Buffalo Soldiers (on bikes)

When I first came across this image it stopped me in my tracks (or at least in my clicking)...excellent photo isn't it? It's a group of Buffalo Soldiers testing bikes before a journey. And being a Buffalonian I also like their title (though it is completely unrelated). I found the image at this site, which also includes an interesting story. If you'd like to learn more about Buffalo Soldiers, click here, here, or here. Click the image for a larger view...it'll fill your screen.

The Theology of Steve Jobs

Image found here.

I wasn't going to write or post anything about Steve Jobs for a few reasons. One is that info regarding him, his life, and his recent transition, is currently proliferating not only the Internet but all forms of media. The other reason is that I didn't know him personally. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I owed him...because of the extent that personal computers have infiltrated my--like many people's--life. Not just with this and previous blogs, but with writing in general. Though I work full-time as a cook, I work part-time as a freelance writer...and this is something I could never have done without a computer. I really cannot imagine how writers did it before the advent of the PC. To be quite honest, I really don't believe I would have been published as many times or as often as I have if not for a computer; mostly because of my personal laziness...how much more work it would take to type, re-type, and edit without a computer. Anyhow, that's all I plan on saying, other than an open and official thank you to Mr. Jobs for pioneering the thing on which I now type these very words.

What really prompted me to post on Steve Jobs was an article I read today at the Washington Post bearing the same title as this posting. What's below is a portion of the story which was cut-and-paste; to read the entire article, click here.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

 

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

--Steve Jobs 

Here's one last quote I read, and this is from President Barack Obama:

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#360)

$110.27 of groceries, sundries, pet supplies, and other staples in three plastic crates from four separate stores.

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#359)...and a quick comment.

A 15lb capacity all-steel sausage stuffer.

I was on my way to work this morning carrying the above sausage stuffer and stopped at an intersection. A guy standing there gives me, the bike, and the stuffer a "once over" then looks at me but motions to the back of the bike, "What the hell is that thing," he asks? I turn and look at him, "A time machine." A big grin comes on his face, "Really? Cool!" As I pedaled away both of us were smiling (but as fast as I pedaled I never left this current space-time continuum).

Half Moon over Buffalo

Today was the first day I've felt mostly back to "normal" (what is normal), meaning I am finally starting to feel well after a week-and-a-half illness, an early cold. Nothing major, but I was really sick for a bit. You know what I'm talking about...when you are so rundown that everything is a chore. Anyhow, that's all I'll bore you with other than for the past week or so I have hardly ridden or gotten much physical exercise. Tonight, after feeling up to it, I rode over the the health center for a long steam and a brief swim, and then on my way home I saw the above image. It's an image of one of my favorite intersections in Buffalo so I stopped to take it's photo. It was such an awesome fall evening and it felt so good to be on a bike again as I breathed in the fall air. When I started out it was unseasonably warm and the sun was shining, and on my way home the moon was high above with nary a cloud in sight. Beautiful. And as I snapped the photo and stopped for a minute to admire the sight before me, I couldn't help but think of all the people across the hemisphere that could see that same moon just as I did. Anyhow, just thought I'd share a couple photos; click them for larger views.

More Fortune Cookie Philosophy...and Five Quotes Regarding the Effect of Thought

"The mind is everything. What you think you become."

--The Buddha

“Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.”

--Henry David Thoreau

“The ancestor of every action is a thought.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson 

"A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts."

--James Allen

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so he is." 

 --Proverbs 23:7

OK, I said five...but here's one more. 

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."

--The Buddha

 

12 Months of Joy

This advert/calender is interesting in that the bicycle company was located in an area of the world that can have somewhat harsh winters but in 1921 they were promoting the bicycle as 12 months of joy. 90 years later and it seems like we could use more of this type of positive reinforcement of the image of the bicycle, not only as a viable form of transport but also one that can be utilized year-round...no matter what the climate. Click the image for a larger view. To see more about the Mead Bicycle Company, click here; the image was found here.

How to Make a Really Delicious and Nutritious Deep-Dish Pizza (and a loaf of bread, too)

Pizza is one of my favorite homemade comfort foods to make (click here for additional pictures and recipes). And while many believe it to be time-consuming and somewhat laborious--or even difficult--to make, it is neither. It's basically bread dough with stuff baked on it. Thus, when I bake pizza at home I usually make twice the amount of dough as needed and use half to make a loaf of bread...it rises and ferments while the pizza is baking. Over the years I've gravitated to baking almost exclusively with whole grains and whole wheat flour and this is no exception. What's a bit different about this particular recipe is that I made it a deep-dish pizza, meaning I made a sort of rim around  the edge to hold even more stuff (mmm...). And in this night's variety I used broccoli, which I par-cooked and chopped before adding it to the pizza, homemade tomato sauce, made with some of the last tomatoes from the garden (click here for a recipe), and a 3-cheese blend I had in the freezer.

The combination of the above said ingredients--for the dough and it's filling--translates, in my mind, to not only flavor but also nutrition...this is anything but junk food. As usual, these recipes are just suggestions; use your own adaptations for an equally good outcome. Anyhow, here it is in pictures and recipes.

7-Grain Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 1 (14'') pizza and a large loaf of bread

or 2 large loaves of bread

1 cup (6.6oz/187g) 7-grain mix

3 quarts (96floz/2.83L) water

____________

fully cooked grains

2/3 cup (5.3 oz/157ml) cooking liquid

2 cups (11oz/312g) whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons (.5oz/14g) vital wheat gluten

2 teaspoons (.2oz/5.6g) instant yeast

____________

4 cups (21oz/595.3g) whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cups (10.5fl oz/315ml) cooking liquid

____________

1/4 cup (2fl oz/59.1ml) honey

1/4 cup (2fl oz/59.1ml) olive oil

3 teaspoons (.3oz/8.5g) instant yeast

3 teaspoons (.5oz/14.1g) kosher salt

Combine the grain and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil; lower the heat to simmer and cook the rice for about 45 minutes or until very soft. As the grain cooks add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe. After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. Then drain it, squeezing it with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.

Place two bowls side-by-side; one will hold the pre-ferment, the other autolyse. In one bowl combine the cooked and drained 7-grains with 2/3 cup (5.3 oz/157ml) of the cooking liquid, 2 cups (11oz/312g) whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons (.5oz/14g) vital wheat gluten, and 2 teaspoons (.2oz/5.6g) instant yeast. Stir just until combined then cover it with plastic wrap. In the other bowl combine 4 cups (21oz/595.3g) whole wheat flour and 1 1/3 cups (10.5fl oz/315ml) cooking liquid; stir just until combined then cover it with plastic wrap (take care not to get yeast into this bowl). Allow the bowls to rest at room temperature for about an hour, during which time the preferment will begin it's job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and the autolyse will soak liquid, swelling the gluten.

After an hour or so, combine the ingredients from both bowls into the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, olive oil, salt, and 3 teaspoons (.3oz/8.5g) of yeast (add the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl). Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover it loosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains. Preheat an oven to 450f (232.2C).

Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Garden-Fresh Tomato Sauce

To see the original posting for this recipe--with additional pictures of it being made--click here.

(This is a simple but excellent tomato sauce that can be used as is or as a base for other sauces. I usually make this a few times throughout the summer months--as the tomatoes ripen in the garden--and freeze it in increments. This way I have homemade sauce throughout the winter. This recipe makes about 6 quarts but it's really just a guide)

4 quarts fresh tomatoes (click here to see them)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon crushed hot pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch fresh basil

Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds; discard the seeds and dice the tomatoes. Heat the oil in a heavy sauce pan; add the onions, then the garlic, then the sugar, salt, fennel, and hot pepper. Add the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook the sauce for about 45 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened. Stir in whole basil leaves and remove from the heat. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Taste it for seasoning, then puree in a blender. Refrigerate until needed.

Be Nice on Your Bike, even if...

I came across this graphic here. I find it really interesting because while I sit at this keyboard and type away talking about being nice I also take it really personal when someone yells something to me from their car window while I'm on a bike...it immediately sends my blood pressure through the roof. It is so difficult being human sometimes (most times, I think); I need to try harder. Anyhow, this is an interesting graphic. It made me think.