Moules Marinière

Super easy to prepare and mouthwatering delicious…nothing more to say. OK, toasted Ezekiel bread to dip in the juice makes it even better!

Moules Marinière
Makes 4 servings.
3 pounds mussels, washed, rinsed, and de-bearded
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped
Place all of the ingredients except the parsley in a low-sided pot or a very large skillet. Cover the pan and place it over a fast flame. Cook the mussels, shaking the pan occasionally, until they open, then cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the parsley across the mussels.

>Moules Marinière

>

Super easy to prepare and mouthwatering delicious…nothing more to say. OK, toasted Ezekiel bread to dip in the juice makes it even better!

Moules Marinière
Makes 4 servings.
3 pounds mussels, washed, rinsed, and de-bearded
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped
Place all of the ingredients except the parsley in a low-sided pot or a very large skillet. Cover the pan and place it over a fast flame. Cook the mussels, shaking the pan occasionally, until they open, then cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the parsley across the mussels.

Thoughts on the New Bread Platform (or luggage carrier)

I’ve ridden the Mule with the new Bread Platform attached for the past week or so (not exclusively because I’m still riding the Mundo), and my overall impressions very favorable. It was very easy to install, it’s sturdy, and it is large…really large for a front rack. It measures 12 inches (30cm) by 17 inches (43cm). This will not replace the Mundo of course (nor did I intend it to) but it will come in really handy during the winter or when I simply don’t need 7 feet (2.13m) of bike…but the Mundo is still more comfortable to ride. The mule is pictured above carrying a cardboard case of tomatoes (nearly empty)…the size fits perfectly. So does the size of a full case of beer or a case of wine (were talkin’ the important stuff here). It handles really well because the load does not turn with the front wheel. But this in itself took some getting used to…it’s an odd sensation at first to turn the front wheel and the load (or even just the rack if it is empty) does not turn. It’s difficult to describe other than at first it felt like the load was going in the opposite direction because it juts out as you turn…simply an optical illusion.

My only real complaint about this rack is that the bars on it are far apart…nearly 4 inches (10cm) apart. This fine if carrying a box or crate, but with single or loose items this may present a problem. I’m currently thinking about how I can rectify this with modification (I may attach thin wooden slats going in the opposite direction, creating a sort of bed for items). I’d be interested to hear what others have to say about this, whether it’s this rack in particular or another. 

Now here’s something on a slightly different note but still pertaining to the rack. While Mundo sells this rack as their Bread Platform (and what I thought may be a product built exclusively for the Mundo), it is actually a rack built by a Dutch company called Steco, and it’s a rack built to fit most bikes. This was an easy assessment to make once I looked at the directions that came with the rack (click the image below). After Googling the rack and the company that makes it I found that many people sell this (but mostly in the EU), and Mundo is the only company that calls it as a Bread Platform, most call it a Luggage Carrier. None-the-less, I am very thankful that Ben and the Good People at Yuba are selling this rack (smart marketing on their part). I’m mentioning this because I think more bikes (longtails or not) should have racks like this. It turns an ordinary bike into one that can carry stuff. But the real problem, I think is getting them (the racks)…we need more American bike shops selling accessories like this (maybe when the fixie fad wears off). Thanks again Ben (and Yuba) for offering such a fine and useful product.

>Thoughts on the New Bread Platform (or luggage carrier)

>

I’ve ridden the Mule with the new Bread Platform attached for the past week or so (not exclusively because I’m still riding the Mundo), and my overall impressions very favorable. It was very easy to install, it’s sturdy, and it is large…really large for a front rack. It measures 12 inches (30cm) by 17 inches (43cm). This will not replace the Mundo of course (nor did I intend it to) but it will come in really handy during the winter or when I simply don’t need 7 feet (2.13m) of bike…but the Mundo is still more comfortable to ride. The mule is pictured above carrying a cardboard case of tomatoes (nearly empty)…the size fits perfectly. So does the size of a full case of beer or a case of wine (were talkin’ the important stuff here). It handles really well because the load does not turn with the front wheel. But this in itself took some getting used to…it’s an odd sensation at first to turn the front wheel and the load (or even just the rack if it is empty) does not turn. It’s difficult to describe other than at first it felt like the load was going in the opposite direction because it juts out as you turn…simply an optical illusion.

My only real complaint about this rack is that the bars on it are far apart…nearly 4 inches (10cm) apart. This fine if carrying a box or crate, but with single or loose items this may present a problem. I’m currently thinking about how I can rectify this with modification (I may attach thin wooden slats going in the opposite direction, creating a sort of bed for items). I’d be interested to hear what others have to say about this, whether it’s this rack in particular or another. 

Now here’s something on a slightly different note but still pertaining to the rack. While Mundo sells this rack as their Bread Platform (and what I thought may be a product built exclusively for the Mundo), it is actually a rack built by a Dutch company called Steco, and it’s a rack built to fit most bikes. This was an easy assessment to make once I looked at the directions that came with the rack (click the image below). After Googling the rack and the company that makes it I found that many people sell this (but mostly in the EU), and Mundo is the only company that calls it as a Bread Platform, most call it a Luggage Carrier. None-the-less, I am very thankful that Ben and the Good People at Yuba are selling this rack (smart marketing on their part). I’m mentioning this because I think more bikes (longtails or not) should have racks like this. It turns an ordinary bike into one that can carry stuff. But the real problem, I think is getting them (the racks)…we need more American bike shops selling accessories like this (maybe when the fixie fad wears off). Thanks again Ben (and Yuba) for offering such a fine and useful product.

Dancing Matt

This really does not have anything to do with the theme of Urban Simplicity other than it is a simple gesture that can really lift your spirits. It is a short video of a guy (Matt) doing his silly dance in 42 countries. I thought it was going to be stupid, and it is…but in a good way. It is really a video about nothing, but it will without doubt make you smile. To learn more about Matt and why he made this film visit his website.

>Dancing Matt

>
This really does not have anything to do with the theme of Urban Simplicity other than it is a simple gesture that can really lift your spirits. It is a short video of a guy (Matt) doing his silly dance in 42 countries. I thought it was going to be stupid, and it is…but in a good way. It is really a video about nothing, but it will without doubt make you smile. To learn more about Matt and why he made this film visit his website.

They’re Not All Perfect…

…but they’re still really good.

What I mean by this is that even when you have homemade “bread problems” the result is usually going to be better than something you’d buy at the supermarket. The above loaves are good examples of this. While I was preparing to make tomato sauce today I decided to purge my  teeny refrigerator to make room for the resulting bowl of sauce; I was also, coincidentally, preparing to make bread. In the cooler I found a cooked potato, a piece of slightly moldy Parmesan cheese, and a couple eggs that were outdated by 1 day. So I mashed the potato, cut the mold off the cheese and grated it, and cracked the eggs…all of which went into the bread dough. The problem was that I haphazardly oiled the bread-pans, and because of the cheese in the dough the bread stuck to the edges of the pan. You can see the torn bread in the above photo. Fortunately the bread (Whole Wheat Parmesan-Potato Bread Fortified with Egg) is still delicious, albeit a bit torn.

Bake your own bread…it’s as fun as riding a bike.

For more info on 100% whole wheat bread baking (recipe and pictures) click here and here.

>They’re Not All Perfect…

>

…but they’re still really good.

What I mean by this is that even when you have homemade “bread problems” the result is usually going to be better than something you’d buy at the supermarket. The above loaves are good examples of this. While I was preparing to make tomato sauce today I decided to purge my  teeny refrigerator to make room for the resulting bowl of sauce; I was also, coincidentally, preparing to make bread. In the cooler I found a cooked potato, a piece of slightly moldy Parmesan cheese, and a couple eggs that were outdated by 1 day. So I mashed the potato, cut the mold off the cheese and grated it, and cracked the eggs…all of which went into the bread dough. The problem was that I haphazardly oiled the bread-pans, and because of the cheese in the dough the bread stuck to the edges of the pan. You can see the torn bread in the above photo. Fortunately the bread (Whole Wheat Parmesan-Potato Bread Fortified with Egg) is still delicious, albeit a bit torn.

Bake your own bread…it’s as fun as riding a bike.

For more info on 100% whole wheat bread baking (recipe and pictures) click here and here.

My Frozen Tomato Experiment

It may seem odd to be writing about tomatoes in mid-November but this is the outcome of a successful experiment. Last summer is a memory as I sit next to the wood-burning stove as I type, but it was sultry none-the-less. And the steamy heat brought not only multitude of tomatoes in my garden but also hordes of people to my place of work. Thus, because of the hectic summer I never made my usual summer’s-end batch of sauce, which I usually freeze and consume throughout the winter. In turn I froze the tomatoes whole as they ripened. I had never done this before but the outcome is excellent and I recommend it to others if you find yourself in a “time crises.” Anyhow, here’s the sauce in pictures.


>My Frozen Tomato Experiment

>

It may seem odd to be writing about tomatoes in mid-November but this is the outcome of a successful experiment. Last summer is a memory as I sit next to the wood-burning stove as I type, but it was sultry none-the-less. And the steamy heat brought not only multitude of tomatoes in my garden but also hordes of people to my place of work. Thus, because of the hectic summer I never made my usual summer’s-end batch of sauce, which I usually freeze and consume throughout the winter. In turn I froze the tomatoes whole as they ripened. I had never done this before but the outcome is excellent and I recommend it to others if you find yourself in a “time crises.” Anyhow, here’s the sauce in pictures.


Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#241)…and why my world is small.

Pots, pans, over-sized wire whisks, bowls, plastic buckets, and other small pieces of cooking equipment. (The above photo is one of a trilogy where I catered a party and carried most of the equipment to-and-fro on my bike. To see other photos click here and here.)

I could answer the question–statement, I suppose–of why my world is so small in very brief statement: because I like it that way, or more specifically, because I choose it to be. Now this may at first seem a negative thing, as in small minded, but it’s not….it’s on the contrary. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This post, and on a slightly larger scale, this blog as a whole is about getting small, getting simple…trying to live simply in the city. And riding bikes, for me, is a large part of this. The post you are currently reading is, on a personal level, an abridged attempt to explain how it is rather easy to go nearly car-free. And if I begin to sound preachy I apologize, because that is not what I intend with this blog. How you choose to live or transport is your own business. But again I’m jumping ahead; I’ll start over.

As I’ve stated a few times recently, when I started this blog it was to be a sort of journal…chronicling my journey further into simplifying my life. In fact, one of the original names for this blog was going to be My Two Mile Island, taken from the Cliff Bar Two Mile Challenge (you can type in your address and it will show you a map with a two mile radius of your house, suggesting you either walk or ride a bike within those two miles).  My very first blog post, nearly three years ago, was based on this premise (click here to read it).

I have always enjoyed living in the city where everything is close,and have always enjoyed walking and biking, but in recent years I have made a conscious effort to have most everything I need within walking or biking distance (at least all my day-to-day essentials…I still do own a vehicle). This then, is not so much about using a bike as recreation or on the weekends for fun…it is a lifestyle. Bikes, in fact, are more important to me as transportation than my small pickup truck. 

Now I realize that not everyone is able to do this in the modern sprawl in which we live, and for me it is an on-going process…choices and decisions come into play…big decisions. A few years ago, for example, when I was seeking new employment I actually turned jobs down that were not within realistic biking, walking, or public transportation range. And I realize that living in an urban environment makes this much easier; I am fully aware that this would be nearly impossible living in the suburbs or a rural setting.

Everything I need on a daily basis is within two miles from where I live; Indeed getting places in the city is often quicker on a bike than in a car. Here’s my essentials (distances are approximate and they are in no particular order):

My place of employment: .5 mile
The church of which I’m a member: 1.5 miles
The local food co-op: 2 miles
Bike shop: .5 miles
Where I buy wine: .25 miles
My son’s mother’s house: 1 mile
Health club: 1 mile
Book store: .25 mile and 2 miles

There’s also a slew of big box stores and strip malls a mere 4 or 5 miles away.

Buffalo–the city in which I live–is a small city, and I am lucky enough to live in the Allentown neighborhood of Buffalo, which in my eyes is a small Bohemian town within the city. According to walkscore.com it has a 95% walk-ability score (type in your address and it will give you a score).

Anyhow, enough with the probability babble…here’s an example of how easy it is to be car-free for a day:

I rode the Mundo to work yesterday morning because I was working a split-shift and thought I’d accomplish things on my break. After the first portion of the shift I rode to the health club for a brief steam and swim, then I rode home to drop off my bag and retrieve additional bungee cords. Then I rode to my church (where I catered a benefit party this past weekend) and loaded the above items on the bike. From there I rode to the video store to drop of an overdue video, and then home again for a brief respite and to feed my dogs and let them into the back yard. Then back to work to unload the bike. After working the second shift I rode home, stopping on the way to pick up a bottle of wine.

Again, I don’t mean to sound preachy, but I truly believe that bicycles matter, that they can make a difference. To me, when I do errands or carry stuff on one of my bikes I feel a sense of accomplishment…that I did this without using my gas-powered vehicle. But the best part is even more significant, because riding a bike, being out in the fresh air, is way more fun to me than sitting on a car-couch pressing a gas pedal. And that, I think, is what really counts.

I’ll get off my little soapbox now.