We Survived.

It was my fifth year participating the Walk for Hunger (five years fundraising, four years walking since I skipped the third year due to rain) and I had a large group of family and friends to keep my company.

The morning started off early, with some bag balm (apparently originally used on cow's udders) to lubricate feet (foot model is my cousin Andrew) - I stuck with a double layer of socks:

Did I mention that the day started off early (hence the bleary-eyed expressions)? We were at the Common at 7 am and started walking at 8 am after registration and a group picture with my company's team. Our walking group (L to R) consisted of Amy, my cousin Andrew, my uncle Rich, me, Andrew and our family friend Jeff:

The Walk has a rolling start but it was packed at 8 am with people like us who were trying to get a start while the weather was still reasonably cool and comfortable:

Our walk tradition always has us stopping at Dunkin Donuts on Beacon Street close to Mile 3. Due to water crisis, every Dunkin Donuts we passed was closed this year and we had to settle for breakfast sandwiches from a Starbucks (open but not serving any hot drinks).

This was around Mile 6 around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and before our "secret" bathroom stop at BC (a yearly tradition) - that section of the reservoir you see roped off is where the City of Boston was sucking out water to use as a back-up water supply during the water main break:

We had a surprise visit from a mysterious man in blue while heading toward Newton Center (I think around Mile 7 - 8) - our friend Julian, fully outfitted in his kit, had finished a short race in Milton and biked all the way to Newton to see if he could find us along the walk route. He slowly pedaled the bike alongside us for a couple of miles before speeding off in the distance:

Did I mention that the weather was sunny, hot, humid and in the eighties for most of the day? By Mile 15, we were hot, sweaty and sore. On the plus side, there were tons of water stops and food giveaways, if you couldn't guess from the sandwich stufffed in Andrew's face:

But we were happy because 1) we were close to the finish line and 2) there was a nice breeze coming off the Charles:

What kept us walking at the end when we could barely move our feet? The free ice cream we knew they'd be handing out in Boston Common at the finish line (also a Walk tradition) and the thought of an icy cold gin and tonic at the Parish Cafe afterwards. Of course, we weren't sure there would be ice available for drinks at Parish Cafe, but apparently, they brought in ice from Gloucester (an unaffected community). Despite the fact that our muscles were cramping up, our sunburns were making an appearance, and the fact that we were way underdressed compared to the restaurant's other patrons, we were ready to dive into the Parish Cafe's signature sandwiches, including Andrew's favorite, the Rowdy:

And my new favorite dish, the white bean hummus plate:

By the time Andrew and I got home around 5 pm (having finished the walk in approximately six hours at 2 pm with time for lunch and a ride home on the T), we had just enough energy to shower in E-coli water. Nothing was going to stop me from being clean at that point, plus I figure the water is as clean as bathing in a stream, which I have done in places like Thailand. With some aloe slathered on my shoulders and the back of my legs, I was good to pass out at an unusually early time, Andrew equally burned and sore next to me.

Sunday Night Celebration

We didn't officially celebrate the engagement with some of our nearest and dearest - Amy, Phu, Pete and Jen - until Sunday since I had to bake on Friday night and we had the wedding on Saturday night.

Sunday was beautiful but by the time Andrew and I started walking to the Newton Center T stop around 6 pm to meet up with Jen, it was pouring rain - as we waited out a few minutes of the downpour under a tree, we heard the longest peal of thunder that I'd ever heard - yikes! However, by time we got off the T in Boston, there was a rainbow and gradually clearing skies awaiting us outside Parish Cafe:


After the Parish Cafe, only Amy and Jen were brave enough to join us at our favorite place for martinis, Bar Lola. Here's Amy and Jen showing off their Fresa martinis:


Andrew and I ordered Frambuesas for our first drink:


Many martinis and three hours later, we hit the streets feeling a little loopy:


...And we paid for it this morning when we woke up for work feeling like crap. Confirming that I am indeed too old to stay up late on Sundays but it was well worth it!

Yer Really Something...

Saturday marked my 18 month anniversary with Andrew (yay!) Andrew and I had already agreed that we won't give gifts for anniversaries or Valentine's Day, choosing instead to celebrate by doing something together, like having dinner. That being said, I told him baked goods from me doesn't count as a gift. So I decided to surprise him with something featuring Heath Bars, since that's one of his favorite flavors.

I found this great recipe for Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Heath Bars and Pecans through a Google search.

It calls for two 1.4 ounce Heath bars - I went with three Skor bars from the Walgreens around the corner (since they didn't have heath bars).

As a warning, it is ridiculously hard to resist eating candy bar bits while you're making this recipe so I think going with an extra candy bar is a great idea.

Here is what the batter looked like with half the Skor bars and pecans dumped in:




Ready to go in the oven:


Sliced and ready to eat (excuse the bad photography skills, I was in a rush):


These were really good, even though I was disappointed by how little you could taste the Heath bar flavor. Despite adding a half cup of Heath bar baking bits to the recipe, on top of the three chopped Skor bars, the strongest flavor from the brownies is still the cream cheese and the pecans. Andrew had no complaints - I was going to have a picture to illustrate this point, but he wouldn't hold still long enough while eating them!

I made these on Wednesday night while he was in Plymouth, and borrowing a page from his Mom's book, hid them in plain sight in the covered pan he gave for my birthday last year. I'll admit it, I was glad when Saturday rolled around so I could try them myself!

Saturday night, we headed over to the Parish Cafe, site of our first date and where we've gone each anniversary to have dinner. It's a great casual place on Boylston Street, right next to the Public Gardens, that features sandwiches that have been designed by local chefs (check out the menu here to see what I mean).

We got an order of the Bowl-O-Rings as a starter. These were incredible, not so much because of the onion rings themselves, but due to the chipotle aioli that accompanied them as dipping sauce. I would dip anything in this sauce and eat it! For our main course, Andrew went with his usual, Rowdy's Famous Chicken Sandwich, served with the same great chipotle aioli and I decided on a new sandwich, the Burke. It was delicious, but I have to admit, I stopped using the spicy pepper relish that accompanied it and dipped my sandwich in the aioli instead.

It was a wonderful day and I look forward to spending many more anniversaries there.