The Hungry in Cleveland 12 Days of Christmas

Merry (almost) Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!  Yesterday morning, I received a delicious surprise from a Secret Santa (and if you are reading this, even though I have no clue who you are, thank you!)

Yes, there were a dozen LaBella cupcakes there before two hungry scientists enjoyed cupcakes for breakfast.  I later realized that "12 LaBella Cupcakes" sounds like it belongs in a parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which lead me to come up with this fun little variation.  Enjoy!  

The Hungry in Cleveland 12 Days of Christmas

12 LaBella Cupcakes

11 Types of cheese (The Melt Challenge)

10 toppings on a Happy Dog

9 Parma pierogies

8 Malley's Milk Chocolate Bars

7 fabulous food trucks 

6 Lilly Truffles

5 scoops of Honey Hut!!

4 Farmers Markets

3 Michael Symon restaurants

2 Dinner in the Dark tickets

And a keg of Christmas Ale!!

Oh, and my favorite version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is John Denver and The Muppets

**Side note!  The Chubby Cook has been adding more fun cooking classes to the January schedule!  Remember, use the code ALF2012 to donate 40% of the cost of the class to my Liver Life Challenge fundraising effort!  Or make a donation right on my fundraising page!  My deadline has been extended to January 31, 2012!!**   

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your (holiday) hunger!

Cluing into Fulfilling My Hunger

I know I have not written on here much lately, but when Amanda from Clue into Cleveland reached out asking for guest bloggers, I happily agreed to help her.  I met Amanda at an Ohio Blogging Association meetup and we quickly connected through our mutual love of the TV show Castle.  Since then, we have become kickball teammates, attend many of the same events, and have become friends in real life.  Here's a brief recap of how I fulfilled my hunger throughout summer 2011!

Hunger Fulfilled: Summer 2011

#DirtyRunners post Buckeye Half (stolen from Jess)

Also, if you have missed other guests posts I have written, check out Why? Tremont on Why? CLE and Foodie on the Run on Poise in Parma.

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

Pierogies, Parallax, and Two-A-Days

So initially I wasn't going to write this post because I was not pleased at first with the end result.  However, I am the type of person who loves turning a negative into a positive and that is what I did.

As many of you probably have read, this past Saturday was the July meetup of the Cleveland Chapter of the Ohio Blogging Association.  We were participating in the Parma Area Relay for Life "Run for the Pierogies 5K."  Lately I have been determined to run a sub-25 5K at a 8:00 pace.  Saturday seemed like the perfect day to do so.  The course was for the most part flat and it's always motivating to see so many friendly faces on race day!  And, there were pierogies at the finish line.  What more could a foodie/runner ask for?

Photo from the OBA Facebook page.
CLEgal, Morgan, Courtney, Alicia, Jess, Kali, Steph
not pictured here: Ryan, Molly, and Amanda

I woke up a little more excited for this race then most other 5Ks.  I was very happy when I got into my car at felt mild temps and little to no humidity.  If I only knew what Mother Nature was planning as the morning progressed.  After picking up my packet and finding everyone, I noticed something...hello humidity!  I was not going to let it get into my head though.  I found a place towards the front/middle of the pack, set the iPod and watch, and took off as soon as the bell rang.  I did the first mile in 7:55 which on a non-humid day would have been PR pace.  However, by the time we reached the water stop at the half way point, I knew that second loop was not going to be pretty.  I was starting to feel fatigued and starting to slightly cramp.  Just I was ready to give up and walk a bit, slightly past mile 2 or so, Kali caught up with me and we made sure we both finished the race together!  After crossing the finish line, I quickly grabbed water and found shade.  I felt so lightheaded and the thought of food was not appealing at all.  No pierogies for me.  I even did not feel up to joining the other bloggers for brunch as originally planned.  I felt defeated.         

Since I was in Parma, I figured a stop at Honey Hut would cheer me up.  Even after waiting in the parking lot for them to open, I opted to take my Blackberry Chocolate Chip home for later (sidenote:  It is delish and a limited time flavor).  All I wanted was water and a do-over of the race.  By 5:00, I was still in a mood but finally regained my appetite.  The bf and I headed down to Tremont for dinner at Parallax.  Finally checking off stop #1 on my Tour de Bruell put me in a much better mood.  I went with the Japanese Udon noodles since  we also decided to go for a late night run too.  (Blogger fail, no picture).  Everything about this dish, even the melts in your mouth pork belly, brought a smile to my face.  The noodles were not too heavy and they were the perfect way to enjoy the soup which pleased my excess of umami receptors.  For dessert, the sorbet trio (mango, blueberry, and raspberry) was the perfect palate cleanser for a hot July evening.

Two or so hours later with our dinners properly digested, we took to the streets of Lakewood for a late night run.  By this time, the sun had gone down and the humidity was greatly reduced.  Maybe it was the feeling of revenge I wanted or maybe it was the determination to prove something to myself, but that 4.75 miles was one of the best runs I have had in quite sometime.  I really wish I timed it too.  I need to figure out how I can work a two-a-day run into my schedule now.  Monday morning also brought a pleasant surprise for me.  Despite my bad time and the humidity, I managed to finish 11th in my age group out of 36.  Another 5K goal I have is to be in the top 10 for my age group. One passion driving another passion.  I really will run for food.

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!   

Not just a summer treat

When most people think of ice cream, they think of a cool treat on a hot summer day.  While this is very true, I am one of those people who enjoys ice cream all year long.  It is not uncommon for me on a cold January day, curled up in my Snuggie (yes I own and love the Snuggie) watching the snow fall, and enjoying an ice cream cone.  I recently enjoyed my favorite flavor of fall, pumpkin, in two very cool ways, pumpkin gelato and pumpkin ice cream.

Now you may be wondering what is the difference between ice cream and gelato aside from gelato being Italian.  Texturally, gelato is much more smooth.  It has lower butterfat and sugar contents and the freezing process varies slightly from that of ice cream.  Many of the restaurants in Little Italy serve gelato as well as a few smaller gelaterias throughout the Cleveland area (Legacy Village and Cedar/Fairmount come to mind).  I enjoyed my pumpkin gelato from Presti's bakery in Little Italy as an end of week treat to myself.  I did not go in with the intent of getting gelato, however I was pleasantly surprised as I was paying for my lemon biscottis (yes, there will be a future blog all about the deliciousness that is Presti's bakery).  As the girl behind the counter handed me my small cup of chilly pumpkin heaven, she mentioned that I was the first one to purchase the pumpkin gelato which was just put in the cooler.  As I noticed the small dent in the tub behind the cooler window, I could not help but feel happy and in some way accomplished.

Despite the chill in the air, football being played, and pumpkin being enjoyed, I can now officially say it is fall for me.  No, not because the Browns finally got their first win this past Sunday against the Bengals, but I enjoyed Pumpkin Pie ice Cream from my favorite ice cream place, Honey Hut.  I have no problem saying Honey Hut IS the BEST ice cream in Cleveland.  I also would go on a limb to say in the state of Ohio, but that has yet to be determined.  If you are new to Cleveland or just visiting, make the trip to Honey Hut (Old Brooklyn, Parma, Strongsville, Brecksville, Bay Village...the location does NOT matter).  If you are a Cleveland native and have not been to Honey Hut, shame on you.  Pumpkin Pie ice cream, or Pumpkin Pecan if you are feeling a little nutty, is available from October 1-end of season.  Check with each location about end of season since this does seem to vary. I can say the Old Brooklyn location is open until November 21 and will reopen on St. Patrick's Day 2011.  The pumpkin pie ice cream tastes exactly like you would think...that Thanksgiving dessert in ice cream form.  True to Honey Hut's style, it is sweetened with honey giving it that "little something extra" that I love so much.  Not only did I enjoy a small cone there, I took a quart home with me.  Yes, of all the pumpkin treats I have enjoyed and will enjoy this fall, Honey Hut Pumpkin Pie ice cream is my favorite.  

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger.