Pumpkin-Coconut Pie

On this lovely Sunday, I baked a pumpkin-coconut pie. The crust is very buttery, and really fluffed up like I wanted it to. In the filling, I used a real baby pumpkin, first baked in the oven and pureed on the stove. This filling is very delicious, looking forward to having dessert with whipped cream after dinner. There is even coconut-rum in the filling! I piled the coconut flakes on top pretty high, and let them crisp to perfection.

If I recall baking this pie on 350…

For the crust, I did 2.5 sticks of butter, half a cup of lard, a tsp of vanilla, 3 cups of flour, 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar, dash of salt, cup of cold water. ( You can always use margarine or Crisco instead of butter and lard, or buy a premade crust)

For the filling, I did one pie pumpkin baked and pureed, a can of evaporated milk, a tsp of allspice, a tsp of cinnamon, a shot of coconut rum, half a cup of brown sugar, half a cup of white sugar, and three large eggs. Cooked everything on the stove. Baked the pie crust, threw the filling in the crust then placed back into the oven, added egg yolk around edges of crust, kept baking with the coconut flakes on top…. voilà we have pie!

How do you set goals?

When I used to run cross-country, my coach made everyone on the team write down three goals that they had for the season. At the end of the season banquet coach would call a runners name, have them come up to the podium, and then state their three goals out loud, whether that person reached their goals or not. Sometimes the goals were inspiring and attained, and other times someone would be devastated that they missed top places or titles by just a few seconds. We would all just have to laugh together through the process, positive or negative. You were either praised or had tough love on our team, without an in between. One time I placed first in an invitational, and our team placed first, and instead of putting the trophy in the trophy case coach kept it forever; none of us will ever see it again. It was nice while it lasted, everyone loves a trophy, such a funny man. He said I ran like a tiger, but took the trophy.

My cross-country coach taught me to take my ‘first place trophy’, literal or figurative, and throw it away. Then, ask myself, “What can I do to better myself in running and my personal life?” The answer might not even be what you think it should be, you could want to slow down, buy new shoes, have run buns and not baggy shorts, be in a harder race and place lower, or eat more giant sugar cookies with rainbow sprinkles because nothing makes you happier. It was an emotional process, but a very serious life lesson to learn to be a certain way. Everyone has a process to advance in different aspects of life.

In my marathon runner years, I started doing a cozy fire or bonfire with my group of friends every summer/fall. We write down our hopes and dreams and burn them in the fire, because it’s supposed to make them come true. Fingers crossed that us girls had the right idea all these years! We are a fun bunch.

What ways do you make your dreams into plans? Message me your ideas!

One of my most stressful times, was studying for the GRE, Subject GRE and MCAT debating whether I wanted to pursue a PhD or MD. I did all three and scored fine, thank god, because they are very expensive and take such a long time and my friends always drove me because it takes a village... In the car on the way back to our apartment my group of friends were like ‘ let’s call Barbie and tell her’ my mom, and then we would have fun drinks and movie night. All those exams are like running a marathon. I made thousands of flashcards and still have them, with a bookshelf of review books. One of my professors told me not to feel rushed, because he was still trying to find the end of an infinite number they have worked on their entire career. All I ever worked towards, memorizing things and running fast… but who doesn’t? A lot of people are smart and a lot of women run fast. Stay with like-minded people who get what you’re doing in life..

It’s funny, over the summer I took a linear algebra class locally in Syracuse, and there was a problem I didn’t know how to solve, and I emailed my friend from highschool to ask if they knew how to do it, we three-wayed with another old teammate too. He did not remember how to solve that particular thing, but then we started talking about how we actually have similar jobs in software which was really funny. Five minutes after the conversation, something clicked and I figured it all out, went through a lot of graph paper. Math is layers and layers of years, building and building, eventually you turn into the calculator. Running cross-country together to having similar jobs and degrees, half of our cross-country team ended up in the same career path and we still solve each others problems! Competition can make the best friends later in life, because you have so much in common and can say things like, “ You can do it, because you’re a woman!” One of the best things about sports is making lifelong friends. One of the worst things that I have ever been told is, ‘ I don’t agree with women being in this field,’ sometimes you need to beak away from those people, find a way to persist and tell yourself you already did the work to be here; sometimes they’ll be embarrassed if you ask them to explain why. There’s always a way to work around that attitude. Even in running I’ve been told, “ You’re not going to run a full marathon, it’s not correct for women to do,” and all I ever do is run marathons, that attitude is in everything and you just have to work around it. I proved the guy who told me I would never run a marathon wrong (after I already had been doing them for years) time and time again, hahah. Fundamentals are the building blocks of fun.

Getting To Know Yourself

When I was sick in highschool, with a virus that effected my heart and stopped my life a little, one of my doctors told me that being homeschooled gave me the opportunity ‘to get to know myself.’ At the time, I felt like I already knew myself, and the way my illness impacted my life was devastating. In hindsight, I realize that being home enabled me to improve on factors in my life such as academia. I would read every book that I could get my hands on, in addition to reading Pride and Prejudice every morning before 10am because it is my favorite book. I invested in more math text and work books, so with my tutor I became more advanced than I would have been in the same classroom as everyone else. Then, I could have almost two minors in college after finishing highschool. Once, I recovered from my heart condition, I valued opportunities to be an athlete more, and focused to perform on another level. What seemed like devastation at the time, groomed me to have self-discipline and know what I want, so I could come back to life better than ever. I look at this year of shock as, “ This too shall pass.” Once opportunity to race the marathon again presents itself, I know exactly what I want to do, which is a blessing. In terms of academia, I feel blessed to know the career path I am on, and how my degrees are helping me advance in my existing career. Knowing yourself, and what you would like in the future is a blessing, sometimes setbacks enable you to see the blessings that are already in your life. The best is yet to come.

Lucy and Luna

Did we save them or did they save us? A little over a year ago, we adopted these puppies from Helping Hounds, after they were found abandoned in a trailer in Texas. A rescue team drove them all the way up to New York. Now they have a loving home with lots of snacks and toys to play with, and even enjoy stroller rides from time to time. These chihuahuas have given us all a truly richer life, just so cute. My baby girls! These two are really like having little kids, I feed them mac and cheese for lunch in their sparkly pink bowls.

PID BENEFIT THIS WEEK!!

Runners love to wear the magnificent PID jewelry line! That’s why running is the best looking sport.

My professors from Saint Joseph’s College, design stunning jewelry to fundraise for the organization Partners in Development. I have had the luxury of volunteering in Haiti with PID. This week PID is having a benefit, we all have the opportunity to purchase this gorgeous jewelry to help those living in extreme poverty. Please enjoy this truly magnificent collection of jewelry. https://www.pidonline.org/
“This beautiful pendant features a stunning 1.5 carat natural ruby set in 14K yellow gold. The stone itself measures 9.42mm x 5.08mm and is exquisitely framed in a custom double halo setting, featuring diamond accents around the stone and on the pendant bail. Bob Prouty of Northeast Gems (Fryeburg, ME) estimates the retail value of the ruby alone at $3,000 and this is our asking price for an heirloom quality piece of jewelry. Please remember that every cent of your “purchase” helps Partners in Development aid those living in extreme poverty. This is a beautiful investment you can feel good about! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or are interested in buying! This item will be part of the PID Benefit which begins Monday, November 9th.” Dr. Fecteau Bridge

Made by a queen for a queen.

Baking Mood

I love to make this apple square with buttercream frosting drizzled on top every year. It’s just a buttery pie crust cut into a square, melted butter, with the sliced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Best recipe ever, especially with vanilla ice cream. My buttercream frosting recipe is 2.5 sticks of non-salted butter, 1.5 cups of confectionary sugar, and one vanilla bean.

My Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 cup of sugar

1 large egg

3 cups of flour

1 vanilla bean

Gingerbread Recipe

Hot Mix

6 Tablespoons of water

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons of dark molasses

3 tablespoons of corn syrup

3 tablespoons of ginger

3 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

Dry Mix

2.5 sticks of butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups of all purpose flour

Sugar Cubes for Tea

6 tablespoons of sugar

food coloring

Mix the sugar and food coloring in a bowl and use tiny heart shaped cookie cutters on wax paper to make the sugar cubes! Let it all dry for a day and then have a tea party!

I made these for my cousin Brianne’s wedding shower, for party favors! It is such a compliment to be trusted with such a responsibility. :) Then, I also made them for my older sister’s friend who wanted dessert for their backyard wedding but did not have a lot of money, labor of love.

I always use four-five batches of my gingerbread recipe for the house. I measure the sides with computer paper. Sometimes, I feel bad for using all that butter and not actually eating the house, however the recipe is perfect and smells delightfully delicious ( I imagine that margarine or Crisco would probably do the trick too). You can add more cloves to the house mix for the scent, since it’s just decoration. Royal icing is all egg whites and powdered sugar, blended to peak, very sturdy for constructing the house. I enjoy using stuffing or cotton to look like snow around the house, on top of several foam boards.

Golden Lobster Medals

In the car listening to the new Harry Styles song, Golden, I started thinking about how much I love my golden lobster claw medals from running the MDI marathon twice. Then, I started thinking about how my run song is still AC/DC, Thunderstruck. Nothing gets me ready for running fast like, Thunderstruck, sometimes I just play it jumping on my bed dancing around wearing my medals. I love love love, Thunderstruck blaring and everyone jumping up and down on the MDI starting line, and keeping that energy going up that giant mountain of the first mile in the marathon.

Mount Desert Island, has the highest cliffs, and coolest trails down to the ocean. Being up in Bar Harbor during peak fall foliage is one of the best moments in life, especially during a full moon. The last time that I ran MDI last year, the race director gave me my medal, which was very cool making me feel like a celebrity. Then, I wore my medal all around town with my parents, out to dinner and shopping the tourist shops.

Golden Lobster Claws are a very big deal in Maine, and I suppose New York as well after I came home from my race.

Harry is running around in his music video!

Every runner in the world must be jamming to this on the track. I know I’m doing my speed workouts on the track, looking for an alter to run to like a ‘track star’…. a man with a ‘Vespa’… love it.

Hundred Acre Woods

I just had to share these marvelous hundred acre woods with Winne the Pooh bear pics! 🐻 🍯 🌳 📖