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Champagne & Mars Bar Run

As one would expect fro trail runners, the turn out is always good when there is alcohol and chocolate involved.

No Cost, No Support, No Sympathy

OK, Barb proved my slogan wrong.

The cost of running with minimalist shoes on trails, cost her two broken bones in her foot.

There was support of fellow runners who carried her until a complete stranger on a mountain bike offered her to sit on the bike while her entourage pushed her out of the trails to be picked up by car to get her home so John could take her to emergency.

And yes there was Sympathy, as a nun exiting Bresha College witnessed Barb laying on the lawn in her running shorts and top, with one leg propped up on Mike's shoulder for elevation and Tomas and Carl huddled next to her saying kind words. (I am sure the nun went in side and said many prayers for that fallen woman)

The picture above was one week later when Barb joined us for coffee after our run to say all is well.

Just a Little Tart

Need an excuse to come out and run trails?

After Wednesday evening's trail run at Komoka, we were treated to home made fruit tarts, made from scratch by Mel.

I had the pleasure of a berry tart over the popular peach tarts.

Now all we need is a liquor salesman with free samples.

Do you run for Cheesecake?

I do!

From a recipe from my Burlington Running Club newsletter.

I tried this and served it to the group after a loop of Fanshawe Lake Trails, and other than drooling and sugar educed euphoria, I think it was a winner. 

Here is the recipe:

Crust:

1 cup chocolate wafers or biscuits

3 tbsp butter

Filling:

3 pkgs cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 sgs white chocolate, melted

3 sqs semi sweet chocolate, melted

2 tbsp raspberry or orange liqueur

Glaze:

8 sqs semi sweet chocolate

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp vegetable oil

Crust: 

Combine crumbs and butter, press onto bottom of an 8" spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Filling: 

In a food processor or electric blender, blend cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

Add vanilla.

Remove 1/2 of the batter to another bowl. Stir melted white chocolate and liqueur into this portion.

To remaining batter, blend in melted semisweet chocolate.Pour dark batter onto crumb lined pan, spread evenly.

Spoon white batter carefully over top, spread evenly. Bake at 425* for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 250. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes longer or until center of cake is just barely firm. remove from oven and run a knife around sides; let cool completely before removing sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour before glazing.

Glaze:

Melt chocolate with butter and oil over hot water, stirring until smooth. Place the cake on rack over waxed paper. Dip spatula in glaze and smooth over sides of the cake, making sure to smooth out bumps and fill holes, if any. Pour glaze over entire cake. Bang rack several times to smooth. 

For the vegetarians in our group you can add lawn clippings or tree bark, but remember most of us have a primal lust of sinful deserts.

I thank my trail running friends, Nancy, Mel, Jeff and Denny for being my guinea pigs on my first try at this cheesecake. 

I was going to take a picture of them, but they said they needed to run another 40 km to burn this off. 

August 3, 2013

This is part of the group of 35 runners who showed up on Saturday at Komoka Trails.

One would almost think the turn out was larger than usual because there was Champagne and Mars Bars as we do at the season end run in October, but there wasn't, so I guess its just because we are such a pleasure to be around.

You will note two woman in jeans in the front row who Bill Wheeler picked up on the trail. (one of them was about to go on her ass on the slippery boardwalk portion as the group were attempting to pass and Bill grabbed her and saved her from a bruise or two)

They were from Ohio and were visiting friends in London for a girls weekend and came out to walk the trails and were probably wishing they could have come for coffee with us at Angelo's after the run rather than go back to shopping and drinking wine with 'The Girls'.

OK, I may be wrong.