Black Toe and the Birthday Dinner

This wasn't supposed to happen, I don't run Marathons.

I'm looking for ways to avoid this in the future.  It happened after a 3 hour run, which due to my pace netted me 19.22 miles.  That is a PR for my 3 hour run which takes place every 3-4th Sunday.  I was wearing Saucony Rides.  They were just starting to be my favorite new shoe.

One blog says that I need to buy running shoes half a size to a full size bigger then my normal size for walking.  Another says I should have at least one thumbnail length from my longest toe (Hallux) to the front of the shoe.  Another says I need to clip my toe nails regularly.

I bought some more shoes, because I am always looking for an excuse to try new running shoes.  I'm definitely looking for zero drop, but cushioned shoes.  I tried the whole minimal thing, but that just doesn't work for my half century old feet running on concrete for 19+miles.  The Saucony Virrata are looking nice!

Birthday Dinner

My wife and I for our birthdays get a special request dinner.  I almost always ask for her awesome enchiladas, and she almost always asks for seafood.

Of all the meats I struggle with, seafood is at the top.  I'm usually doing a cure, or rub, or slow cooking meat until it is tender (for hours).  I cook fatty meats and use the drippings for sauces and risotto.  Seafood really doesn't do well using these techniques, at least not in my hands.

I've done cooking in milk and various cream sauces, and serving on rice.  My son did fish and chips once, which was outstanding.  This year I wanted to do something unusual.  So I went and listened to the guru:

http://ruhlman.com/2013/08/le-creuset-terrines-seafood-terrine/

I've been looking for an excuse to make a terrine.  I even had bought a terrine dish several weeks earlier.

I followed Ruhlman's excellent directions:

Of course you have to have Aioli  sauce for a seafood terrine.  So I broke open a couple of our wonderful local free range eggs and went at it with olive oil.  Thanks to the Paleo people for the core of my idea.

I plated it up or my wife.

Second course was home made pasta primavera.

Desert started off as a homemade chocolate cake which became chocolate torte.  I stole some of my Wife's coffee in the morning to add that special something, and paired it with a tasting of "Bottomless Pit" versus Deschute's Brewery "The Abyss."

The Abyss was the better sipping beer, but my Bottomless Pit came out on top as the best match for dessert - it was sweeter.  The frosting was a sourcream base that turned more into a glaze. but it was good!