Great Day for a 5K

This Monday is off to a roaring start! I’ve applied to 5 college programs (I might as well use all available choices to get my money’s worth!) and paid my $109.00 in POM (peace of mind) fees, aka application and transcript fees. They are:

– Algonquin for Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL);

– Algonquin for Technical Writing;

– Algonquin for Screenwriting;

– Niagara and Conestoga Colleges for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL).

The programs are all graduate certificate programs—require previous completion of a university degree—with 1 year to completion. Each of the teaching programs is intense and comprehensive enough to enable me to become certified to teach English both abroad AND here in Canada.

Obviously, my first choice is Algonquin and I’m hoping they accept me

I spent a busy weekend in the kitchen. I made a moist Chocolate & Banana Marble Bread on Saturday morning with two black bananas that were so ripe they were falling apart, lending a banana flavour that is unmistakable throughout. I used ½ cup chocolate chips gently melted over a double broiler and 2 generous Tbsp of fine cocoa for the chocolate half of the cake, and the result is a rich, almost fudge-like consistency. Both flavours compliment each other nicely.

I spent Saturday afternoon downtown, in absolutely splendid weather, for Ottawa’s Race Weekend. Surrounded by attending crowds of almost 20,000, I cheered for over 5,600 people, who came from all corners of the globe, to run or walk the 5K course. There were runners as young as 5 all the way up to 80! Needless to say, I was very vocal; I think it’s important to encourage people in a loud, er… energetic way, and my complimentary Thunderstix® allowed me to do this with ease!

One of my co-workers, who is decidedly not an avid runner, trained for 3 months to run the 5K race and I thought the least I could do was come out and cheer her on. It took her close to an hour but she did it and crossed the finish line running! Four of our other co-workers also participated. The Algerian winner ran the course in under 14 or 15 minutes. The 42-km marathon was on Sunday.

I also managed to check off another thing on my 101 things list; I won’t specify but I hope no one in the crowd could see through my body-hugging sundress! :-p

Sunday, I lounged around reading old issues of Gourmet magazine (I have a huge stack of almost 100 copies from the 1990s that I picked up from my apt lobby). For lunch, I made a Thai-inspired Pork, Apple & Water Chestnut Salad that was packed with so many goodies I don’t know where to start! I glazed the pork in a simple honey, soy, ginger & Chinese five-spice sauce and added it to a bed of mixed greens, crunchy Chow mein noodles, Royal Gala apples, red peppers, seedless cucumber, green onions, water chestnuts, and parsley. Tossed with a lime juice & sesame seed dressing, it’s da bomb! Eclectic, yes and not exactly traditional Thai, but I rarely play by the recipe rulebook and this was no exception!

Sunday night, with the heat in my apt at an oppressive level, I thought what could be more fun than baking dessert in the hot, hot oven! So I made a batch of Creamy Cranberry Bars, with a buttery brown sugar shortbread crust and a topping of 1 lb. of fresh from frozen cranberries, 1 egg, 1 cup of sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla. The fruit gets all hot and bubbly and tastes like a creamier version of cranberry rhubarb pie. Delicious, hot or cold for after-dinner dessert or breakfast

It’s only the end of May and the heat wave has already hit my apartment, so I’ll be cooking in the buff from now on. It’s fair warning… don’t come by for dinner unannounced!