A nylon bag containing a camera and extra lens, a book bag containing a few books, and a cardboard box containing a few pints of spaghetti-and-meatballs.
Things That can be Carried on a Bike (#388)
May 24, 2013
bicycles as transportation, Car Free, Cargo Bike, Longtail, Things that can be carried on a bike, urban simplicity, Yuba Mundo Leave a comment
After the rain…
May 24, 2013
Contemplative Photography, inspiration, Nature in the City, photography, Rain, urban simplicity Leave a comment
One Last Ride…
May 24, 2013
bicycles as transportation, Trike, urban simplicity, Work Bicycle Leave a comment
If you’ve visited this blog before then you know my interest in bicycles as not just a vehicle from which to get from point A to point B (though for this they are extremely useful) but also as human powered machines that do things. I’ve of course showed all sorts of things that can be carried on bikes, and have profiled military bikes, bicycles as ambulances, mail bikes, and even a taco bike. And now here is a tricycle hearse. Nice. Morbid, you may think? I disagree. We’re all going to end up on the other side eventually so why not let our last ride be a leisurely one powered by a fellow human. To read a full story about this, click here. To go to the site of the funeral home where Funeral Home Director Wade (pictured) pedals people to their final resting place, click here.
Tapenade!
May 24, 2013
cooking as therapy, Culinary Freedom, French cooking, French Cuisine, Homemade, Mediterranean Cuisine, Mediterranean Diet, urban simplicity Leave a comment
Tapenade. Mmmm. Delicious. I haven’t made this in a while but it once was a staple on multiple restaurant tables where I was chef. And I made this for a dinner I served this evening. It is basically an olive puree seasoned with anchovies, capers, and lots of garlic. It’s of Southern French origin and takes its name from the Provencal word for capers, tapeno. Mainly it is used as a dip or spread on bread the same way one would use any other spread, but it can also be used as an ingredient for a recipe. I try to make most of the recipes on this blog relatively simple to make (so people actually make them) and this could not be simpler…place everything in a food processor and puree. If you’ve never had this I hope you make it. You’ll be glad you did.
Tapénade
(Provençal Olive Spread)
Yield: 1 cup
2 cups pitted black olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Use as a dip, spread on toast, a small dollop of poached shrimp, or a garnish to a canapé.
The easiest but also one of the most decadent little cakes you’ll ever make…
May 23, 2013
baking, chocolate, Culinary Freedom, desserts, Homemade, urban simplicity Leave a comment
Okay. So first a couple things. This cake (or cakes) is likely the easiest you’ll make. It is also super decadent. But the reason I made this is that I became intrigued by a recipe for a 5 minute chocolate mug cake floating around the Internet. I was dubious, and rightly so. I made one of the cakes and have to say that I felt silly–being a professional cook–mixing a cupful of cake batter in a coffee cup and then microwaving it. The outcome was a doughy, sodden clump (I really have difficulty at the thought of microwaving a cake, no matter it’s size). Anyhow, the below recipe is an alteration of the five minute cake…it turns into a fifteen minute cake because it is baked rather than microwaved (it’s really a variation of chocolate molten cake). And rather than mixing everything in the cup(s) I mixed it like a professional cook in mixing bowls; two to be exact. I can understand a person’s desire not to dirty too many things while cooking, but this is a mere two bowls that can be washed while the cakes bake. And as far as difficulty goes, this is no more difficult than the microwaved version but way better. Melt the chocolate and butter in one bowl, mix the eggs in another, then combine everything together and bake it. The recipe makes two small cakes or one larger one (the bake time would be increased for a larger one). Two small cakes, I thought, are also way better than one for many reasons, but mostly because who wants to keep something this good to themselves.
Chocolate Molten Cake
2 servings
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons chocolate chips
2 eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons all-purpose flower
Preheat an oven to 425F. Melt the butter in a small bowl over a boil of simmering water. Using a wire whip, and in a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder until slightly aerated. Add the melted butter and chocolate, along with the flour, to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Divide the batter between two lightly oiled ramekins or other small oven-proof bowls. Bake the cakes for about 10-15 minutes, or until the exterior is cooked but the very center is still slightly runny. Eat directly from the ramekins, or turn the cakes out onto plates.
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#387)
May 22, 2013
bicycles as transportation, Cargo Bike, photography, Things that can be carried on a bike, Torker Cargo-T Leave a comment
A cardboard box containing three freshly baked loaves of Ezekiel Bread. An empty retro rucksack. A camera bag with a camera and an extra lens. A canvas book bag containing a few books and other things. An empty dough rising bucket.
Seven Angels plus One
May 20, 2013
Buffalo, Contemplative Photography, inspiration, photography, urban simplicity 2 Comments
“Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.”
All of these photos except for one were taken at the beautiful Forest Lawn Cemetery here in Buffalo. The remaining photo (pictured above) was taken in the garden of my place of employment. Hence the title, Seven Angels plus One. I find cemeteries oddly beautiful, reflective, and peaceful (click here for shots from Père Lachaise Cemetery on my trip to Paris last summer). And in this case, the faces of the statues which watch over graves, I find incredibly moving. Timeless. The compassion in their eyes, at times, and their soulful expressions, I find breathtaking. While some are depicted as females, they are not necessarily so. The look more androgynous to me…simply angelic beings guarding souls. I took these while on a “short cut” through the cemetery yesterday while doing errands (the above photo I took the day prior). It was a beautiful spring day and had my camera so stopped and shot a few photos. And it was interesting, while I had stopped to take one of the photos there was a wedding party having photos taken next to one of the ponds (it may seem odd, but this cemetery is that beautiful…rolling hills with multiple ponds and streams). I was standing at a crossroad; the wedding party was to my right, and at the same time a funeral procession passed me on my left. An odd but incredibly beautiful juxtaposition…two major life events at the same time. Anyhow, I thought I’d share the photos. Click any for a larger view.
