Tag Archives: urban simplicity

La Tomate

Beautiful isn’t it. It is–or at least was–as big as my fist. I ate most of it for dinner as an tomato and raw onion sandwich on whole wheat bread slathered with mayonnaise and doused with a liberal amount of cracked black pepper. It was, as I ate it, still warm from the sun. Delicious.Continue reading “La Tomate”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#464, 465, & 466)

#464 (top)…three loaves of whole wheat bread, a two-foot wooden dowel, two slices of savory vegetable Tart Tatin, four picture frame mats, a small portfolio, and a dough rising bucket. #465 (middle)…six peaches, six nectarines, a dozen apples, a half-gallon of milk, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, 5 pounds of dogContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#464, 465, & 466)”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#463)…and a quick comment

On the bike…four heavy stackable steel CD racks. A quick comment…I was on my way home from church this morning when I spotted these four racks at  the curb as trash. My son, who has an ever-expanding CD collection, is in need of a few new shelves for them. Perfect. They are a simple designContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#463)…and a quick comment”

Five Quotes on Peace, Love, and Kindness…and why I think we need more of it

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” The Dalai Lama . I cried today. I haven’t done that in a while. My mind—and heart—are still reeling from the recent shootings in the movie theater in Colorado. What a horrific, selfish, and senseless act. I still cannot believe this actually happenedContinue reading “Five Quotes on Peace, Love, and Kindness…and why I think we need more of it”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#462)

A large bundle of firewood, an axe, a small shovel, and a mallet. Urban Simplicity.

This Year’s Garden Issue, and a quick tomato recipe

Every year it seems there is a new “issue” in the garden. Such is life, right? I can’t imaging how difficult it must be for farmers who rely on their crops for their livelihood, or those who rely on the food they grow to sustain them entirely. A few years ago I had an armyContinue reading “This Year’s Garden Issue, and a quick tomato recipe”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#461)

Ten split logs (firewood), an axe, a small shovel, a 3lb. mallet, and a canvas bag containing–among other things–a book, a magazine, a cell phone, and an extra camera. Urban Simplicity.

Le Nouveau Tarte Tatin

This recipe is a play on the classic Tarte Tatin, which of course is normally made with apples. I’m currently researching and testing recipes for an article I’m writing about Tarte Tatin for Buffalo Spree Magazine and thought I’d try a couple savory recipes (the poor Tatin sisters must be rolling in their graves); thisContinue reading “Le Nouveau Tarte Tatin”

Seven Photos of Père Lachaise Cemetery

This is a third installment of photos from my somewhat recent trip to Paris (click here or here to see others). These photos were taken at Père Lachaise Cemetery. And while it may seem morbid to some to go on vacation across an ocean and on a different continent and visit a cemetery full ofContinue reading “Seven Photos of Père Lachaise Cemetery”

Just Four Ingredients (OK, Five)

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci  That beautiful loaf of bread pictured above was made with the four basic bread ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. The best part is that it was made with 100% whole wheat flour. That’s the reason I added a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to the recipeContinue reading “Just Four Ingredients (OK, Five)”

The View from My Handlebars, the Lunatic Behind me, and a few Thoughts on Article 34

So there I was at the corner of Allen and Franklin Streets waiting for the light to change so I could make a left hand turn. It was already balmy. I had a bucket of just-mixed raw bread dough on my front rack (pictured above), which I bake at work during the hot weather soContinue reading “The View from My Handlebars, the Lunatic Behind me, and a few Thoughts on Article 34”

The Flavor of Summer…

I made this salad for employee meal last night at work. Like much of the nation it has been hot in Western New York and the last thing I wanted to eat while working in a sweltering kitchen was something hot. This fit the bill; I had leftovers for lunch today. This is really justContinue reading “The Flavor of Summer…”

Things That Can be Carried ona Bike (#460)…and a quick comment

On the bike…Groceries, sundries, cleaning supplies, wine, dog food and dog care products in and on two cardboard boxes and in a trailer from three separate stores. A brief comment…This is mostly but not entirely referring to a previous post where I carried home a log on a bike. Things that can be carried onContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried ona Bike (#460)…and a quick comment”

Four Photos of Cabbage…

These are a few of the vegetables growing in my teeny front yard garden (in a few months these will fermented into kim chi). Such a humble vegetable but when studied up close–and through the lens of a camera–they are nature’s artwork… Urban Simplicity.

Five Photos of Gargoyles

This is another series from my recent trip to Paris. If you’ve ever been there–or even if you haven’t–you likely recognize these as the famed gargoyles that guard Notre Dame. I kept expecting to see Quasimodo around every corner I turned… Urban Simplicity.

Thoughts on Mobility

The above photo, of course, is my v3 Mundo carrying my son’s Stratocaster. This could be a post in my Things That Can be Carried on a Bike series, but it’s not. More so, this is just a few random thoughts on mobility…or more specifically, on my being car-free.  I was carrying my son’s guitarContinue reading “Thoughts on Mobility”

"Tis the Season…

Beautiful isn’t it? The first tomato of the season. Within two weeks I’ll have a bushel of them. And the season seems especially early this year. Like much of the nation, Western New York State has been sweltering this summer and the garden plants are loving it. We–WNY–have a relatively short growing season, but IContinue reading “"Tis the Season…”