Ready to Race

This is a very important post for a number of reasons.

Import for you because it's the last in my series of Valentine's lobster meals.

Important for me, because as you read this, I am on my way to my half marathon. Probably still in the sky in fact. And I am VERY excited about it. My first half I was beyond nervous by this point. Doubting myself, doubting my training.

But now, I know I can do it. And I know my training will pay off. Part of me thinks I'm not as fast as I was last time. My runs have been a bit sluggish lately. On the other hand, I think I might be A LOT faster. Mainly because of this:

This is the training route I run almost every day:

There's a mountain behind me (well a wilderness area) which leave me one direction to go. And it's all downhill from there. har har har (See what I did THERE?) Which means it is ALL UPHILL going home. For about the last mile. But if you think that's bad, that's got nothing on my runs when I stay with Thatmom:

Thatmom lives at the top of a hill. It seems like there should be a moat with crocodiles surrounding it, but nope. Just a hill. Although to call this a hill would be like calling the Sahara a "dry patch." The thing is monsterously steep. And no matter which direction I go, I always have to run back up that thing when I am most tiredest.

Which is why I am REALLY looking forward to this race. With a course that looks like this:
Do you SEE the flatness? It's going to be a fantastic run.

And for my last "lobsters for Valentine's Day" I've stepped THAT up a notch too. I had to. Because I couldn't very well post about my pumped up half and then give you some boring old lobster dish. This one is perfect for a romantic candle-light dinner. It even comes in its very own bowl. A bowl that you will lovingly and painstakingly create in a kitchen of your very own. And when your loved one turns to you and says "Oh darling, this is simply too too much!" You can just dust your hands off and murmur- oh this old thing? I just threw it together.

Creamed Lobster (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
2.5 Tbsp butter
2.5 Tbsp flour
1 cup light cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cooked lobster meat
patty shells
1/2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and cook over low heat until smooth and blended.
3. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly, and the nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add the lobster meat and heat through. Spoon into patty shells and sprinkle with parsley.

Patty Shells
1. Roll puff pastry into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. You can use frozen, but next week I'll give you instructions on how to make your own.
2. Cut into circles 3 inches in diameter.
3. Remove the centers from half of the circles with a 2 inch round cutter.
4. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with water and shake off the excess. Place a cut out ring on top of each round and press gently to seal evenly. Prick the bottom of each unbaked shell with a fork.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Remove the uncooked pastry from the center.