Pool = Cool

First thing's first - how do you like my new header?? :) I felt bad harassing NY designer friend, so I ended up playing around w/my header a little bit yesterday afternoon and today. Sometimes I love slow summer days at the office ;p There are a few things I still want to play around with, but I'm kinda content with how things are looking so far! I do wish I made the beans a little bigger so you could see the shoe detail (I made them Mizunos!) and the detail on the Duff Beer. *sigh*

Since my hip/butt/back was achy and tight on the walk home, I decided to nix the 4 mile run and Jamie and I took our workout to the pool instead. Second pool day this week! Woah! We ended up doing 14 laps of the OLB and backstroke, which my hip/butt/back is still deciding whether or not that was a good idea. Not quite a 4 mile run, but at least we got moving :)

I was pretty hungry after the pool so I snacked on this DELICIOUS nut blend:
I stopped at Daily Market (surprise!) for a salad this afternoon and walked by a display of these Sahale Snacks. I've passed by these a few times, but was usually put off by the fact that they're just seasoned nuts and these nuts are $5.49. Today I decided to take a chance and went with a bag of Ksar Pistachios. UM, BEST. PURCHASE. EVER. I'm now addicted.
This particular nut blend had pistachios, sesame seeds, pepitas and fig bits with a touch of Moroccan harissa. The fig bits added just the right amount of sweetness and had a nice chewy texture. The sweetness definitely complemented the slight kick from the harissa. I'm totally buying this again for a party snack.

Dinner tonight was fast and frozen. We broke into the bag of Kowalski Wieners Jamie's mom brought us back from Ohio.
Now these aren't just any old hot dogs. These are freaking amazing hot dogs that come from an equally amazing place (not that I've ever been to the market, but I've sampled a lot of its greatness) - Stanley's Market in Toledo, Ohio. I've only been to Ohio twice in my entire life and I'm going to say that I'd make a trip JUST for these. I can't even stand to eat regular ones anymore!

What makes these so special? WEELLLL, first of all these bad boys are wrapped in natural casing. They even come all linked together! See that picture of the dogs in the Foreman? That snapped casing is heavenly in my book :) Second of all, they taste more like a sausage than a hot dog...but nothing like a half smoke. They kinda taste like a tiny, mild keilbasa. Yes. That's it. With a slight hint of sweetness.

I dressed mine with a ton of whole grain Dijon mustard and some cheese (which I decided I didn't really want after a bite):
I can't seem to get enough of this mustard. I love the texture and the flavor - much more than plain Dijon mustard. It smells great too...there's something cinnamon-y (??) or spice cabinet-y about it. What are your thoughts on whole grain Dijon mustard?

Tomorrow's an early day for me so I'm going to sign off now. I'm all done with Julie & Julia and I must say it was a great read. I definitely chuckled loudly on the metro a few times this week ;) Now I'm moving on to Eat, Pray, Love. I'll let you know how it goes! The way I'm flying through these books, I'll be needing some book suggestions for the plane ride to Budapest! Any suggestions?