Round the Block

Today, I got up and before breakfast took a walk around the block. Not exactly a massive accomplishment for most maybe, but for me it was huge. Better yet, it wasn’t painful or too exhausting; it was actually fun. It’s nice to see what the neighbors are doing with their yards, and it’s nice to see a few neighbors here and there. I was overtaken by a couple in their 70’s, but they both looked real fit for 70 .

I actually created a workout schedule for myself a few weeks ago, and so far it’s going well. I have a little gym I’ve been using to try and bring some tone to my upper body and to give me some sort of endurance; it also lets me do some exercises for my left leg in isolation of my right. I can’t really tell how I’m doing yet, but I’m encouraged by the fact I’m able to do my routine 3-4 times a week, and I had the energy & endurance for my little stroll around the block.

Another foray into the unknown wilds for me, I had my husband go to the grocery and get some lean chuck steak, and I popped it into my food processor and made burgers for us with it. I can honestly say they were the best burgers I’ve ever had. I’ll probably put my recipe up here sometime, I was just surprised at how good they really were. I think I’ll try other types of steak and maybe some combinations in the future, but for now those were awesome.

Then this evening one of my husbands friends, who is a major dessert lover, came over to watch the game (Wallabies v Frenchies I believe), and I cracked out Gordon Ramsay’s chocolate fondant recipe and served it up with crème brûlée ice cream; I have to say, he swooned over it.  He thought it was the perfect dessert. I have to say I think it’s pretty much the perfect chocolate dessert. I’ve never had a chocolate fondant before, but my understanding is if made correctly, the center is a liquid sauce and the exterior is a deliciously moist cake; a bad one essentially becomes a cake. These came out perfect. The exterior was moist and as soon as you cracked it with a spoon, the interior was a little lake of molten chocolate. Really luscious, not too heavy and not too sweet. I have a couple of other fondant recipes I want to make to compare it with, they have slight variations in the proportions between the ingredients. I can’t believe I’ll encounter one any more delicious or any easier to make than this one though. Excellent work Chef Ramsay.

Other than that I’ve had a fairly uneventful day. Mostly just lazing around the house and a little trip to the library. It was nice having company over, I love making treats for company. I’m feeling a little less tired today, but I did sleep in this morning a bit. In any case I hope the less tired trend continues. I still have a few more weeks before my mobilization, and I hope to at least 75% by then