This is a really colorful, fragrant, and delicious rice dish. In the recipe I used lamb, but it could just as well be made with beef or chicken (or vegetarian). The only difference(s) from the recipe pictured and the one listed below is that I also added a pinch of turmeric to the rice withContinue reading “Lebanese-Inspired Brown Rice Pilaf with Lamb, Vermicelli, and Green Beans”
Author Archives: Joe
Five Quotes from Rosa Parks
Photo found here. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) Click here for the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people toContinue reading “Five Quotes from Rosa Parks”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#447)…and a quick note.
On the bike…10 pounds of dog food, a camera bag with an extra camera and charger, 3 pounds of diced lamb meat, a bottle of fish oil (pills), and a canvas book bag containing a book, a pocket-sized Bible, and a journal. I also wanted to mention that I will be away from my computerContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#447)…and a quick note.”
Parmesan and Black Pepper Grissini
Pencil-thin breadsticks…grissini. Beautiful, aren’t they? Easy to make, too. These are coated with Parmesan and black pepper making them even more tasty. But you may be wondering why I am making bread with refined flour (opposed to whole wheat). Well, I do now and again. But the real reason is that I just received thisContinue reading “Parmesan and Black Pepper Grissini”
Death By Advertising
This interesting but short video was made in collaboration with junkthought.org and Micah M. White (from Adbusters). I find it interesting and it does make sense to me, but at the same time I find it somewhat ironic that it seems to be a sort of anti-advertisement (or a hidden advertisement) for their websites. ButContinue reading “Death By Advertising”
Five Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948 “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.“ “Let everyone try and find that as a result of daily prayer he adds somethingContinue reading “Five Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi”
No Tricks or Fancy Riding Without Permission…
Image found at The Buffalo History Gazette. What, you may wonder, do these two photos have in common? Well, they are both taken in the city in which I live and during the same time period (around 1890), when the main mode of transport was horse (and carriage), your own two feet, or a bicycleContinue reading “No Tricks or Fancy Riding Without Permission…”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#446)
A book bag stuffed full of books, a camera bag containing two cameras, a classical guitar (my son’s), a laptop computer, and a camera tripod. Urban Simplicity.
Things I Saw While Riding My Bike Today…
One of my favorite things to do is ride around the city at night or during dusk and take photos; if I was an early bird–which I am not–I’m sure I would enjoy the dawn as well. Sometimes I really do question whether I am this guy reincarnated (but I’m getting off topic as IContinue reading “Things I Saw While Riding My Bike Today…”
Two Plus Pi…
I bake bread about once a week, sometimes more frequently. And most often it is made with whole wheat flour. Sometimes the bread making coincides with dinner time, as it did tonight. So after the first rise I will sometimes pinch a piece of the dough off and make a small pizza for dinner asContinue reading “Two Plus Pi…”
Nature’s Breath…
So this is pretty cool (yes, pun intended). It’s a time-lapse of cold air moving in then retreating, then moving in again, across the US. It’s as if Mother Nature is exhaling then inhaling. It’s the 40 seconds to watch it. Urban Simplicity.
Winter Riding Tip…
Okay. So if you are an all-weather cyclist you likely already know this. I do have a tendency to state the obvious (or at least the known), and for that I apologize in advance. But I read somewhere years ago, and it’s something that I found out really works, is that if you lower theContinue reading “Winter Riding Tip…”
Things That can be Carried on a Bike (#445), and the view from my handlebars…
On the bike…a gym bag full of wet clothes and a case of red wine (I get thirsty with all the exercise and biking). Despite the warm colors in the photo below, like much of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada we are still in the grip of a cold-snap. It was/is cold today.Continue reading “Things That can be Carried on a Bike (#445), and the view from my handlebars…”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#444)
Five pounds of whole wheat flour, one pound of instant yeast, and a new toilet seat. Urban Simplicity.
The View from My Really, Really Cold Handlebars…and a few words
It.Was.Cold.Today….really cold. Yup. That’s a screen shot from my computer as I was getting ready for my (thankfully) very short commute to work this morning. 5f = -15c. How cold was it, you may wonder. Well, the only part of my body exposed was the area around my eyes (my pugs recently chewed my goggles,Continue reading “The View from My Really, Really Cold Handlebars…and a few words”
Broccoli Falafel with Taratoor (Yum!)
Falafel is of course that awesome and healthy snack food that can become an entire meal when served over a salad or wrapped in flat-bread. And when paired with taratoor (tahini-garlic sauce) it is nothing short of culinary genius (in my humble opinion). This is a variation on the classic chickpea falafel in that itContinue reading “Broccoli Falafel with Taratoor (Yum!)”
Weird and Wonderful…For Real
Okay….by now–if you’ve visited this blog prior–you know that I type away at my keyboard in Buffalo, NY. And while I love to travel and post recipes and pictures from elsewhere, this is my home; and for most of my life it has been. But at the same time, while much of what I writeContinue reading “Weird and Wonderful…For Real”
Photos of a Mid-Winter’s Dusk…
Urban Simplicity.
Playing with Light…Two Views from My Handlebars
So first of all I have to say it was cold today…really cold. The high temp was 18F/-8C. Tonight it is supposed to dip into the single digits (F). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the brisk riding conditions. Mind you, I wouldn’t want it like this all the time (though in the dog days of summerContinue reading “Playing with Light…Two Views from My Handlebars”
Two Short Videos Honoring Two Great Men…
I find both of these videos really moving. The one below shows Nina Simone singing a song (which she and the band had just learned) honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, jr just three days after his assassination. And the very short clip above shows the humility of our president…a man who holds oneContinue reading “Two Short Videos Honoring Two Great Men…”
Urban Simplicty 