Non-training celebratory meal

I sort of have a marathon training crew. Billy, Winnie, Tree, and I all planned to run the San Francisco Half-Marathon together this July. The last few times we've run together, we did very little running but plenty of post-quasi-run eating. We planned to start our running together again as well as honor Billy's birthday with a 29-minute run, one minute for every year, as well as celebrate all things to celebrate--a new year, Billy's birth, the completion of graduate school applications, a new baby, a new dog. Of course, the running didn't happen.

I showed up at Winnie's house in Alameda much later than I had anticipated. It look me about 30 minutes to make coffee whipped cream for my devil's food cake from a box (I didn't have time to make the cake from scratch). When the cream was finally at a non-liquid state (I thought that sticking the bowl with the cream into another one with ice water as I whipped would help, which it did), I poured it all on top of the cake, while licking up rogue bits of the cream. By the time I packed everything up and made my way across the Bridge, it was already 5:30pm and the sun was almost done setting. It would be too dark for a run, and I was disappointed since it would have been gorgeous running along the beach in Alameda as the sun set.

Instead of running, I sat in Winnie's kitchen eating carrots, cheese, salami, and crackers as she checked on her potato rolls and made meat patties for sliders. We started cooking when Billy arrived. I helped cook the sliders as Winnie prepared her rolls with cheese and lettuce for the mini patties. She put her macaroni and cheese (a slightly healthier version made with whole wheat pasta and pita bread crumbs) into the oven. Billy heated up the shrimp balls he brought. When Winnie's friend Tim (who is also supposed to run with us) showed up, the four of us sat down to all this food (we had assumed that more people would join us, and more people would though later in the evening).

I loaded up my plate with a slider, a scoop of mac-n-cheese, and a shrimp ball. The slider patty was surprisingly good for a Rachel Ray recipe. The meat was well seasoned and perfectly cooked (go, me!). Winnie's homemade potato roll was a nice touch. Her mac-n-cheese was made with pepper Jack cheese, which added a nice kick to it (I think I might steal this idea from her). And, for whatever reason, I couldn't get enough of the shrimp balls. I think I had five of them. Actually, I had another scoop of mac-n-cheese and split another slider with Billy. My self-restraint was no where to be found tonight.

After a little break, we sliced up some of the cake I made. The whipped cream set up more in the refrigerator, which was a relief, and everyone said that it was really good, though I reminded them that the cake came from a box. I could have just eaten spoonfuls of the cream and done without the cake though.

More friends showed up, though they all had eaten dinner already, which meant that we could have more dessert once I finished my 3D apple puzzle. Winnie had the makings for both root beer floats and banana splits, but we all decided on banana splits. We had vanilla and mint ice cream from Tucker's, which Winnie described as an Alameda institution. I asked for a small portion with only one scoop of vanilla, but when I noticed that everyone also had a scoop of mint, I wanted that too. I topped mine with both the fudge and caramel sauces, just as everyone had done. We finished the evening with some a champagne toast. I felt a little ill.