Now that the kids are back in school, I really need to get going on this manuscript of mine. According to the schedule I drafted for myself, I need to develop 10 awesome dessert recipes each month to meet my deadline. That's 2-3 recipes finalized per week. *gulp*
I'm not panicking. It'll be a piece of cake. One hundred and twenty pieces of cake each month, if my calculations are correct, and that's not including pie and cookies! Which brings me to my next important goal: exercise. If I am to maintain my girlish figure in the face of constant sugary temptation, I need to do more than run once a week for a few months out of the year. I need a routine. Peer pressure, if possible. Hence, I've rejoined the YMCA after a 6-year hiatus.
I've made good use of the pool, so far. TeenNiece, who has returned to her island state, gave me lots of good pointers this summer. My strokes aren't breaking any speed records, but it's how I feel that counts, right? And, frankly, I feel like a goddamn mermaid. (Swimming laps adjacent to water aerobics for the elderly does a lot to boost one's self-esteem.)
I've also been tempted by several aerobics classes (non-aquatic) listed on the fall schedule. Zumba, for example, seems like just the kind of embarrassing dance- based workout I can really get behind. The more embarrassing, the better, I say! Then there's Pilates. I still don't know what that is, but I guess now would be a good time to find out. My friends think I should take yoga. Ninety-nine percent of them think yoga is the best thing ever. What kind of a person ignores the advice of 99% of her friends? A mule-ish one, I suppose. What can I say? Yoga goes against every fiber of my being with its core components: breathing, stretching, and peace of mind. Whenever I'm in a painfully awkward yoga pose, instead of maintaining a clear and focused breath, I wonder who invented this excruciating torture and how much I'd like to punch them in the face. That possibly defeats the purpose of yoga.
No, I've always been more of a martial arts kind of girl. Karate. Kickboxing. Kung fu. Controlled thrashing, but thrashing nonetheless.
Wait, what's this I see? Tai chi on Wednesdays? Slow, controlled thrashing in the form of an embarrassing dance routine?
I think we have a winner!!
P.S. The recipe for that cheesecake in the photo above (almond cheesecake with fig confiture) can be found here. You can bet that one will be in the cookbook!
I'm so with you on the yoga thing, yet I keep trying it every couple of months hoping for some kind of spiritual breakthrough.
Zumba is actually a lot of fun and everyone looks silly except the instructor. I'd love to try tai chi too.
Good luck with the baking and keep in mind that my parents are nearby if you're ever looking to get rid of your experiments.
Posted by: Karen@Mignardise | September 01, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Hey - Congrats on the great write up in Edible Boston!
Posted by: Julia | September 02, 2011 at 07:25 AM
Hi Tammy - wondered if you had come across the UK blog Prepped? (www.Prepped.co.uk) - it's written by a chef who decided to write a cookery book and get it published and gave herself a year to to it (which she'd done). Just thought it might be interesting to you given your current enterprise. Hmm .. of course it might turn out it was a link from your blog that led me to Prepped! in the first place, in which case (blush) my apologies ... Sarah
Posted by: SarahC | September 02, 2011 at 07:57 AM
Cheesecake wins....for now.
Posted by: Husband | September 04, 2011 at 10:12 PM
Husband: Cheesecake ALWAYS wins!
SarahC: Thanks for the link! I didn't know about that blog. I'll check it out.
Julia: Just got a copy. Congrats to you, too. Great article!
Karen: That's right, your parents are local. I'll have to remember that! Good luck with the yoga. I do it once a month, too, just to torture myself.
Posted by: Tammy | September 13, 2011 at 11:35 AM