Urban Simplicty

>Employee Meal, 1 March 2011 (BBQ Chicken Thighs)

Espresso BBQ Sauce

Yield: 2 cups

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup espresso

1-1/2 cups ketchup

Heat the oil in a small heavy sauce pot. Add the onion and sauté until they just begin to caramelize. Stir in the garlic, sugar, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper, sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the espresso and ketchup. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Stir often with a wooden spoon. Cook the sauce, over low heat, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to approximately 2 cups. Store in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

Citrus-Serrano BBQ Glaze

Yield: 2 cups

1-1/2 cups orange juice

1-1/2 cups grapefruit juice

3/4 cup lime juice

1 cup ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced serrano chili

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a small heavy sauce pot. Bring the glaze to a boil, skim the surface of any impurities, then lower the heat to a fast simmer. Continue to cook the sauce, while stirring with a wooden spoon frequently, for approximately 1 hour. The sauce should reduce by half, or to 2 cups, and have taken on a shiny syrupy consistency. Strain the glaze through a mesh colander and allow to cool somewhat before using. Store in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

Asian BBQ Sauce

Yield: 2 Cups

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Pour into a glass jar, or bowl, and let stand for at least 2 hours before use. Store in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

Why I Like to Carry Things on My Bike(s)

The title to this post should really read: Why I Like to Carry Things on My Bike(s) and Why I Like to Take Pictures of the Things I Carry on My Bikes and Then Sometimes Write About it. But then again I don’t really care for lengthy headings. I’m of course referring to the Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike series on this blog.

To answer this question is no easy task, but to sum it up I’ll say this: Because I can, and because I think it’s really fun. This second part seems more important to me. But it is, of course, more than this.

Sometimes I’ll post in a tongue-in cheek fashion carrying something as simple as a couple of sandwiches or a teeny homie figure (and I really like carrying silly stuff like that), but other times I carry things that many would not think possible to carry on a bike (click here for a few photos from a “best of” which I posted last fall)…these are the things that are truly fun to carry.

Please keep a few things in mind, and I’ve mentioned these before. I am not car-free but I ride whenever I am able (but in the spring, summer, and fall I am often nearly car-free), and I am not a twenty-something hipster (though I was once); I am a middle aged guy with creaky knees and reoccurring back problems who often rides a 60lb cargo bike (and in the winter my 40lb semi-cargo winter bike, pictured above).

My point is this. Bikes matter…and they matter now more than ever. I’ve also said this before, but for those who haven’t ridden a bike in a while (or years) you may be surprised at how good it feels…how freeing it is…to feel the sun on your face and to use your own energy for propeltion. But when you carry stuff it’s even better (I think)…because you are not only the engine but also part of the cargo.

Here’s another suggestive point. Even if you believe global warming to be a fallacy (which some do but I do not) think of the money you will save. Whether or not there are problems in the Middle East the prices at the pump will always fluctuate but continue to rise (Big Brother has to make money).

As the long winter winds down I look forward to the warm months ahead not only for the weather, but also to ride more frequently–daily–and to carry stuff on my bike(s). I ride and carry stuff on my bikes for many reasons…but mostly because I like doing it. Why do people climb a mountain or walk across the country? They have some sort of compulsion, I suppose. The same–though on a lesser and more daily level–can be said about me carrying stuff on a bike. I do it because I think it’s fun.

I realize that I of course am not the only person on this planet that rides and carries things on their bikes, but in America we are few (compared to elsewhere). Many other cultures have used bikes for transportation and other utilitarian purposes for the past hundred years and it seems like we all need to start to consider this.

I’ve posted the below video more than once before but if you have not seen it and are a cyclist (or especially if you are not a cyclist) I hope you watch it. I don’t know who made the short film or who is speaking, but the narrator could be me. It’s not, but it could be.

In summary, I ride and carry things on my bikes for may reasons but mostly because I can…and I really enjoy it. I’ll get off my little soap box now.

>Why I Like to Carry Things on My Bike(s)

In summary, I ride and carry things on my bikes for may reasons but mostly because I can…and I really enjoy it. I’ll get off my little soap box now.

Experiments with Sodium Nitrite (and a few semi-related comments)

As a lifelong professional cook I have always been more interested in real foods than fussy ones. By this I mean foods made from scratch entirely…the old fashioned way. I have no interest in food-as-art meals or so-called celebrity chefs (click here to read an excellent article by the inspirational chef and food writer Joyce Goldstein; click here to read an article written by yours truly regarding my sentiments towards Gordon Ramsay). I am far more interested in making foods like homemade pasta, sausage, sauerkraut, naturally leavened bread, and yogurt, than I am silly bite sized morsels with a few dots of foam or streaks of puree that looks like it belongs more in an art gallery than it does on a plate. That said, and regarding the most recent sentence, I apologize to those chefs and cooks who toil long hours over stoves producing those foods–so long as they are true to themselves–but it is simply not for me. When you stand facing a stove day-after-day and year-after-year you’d better find something that fuels your passion or you will be in serious trouble. When I was a young culinarian I was briefly enamored with over-manipulated food but soon realized it was like fitting a square peg into a round hole. But when I delve into the real made-from-scratch foods (and the anthropology of them) that’s when I am truly on fire as a cook. Anyhow, this brings me to my latest foray into experiments with sodium nitrite. One of my cooks asked me about certain preserved meat recipes and I didn’t have specific answers…so the best way I thought to find our answers was to make the recipes in question. Thus, we recently cured and cooked our own corned beef (pictured above), and Canadian or back bacon (pictured below); we had them for staff lunch today. Both were very easy to prepare and very delicious…we’ll make traditional American-style bacon this week. If you like this type of thing I recommend you try it as it is very simple to do in your home kitchen as well. There are plenty of places to purchase curing ingredients, but locally I purchase mine at The Sausage Maker (they also ship world wide). For a simple recipe for corned beef, click here; for a recipe for Canadian bacon, click here.

>Experiments with Sodium Nitrite (and a few semi-related comments)

Submissive Pug

This is too cute not to post (I thought). I was trying to get a close up picture of my pugs but they were afraid of the camera. Ultimately I held a treat in my left hand up against the camera and Franklin had the courage to slowly creep up and take it. I took the picture just before he snapped it up. Meanwhile, his brother, Maxwell, sat at the other side of the room barking at the camera (they both received a treat). I’ve read that pugs were bred to entertain a Chinese emperor…don’t know if it is true but they sure entertain me.

>Submissive Pug

Bicycle Carnage in Brazil

Image found here.

Firstly I have to say that normally I try not to focus on the negative or sensational on this blog because I feel there is enough media that does that, but this is such an incredible incident that I had to show it. This is the ultimate act of road rage and is really terrible…a critical mass ride in Brazil was intentionally plowed down last night by an angry driver in a Volkswagen Golf. Apparently he accelerated to full speed before hitting them. Dozens were injured and I don’t know if anyone was killed. These are all the details I know at present.

My apologies if this offends any of the readers of this blog, but my thought is that if enough people re-post things like this maybe it can bring some awareness. I, like most everyday bicyclists, have been exposed to road rage, but thankfully nothing like this. I can’t believe it.

Below are two videos posted on YouTube regarding the incident. The first one is seen through the lens of a person on the seen directly after the accident, and the one below it is a blurry aerial view of the car actually plowing through the group of bicyclists.

WARNING: These are raw graphic unedited videos that show injured people directly after an attempted and intentional mass murder. If you do not wish to see these images I urge you NOT to watch these clips. To read some English translations of what was said please visit The Urban Country.

Tonight my thoughts and prayers go out to those and their families who were involved in this.

>Bicycle Carnage in Brazil

Image found here.

Tonight my thoughts and prayers go out to those and their families who were involved in this.

Disappearing Pizza (or anatomy of a pizza #2)

I made pizza tonight for dinner…whole wheat crust, tomato sauce made with last year’s tomatoes, seasoned ground beef, spinach, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Simple and delicious. It didn’t take long for my son and I to polish it off. To see a previous and similar post, with recipes, pictures, and a little pizza history, click here.

>Disappearing Pizza (or anatomy of a pizza #2)

A Few Snowy Pics

The above picture is the view from the kitchen window (at my place of employment); the below are a few things I saw on my way to work this morning…had another significant snowfall today. I decided it safer to walk than ride this morning…actually, not sure if I would have been able to ride at all even if I did try. It was not that cold so the snow was really heavy and dense. I still find it beautiful…but am I the only person that is beginning to tire of this long winter? Doubtful. I feel like I need sunshine and dry roads…and not to have to put on multiple layers just to ride a bike or walk to work. At any rate, in a few moths I’ll likely be complaining about how hot it is in the kitchen. It’s interesting that when it’s cold and snowy it’s difficult to remember it being hot and humid, and vice versa.

>A Few Snowy Pics

Broccoli, Bean Curd (and chicken) Stirfry

This is one of my favorite stirfrys, or at least a variation of it. It’s a recipe that you’ll find in most Chinese restaurants but is very simple to make at home. The original recipe is sans chicken (hence the reason it’s in parenthesis in the title), but having a teen-aged son usually requires some sort of meat in the recipe to make it palatable (who am I kidding…I like it too). To include chicken in the recipe simply saute it prior to the other ingredients, remove it from the pan, proceed with the recipe, then add it back to the pan once the sauce is added. Your first inclination is likely to use chicken breast, but I suggest boneless thighs…more flavor and juicier. Anyhow, it’s easy to prepare, full-flavored, and healthy also (all that broccoli!). To see an earlier post with pictures regarding this recipe, click here. To see it at the Artvoice website (where it was originally published), click here.

Broccoli & Bean Curd with Ginger, Garlic, & Hot Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 heads broccoli, cut into florets
12 ounces firm tofu, sliced into
1-inch pieces
1 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
1 small onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon crushed hot pepper
1-1/2 cups chicken broth

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix to dissolve the cornstarch and set aside. Par-cook the broccoli in boiling water, then drain it and cool it under cold running water.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Carefully add the tofu and cook it on both sides until golden brown. Remove the tofu and transfer to absorbent paper. Carefully pour most of the oil into a separate pan (or other safe container), leaving just enough oil to stir fry in. Heat the pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, ginger, and hot peppers. Sauté for another minute or two.

Stir in the chicken broth; bring it to a boil, then stir in the soy-cornstarch mixture. Bring it to a simmer, then add the broccoli and bean curd. Stir and toss it to evenly coat it with sauce. Continue to heat the pan just until the broccoli is heated throughout.

>Broccoli, Bean Curd (and chicken) Stirfry

Broccoli & Bean Curd with Ginger, Garlic, & Hot Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

Ubuntu, A Second Opinion, and an Electronic Resurrection

The above image is a screen shot of my netbook, the same netbook that I ranted about in an earlier post…referring to it as mass-produced cheap crap. In that mini-rant I lamented on the lack of quality…how things are not built to last these days. The netbook had crashed for no explained reason–out of the blue–and when I took it to a computer repair shop (and paid $43) I was told simply that it was crap and that was not repairable…and that even if he could repair it it would cost more than it was worth (keep in mind the machine was a mere 18 months old). Anyhow, I was a hair away from throwing the thing against the wall and pulling it’s teeny hard disk out to retrieve its data when I thought I’d get a second opinion…someone that I knew wouldn’t charge me just to look at it. He took it with him and I thought I’d never see it again. He shows up a few weeks later at work (he’s our tech guy at work), plugs it in and it boots right up. What? He says that it’s teeny little NAND drive was full and it simply needed to be cleaned. I of course was over-joyed, but it was running–as it had from the very start–as sow as a snail. It’s operating system was (and I consciously use the past tense) Windows XP; that’s what it came loaded with. That in itself took up most of the space on the drive, he told me. Thus he suggested, as he handed me a little 2 gig thumb drive, I change the operating system to Ubuntu…that it takes up far less space and that it is an open source system. I like open source products I told him (not only because they are free, but also because of what they stand for), my word processor and browser of choice these days are Open Office and Firefox. I know how to load and delete programs, I told him, and tweak the system, move things around, etc…but an operating system, I’m not so sure. You can do it yourself he replied, just follow the directions…and when it asks if you want to load it next to your current system or delete and override your current one, delete windows…you don’t have enough room. What the hell, I thought…this little computer was dead as far as I was concerned, but now like an electronic Lazarus, it was back from the grave. It took a few times for me to load the system (mostly because of human error…mine) and when it finally asked me if I was really sure that I wanted to delete the currant operating system (it asks two or three times) I touched the enter key hesitantly…

A few thoughts. Firstly, it was awkward (mostly because it was not like windows…my son says it resembles a Mac interface a bit). It also came loaded with Open Office and Firefox. But after a few tweaks and getting used to it…I really like it, and it is entirely free (the current price of Windows 7 is $274). But here’s the really interesting thing…the little netbook runs better and faster than it ever has, even than when it was brand new.

I’m actually thinking of installing Ubuntu on my desktop next to the current system (it offers that option), but am leery as I’m not sure all my programs will run on it. The moral of this story, I suppose–and this is likely with most stories–is that it is worth it to get a second opinion. You never know the answer.

Click here to go to the Ubuntu website (they have system specifically designed for netbooks)
Click here to read about Ubunto at Wikipedia.
Click here to read what the name means (also at Wikipedia)

A canvas bag carrying various books (actual and electronic), and a few writing implements.