A Fancy Schmancy Meal...and a TOUGH Run!

Back in late July, I was proud enough of making a yummy Melissa D'Arabian recipe, then posting to her wall about it and she commented (so I thought I was the coolest cat ever)...but I guess I never posted it or took any pics.  Let's just say that it was good enough to make the cut again and was just as wonderful as it was last time!  Just by serving the rib(s) over polenta and with a side salad, it was a restaurant quality meal and on the cheap!

Here is the full episode recipe from Food Network TV, and below are my "common folk" notes because I actually watched the episode and took notes instead of following her recipe online.

Country Style Pork Ribs

1 pound or so of country style pork ribs, bone in
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Vegetable Oil
Garlic
Tomato Paste (I used tomato soup b/c I was out)
1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
Chicken Stock
Red Pepper Flakes (I omitted)
Bay Leaves

Start by salting and peppering the ribs and sear them in a hot pan with olive oil.  You will want a nice crust on them, so get the pan.  Once they are browned, take them out and start to build a braising liquid by adding in some chopped celery, carrots and onions.  You may need a touch more oil, and also add some chopped garlic and tomato paste (or tomato soup worked in a pinch tonight).  Add in 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan.  Use some red pepper flakes if you want some heat; or a few bay leaves.  Add the ribs back in and add chicken stock - just enough to cover halfway up the meat.  Bring that to a simmer and then put the covered pan in the oven at 350 degrees.  Cook for an hour with the lid on and 1/2 hour with the lid off.

Creamy Polenta

1 cup of milk
1 cup of half and half (I used almond milk tonight b/c we were out)
1/3 cup of coarse corn grits (polenta)
butter
parmesan cheese

Melissa says the ratio of cornmeal to liquid is 1 to 7 - but you start with 1 to 6 in a saucepan using 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of half and half and 1/3 cup of coarse corn grits.  Add in some butter and salt.  Whisk them and then spray a slow cooker with cooking spray.  After 20 minutes or so, I then poured the polenta mixture in there and cooked it for a few hours on high.  I cooked it about an hour and a half tonight and it was a good consistency.  This way you don't have to "nurse" it but can stir it once every 30 minutes or so.  Right before serving, add in some grated parmesan cheese, and if you want (and if your calorie content allows, you can add in a bit more half and half (to get to the 1-7 ratio) and butter).  But with just the cheese, it's still tasty.  Mine looks so messy - remember - I'm still learning!

So the meal was the good part of the day.  The tough part was my run - my 10 K is this coming Monday and I know for a fact I am undertrained.  But I was bound and determined to do 5 miles today so that at least I know I'm close.  And I did - but it was not pretty.  My knee was aching, my hips started hurting and just as I was nearing the finish line I started to get nauseous - a combination of speeding it up too much in the last 5 minutes along with not eating nearly enough throughout the day to fuel my body with energy. 

So literally, I finished, hopped off the treadmill, and let's just say I had a quick "puke-a-rooskie" but then felt fine.   I know gross - TMI.  But hey...I'm hoping some runners out there might have some pointers for me so that is not how I cross the finish line on Monday!  Definitely learned my lesson fueling up during the day.  Timewise it was okay...not my goal, but close to it, and I really need to be sure I am setting realistic expectations for myself so that I am not disappointed.  I did stretch out a lot, then took a nice hot bath with mineral spirits or whatever they are called - to help with aches and pains. 

I'm trying to figure out my game plan for the next few days...don't want to over do it for sure, but also I want to keep on running.  I'm thinking maybe 4 tomorrow, walking on Thursday, 6 on Friday and then walking on Saturday and Sunday so that I have fresh legs on Monday.  Does anyone have any thoughts other than "you should have started training sooner than just two weeks ago!!!"  It's just that the race is so close by and I drove the course today...relatively flat and it's one where you turn around at the halfway point and I like those better for some reason.

Thank goodness my awesome supportive husband has all the faith in the world in me that I CAN DO THIS!  Now it just has to rub off on me :)

Alrighty - a few more chapters of my book "Pope Joan" and then off to bed.  I planned on an earlier bedtime but I am just way too entrenched in my night owl ways!