H.H. Richardson Complex, or more commonly known as the old section of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center. Straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, right? It’s actually not as creepy looking in real life…more impressive than creepy (ok, at night it still is pretty creepy). After years of vacancy and neglect it’s finally being refurbished again (possibly as a hotel). The newly renovated grounds are lovely. Anyhow, as I rode past it tonight the lighting was just right so I had to take a few photos. Click either for a slightly larger view.
“The most exquisite paradox… as soon as you give it all up, you can have it all. As long as you want power, you can’t have it. The minute you don’t want power, you’ll have more than you ever dreamed possible.”
“I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion–and where it isn’t, that’s where my work lies.”
“The heart surrenders everything to the moment. The mind judges and holds back.”
“Be here now.”
“In most of our human relationships, we spend much of our time reassuring one another that our costumes of identity are on straight.”
“Treat everyone you meet like God in drag.”
“The next message you need is always right where you are.”
“We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another.”
“The game is not about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody.”
Another incredibly beautiful evening to be on a bike. It was crazy busy today at work facing the stove so it felt especially good to be out in the open air. These photos are in chronological order from top to bottom; I shot them about 15 minutes apart. The above one is facing east and the two below face west as the sun set. Evenings like these really inspire me…
Pesto is similar to sofrito in that it is both an ingredient and a stand-alone recipe. It can be eaten as is–as a dip or spread–or added to recipes as a flavor enhancer. The word loosely translates from the Italian as “pounded,” because this was originally made with a mortar and pestle. But with the aid of a blender this is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. It is classically made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and cheese, but ingredients can be interchanged. Tonight, for example, I made it with basil and parsley (which were still growing in the garden), almonds that I had in my pantry, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, and a single hot pepper that was still growing in the garden. I tossed it with pasta for dinner and froze what I didn’t use. Here’s a basic recipe.
Pesto
Makes about 3/4 cup .
1 cup fresh herbs 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup nuts 1/4 cup virgin olive oil 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
If you’ve been to this blog previously one of the things you know about me is that I like to ride bikes. A lot. But sometimes nothing will do except using my own two feet and walk. Today was just that day. Autumn is my favorite season of the year and the weather here in Western New York has been so incredibly beautiful this past week that when I had something to do this morning I didn’t want to waste a minute of this idyllic day. And so instead of hopping on a bike, I walked. Here’s a few photos I took a long the way.
You’ve likely seen this by now as it has been floating around cyber-space for a while. I really think it is worth the time to watch. I found it incredibly moving; inspiring. In one sense it made me feel small (in a good way) and in another it made me remember how incredible connected we all are to each other and everything around us.
It’s incredible to think that these two photos were taken a mere 11 hours apart and on the same day. It was/is a beautiful autumn day. The above photo was taken on my very short commute to work at about 8am and the below photo was taken from my front porch about 7pm. I just thought I’d share…
Sofrito is both an ingredient, a seasoning, and a recipe all by itself. It is a simple method of simmering onion, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes in olive oil. But the flavor it imparts can be transformative to a dish. The key here is long slow cooking…it really brings out the flavors. But is often the case, I’m jumping ahead. I’ve often cooked this way but never gave it much thought. That is until this past year when I began a conscious diet to lower my cholesterol count. Luckily for me the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest there is, because it is in fact my favorite way to eat…I just need to cut out the chocolate chip cookies and french fries. So lately I have been doing a bit of research. I had known of sofrito for years but never really gave it much thought as being really good for you, but it is (click here, here, or here). Sofrito can be combined with other ingredients such as rice (it makes a rice pilaf taste great), it can be the base to a great pasta dish, topped over vegetables, or used as a base to braise fish. The simple procedure goes like this…line a pot or skillet with olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Add diced onions and peppers and simmer/saute them until they begin to caramelize. Add minced garlic and saute a minute longer, then add fresh or canned tomato. Simmer until the moisture of the tomatoes evaporates and the mixture sort of mashes together and begins to caramelize again. And that’s it. Add other herbs or spices if you like, or not. Anyhow, if you are interested in learning if you are in fact eating a Mediterranean diet, here’s a brief quiz at the New York Times.
“Ever since I became a Muslim, I’ve had to deal with attempts to damage my reputation and countless insinuations seeking to cast doubt on my character and trying to connect me to causes which I do not subscribe to.”
“If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there’s a million ways to be, you know that there are.
“Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.”
“It is part of my faith as a Muslim to try to help those who are suffering from poverty or economic or political injustice.”
“Peace Train is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions of human beings.”
“Moderation is part of faith, so those who accuse Muslim schools of fostering fanaticism should learn a bit more about Islam.”
“People have times in their lives when they are forced to examine themselves.”
“The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur’an was the message of unity and peace.”
“To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.”
“Music is part of God’s universe.”
Peace Train
Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh I’ve been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one And I believe it could be, some day it’s going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
Now I’ve been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh peace train sounding louder Glide on the peace train Come on now peace train Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train Come on now peace train
Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too Cause it’s getting nearer, it soon will be with you
Now come and join the living, it’s not so far from you And it’s getting nearer, soon it will all be true
Now I’ve been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is Why must we go on hating, why can’t we live in bliss
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again.
Just wanted to note that I’ll be away from my computer for a few days and will likely not post again until Monday. Thanks as always for visiting and staying with me. Until then…peace. Urban Simplicity.
This is a simple but classic dish. Make this at home in minutes and save lots of money from what you’d pay in a restaurant (but then you have to wash the pans and dishes). Anyhow, this is really simple and truly flavorful. If you’ve never made this recipe before I hope you give it a try.
Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2-4
12 large shrimp, shells and veins removed but tails remaining a few ounces flour for dusting 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ lemon, sliced ½ cup white wine ¼ teaspoon sea salt ¼ bunch parsley, washed and minced
Dredge the shrimp in the flour. Heat a skillet with the butter over medium high heat. When the butter is melted and begins to bubble add the shrimp. Cook it for a minute or so on one side, then turn it over and add the garlic. Stir and shake the pan gently. After another minute add the lemon, wine, and salt. Simmer the shrimp for a couple minutes, or until cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly, then stir in the minced parsley. Serve with rice pilaf or over pasta.
This is the view of the harvest moon from the end of my street in the middle of a medium-sized city on the eastern side of America. I find it really interesting and truly amazing that no matter what part of the globe you are reading these words sometime within a 24 hour span you too will see this very same image in real life. While autumn does not officially start for a few days the harvest moon unofficially ushers it in. A change of seasons; summer is behind us and autumn ahead of us. Time to move forward.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
I was the first one in the kitchen today. This is not always the case but it was today. I enjoy it; I find it soothing. It was a busy day today–I knew this before I arrived–but in the early hours of this hundred-year-old kitchen by myself I find it tranquil. And as usual, I had a camera with me so I snapped a few photos. It relaxes me, at times, to look through a view finder. Anyhow, I thought I’d share a few of the photos.
It was such a beautiful autumnal day today…cool and not a cloud in the sky. Idyllic. A great day to be out on a bicycle. I took these photos as I rode to-and-from the health club this evening.
“Let me begin without ceremony. In addition to one iron pot, two sharp knives, and four heads of lettuce, you will need the following.”
The above sentences are the opening lines of Robert Farrar Capon’s book, The Supper of the Lamb. I had come upon a copy of this book in the dollar section of a bookstore during the 1980’s and when I opened it and read those first few no-nonsense lines I was hooked. It is simple sentences like this that have influenced not only my writing but also my cooking. Since then I have purchased a couple copies of this book as gifts. Mr. Farrar was an Episcopalian priest who wrote more than two dozen books, mostly on theology, but this was one of his earliest (his second book) and it was a sort of culinary reflection. While I have to admit that I have not read any of his theological books (but I shall) I am very thankful that he wrote this one; below is a brief excerpt from the book. To view his NY Times obituary, click here. “We live in an age in which saving is subterfuge for spending. No doubt you sincerely believe that there is margarine in your refrigerator because it is more economical than butter. But you are wrong. Look in your bread drawer. How many boxes of cute snack crackers are there? How many packages of commercial cookies reeking of imitation vanilla badly masked with oil of coconut? How many presweetened breakfast cereals? Tell me now that you bought the margarine because you couldn’t afford butter. You see – you can’t. You bought the bread drawer of goodies because you were conned into them; and you omitted the butter because you were conned out of it. The world has slipped you culinary diagrams instead of food. It counts on your palate being not only wooden, but buried under ten coats of synthetic varnish as well. Therefore, the next time you go to check out of the supermarket, simply put back one box of crackers, circle round the dairy case again, swap your margarine for a pound of butter and walk up to the checker with your head held high, like the last of the big spenders. This is no time for cost-counters: It is time to be very rich or very poor – or both at once.”
Urban Simplicty 