Indianapolis Marathon

Much to the joy of my family, I find myself back in the kitchen and actually cooking again. I've been challenging myself to try so new things as well as old favorites. I've actually been doing better in the kitchen than I have out on the road. I ran the Indianapolis Marathon as part of a relay team on October 20th. It was fun. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but better than I expected. It was a great experience and I hope to possible run the full marathon next year. After the race I've been having a really hard time getting out there to run. The weather's been fine, it's just a lack of motivation. I was really sore after the race and took a few days off. If I take more than one day off, it seems like I'm out for the week. ::sigh:: You'd think the upcoming Fall Classic 10K would keep me motivated but I guess 6.2 miles doesn't seem as daunting as it used to! LOL!

I did get out and ran three miles on the bike trail Sunday. It was a perfect day. Probably 65 and sunny. The leaves were changing and I had the trail all to myself. After that I wasn't particularly motivated to fix a big, elaborate dinner. I decided to try a recipe I found at Kalyn's Kitchen, one of my favorite food blogs. I'd had the recipe for awhile and this seemed like the perfect time to try it out. Mushroom, Green Pepper, and Feta Breakfast Casserole turned out to another family favorite. Aside from chopping up the bell pepper, the dish went together quickly. I compromised with the boys, who felt that there were a few too many veggies involved, and added a layer of spicy sausage to half of the casserole. I used some baby portobella mushrooms and a red bell pepper instead of green. I also used the Feta cheese with Tomatoes and basil that we like so much in the Greek Feta and Tomato Pasta. This is definitely a recipe I'd pull out for company. Since you can make it a day ahead and bake it the next morning, I may use this one for Christmas Day brunch.


Mushroom, Green Pepper, and Feta Breakfast Casserole
Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen

4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 large green bell pepper -- coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 green onions -- white and green parts, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta (or more -- to taste)
9 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Spike Seasoning (optional -- but highly recommended)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray 10 X 14 glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (A dish slightly smaller than this will work. If your dish is much larger than this, just increase ingredients slightly.

Heat non-stick frying pan, add small amount of olive oil, and saute mushrooms 4-5 minutes, until softened and partly cooked. Spread mushrooms in bottom of casserole dish. Add a bit more olive oil to frying pan if needed, and saute green peppers until softened and partly cooked. Layer peppers over mushrooms. Crumble feta cheese over top of mushroom-pepper mixture.

Beat eggs with Spike Seasoning and black pepper. (Don't add salt because Feta cheese is salty enough.) Bake about 45 minutes, or until casserole is firmly set and top is slightly browned. Serve hot. I like to eat it with a little bit of low-fat sour cream and salsa on top.