Friday Five: Let's Go Skiing!, and Other Things

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1. Last weekend D and I went cross-country skiing on some local trails with our friends from across the lake. The last time I went cross-country skiing was over 10 years ago at Badger Pass in Yosemite -- let's just say I didn't remember much (aside from the proper way to fall down). Since I didn't own my own skiing equipment, our friends were kind enough to let me borrow a set of boots, skis, and poles. During my lunch break today, D and I headed to Mel's Trading Post, our local outdoor recreation store, where Shane set me up with new skis, bindings, boots, and poles. Looks like I'll be ready to hit the trail tomorrow -- so glad we've finally received enough snow to give this sport a whirl.

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2. My original intention was to close this week out with a post about these Intensely Chocolate Sables recently posted on Smitten Kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn't heed Deb's warning to only use Dutched cocoa powder, and my dough totally did not come together. Just goes to show you that I have plenty of kitchen failures around here! Looks like I'll have to give the recipe another chance next week. 

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3. We are heading to Madison this weekend and I am excited about a big Costco run. I finally have a good reason to purchase ginormous amounts of produce at insanely-low prices -- juicing! I'm hoping to stock up on a lot of (fingers crossed) organic produce so that I can try a three-day juicing reboot sometime in the very near future. 

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4. D and I recently picked up the first season of Homeland from our local video store. It didn't take long for us to get hooked on the series. I am dying for season two to come out on DVD! We also recently checked out the much-hyped first season of Girls. Though I had seen the first episode, which was released for free, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the series. Both D and I ended up really liking it. Now we're just waiting for Season 2 to make its appearance on DVD ... which will be quite awhile as the second season just debuted on HBO.

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5. And, staying on the topic of TV and film, my latest documentary find via Netflix was First Position, which follows six dancers as they prepare for the chance to enter the world of professional ballet via the Youth America Grand Prix competition. I of course took the requisite ballet and tap lessons as a child, though I didn't stick with it very long. However, I much admire the dedication it takes to reach the highest levels of ballet. This documentary was enthralling and definitely has you cheering for the individual dancers featured. Two thumbs up, for sure.