"Snowmageddon" (aka "The White Death")

Alright, so it's going to snow. Probably lots. And, there will likely be some serious wind and rediculously cold temperatures to go along with it. Some people (like the weather guy) might even call it a "blizzard". Wait...that's exactly what he called it. Well, what I call it is "Lisa won't be getting to the gym (and definitely not outside for a run) for the next, oh, three to five days". If I'm lucky. Boo.

But, I will be making my first attempt at p90x! I've wanted to try p90x for a while, and a neighbor of mine was nice enough to lend me a few of her DVD's from the set--a cardio DVD and a chest & back DVD. We checked out the cardio DVD this evening. My kids had a good ol' time trying to imitate some of the yoga and kick-boxing moves! My favorite was watching them do the 'superman/banana' move. I should try to post a video of them doing it...hilarious. I'm planning on doing the workout for real tomorrow. Tonight was just a preview. Looked like a good challenge.

I made rigatoni with broccoli, cannelini beans and garlic tonight. An easy one pot meal, and the kids totally ate it up. My friend Lyzz makes a dish called Country-Style Rigatoni; a recipe from an Italian restaurant called Carmine's in New York City. It also has broccoli, cannelini beans and garlic in it. But, it is so much more. Oh my goodness, it is so delicious. I seriously almost ate myself SILLY one time at her house when she made this dish. Here's a link to the recipe, if you're ever so inclined:

http://www.food.com/recipe/carmines-country-style-rigatoni-390929

I also made a bread pudding this afternoon. Grace's favorite! It's a family recipe and I don't think I've ever seen anyone else make bread pudding the same way. It's more of an egg custard with bread floating on top. It's really good. I love it warm. I love it cold. I love it for dessert. I love it for breakfast. (What? It's eggs, bread and milk!) Here's the recipe for the Carr Family Bread Pudding:

1. Whisk together 4 eggs with 1/2 cup of sugar until light (read: a little foamy) in a round baking dish. (I use a glass covered casserole dish.)
2. Add 4 cups of milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla; whisk to combine.
3. Butter 3 slices of bread on one side. Stack the slices on top of each other and cut into 12 squares (so that you end up with 36 buttered cubes of bread). Separate the cubes of bread and drop them, buttered side up, onto the top of the egg mixture (they'll sort of float), making sure to distribute them evenly.
4. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.
5. Place the baking dish in a pan (I use a 9x13 glass baking dish) with about 1 inch of hot water in it. *You have to do this! Otherwise, your custard will not come out smooth and creamy like it's supposed to! I learned this the hard way!
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until set. (Don't worry that it still looks jiggly when you take it out. That's how it's supposed to be.) Take the baking dish out of the pan of water to cool. Enjoy!

While the kids and I love this bread pudding, Jeremy is not a fan. He's a tecture person and, apparently, the texture of egg custard is not his favorite. Oh well. More for me and the kids!

Some other stuff:

• I think I'm going to be running in a race called the Brew to Brew on April 3rd. (Sounds like a real serious run, huh?) It's a 44 mile solo (nope) or relay (yes) run. Jennifer, a friend of mine in the neighborhood who I've run with a few times (she was also training for a half marathon last fall and was my running buddy on the longest run I've ever done; a little over 9 miles) is running the Brew to Brew on a team of people from her work, and they have an open spot. It starts at the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City and ends at the Free State Brewing Company in Lawrence, Kansas. Running and beer, what a combination!
• Seriously, I've gotta get some pictures up on this blog. I just keep thinking about it.
• I'd like to write soon about the young adult Sunday school class Jeremy and I have been going to for the last few months. It has been really great. I mean really great. We've been watching a DVD series called Dream. Think. Be. Do., and it has helped me think so much more clearly about my faith, my beliefs and my spirituality. I'm excited for each week of class and am never disappointed with the depth of discussion we have. Looking forward to sharing that.

Well, they already cancelled school for tomorrow, and I highly doubt we'll have school on Wednesday. Thursday seems questionable too. Wish me luck as we spend these next few days all cooped up! Hope you all are staying safe and warm! (No comments necessary from you Floridians.)