La Luna

Technically, the moon was full two nights ago but I took these last night when it was waning (it still looked pretty full to me). I have always been drawn to a full moon…not sure why, it just fascinates me looming so large in the sky. Anyhow, last night I was out on the Mundo and snapped a few photos. The one above is taken at the far end of Allen Street here in Buffalo, the main thoroughfare through my favorite neighborhood and also the one in which I live. The below photo was taken just a block north on Wadsworth Street, overlooking houses there. And it’s interesting, I think, what some people must think of me when they see me hunched next to my bike with a camera and mini-tripod perched on it. At one point, when I was taking the below picture a woman was coming down the street and saw me next to the bike and began to cross the street…she looked a little scared. I actually told her, as she approached, not to worry I’m just taking a few photos (then I wondered if that made her fear me even more). Anyhow, I enjoy taking pictures in different levels of light…dawn, dusk, and night are my favorites. And as I was taking these I was thinking about winter–or more specifically, the lack of it this year–how we can’t count on snow in the winter these days, but we can still count on the sun and moon rising and falling each day and night. Click either for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

Stay Wild

I know it’s a couple weeks past the fact, and I also don’t keep too many New Years resolutions these days, but I came across these today and thought I’d pass them on. I originally stumbled upon them at the lovely blog, Let’s Go Ride a Bike, but they originated at The Resolve Project. It’s a collection of visual resolutions created by graphic artists…they’re interesting to say the least. I chose to post these two because they resonate with me, but I encourage you to visit the site…there are dozens more. Stay wild and ride.

Urban Simplicity.

Isaac’s Mexican Shrimp Recipe

My teenage son came to me and asked how to make a Mexican shrimp recipe the other day. I was a bit surprised…he was, after all, not simply asking what there is to eat (or why there’s “nothing” in the fridge) or what time dinner is ready. I’m joking, of course, I feel blessed to have him as my son and to be his father. But he did ask me how to make Mexican shrimp. The reason he asked this was he has to make a Spanish recipe for his high school Spanish class. He has to prepare it in front of the class so we kept it flavorful but simple; he also had to translate it into Spanish (thus, the bilingual recipe below). He did all the chopping and cooking; I just talked him through it. He has a great sense of humor…it stands out in step 8 of the instructions. Anyhow, I thought I’d post the recipe not only because I am proud of him, but also because it is simple to make and really delicious. We ate it over brown rice that I cooked in chicken broth with garlic. The recipe will serve 4 people.

Isaac’s Camarones Mexicano
Ingredientes
1cebolla pequeña
1 pimiento verde pequeño
2 dientes de ajo
1cucharadita de chile en polvo
1 cucharadita de chile ancho enpolvo
1 cucharadita de pimentón
1 cucharadita de cominomolido
1 cucharadita de sal kosher
1 libra de camarones
1lata (14 onzas) de tomates cortados en cubitos
El jugo de 1limón
1 manojo de cilantro
Ingredientes
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ancho chilipowder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound shrimp
1 can (14 ounces) dicedtomatoes
The juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro
Instrucciones
1.Cortar las verduras
2. Poner el aceite en la sartén
3. Pongala cebolla, el pimiento verde y el ajo en la sartén
4. Póngalelas especias y la sal en el pan
5. Mezcla durante 2 minutos
6.Ponga los camarones y el tomate en la sartén y dejar cocinar por 5 a10 minutos
7. Agregue jugo de limón y el cilantro y disfruta!
8.Recuerde: Comer las verduras

Instructions
1.Slice vegetables
2. Put oil in the pan
3. Put onion, greenpepper, and garlic in the pan
4. Put spices and salt in the pan
5.Mix for 2 minutes
6. Put shrimp and tomato in pan and let cook for5 to 10 minutes
7. Add lime juice and cilantro and enjoy!
8.Remember: Eat your vegetables

Urban Simplicity.

A Few NYC Photos

I thought I’d share a few photos from my recent trip to NYC. The above and the bottom are two of my favorites. When I was a child and would run through the house my mom would sometimes yell, “Slow down…whad’ya think this is, Grand Central Station?” I never knew what she meant until I first visited it years later. That’s it pictured above. Those directly below are a collage of some street scenes. The one on the left was taken on 6th Avenue in Chelsea looking south towards Greenwich Village (dusk and dawn, I think, are the most magical times of the day…they also offer really interesting light for photos). The photo on the upper right (below) is of the Gem Spa in the East Village (it was a hangout of not only bands such as the New York Dolls (click here for a picture) and the Ramones, but also Allen Ginsberg and other Beatnicks (and later hippies). The photo on the lower right (of the collage) was just an image I thought looked interesting…the way the neon sign glowed in the night. The bottom image is one of my favorites not only because of its fame and beauty but also because of a personal connection. While I have never lived in NYC I have been there dozens of times, and in the mid-1980’s I went to school about an hour north and spent many drunken weekends there. Sunday afternoons were often spent drinking wine in Washington Square Park, whose entrance is pictured below. My personal brush with fame in that park took place on July 4, 1986, where we (friends and I) shared a bottle of wine with a drunken and crazed guy who claimed to have been Jaco Pastorius. I’m not sure if it was him or just a crazy guy, but at one point he jumped up on a wall and played Star Spangled Banner—Jimi Hendrix style–on an electric bass. Whether it was him or not needn’t matter (but I believe it was)…it’s a fond memory. Click any photo for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

A Few NYC Photos

I thought I’d share a few photos from my recent trip to NYC. The above and the bottom are two of my favorites. When I was a child and would run through the house my mom would sometimes yell, “Slow down…whad’ya think this is, Grand Central Station?” I never knew what she meant until I first visited it years later. That’s it pictured above. Those directly below are a collage of some street scenes. The one on the left was taken on 6th Avenue in Chelsea looking south towards Greenwich Village (dusk and dawn, I think, are the most magical times of the day…they also offer really interesting light for photos). The photo on the upper right (below) is of the Gem Spa in the East Village (it was a hangout of not only bands such as the New York Dolls (click here for a picture) and the Ramones, but also Allen Ginsberg and other Beatnicks (and later hippies). The photo on the lower right (of the collage) was just an image I thought looked interesting…the way the neon sign glowed in the night. The bottom image is one of my favorites not only because of its fame and beauty but also because of a personal connection. While I have never lived in NYC I have been there dozens of times, and in the mid-1980’s I went to school about an hour north and spent many drunken weekends there. Sunday afternoons were often spent drinking wine in Washington Square Park, whose entrance is pictured below. My personal brush with fame in that park took place on July 4, 1986, where we (friends and I) shared a bottle of wine with a drunken and crazed guy who claimed to have been Jaco Pastorius. I’m not sure if it was him or just a crazy guy, but at one point he jumped up on a wall and played Star Spangled Banner—Jimi Hendrix style–on an electric bass. Whether it was him or not needn’t matter (but I believe it was)…it’s a fond memory. Click any photo for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#387)

A half-gallon of orange juice, a half gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, a gym bag full of clothes, and a small box of tissues.

Urban Simplicity.

Tacos con Carnitas de Pollo…and a few comments on Ezekiel Bread

Pictured above is one of the tacos I made for my son and I for dinner tonight, before it was rolled up of course. Buried under the vegetables and sour cream are the carnitas…delicious. But more on that in a minute. First I have a couple unrelated comments.

Between urbansimplicity.com and urbansimplicty.wordpress.com there are nearly 100 followers (both blogs have the same content; while urbansimplicity.com is my main blog I mirror it’s content at urbansimplicty.wordpress.com). It’s a small amount but I am thankful for those that do read, comment, and email…it makes me remember that I’m not just clicking away aimlessly into the blogesphere. But what is interesting, I think, is how the majority people–first time visitors, I suppose–find there way here. According to stats there are anywhere from 300-to-400 visitors a day. Some blogs get this many visits in an hour (or less) but for me–and my idiosyncratic little blog–this is totally adequate. Anyhow, more than 90% of first-time visitors find there way here by Googling the phrase, Ezekiel Bread Recipe; this site is the second to come up. Go figure.

Anyhow, for the first time visitor…I hope you click around a bit and find other things interesting, and maybe even stop back. But to simplify your search, here’s a couple links within this blog. For an Ezekiel Bread Recipe that contains a portion of white flour (one of my earlier recipes), click here. For a recipe that contains all whole wheat flour–and my thoughts and philosophy behind this recipe–click here. And for a revised Whole Wheat Ezekiel Bread recipe, click here.

My apologies to regular visitors who are getting tired of me carrying on about this bread (it is my favorite…but you know that)…on to the carnitas.

This is really a play on the classic recipe for Mexican carnitas, which is traditionally made with pork. This would be more of a carnitas de pollo, or chicken carnitas. The word, carnitas, incidentally translates as “little meats,” making reference to the little pieces of the resulting dish.

Traditional carnitas–made with pork–requires hours of long and slow braising, but making it with chicken is relatively quick and simple. I use boneless legs because they have enough fat on them, whereas the breast would be too lean and dry. The premise of the recipe is this:

Simmer the chicken in water (with a splash of olive oil and salt) until the water evaporates and the chicken begins to fry in it’s (and the olive oil’s) fat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook it until the chicken begins to brown and the onions are translucent. Then, if you like, you can add herbs and/or spices (I added chili powder, cumin, and oregano). Add more water to the pan and scrape anything loose that has stuck to the bottom…this is pure flavor.

Simmer the chicken until the water evaporates again, only this time–as the water simmers and evaporates–break or pull the chicken apart. This should be easy enough to do with a spoon and fork. When the water is evaporated you’ll here the chicken begin to sizzle (remember that you cook with all five senses). Taste the chicken to see if it is seasoned to your liking, and allow it to crisp up a bit by cooking in the fat again. Tip the pan to allow the fat to run to the other side before removing the chicken. This is a quick and easy recipe to do, and one that is so delicious it makes my mouth water just typing these words…and your guests will think you ordered dinner from a fine Mexican restaurant. Anyhow, here it is in pictures.

Urban Simplicity.

More Interesting Bikes

I came across these bikes on east 10th Street last evening while looking for the former residence of Kahlil Gibran (more on that in a later post). For those of you reading this that happen to live in a large metropolis (or a small one that is “bicycle progressive”) seeing bikes like this parked curbside may be no big deal, but to me this is exciting. I believe, for example, I am the only rider in the Western New York area with a Mundo or other form of cargo bike (that I know of); there are a few Xtra-cycles but no other cargo bikes that I am aware of (for the Buffalonians reading this, if I am incorrect please let me know). Anyhow, two days ago I saw a guy ride by (in Mid-Town) on a LongJohn…and I couldn’t help but wonder where he stored it at night. Well this picture above is a good example. I wonder if they store them there when it snows. I’m not sure if they are Dutch or Gemren bikes but they certainly look sturdy. There is hope (for bicycles in the US), I thought to myself when I saw these.

Urban Simplicity.

Interesting Old Bike

I love old bikes…especially those that are still in use. This is an example; I came across it locked to a stand in Greenwich Village last night. In a city like New York you see plenty of old bike leaning around (probably less likely to get stolen than a shiny new one), but what caught my eye about this one as I was walking by was the box on its crossbar (looks like a control box of sorts). And at closer inspection I saw the enlarged rear axle. Could this be an early electric bike…possibly a WWII bike? It looks like it weighs a tone. Anyhow, I just thought I’d pass this out to the blogesphere. If anyone has any thoughts on this I’d love to hear them. You’ve got to admit it is a pretty cool looking bike.

Urban Simplicity.

The Journey is Sometimes as Important as the Destination (and how to eat on a train)

Because of modern technology I am typedthese words—and subsequently uploaded them to this blog—as Ibarreled down train tracks at 60 mph on my way to NYC. This is one ofmy favorite train trips (from Buffalo to New York). It’s about 500miles and take just about the same time as it would to drive. Infact, it only takes a few hours longer than if you flew. A flight mayonly be an hour in the air, but considering you have to get to theairport at least an hour ahead and then find your way from theairport to the city, you easily consume 4 or 5 hours of time. Whereaswith the train I can arrive 15 minutes prior and it drops me offdirectly in midtown Manhattan. But the relaxing atmosphere of thetrain is worth it—to me—to add an extra few hours. A train isrelaxing to me in that I feel safe (yes, I know…trains wreck also),opposed to being in flight where I am always slightlynervous—especially when we hit turbulence. In a train I am able tosit back and watch the towns and countryside zip past. On thisparticular train route (as it travels east-to-west on it’s first legof the journey) the tracks hug the Erie Canal for much of the way,and then (as it turns south) rides the shoulder of the Hudson Riverinto New York City.
Bluntly said, traveling by train—inthis blogger’s opinion—is by far the most civilized way to travel.I can only think that this must have been what it was like to travelin times gone by, when the journey took time and was in fact asimportant as the destination itself.
But time is likely one of the fewthings that train travel today has in common with that of the past.Today, of course, there are outlets to plug in (or charge) any numberof your personal electronic devices. And what is relatively new (Ibelieve) is that the train is wireless…thus one is able to checktheir email, facebook, watch movies, and of course, update theirblog. But if there is an aspect of negative I have to mention itwould be the subject of on-board dining…or lack of it. In oldmovies there is always a dining car pictured where a person was ableto have an actual meal, this is not the case today. Sure, you canpurchase beverages and snacks, but any of the hot (microwaved) farethey offer is not only overpriced but also inedible. When I see (ormore specifically, smell) some poor soul—likely out ofdesperation—purchase a pizza or hot sandwich the unsavory aroma ofit wafting through the car quite literally turns my stomach. Thisbrings me to my next topic…how to eat on a train.

Said simply, to eat well on a train onemust do two things. The first is to plan ahead, and the second is tobring your meal with you. The journey to my destination is alwayseasier…I prepare some of my own food. On the return trip,thisusually entails picking up quality prepared food from Balducci’s orother reputable NY deli. Bottled water is a must, as are littlebottles of red wine. They of course sell both on board but with theexaggerated prices I find it just as easy—and more economical—tobring my own. The one thing I do purchase on board is coffee…it’snot too overpriced and is surprisingly good quality. Pictured aboveis what I prepared and ate for lunch today…a sandwich on homemadeEzekiel bread with hothouse tomato, NY State cheddar, raw onion,mesclun lettuce, and whole grain mustard. I also packed smallcontainer of roast spaghetti squash (which I marinated in balsamicvinegar and olive oil), a fresh clementine, and a small bag ofkettle-style potato chips. Red wine is out of view. This meal wasdelicious and as good and wholesome as any…and it cost me pennies(and just a small amount of time last night) to prepare.

In this day and age ofhyper-everything, sometimes I find it really good for myself to slowdown now-and-again. Sometimes the journey itself is indeed asimportant as the destination (and that, I suppose, is a really goodmetaphor for life itself). Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll pouranother glass of wine and get back to the movie I was watching.

Urban Simplicity.

A Few Pictures from a Cold Grey Day

This winter has been exceedingly mild and warm (did someone say global warming?)…by this time we–in Western New York–are usually buried under a couple feet of snow resulting from our second or third snow storm. As I type these words there is a mere glazing of snow on the ground. I’m not complaining (it’s great for bike riding), just making an observation. At-any-rate, the cold and grey weather has arrived; yesterday the temps dipped into the single digits (Fahrenheit), but today it rose to the mid-twenties. Anyhow, I’ve still been fighting a cold (6th day) and have had very little outdoor time. But today I had off of work, and despite the cold and grey I had to get out. Rather than ride I chose to walk to do a few errands (the wind on a bike would have been a bit bracing, I felt). And as usual I took a few photos. If carrying a camera while on a bike is conducive to taking photos, then carrying one while walking is even more so. Nearly everything I saw seemed “photo worthy” to me. Anyhow, here’s a few of what I saw, click them for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

Rural Complexity

I’ve seen this short clip in the past and just recently came across it again. The only thing it has in common with Urban Simplicity is that it highlights bicycles. It’s a hair-raising adventure of biking down the Garnitzenklamm Gorge in Austria. Personally, I don’t think I could walk down that path let alone ride a bike on it. Anyhow, it’s an entertaining video and worth watching even just a couple minutes of it.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#386)

A cardboard box containing three loaves of just-baked and still-warm Ezekiel Bread (I let them cool off on the ride home…9F/-12C outside as I rode home). Two plastic dough rising buckets (one my way to work this morning one held the bubbling Ezekiel biga and the other its autolyse).

For Ezekiel Bread Recipes, or for more information about it, click here or here.

Urban Simplicity.

Cargo Trikes of Shanghai

Photo Credit: Alain Delorme

I came across these photos recently at The Daily Beast. They are photographs of cargo trikes in Shanghai by photographer Alain Delorme. Incredible, right? They are so crisp they almost look like paintings. You can see 6 or 7 others by the same photographer at this site. After I saw these I Googled the phrase Cargo Trikes of Shanghai and was surprised how many sites with photos came up. Two of particular interest are the photos of these trikes at Frog Mob, and also the Toronto based bicycle advocacy blog, The Urban Country.

Photo Credit: Alain Delorme

Woody Gutheire’s New Years Resolutions 1942

Courtesy Boing Boing 

It’s interesting to come across someone’s notes like this…70 years after the fact. Not only was Woody Guthrie an incredibly moving and entertaining musician/performer, and a talented artist, he seems to have had quite the sense of humor as well. Click the iimage for a slightly larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

A Few Pics (during semi-delirium)

These are a few photos I took during the day and then just as the sun was going down. The reason I wrote the pics were taken “in a semi-delirium” is my current physical state…nothing major, just the common cold. But it’s one I’ve been fighting for about the past week or so, and I’m not one to lay about. Anyhow, between the rundown and foggy exhausted feeling that comes with a cold, and the loopy feeling created by being tanked up on meds–both natural and over-the-counter–everything had a certain clarity to it today; a sort of crispness. Ahh…who am I kidding, it’s the cold and the meds. Anyhow, I thought I’d share a few photos. Click any for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

Spiced Brown Rice and Beans with Venison and Broccoli

I remember hearing the statement–and I’m paraphrasing, I’m sure–that if you teach a person to play a song they can play that song, but teach them to play the instrument and they can play many songs. The reason I mention this is that this is just another example of an endless number of dishes that can be made by using nearly the same recipe, or at least the same method of preparation. This brown rice dish is just a variation on a theme of any stove-top brown rice pilaf. Over the past few years I’ve slowly gravitated towards cooking and eating mostly whole-grain and whole-wheat foods…I figured I eat enough bread, pasta, and rice, that I might as well eat the healthier stuff. And it’s interesting in that along the way I’ve actually begun to like the whole grain varieties much more than their refined versions…whole grains, to me, have more character; more flavor and texture.

Anyhow, to make a recipe like this you merely saute some items, season them, add rice and stock, then let it cook…simple, but there are a few things to consider (especially when it comes to flavor and texture). The first is the liquid-to-rice ration. This varies from rice-to-rice, but generally speaking with white rice the ratio is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of boiling liquid, whereas brown rice is 1 cup of rice to 2 1/2 (sometimes more) of boiling liquid. Cooking times vary as well. White rice takes 18-20 minutes to cook, whereas brown rice takes 40-50 minutes to cook. And when it comes to flavor, the liquid is makes the biggest impact…as the rice cooks it is not merely coated with the flavors of the seasonings and liquid, the grains actually absorb their flavors. Therefor, if rice is cooked in water it will have a very simple rice flavor. This, of course, is OK, and even suggested when the rice is being served as a side dish and paired with highly seasoned foods, but when it is the main course the rice should be more full flavored itself, and it’s for this reason the rice in this instance should be cooked in broth. The broth absorbs into the rice and the rice takes on the flavor of the broth (and other seasonings). While the recipe in this post contained venison and was seasoned with Near East spices, it could easily have been made with chicken and Spanish or Italian seasoning with just a few alterations…more variations on a theme. Here it is in pictures; the recipe follows.

 Spiced Brown Rice and Beans with Venison and Broccoli

Heat a heavy deep skillet with either vegetable oil or clarified butter, then add a pound or more of diced venison (or chicken, lamb, beef) and brown it lightly. Remove the meat to a plate and in the same hot pan add a diced onion and a couple cloves of minced garlic; cook for a couple minutes until the onion just begins to brown. A a teaspoon each of turmeric, curry, tandoori spice, chili powder, and kosher salt; stir for a minute over the heat to bring out their flavor. Add 1 cup of brown rice, stirring it to coat it in the oil and seasonings, then 2 1/2 cups of boiling broth. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid, and cook the rice untouched for 30 minutes. Then add 1 cup of cooked (or canned) and rinsed white beans and a head of broccoli that has been course chopped…don’t stir these in, just  allow them to rest on top of the simmering rice and steam. Cover the skillet again and cook for another 10 minutes. Check the consistency of the rice…if it is not done or too much liquid has evaporated, add another half-cup of broth and cook for another 5 minutes. If the the rice is cooked to your liking gently fold the broccoli and beans into the rice, remove the pan from the heat, cover it and allow to rest for five minutes prior to serving. Makes about 4 large servings.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#385)

A shiny 8-quart colander that I recycled from someone’s front yard (i.e. garbage picked) on my way home from church this morning.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#384)

A new but inexpensive ceiling light for the kitchen, 4 lbs. of dog food, and $67.22 in groceries, sundries, and cold medications (yes, I have a slight cold for the new year) from 4 separate stores in three plastic soda crates.

Urban Simplicity.