Day 24: OUCH

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the C25K ("Couch-to(2)-5K")training program is a gradual conditioning of one's body to be able to run 3.2 miles.  Tonight's workout is week five, work-out two.  Click here to view the training schedule.

I've run in my new running shoes a couple of times now, and can definitely feel a difference in the way I run.  Unfortunately, I've had issues with blisters on my arches.
I may have to remove the inserts I bought and replace the original ones.  So much for $150 running shoes.  Pssh.

But my main pain this weekend has been recovering from my out of town company.  Gary and I were pleased to have an old college friend, Craig, and his friend Alan, join us for the weekend.  (Thanks for coming, Craig!  Come again soon!)   Somewhere, our wires got crossed, where Craig had made plans to go clubbing on the North Side and I didn't realize that included me.  Don't get me wrong, I had a good time.  But being up until 3am Friday Night/Saturday Morning REALLY killed my weekend.  I guess I'm just not as young as I used to be.  OI. 

On the up-side, I got to knock off some new recipes.  

Last week I was able to try "Salsa Chicken," as inspired by one of my Nesties.  Here's how this works:  Chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup and a jar of salsa.  Put the three in a crock pot for six hours and serve over rice.  I was a little dubious, but it actually turned out pretty good.  Next time, I'll use Mild Salsa.  Gary topped his with taco cheese, and I did sour cream.  Yum, yum. 

For our company over the weekend, I dabbled with this: 

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Cheese-Chicken-Lasagna/Detail.aspx

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth (*I used 1 can chicken broth, and a half a can of white wine.)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Gary wasn't crazy about this recipe, but I thought it was good. Because it's pretty rich, I'll likely serve it again when we have more than 4 people to feed. We had half a pan left over, and could only pick at it so long over the weekend before deciding to throw it away.  

Well, that's all from my side of reality.  Keep the coffee flowing, people.