The following text was originally published in Artvoice; to see it at its original location, click here. Gravy(grā’vē) n., pl.–vies a. The juices that drip from cooking meat. b. A sauce made by thickening and seasoning these juices. –The American Heritage Dictionary It’s as ubiquitous at a Thanksgiving feast as the turkey itself. Mashed potatoesContinue reading “Gravy Deconstructed…”
Tag Archives: urban simplicity
Two Views from my Handlebars
The weather this past week has been–as far as I’m concerned–perfect. Idyllically autumn. Crisp, barely a breeze, or cloud in the sky. Also perfect weather to be on a bike. The above photo is a building I pass everyday, and as I coasted past this evening the sun hit it just right. This is alsoContinue reading “Two Views from my Handlebars”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#415)
Two canvas bags. One containing four books and a journal (among other things). And the other containing twelve newly sharpened chef’s knives of varies sizes. Urban Simplicity.
Kartoffelsalat mit Speck (German Potato Salad with Bacon)
Ok, so a couple of things. Firstly, while I love and am fascinated by languages in general, I do not speak German…sometimes I can barely speak English. But thanks to Google Translate I can list this recipe in it’s mother tongue. I’ve mentioned in a previous post that while my heritage is half Lebanese, itContinue reading “Kartoffelsalat mit Speck (German Potato Salad with Bacon)”
Jack Frost…
Urban Simplicity.
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#414), and a view from my handlebars
Things on the bike…three cardboard boxes containing a gym bag full of wet clothes, dog food, sundries, $72.57 worth of groceries, three liters of red wine, and a double order of Chinese take out. The view…another incredible view looking west over Lake Erie. Knowing sunsets like this last only a few minutes, I pulled theContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#414), and a view from my handlebars”
From My Front Porch…
It’s interesting, I think, how these two photos were taken five minutes (or less) apart and from the same location but looking in different directions; the top photo is looking west while the bottom photo is looking south. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I have the weekend off this week…the first in aboutContinue reading “From My Front Porch…”
Ezekiel Bread!
I made this today and am, in fact, eating a warm and butter-slathered slice as I type these words. This is still my favorite bread, and it is still the #1 reason people find their way to my meager blog. The recipe is below, but for more pictures and a brief description, click here. AndContinue reading “Ezekiel Bread!”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#413)
Photo taken in front of Allentown Music, which ironically is no longer located in Allentown. A new soft-shell acoustic guitar case (for my son) and a birthday gift (to me) from my sisters. Urban Simplicity.
Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#411 & #412)
#411…a large cardboard box containing 4 pans of food on it’s way to a local food pantry. #412…a smaller cardboard box containing a small bag of dog food (on top of the box), and a few groceries and sundries. Urban Simplicity.
Das Kuchen (rezept und fotos)…
Like many Americans, ancestrally speaking I am a mixed breed. My dad’s family is Lebanese—straight from the “Old Country”—hence the Lebanese-inspired recipes on this blog. My mom’s family is German (with maybe a bit of French, too…my grandfather’s family was Alsatian); they’ve been in this country since about 1830 the best that I can tell.Continue reading “Das Kuchen (rezept und fotos)…”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#410)
A large cardboard box containing packaging materiel and another smaller cardboard box containing a new cast iron double Dutch oven with a lid that doubles as a skillet…I am very excited to cook in this pot…I’ll post recipes 🙂 Urban Simplicity.
Five Quotes from Desmond Tutu
Photo found here. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” “In the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how muchContinue reading “Five Quotes from Desmond Tutu”
Donkey Bike…
While mindlessly flipping through web pages the other day I came across this bike. Odd looking, I thought. But practical. There’s something about it that I like. It’s called a Donkey Bike but for some reason it makes me think of my pugs…so ugly it’s attractive and lovable. Maybe that’s why I like it. Anyhow,Continue reading “Donkey Bike…”
45 Seconds and 51 Years Ago…
Okay…so this gives me goosebumps. It is a 45 second clip recorded slightly more than 51 years ago. And it is just as relevant today–even more so–than it was when it was recorded. Why, I wonder, are the messengers of peace on this planet so often assassinated…JFK, MLK, Ghandi, and of course Jesus the Christ,Continue reading “45 Seconds and 51 Years Ago…”
Two (contrasting) Views from My Handlebars…
What a difference a few hours can make. The above photo is looking skyward to beautiful clear skies, and the below is earthbound in torrential rain. The top photo I took this morning on my way to work. I was about to enter another busy day and stopped for a moment and straddled my bikeContinue reading “Two (contrasting) Views from My Handlebars…”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#407-409)
#407 (top photo)…an external hard drive.#408 (middle photo)…a whole raw chicken.#409 (bottom photo)…groceries, dog food, and a gym bag full of clothes. Urban Simplicity.
The View from My Handlebars…
It was such a beautiful day and evening today; it felt more like spring than it did autumn. It was warm (freakishly warm)…70F/21C. Anyhow, I was at the intersection of Summer and Elmwood Streets, looking west, when I saw the scene pictured above. I thought I’d share. To see more views from my handlebars, clickContinue reading “The View from My Handlebars…”
Lebanese Chicken-and-Rice (sort of)
This is yet another variation of my Lebanese chicken-and-rice recipe. The reason I say “sort of” in the title of this post is that I didn’t use ground lamb–which is in the original recipe–and I color/slightly flavor the dish with turmeric (along with the other spices), which is not normally in this recipe. In addition,Continue reading “Lebanese Chicken-and-Rice (sort of)”
Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#406)
A cardboard box containing ingredients for this recipe, plus a few other items. Urban Simplicity.
Urban Simplicty 