Gretch Runs

It's time for another Great British Bake Off challenge and we are officially halfway now. I've finally gotten Dan to watch the show with me and he is just as invested as I am in the bakers- we are both fully on Team Giuseppe and Lizzie- who are you rooting for? This week was German Week which was really exciting for me! Last year I loved Japanese Week , so I knew we would have another fun challenge and it definitely delivered. For the Signature, the bakers had to make two types of biscuits which all turned out really well (I especially want to try the mulled wine biscuits!). The Showstopper was a tiered yeasted cake which didn't excite me that much but was still fun to watch.  The Technical was definitely my favorite of the three bakes- a Prinzregententorte, which is an 8-tiered sponge cake with layers of chocolate buttercream and covered in chocolate ganache. Sign me up!! The process started by making the sponges. This was pretty much whipping up a TON of egg whites into a...

Good morning and happy Monday! Last week was so much fun and very busy- I feel like when I plan to do one of these posts it helps me do more interesting things that are outside of my regular routine. We had a fantastic week of weather- almost feeling like fall but still gloriously sunny and warm out. I love it! Here's a look at some highlights of the week- Monday Plans for the day (outside of work):  Took a trip to the library and went for a little walk at lunchtime, then played some disc golf after work. I also had a quick video chat with friends to plan an upcoming trip before ending the night with Dancing with the Stars. One thing that went unexpected:  Our planning "meeting" was actually really productive! Usually they turn into just chatting and catching up, but we actually got a lot planned for our trip and I can't wait. Best part of the day:  The weather was absolutely ideal, so anytime I got to be outside was the best part. What I wore:  The most comfy outfit...

We are moving right along with this season of Great British Bake Off! It's almost the midway point of the season (which is insane) and this week the difficulty definitely got taken up a few notches. After all- it's dessert week! The first challenge for the bakers was a pavlova, which is a dessert that always looks incredible and beautiful, but has never really intrigued me enough to try one or bake one myself. Let's hope that won't be a technical challenge sometime in the future- it seems so finicky and difficult to absolutely nail! On the other hand, the showstopper seemed a lot more fun and had room for creativity- Joconde Imprime Dessert, which basically seemed like layered cake with lots of fun flavors and textures, surrounded by a beautifully decorated collar. Might have to try that out for myself sometime. What I made this week, as usual is the technical challenge- Prue's Sticky Toffee Pudding. I've heard of this dessert before but have actually never made...

Hello hello! Today we're talking food again- specifically about cookbooks. I mentioned in my monthly goals that I've been going through a bit of a cooking slump and in order to get over that, I've been borrowing cookbooks from the library. Trying different cuisines and recipes from chefs always helps to inspire me, and I feel like I'm back in the cooking game! I'll be sharing a full day of eats from different cookbooks that I'm trying out, and today we're going to start out with Molly Baz's Cook This Book. I've been following Molly for a while and love her low-key approach to cooking. I knew this would be a fun cookbook and was definitely right! One of my favorite parts of this book is how interactive it is- there are QR codes sprinkled throughout which bring up videos to demonstrate some cooking techniques. I learned a lot from these and got to practice new skills and play with new flavors.  Here are some of the recipes I tried out along with my tho...

It's bread week on Great British Bake Off, which is when I always say things get real  on the show. In the past, the person who has won this week has usually gone pretty far (winning a lot of the time as well!). It seems like the people who know how to cook bread properly are just better all-around bakers! The challenges for this week were tough- first up the bakers had to make a focaccia (most of which looked amazing and delicious - I'm especially intrigued by Crystelle's roasted grape and feta! She's becoming one of my favorites for her unique flavors). Then was the technical, which was cheese and onion ciabatta breadsticks, and finally the Showstopping bread sculpture. It always blows my mind the amazing things the bakers can create out of bread! For the technical, I was excited to try out these breadsticks! I love olive and cheese, so these just sounded delicious from the start. To begin the recipe, I made the dough (and had to mix it by hand since I don't have ...

Good morning everyone! Today I'll be sharing the books that I read in September. This was a great month because I joined the library here, which means reading more physical books! I forgot how much more I enjoy reading them (even though it's much easier carrying around my Kindle). You can never run out of batteries in the middle of an exciting chapter with a real book. Here's a look at what I read this month with some real gems mixed in- The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas. Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but...

October really snuck up on me this year. I still feel like it's August (I can't seem to get the date right when someone asks me) and it's hard to believe that it's almost the holiday season! I'm really excited to see what fall in the south is going to be like, and if the past few weeks have been any indication it's going to be awesome. Bring on the hay rides and apple cider! September was such a great month and it's hard to pick a highlight, but I probably have to pick our trip to Asheville. It was such a rejuvenating trip- with a perfect mix of outdoor activities, sight-seeing and relaxation. We really lucked out on weather and everything was just perfection. I love having mountains and beaches so close by- it's one of the top reasons we picked our location- so it was great to actually take advantage of it!  You can read the recaps of my trip here , here , and here . Let's get into my annual and monthly goals.... 2021 Combined Miles January -  44 ru...

We are moving right along into Week Two of the Great British Bake Off! This week is all about the biscuits- aka cookies. I love making them (and eating them) and always love the interesting and creative creations that the bakers come up with for the Showstoppers. First challenge for the bakers was a Brandy Snap- which sounded like a delicious test and one that I might try out myself. The Showstopper was a childhood toy recreated in biscuit form with some sort of interactive feature. I really loved Crystelle's vanity and Chig's snooker table- so clever and well made! In between these two bakes was the Technical, which was a Jammy Biscuit. This sounded really delicious and somewhat easy to make- two shortbread cookies with some buttercream and homemade raspberry jam in between. Yum!! Overall this was another pretty easy bake, but was all about timing and keeping the dough chilled. There's a lot of butter in the cookies, so if it's too soft the butter will all melt away an...

Happy October everyone! It's definitely starting to feel more "fally" in North Carolina, and the weather has been absolutely perfect in my opinion. Give me chilly mornings and sunny afternoons every day! Last week was full of outdoor adventures, a fun night out, and spending time with some new friends. Here are some highlights! Monday Plans for the day (outside of work): Dan and I met up with some people for disc golf! This was a MeetUp that I was really excited to join for a while and it ended up being a blast. I also stopped at the library to pick up my first Book Club book, and watched Dancing with the Stars when I got home. One thing that went unexpected: I had really bad sleep all weekend and again last night and woke up feeling awful, so I took a half day off work. I still have so many sick days to use by the end of the year and just resting a bit in the morning made me feel so much better! Best part of the day: The park where we played disc golf was really gorgeo...