Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#114)

Approximately $110 in groceries from two different stores in four plastic crates.

I always love the comments I get while riding the Yuba Mundo…invariably there are some, particularly when it’s loaded. On my way home today, for example, I was waiting at a red light when a car rambled up that seemed barley able to run. A window rolls down and there was the immediate pungently sweet smell of marijuana in the air. I could see that there were two guys in the car that looked to be about half my age. The guy on the passenger side (closest to me) gives me and the bike a slow “once over.” Then he looks up at me and says, “WTF dude (he used the full expression of the phrase)…did you build that thing?” No I told him, I ordered it…go to yubaride.com. Then as they sputtered away I could hear him saying to the driver, “Go to yubaride.com, dude.”

>Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#114)

>Approximately $110 in groceries from two different stores in four plastic crates.

I always love the comments I get while riding the Yuba Mundo…invariably there are some, particularly when it’s loaded. On my way home today, for example, I was waiting at a red light when a car rambled up that seemed barley able to run. A window rolls down and there was the immediate pungently sweet smell of marijuana in the air. I could see that there were two guys in the car that looked to be about half my age. The guy on the passenger side (closest to me) gives me and the bike a slow “once over.” Then he looks up at me and says, “WTF dude (he used the full expression of the phrase)…did you build that thing?” No I told him, I ordered it…go to yubaride.com. Then as they sputtered away I could hear him saying to the driver, “Go to yubaride.com, dude.”

Lentil Stew with Vegetables and Meatballs

This is a really hearty and nutritious stew (delicious, too!)…and great for a chilly day like today. It’s also an interesting way to utilize meatballs other than in tomato sauce. I seasoned it with cinnamon, cumin, allspice, smoked hot peppers, and lemon…this gave it a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor and the aromas permeating the house are enough to make your mouth water.

Here’s a list of other ingredients (not in any particular order): onion, carrot, green pepper, rutabaga, cabbage, potato, tomato (canned), lentils, green beans, chicken broth, and garlic (always lots of garlic!). Now here’s how I made it.






>Lentil Stew with Vegetables and Meatballs

>This is a really hearty and nutritious stew (delicious, too!)…and great for a chilly day like today. It’s also an interesting way to utilize meatballs other than in tomato sauce. I seasoned it with cinnamon, cumin, allspice, smoked hot peppers, and lemon…this gave it a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor and the aromas permeating the house are enough to make your mouth water.

Here’s a list of other ingredients (not in any particular order): onion, carrot, green pepper, rutabaga, cabbage, potato, tomato (canned), lentils, green beans, chicken broth, and garlic (always lots of garlic!). Now here’s how I made it.






Experimental Flywheel, I’m Sure

OK, first a couple things…one is that I found this photo here, and the second is…are you kidding me? Does anyone see the oddness of this guy’s fly wheel…I can’t even imagine what his gear ratio was. It must have taken knee-damaging strength to start off, but the warp-speed at which he was probably able to propel himself was likely even more unnerving. The photo is simply titled “tall geared Russian.” I can’t vouch if the guy is actually Russian or not…but his gear certainly is tall.

>Experimental Flywheel, I’m Sure

>OK, first a couple things…one is that I found this photo here, and the second is…are you kidding me? Does anyone see the oddness of this guy’s fly wheel…I can’t even imagine what his gear ratio was. It must have taken knee-damaging strength to start off, but the warp-speed at which he was probably able to propel himself was likely even more unnerving. The photo is simply titled “tall geared Russian.” I can’t vouch if the guy is actually Russian or not…but his gear certainly is tall.

Ride Planet Earth on December 6th (and every day)

This guy is inspiring. He rode his bike from Australia to Copenhagen as his own personal testament. The video is apparently a couple weeks old but it’s still in time…and his message still rings true. He’s not asking you to ride your bike halfway around the globe…just to ride your bike period (or walk, or take public transport). Anyhow it’s a short video and interesting to watch (for some reason the video is a little choppy in the beginning but it smooths out). December 6th is only a week away…maybe we can practice for it by riding our bikes all week this week (sorry, I realize I’m preaching to the choir again). To visit his site and to learn more about his mission click here.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7709675&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

>Ride Planet Earth on December 6th (and every day)

>This guy is inspiring. He rode his bike from Australia to Copenhagen as his own personal testament. The video is apparently a couple weeks old but it’s still in time…and his message still rings true. He’s not asking you to ride your bike halfway around the globe…just to ride your bike period (or walk, or take public transport). Anyhow it’s a short video and interesting to watch (for some reason the video is a little choppy in the beginning but it smooths out). December 6th is only a week away…maybe we can practice for it by riding our bikes all week this week (sorry, I realize I’m preaching to the choir again). To visit his site and to learn more about his mission click here.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7709675&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Twenty Loaves of Two-Breads-in-One

Here’s variation of a festive bread I often make around the holidays. It’s really just a basic butter-and-egg bread dough recipe with the addition of other flavoring/coloring ingredients. In this case I mad one dough with the addition of roast red pepper puree and cheddar cheese, and another dough with the addition of spinach pesto and extra Parmesan cheese. Then I rolled them together to make a sort of spiral…the outcome is always somewhat dramatic. One difference I used from a standard straight-dough method is to use an overnight pre-ferment (click here); this gives the bread far more flavor and texture. At any rate, as with most the recipes I post here, this is an easy one and can also be adapted to your personal taste…the interchanging of flavors and ingredients are seemingly limitless. When I rolled the dough together I switched the pattern (as to which dough was on the inside and which was on the outside) to keep it interesting. The flavor of these breads are so incredible you don’t even need butter (but that’s still good)…it makes excellent toast and whatever you put between two slices makes an awesome sandwich.