HerKentucky Story: Krissie Bentley of LexRunLadies

Today, we're kicking off a new feature called HerKentucky Story.  We've asked friends, writers, and fellow bloggers to tell their stories about Kentucky life.  Today's story comes from Krissie Bentley, coordinator of LexRunLadies, a group of Lexington-based women runners.  

You can keep up with Krissie on Twitter (@krissieb) or on her blog, My Radical Commitment.  If you'd like to learn more about LexRunLadies, you can visit their website, Twitter (@lexrunladies), or their Facebook Group. , You can also email them here.

You know those people you see in your neighborhood? Those people who lace up their shoes, pack on their water packs, and run with blatant disregard for precipitation, temperature, or condition of sidewalks?

Yeah. I am one of those people.

I admit that I started running to lose weight, but that’s not why I still run. I keep running because of what running has given me. Not only do I pay more attention to my body and the changing of the seasons, I pay more attention to where I live, work, and play.

Sunrise in Midway

I have learned so much about Lexington and surrounding areas because I spend so much time on foot. When I run downtown, I find shops and restaurants that I return to when I’m clean and dry. I smell food and coffee as I run by restaurants that I return to at the end of my run. I like to explore areas on foot that I’m not familiar with and areas I know well. I pay more attention when I’m moving a little more slowly. Things look different when I’m not behind the wheel of a car.

Lexington also has an impressive trail system, including the Legacy Trail and the Brighton Rail Trail. Many of the roads in the Lexington area are lightly traveled and also fun to run. The area around Keeneland is one of my favorite places to run, not only because of the challenge of the course but also because I never know who I’ll come in contact with.

I ran across these guys in the area surrounding Keeneland.

Being a part of the running community has introduced me to new places to run outside of Lexington as well. Midway is a beautiful place to run. I have met up with friends to run their familiar routes in Louisville. I love to run the trails at Shaker Village in Harrodsburg. Because I am on the lookout for new places to run, I am frequently finding new places to explore.

From the top of a hill on a Shaker Village Trail

The running community in the Lexington area is thriving. I coordinate LexRunLadies and we are often out and about. I have met so many friends through this running group. I am frequently amazed at how strong and quick I can connect with someone while we’re out for a run. It seems like so many personal barriers just come down when we are running. The support, encouragement, and challenges I have felt from this community have changed the way I view myself and my strengths.

LexRunLadies at the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon, March 2012

We welcome and encourage anyone – ladies and dudes, as we call them – from the absolute beginner to the multiple marathoner. We meet at various locations in and around Lexington. You’ll find encouragement, feedback and answers to all sorts of questions, even the embarrassing ones. If you have ever thought about wanting to run and are interested in support, please reach out to us.

It's hot

It's hot. It's all anyone can talk about. It's all anyone can think about. It's all that exists. My Facebook feed is full of it. People post screenshots of the forecast or take photos of their overtaxed thermostats.

The heat. The oppressive heat.

It was 105 degrees today. This the fourth day of 100+ degree heat. The hottest day since 1941. We're also in the middle of a drought so everything is dried up and scorched. The lake is low. The pools are like bathwater. The movie theaters are crowded.

There is a lot of romanticism attached to heat in the South. Think the sultriness of A Streetcar Named Desire or ubiquitous sweat in A Time To Kill. They say that's why Southerners are so friendly because we have to go outside and socialize to avoid the heat. They say our slow pace of life is because it's just too damn hot to be amibitious.

That's all well and good.

I would love to write a poetic ode to the blazing sun or sweltering summer days but you know what?

It's too damn hot.

~ Sarah Stewart Holland

Summertime

When I was a child, the school year defined the seasons for me. Fall meant that my mom, sister and I could spend hours in the school supply section of every store without shame. Winter started when the last Christmas cookie was eaten at the classroom holiday party. Spring brought a new Easter dress, pinching shoes and the return of green to our world. Summer began on the final glorious day of school. Every year, my mom would pick us up from that last day and sing with us, “School’s out, school’s out, Teacher let the monkeys out!” at the top of our lungs, jubilant, on the way home. That was what freedom tasted like to my sister and me.

As I’ve gotten older, and maybe because I don’t have children of my own, the seasons are starting to fall in line with their actual solstices and equinox dates. Spring still starts with the first daffodil bloom I see or the first day the urge to break out the pasty white legs in shorts overwhelms me. Summer, though, summer seemed to really start last week, coinciding with that magical longest day of the year.

For me, summer brings the natural urge to have a popsicle after every meal. This is not so great for me waistline, but it makes for some happy reminiscence over favorite childhood treats. My favorite was always the orange sherbet push pop. The Flintstones were on the wrapper when I was a child. For others, it might be that a chocolate and peanut-covered Drumstick takes them back to Adult Swim time at the public pool – a kid’s best chance at attacking the snack bar for sweets. For yet others, those people I truly do not understand, the quintessential summer treat is a red, white, and blue Freedom Pop or Rocket Pop. Those always seemed like “city kid” treats (even though I was a city kid!) because you could get them from the ice cream truck with its magical  loop of tinkling ragtime music. As an adult, I find that music incredibly maddening rather than magical!

Summer also brings dinners cooked on the grill. In the past week, we’ve had hamburgers, steaks and salmon. My family has always been a charcoal grilling sort of family, and the smell of a grill full of charcoal briquettes heating up to cook large pieces of meat can instantly send me to evenings on the back patio watching my dad tend the grill with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in his hand (before PBR was hipster-cool). Since I got married a few years ago, I’ve been passive-aggressive about the refilling of our grill’s propane tank. I think my husband finally got the hint and just automatically buys a bag of charcoal when I suggest something grilled for dinner.

This week, the number one sign that summer is upon us took place. No, I don’t mean the forecasted triple digit temperatures. I don’t even mean the many Team USA Olympic trials taking place. No. Yesterday, my mom called me at work and said, “I’m having fried green tomatoes for dinner. Do you want to come over?”

Fried green tomatoes are my family’s signal that summer fun can begin. I remember my grandmother searching for the perfect green tomato at the roadside farm stand. I remember her, in her house without air conditioning, determining that it was worth it to stand over a hot iron skillet on the stove and fry up some tomatoes. I remember thinking that it was torture to have to wait for the sizzling bits to cool off enough to pop them in our mouth. I remember the searing pain when we weren’t patient!

My mom has since taken over the unspoken tradition of the fried green tomato. Slicing the unripe fruit, dredging the slices through a mix of flour, salt and pepper (no cornmeal in this family, thank you!) and tossing them in an already-sizzling cast iron skillet. Once nice and golden brown, she scoops them up and deposits them on the waiting paper towel-covered plate. Eager and greedy eyes wait and watch for a signal that we can start eating them.

Last night, my mom, sister, cousins and I rang in the still young season with a fresh batch of fried green tomatoes from Happy Jack’s Farm while my nephews regaled us with stories of how awesome their summer break already is.

It’s summertime, y’all.

Girls' Day in Prestonsburg

Today, I had the opportunity to see my hometown in a whole new light.

Laci and my mom read Fancy Nancy.

Like all towns, Prestonsburg has changed a lot over the years.  And, I've spent a lot of time away from home.  Needless to say, things are different than they when I was a kid.  Today, I went on a girls' trip with my mom and my 6 year-old cousin, Laci.  We did many of the same activities that Mom and I did on lazy summer afternoons when I was little, but it all felt so different.  It was really an amazing experience to see it all through Laci's eyes and remember my own childhood.

We took Laci to the local library.  When I was a kid, the library seemed so huge.  It was such a big deal to go there.  Going back, it seemed smaller. The selection was certainly different than I recalled.  The new children's area was so adorable.  We just happened to be there while the nursery rhyme mural was being painted!

Laci LOVED helping me sweeten my coffee!

We met two of our aunts for lunch.  When I was a kid, the fanciest place in town was Jerry's.  These days, we have a fancy cafe with such upscale offerings as lobster bisque and cappuccino.  It was certainly a culinary step up!!

We ended our adventure at Jenny Wiley State Park.  We walked along the river bank and visited the main Lodge.  My family spent so many fun summer days here when I was little; it was so fun to revisit those memories with my sweet cousin.  It was a charming way to see the town I've seen so many times.

In Photos: Appalachian Nightfall

Making a Quilt

Over the years, my grandmother has made dozens of quilts for me.  The summer I watched Gone with the Wind repeatedly, she made me a quilt with parasols and hats reminiscent of Scarlett's barbecue attire.  When I declared a pre-law major, she started work on a courthouse themed quilt.  And, there have been several Wildcats quilts, commemorating my obsessive love for my team. 

Now, my grandmother is getting older, and her health is starting to falter.  Over the years, I've said many times that I planned to start making a quilt of my own, but I just never got around to it.  I'm not the craftiest of people.  Besides, I far prefer knitting or needlepoint for relaxation; they're far more mobile and self-contained.  Still, I wanted to be able to say that I'd worked on a quilt with my Nan. 

Last summer, I ran across this gorgeous beachhouse bedroom on a magazine cover.  I loved the simplicity and old-fashionedness of the Ohio Star quilt pattern.  I simply adored the classic red and white color scheme.  I immediately  decided that this would be the quilt we made together.

via Country Living magazine.

So, I picked out my fabric, found a pattern, and was ready to go.  I was expecting a poignant family moment.  It wasn't quite as charming as all that.

First of all, as Sarah has previously mentioned, making a quilt isn't easy. (Lydia, I'm not calling you out on this "quick and easy" foolishness, but I'd sure like some pointers.)  Before you get to the point of putting together beautiful quilt blocks, there's a whole lot of minutia to be accomplished.  Like cutting out pieces.  And measuring.  It's tedious. And precise.  And it isn't nearly as conducive to kicking back with a bottle glass of wine as, say, knitting a scarf.

Second, a quilting bee may sound like a wonderfully retro girl-power experience.  In reality, when you have two wildly opinionated and, let's face it, bossy, women working on a project, there's bound to be tension.  I wanted a King-sized quilt; my granny prefers to make smaller pieces.  My granny works quickly and wanted to get the project finished; I just couldn't keep up her pace.  We weren't smiling and sewing, side by side, like a perfect picture.  She didn't hand down life lessons as we worked.  It didn't really match the image I'd built up in my head.  Things seldom do.

Still, it was an amazing experience, learning a bit about a tradition that's been passed down through generations of my family.  My granny and I may have butted heads a bit, but we also spent some wonderful time together.  And, the finished product is absolutely stunning.

If you're brave enough to try it, you can download an Ohio Star pattern here.  Let me know how it turns out!

In Search of the Perfect Beer Cheese Recipe

via BeerCheese.com

When I was a kid, I thought beer cheese came in a plastic tub from the grocery store.  Specifically, one that said "Hall's."  My parents are EKU alumni, and they had fond memories of trips to Hall's on the River  from their Richmond days.  It was always a huge treat when we could find containers of Hall's Beer Cheese at our local grocery store; I loved the snappy, spicy cheese spread as a snack with vegetables or crackers.

When I got to college, I first heard of making your own beer cheese.  My roommate's aunt would whip up a batch a few times a year and send us some.  And, you know, it tasted a whole lot fresher and less "chemical-y" than the pre-made stuff.  I also developed quite an affinity for the beer cheese and crudité plate at Charlie Brown's.  (I was, by this time, way too grown-up and sophisticated to just call them vegetables anymore!)

Now, beer cheese has gotten creative.  Winchester, the birthplace of beer cheese, hosts an annual festival to spotlight it.  Local restaurants have found that it sure is good as a hamburger spread.  And, many people find that the flavor of their beer cheese can be altered by the quality and type of beer added to the recipe.  Beer cheese connoisseurs use stouts or ales to provide complex flavor.  My personal favorite recipe is from Chef Jonathan Lundy's cookbook; it uses Kentucky Ale's fantastic Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. The result is a spicy, nutty cheese spread with wonderfully subtle bourbon notes.  

Whether you prefer gourmet or classic recipes, though, pretty much any beer cheese is wonderful.  Just open a beer, take a drink or so off the top, and fire up the food processor.  It's a great taste of Central Kentucky in just a few minutes' prep time.


Basic Beer Cheese:

10 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese

10 ounces mild cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic

7 ounces beer

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

 Dash of hot sauce (I prefer Louisiana or Crystal)

1. Open beer and bring to room temperature.

2 Grate cheese with box grater and mince garlic. Place in food processor.
3. Add remaining ingredients, mix in food processor until smooth.  You may need to add seasonings to taste.
4. Refrigerate overnight.  This is best served the next day.