Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#374)...and a quick conversation

Things on the bike: (front rack) 2 gallons/7.5 liters of interior house paint, a gym bag full of wet clothes, a canvas bag containing a couple books, 1.5L of red wine, and two tacos--1 fish; 1 tofu--from Cantina Loco. (rear carrier) a 5 1/2 foot/1.67 meter Christmas Tree.

A synopsis of a brief conversation while purchasing the tree: The pleasant young woman at the cash register says to me as I pay her, "Would you like someone to carry that to your car?" I'm thinking to myself, I'm taller than this tree...I may be 50 now but I'm not that old; I'm assuming she was just offering good customer service. Anyway, I reply, "No thanks, and I'm carrying it on my bike not in a car." Blank stare, then "How are you going to do that?" "It's a big bike," I tell her, "built for carrying stuff," then add, "I've already got two gallons of paint on it out in the parking lot." More blank stare...looking at me to see if I was joking or not, then "I may be able to have the tree delivered if you'd like." "No," I replied, "thanks anyhow." Then I added, "And I don't mean to be rude, but you are getting the wrong impression. I own a car--a small pickup truck, actually--It's just that I choose to ride a bike whenever it's feasible and as often as possible." Another blank stare, and this time a much longer pause, then "Oh man, you're a crazy guy aren't you?" At this point I'm not really sure what she meant--if she was being sarcastic or meant it literally--either way it didn't bother me. She wished me a Merry Christmas as I slung the tree over my shoulder. After strapping it on the bike and as I coasted silently through the parking lot with the wind to my back I could feel that it had just started to snow a bit--little tiny flakes that you could only see under the street lamps--and I could feel them on my face. It felt good to be on a bike in the brisk weather after facing a stove all day, and it felt good to be on a bike while I passed cars in gridlock during rush our. It felt good to use my own energy for propulsion. I felt free, and I thought to myself that I likely am a little bit crazy...crazy for life.

If you haven't seen the giant wreath I carried home on this bike and would like to, click here.

Also,  urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks :)

Another View from my Handlebars

Beautiful isn't? Inspiring to say the least. I pass this intersection a few times a week and am always inspired by this beautiful church. Tonight, as it drizzled and sleeted lightly as I rode by, I thought I'd stop and snap a couple pictures. It's First Presbyterian Church at Symphony Circle. And as I stood there admiring it--while people in cars zipped past me seemingly trying to beat each other through the circle--I couldn't help but marvel at its history. This is one of the oldest churches in our city. Now, for my EU friends reading this you might not think that 200 years is that old...but in this young country it is. The congregation first began worshiping together in 1812...during the War of 1812; the same year that the young outpost of Buffalo was burned to the ground. This is actually their 3rd building; the first was wood, then there was a previous stone one, and now the one you see before you which was completed in 1889. And, by-the-way, if you are wondering what the white spots are in the picture...it is rain/sleet; I turned the flash on to capture them in front of the camera. I mention this for two reasons/examples...this image is another example of something you'd never have a chance to admire--really admire--if you were zipping through the circle in a car, and also, it's a good example that good pictures can be captured with an inexpensive camera. I'm starting to trail off now so I'll stop...I just thought I'd share a picture tonight of something I saw over my handlebars this evening (click it for a larger view).

urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks :)

Falafel (Yum!)

Falafel are an awesome and healthy food that is not only nutritious and delicious but easy to make. In it's most basic description, it is nothing more than ground chickpeas (and/or other legumes) mixed with seasonings and deep-fried. It is traditionally eaten as a pita sandwich laden with tarator sauce (tahini sauce), but it is great as a snack by itself  or on a salad. Anyhow, there are plenty of recipes out there (all variations on a theme), but this is how I make mine.

For the falafel: In a food processor, combine a couple cups of either cooked or canned and rinsed chick peas along with a bunch of chopped cilantro (sometimes called fresh coriander), a bunch of chopped flat-leaf parsley (sometimes called Italian or Mediterranean parsley), a small chopped onion, a couple cloves of garlic, a splash of lemon juice and water, and a small amount of cumin, cayenne pepper, and kosher or sea salt. Run the food processor until the ingredients are nearly a smooth paste. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and add a small amount (maybe 1/2 cup each) of all-purpose flour and chick pea flour (if you don't have chick pea flour you can use just the wheat flour), and a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Knead the flour(s) into the mixture, scoop and shape it into balls (sprinkle sesame seeds on a baking sheet and scoop the falafel onto this). Press the falafel gently, shaping them into thick disks. Heat a couple inches of oil in a pan until about 350F/176C and fry the falafel for a few minutes, or until golden and cooked throughout. Drain on absorbent paper.

For the tahini sauce: Combine in a bowl, 1/2 cup of tahini paste along with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a couple tablespoons of minced parsley. Using a wire whisk, mix the sauce vigorously to aerate it and combine thoroughly...it should have a creamy appearance; if it is too thick add a bit more water or lemon.

Make sure you make extra falafel because you'll be snacking on them as you make the sandwiches.

Also, urbansimplicity.com is the new address for this blog; please update your bookmarks.

Virtual Land Owner

Domain

1 a : complete and absolute ownership of land 
  b : land so owned 

2  : a territory over which dominion is exercised 

3  : a region distinctively marked by some physical feature

4  : a sphere of knowledge, influence, or activity

Taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.  

OK, first of all I want to say thank you to my readers who have stayed with me through this little experiment of expressing myself through the Internet. No I am not going anywhere, but I will "own" an actual domain soon...urbansimplicity.com. I purposely put quotes on the word own because I don't believe we own anything in this world and that everything is transitory...we are just using or borrowing it for the time being. Anyhow, in the next few days the address for this blog should change over to urbansimplicity.com. According to blogger any current bookmarks will be redirected to the new address. At any rate, if for some reason you are not able to access this blog, or it looks like I'm not posting on it for a while, check in at my sister blog: urbansimplicty.wordpress.com (I started the sister blog as a backup when I was randomly locked out of this current one last year). Anyhow, thanks again for sticking with my sometimes idiosyncratic soapbox rants and random posts. In the next few days, if you're interested in staying with me, please update your bookmarks. Peace, Joe.

urbansimplicity.com

Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio

OK, firstly...I do not speak Italian, but I do know what aglio e olio means: garlic and oil, usually virgin olive oil; two of my favorite ingredients. And to cook "aglio e olio" is not just a manner of using these two ingredients, but an actual style of cooking. The traditional recipe for this is done with spaghetti but I find that you can cook nearly any food--especially vegetables--in this manner and they taste delicious. Vegetables cooked like this make a great side dish or they can be tossed with pasta or rice to make a complete meal. To see a printable recipe--and with more photos--on how to make a variation of this with pasta, click here or here; to see a recipe with step-by-step photos on how to cook a spaghetti squash like this, click here.

A Few Things I Saw over my Handlebars

These are just more examples of what a great opportunity a person has on a bicycle to witness and become an active participant their surroundings; these are a few images from tonight or the last couple of days that I took while on my bike. They are--to me--a form of contemplative photography. Click either for a larger view; for a few additional photos, click here, here, or here.

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#373)...plus two recipes.

Things on the bike: A canvas book bag containing two books; a cardboard box containing a just-kneaded batch of whole-wheat honey-oatmeal bread (see below for recipe), a small container of oatmeal, 2 pints of 3-bean soup with pork, 2 re-gifted coffee cups, and an extra pair of gloves (yes that's snow coming down and visible in the above picture; first of the year...late for this region).

Butternut Squash Bisque

Yield: 6 cups

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds peeled and diced butternut squash

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat and add the onions. Sweat the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes or until they are translu­cent. Add the flour and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and diced pumpkin; sauté another minute. Add the stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. Add the cream and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes longer. Puree in a blender or food processor. 

 

Whole Wheat Honey-Oatmeal Bread

Makes 2 loaves

6 cups whole wheat flour, divided

2 1/4 cups water, divided

1 cup oatmeal, plus additional for coating

1 cup plain yogurt

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

3 teaspoons instant yeast, divided

Separate the ingredients in two bowls using this ratio: In one bowl combine 4 cups of flour, 1 1/4 cups water, along with all of the yogurt and salt. Stir it just until combined; cover with plastic wrap and set aside. In a second bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups flour and 1 cup water with 1 cup oatmeal, the olive oil, honey, and 2 teaspoons of yeast. Stir it just until combined; cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Allow the bowls to rest for at least an hour, but up to 12.

Add the remaining teaspoon yeast and the contents of both bowls to an upright electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, cut it into two pieces, gently shape it into loaves. Dust the counter with extra oatmeal and roll the loaves in it, gently pressing oatmeal into the surface of the raw dough. Place the loaves into oiled loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat an oven to 400F.

Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on. Remove the bread from their pans and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.