Random Thoughts On Cooking, Bike Riding, and The Sacred Journey of Everyday Life
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After the rain tonight I went out to the garden to pick a few tomatoes because I saw that some were super-ripe and nearly ready to fall from the vines themselves. It was that magical time–almost mystical–right after a storm when it’s not-yet-night but not-quite-day. The sky had a glow to it and–because of the heavy downpour–the air smelled almost floral. It was peaceful…all evenings should be like this.
This evening after work I rode the Mundo to return a DVD that was due (lest I pay a late fee). Throughout the day today the humidity was so heavy the air had a certain haze to it. Rain was predicted but I was hoping I could make it home prior. As I made it to the store there were a few drops and the sky had become so dark it seemed to be nearly night time (but it wasn’t). Then as I pedaled home it was as if the clouds burst like a canopy too full of water…it came down in buckets. I only had a short ride (about a mile) and all I could do was surrender. At one point there was a very subtle decline in the road where I could coast pretty fast. I stood on the pedals and took it in. After spending the day in a hot kitchen it felt so good to be coasting through this downpour. Life is good, I thought to myself, as I passed cars carrying dry people. It’s good to use your own body to propel yourself, and it’s good to be in the natural elements such as a rain fall or snow storm. It makes me remember that I am not in control. And I need this reminder more often than not…sometimes it’s the little things that make me feel truly alive.
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This evening after work I rode the Mundo to return a DVD that was due (lest I pay a late fee). Throughout the day today the humidity was so heavy the air had a certain haze to it. Rain was predicted but I was hoping I could make it home prior. As I made it to the store there were a few drops and the sky had become so dark it seemed to be nearly night time (but it wasn’t). Then as I pedaled home it was as if the clouds burst like a canopy too full of water…it came down in buckets. I only had a short ride (about a mile) and all I could do was surrender. At one point there was a very subtle decline in the road where I could coast pretty fast. I stood on the pedals and took it in. After spending the day in a hot kitchen it felt so good to be coasting through this downpour. Life is good, I thought to myself, as I passed cars carrying dry people. It’s good to use your own body to propel yourself, and it’s good to be in the natural elements such as a rain fall or snow storm. It makes me remember that I am not in control. And I need this reminder more often than not…sometimes it’s the little things that make me feel truly alive.
The other day after rummaging around in the walk-in freezer (geeze o’ man the cold felt good) I came upon a plastic container with pieces of cooked lamb medallions from a banquet served some time ago. Being the chef, my job description is not only to cook for the guests but also the employees (who are sometimes more finicky than the paying guests…you know who you are if you’re reading this). Often the meal is as simple as sandwiches or chicken wings (hey, this is Buffalo!), but other times–when I have the time–it can be an entire meal…such as this one. And this is also where my forays into the freezer come in handy (what I fondly refer to as my archaeological digs…employee meals also have to be cost effective).
At-any-rate, this recipe is really a variation on the classic Lebanese Chicken-and-Rice. Click here for a recipe for Chicken-and Rice; click here for a recipe and pictures for the same dish but made with brown rice; click here for a recipe for Kibbee-and-Rice (and click here if you need and explanation of what kibbee is). If you’d like to know more about Lebanese cuisine in general, click here to read an article I wrote for Sally’s Place.
Anyhow, the dish is easily adaptable to your own liking and taste. It consists of browning raw spaghetti or vermicelli, along with meat, then adding the Holy Trinity of Lebanese flavorings (cinnamon, allspice, and cumin)…I also added a little turmeric simply because I like it and it’s extremely good for you, plus a few diced tomatoes in the last few minutes of cooking, and mirepoix because…well, I’m a chef and mirepoix (click for an explanation) is part of our daily mise en place (click for an explanation).
To sum it up in a sentence, this dish–and many variations of it–is really is a sort of homemade Rice-A-Roni (click here for text regarding Rice-A-Roni)
I also served this dish with Broccoli Aglio e Olio (click here if you need recipes; click here if you need a definition), oranges, and fresh yogurt (click here for recipes and text).
Now here’s the recipe in pictures (click any photo for a larger view).
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The other day after rummaging around in the walk-in freezer (geeze o’ man the cold felt good) I came upon a plastic container with pieces of cooked lamb medallions from a banquet served some time ago. Being the chef, my job description is not only to cook for the guests but also the employees (who are sometimes more finicky than the paying guests…you know who you are if you’re reading this). Often the meal is as simple as sandwiches or chicken wings (hey, this is Buffalo!), but other times–when I have the time–it can be an entire meal…such as this one. And this is also where my forays into the freezer come in handy (what I fondly refer to as my archaeological digs…employee meals also have to be cost effective).
At-any-rate, this recipe is really a variation on the classic Lebanese Chicken-and-Rice. Click here for a recipe for Chicken-and Rice; click here for a recipe and pictures for the same dish but made with brown rice; click here for a recipe for Kibbee-and-Rice (and click here if you need and explanation of what kibbee is). If you’d like to know more about Lebanese cuisine in general, click here to read an article I wrote for Sally’s Place.
Anyhow, the dish is easily adaptable to your own liking and taste. It consists of browning raw spaghetti or vermicelli, along with meat, then adding the Holy Trinity of Lebanese flavorings (cinnamon, allspice, and cumin)…I also added a little turmeric simply because I like it and it’s extremely good for you, plus a few diced tomatoes in the last few minutes of cooking, and mirepoix because…well, I’m a chef and mirepoix (click for an explanation) is part of our daily mise en place (click for an explanation).
To sum it up in a sentence, this dish–and many variations of it–is really is a sort of homemade Rice-A-Roni (click here for text regarding Rice-A-Roni)
I also served this dish with Broccoli Aglio e Olio (click here if you need recipes; click here if you need a definition), oranges, and fresh yogurt (click here for recipes and text).
Now here’s the recipe in pictures (click any photo for a larger view).
I Love this…as hot and humid as it has been this year I am really enjoying it. The garden is literally out of control. You can barley see the Mundo locked up to the hitching post behind the cucumber, broccoli, green beans, and corn. Whenever I start to get down about how hot it has been this year (especially in the kitchen…where I spend my days and some nights) I try to remember the frigid days of say…mid-January, when it gets dark by 4:30pm (16:30). Click here to see the same hitching post with one of my bikes (the mule) locked to it in the winter (and also a photo of the post nearly buried in snow)…I love the winter, but the older I get the shorter I wish summer was…right now, I’m loving the summer.
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I Love this…as hot and humid as it has been this year I am really enjoying it. The garden is literally out of control. You can barley see the Mundo locked up to the hitching post behind the cucumber, broccoli, green beans, and corn. Whenever I start to get down about how hot it has been this year (especially in the kitchen…where I spend my days and some nights) I try to remember the frigid days of say…mid-January, when it gets dark by 4:30pm (16:30). Click here to see the same hitching post with one of my bikes (the mule) locked to it in the winter (and also a photo of the post nearly buried in snow)…I love the winter, but the older I get the shorter I wish summer was…right now, I’m loving the summer.
#196: A mandoline slicer still in it’s box; a canvas bag containing books.
#197: A cardboard box containing 1 pound of freshly picked blueberries (a gift…yum!) and two pints of lamb, vermicelli, and rice. Also, a canvas book bag containing books.
>#196: A mandoline slicer still in it’s box; a canvas bag containing books.
#197: A cardboard box containing 1 pound of freshly picked blueberries (a gift…yum!) and two pints of lamb, vermicelli, and rice. Also, a canvas book bag containing books.
This is not only a simple and straightforward stir-fry dish to prepare, it’s also super delicious. It’s one where the ingredients can be changed and altered to suit your personal tastes and to what you have on hand. It basically involves slicing the ingredients, cooking rice, sauteing the sliced ingredients, and tossing it together. It’s that simple (as most cooking is…don’t let those TV chefs fool you).
This is the first year I’ve grown Chinese long beans (see photo), so I used them in the dish. And I cooked the pork twice (boiled then stir fried) not only because I like the flavor but also because it tenderizes the meat. I boiled both the rice and the pork on my outside stove as not to heat up the kitchen, and while they cooked I prepared the other ingredients. When the pork and rice were ready I brought them inside and quickly stir fried them.
The dish was seasoned with garlic (of course), fresh basil, and green chilies (see photo), but also soy sauce, Thai curry, and then drizzled with Sriracha sauce. I also served it with fresh black plums, a side of raw pickled cabbage (click here for a recipe) to cool the heat of the chilies, and a few tomato slices still warm from the sun (sprinkled with a little sel gris). The combination of flavors and textures is/was amazing. Anyhow, here’s a few pictures (click any photo for a larger view).
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This is not only a simple and straightforward stir-fry dish to prepare, it’s also super delicious. It’s one where the ingredients can be changed and altered to suit your personal tastes and to what you have on hand. It basically involves slicing the ingredients, cooking rice, sauteing the sliced ingredients, and tossing it together. It’s that simple (as most cooking is…don’t let those TV chefs fool you).
This is the first year I’ve grown Chinese long beans (see photo), so I used them in the dish. And I cooked the pork twice (boiled then stir fried) not only because I like the flavor but also because it tenderizes the meat. I boiled both the rice and the pork on my outside stove as not to heat up the kitchen, and while they cooked I prepared the other ingredients. When the pork and rice were ready I brought them inside and quickly stir fried them.
The dish was seasoned with garlic (of course), fresh basil, and green chilies (see photo), but also soy sauce, Thai curry, and then drizzled with Sriracha sauce. I also served it with fresh black plums, a side of raw pickled cabbage (click here for a recipe) to cool the heat of the chilies, and a few tomato slices still warm from the sun (sprinkled with a little sel gris). The combination of flavors and textures is/was amazing. Anyhow, here’s a few pictures (click any photo for a larger view).
A mop.
A broom.
A scrub brush.
A large cup of coffee.
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A mop.
A broom.
A scrub brush.
A large cup of coffee.
Two shirts.
Four pairs of socks.
A canvas bag containing books and other items.
A new (and much needed) bicycle tire pump.
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Two shirts.
Four pairs of socks.
A canvas bag containing books and other items.
A new (and much needed) bicycle tire pump.
I mostly try to keep things on the positive side when posting on this blog (because I feel there is enough–way too much–negativity bombarding us these days) but every so often something annoys me enough that I have to hop up on my little soap box and throw in my two cents. This is one of those times.
But before I state my annoyance I first have to qualify this by stating that I myself am far from the perfect cyclist, but I do use common sense. I also try to show respect to myself, other cyclists, and people in cars. Now here’s my beef:
What is the deal with bicyclists that travel in the wrong direction (against traffic) on busy streets? Tonight I was pedaling the Mundo down a busy street and a guy came straight at me, going against traffic. Our eyes locked and I could see he wasn’t moving. To my right were parked cars and on my left were moving vehicles. My only option was to move slightly out into traffic to let him pass.
Wrong way cyclists really give us a bad reputation, not to mention putting many of us and motorists in danger. If I were not a cyclist and saw a person (or persons) riding like this I too would probably think bicycles were not worthy for road travel and should stay on the sidewalks (pavements). How can we be expected to be taken seriously with actions like this. Imagine the ramifications of a car or motorcycle going in the wrong direction. I really hope that eventually we, as cyclists, will be held accountable (myself included). The laws are in place in most area, they are simply not enforced. I’m sure if I received a traffic violation for coasting through a stop sign I would stop doing it. But more importantly we (in the States) would probably be more accepted by motorists as a viable mode of transport. In the past I have ranted against seemingly self-centered car drivers, but if we act foolishly we too are part of the problem. It is, after all, a two way street (pun intended).
Alright, I’ve said enough.
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I mostly try to keep things on the positive side when posting on this blog (because I feel there is enough–way too much–negativity bombarding us these days) but every so often something annoys me enough that I have to hop up on my little soap box and throw in my two cents. This is one of those times.
But before I state my annoyance I first have to qualify this by stating that I myself am far from the perfect cyclist, but I do use common sense. I also try to show respect to myself, other cyclists, and people in cars. Now here’s my beef:
What is the deal with bicyclists that travel in the wrong direction (against traffic) on busy streets? Tonight I was pedaling the Mundo down a busy street and a guy came straight at me, going against traffic. Our eyes locked and I could see he wasn’t moving. To my right were parked cars and on my left were moving vehicles. My only option was to move slightly out into traffic to let him pass.
Wrong way cyclists really give us a bad reputation, not to mention putting many of us and motorists in danger. If I were not a cyclist and saw a person (or persons) riding like this I too would probably think bicycles were not worthy for road travel and should stay on the sidewalks (pavements). How can we be expected to be taken seriously with actions like this. Imagine the ramifications of a car or motorcycle going in the wrong direction. I really hope that eventually we, as cyclists, will be held accountable (myself included). The laws are in place in most area, they are simply not enforced. I’m sure if I received a traffic violation for coasting through a stop sign I would stop doing it. But more importantly we (in the States) would probably be more accepted by motorists as a viable mode of transport. In the past I have ranted against seemingly self-centered car drivers, but if we act foolishly we too are part of the problem. It is, after all, a two way street (pun intended).
Alright, I’ve said enough.
2 pounds of onions.
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2 pounds of onions.
If you’ve been to this blog before then you know that I enjoy bread…I enjoy making it but mostly I enjoy eating it, and sandwiches are one of my favorite ways to do this. Almost any food, I’m convinced, can be made into a delicious sandwich. This, for example, is one I had today:
Brown Rice Bread (click here for a recipe), tomato, cucumber, fresh basil, thin slivers of jalapeno, raw onion, sharp cheddar, and mayonnaise. With it I had a side of raw sauerkraut made with red cabbage and shredded beets (click here for a recipe).
Urban Simplicty