting to prep mentally and physically like never before. i am re-entering the tri world with ease, intelligence and low expectations since the expectations i set for myself are quite often way out of the realm of normalcy and tend to put so much pressure on my inner soul that i end up breaking after its all said and done. accomplishing the goals are just as fun in any manner, i do not have to kill myself in the process. keeping a clear head through this next year will be my main goal and keeping my body in the best shape for the challenges ahead is my main purpose - after that, all the rest is a bonus of infinite proportions that i will be grateful for in any way they are given to me.

happy new year's -

i hope it is filled with smiles, love, peace, joy and all the grandeur you'd like in whatever way you'd like it...

thinking

i don't have a lot of time to write but i just wanted to say to all of my very dear friends that yes, i am going through some shit right now - internally. yes, i am going to be okay and pull through just like i always do. yes, i am still here if you need me for whatever - talking, hugging, listening, movie watching or just sitting - it may not be the cheeriest you've ever seen me, but i am always here for you and you can count on that. i was thinking - i have lost a lot in my life. some you may all know about, others you have no concept of. all in all, the holidays seem to be a reminder of those lost things when it should be a celebration of life and blessings. its I who need to change my thoughts, my feelings, my words to reflect the terms of what this time of year should mean - a time of reflection, a time of thankfulness, a time of friends and family and blessings abound. until then - until i can express those feelings outwardly in person, you should read it here...

clark

the English language, or any other language for that matter, cannot describe how much i miss your angel butt face, your ornery ways or your elbow resting atop my head in the middle of church. i miss you the most at Christmas bc it was always a time when we would certainly be together, sharing the same bed in anticipation for the morning, rising at 5AM to see what Santa had left us, waking up mom and dad with blasted Christmas music 10 decibles too loud and yummy treats that we liked to share. i also miss teasing you, laughing with you, wrestling and even arguing with you. but most of all, i miss your hugs and your smile. hell, i miss everything about you and i wish, with all of my being that i could have you back to tell you that i love you just one more time.

clara

i have not words to describe my love for you, what you mean to me or our family. i thank God every single day for your little burst of sunshine in a place that could have forever been shrouded in shadows and sorrow.

mom

you are everything to me and i love you with all of my heart. you are my most trusted confidant and dearest friend. without you, life wouldn't be as sweet and i am blessed to have such an incredible woman in my life who also happens to have given birth to me.

poppa

i wouldn't be the person i am today without your unconditional love and support in all that i do. even in my most brattiest times growing up, you stuck by me and loved me through the mean girl that i was and showed me how to be the thoughtful woman i am today.

jessika

i miss you. i love you. i hope that one day we will have the time and wherewith all to visit and laugh and play like we used to. until then, please know how much you mean to me and that you will always be one of my life long friends.

danban

i love you more than i can say and i miss seeing you and laughing with you and just hanging out - something to get back to soon, i hope, when things settle down. i know we're both in over our heads right now (mainly with work) but things will calm soon enough and hopefully training will resume for us both.

bg

you are one of my best friends and i am so very grateful for all that you do for me, your generosity and your hope in the face of my despair - always willing to lend an ear, a shoulder or a sofa when i need it most, can not be given enough thanks.

iris

i miss you. you make me ponder things about myself i had not previously thought before and validate my feelings with kind words and thoughtful feedback. i appreciate all of the faith you have in me and your constant generosity. you are a person that i feel blessed to have in my life and i am so lucky to count you amongst my friends.

tonice

you don't even know i have a blog but just the same, you are my oldest friend. my sister, not by blood, but by spirit. our connection will never be broken or lost because you are apart of me and i of you. we never stray very far for very long and i am grateful to have your friendship against all odds, in spite of all the hurt and amidst all the chaos of our everyday lives. i love you. and jared too :)

eb AKA "MPC"

you know how i feel about you...don't let it go to your head ;)

roo

yes, i am still alive. i miss you too and i hope to catch up soon. you are a fairly new friend and so have yet to witness my "down" time and the "moods" i find myself in during times like these, but i will be back to my normal self sometime soon and then we can resume our fun :)

CB

you are a good man. thank you for your care and your concern, your friendship and your time. i promise to get out of this funk ASAP and resume my training just as soon as i get the footing back underneath me.

and all the rest of you crazy people who consider me a friend

thank you for sharing a part of your life with me that i will take wherever i go. i promise to remember that people like you are in the world rooting for me, believing in me and calling me by the name "friend" when things are tough and motivation is lacking. a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Cheery Kwanzaa and a Grateful Festivus to you all (and any of the others i missed!)!!! ;)

holidays schmolidays

katie b has a lot to write on this subject and as soon as work settles itself down a bit and she has some extra time to write, she will fill you in - but suffice it to say, this is how she is feeling...

hopefully she will be back to her annoyingly chipper self soon, otherwise those closest to her are in for a real treat in the upcoming weeks - unless she decides to close her self off again this year. oy. either way, its a pretty shitty time in the realm of holiday spirit and katie b-isms. apparently, she isn't the only one feeling under the weather.

oh and i think she's pretty ticked that out of all the 192 hits on this post only 5 comments were made. she thinks that's shit and wanted me to tell you so. you're not helping her much with her collage.

i sure hope she gets back to blogging soon. until then, happy holidays to you and yours. i hope they are much lighter and more joyful than hers...

i am a blog slacker

things that are preventing me from blogging:

the adventures of VB

having all of my shit strewn across 4 locations - BG's, storage, MPC's and my new place

my new place - it's phenomenal, too bad its phenomenally a mess and i have nothing to put in it except for what occupies my bedroom. yep, you guessed it - sitting on the floor and looking at bare walls will be your treat if you come to visit any time before my mom comes to rescue my poor, broke ass for my bday in February. currently counting down the days...
TNT coaching
my own training

MPC
traveling back to back to back (or so it seems)

my damned knees/IT's and all of the shit they put me through

trying to figure out what in the hell is going through my head - who has vaginas, who has penises and how in the hell those are interchangeable in some weird way

work - i'm drowing

being lazy (that's the best and most accurate one so far)

things i should have blogged about but haven't:

IMAZ and my rock star spectatorship

IMAZ and BAM kicking ass

Roo's and my adventures on the high seas - or really, the low valleys of sun and sand

MPC

Thanksgiving day extravaganza at Jim's

my fun weekends of riding Dina's beautiful Specialized S Works

boys and how freaking crazy they make me

my new found UNbrokenness (which was super fun to realize)

my 4 migraines in 2 weeks and probably a CAT scan if i have one more

upcoming things that i should blog about but probably won't:

coaching clinic in SF this weekend

my very first NYC trip

MPC

my move from 3 locations down to one in all of its entirety

work - learning how NOT to drown

what am i going to do about all of this non blogging?!

nothing for now.

i'm on a bit of a hiatus until i can figure some stuff out,

get an internet connection at my new place,

and get settled.

it may be awhile, it may be tomorrow - who knows.

i'm sorry to those of you who actually read this thing.

i will be better sooner rather than later, i promise.

just sit tight and i will return to my normally scheduled blogging just as soon as i can muster some time and creativity.

kb