Tag Archives: urban simplicity

Bike to Work

I knew that May was National Bike Month but was not aware that today–May 18th–was National Bike-To-Work-Day. It’s likely that to many who read this blog this is irrelevant information as you may ride to work on many days already (sort of like preaching to the choir), but I thought I’d say it anyhow…Happy bike-to-work-day!

Park Lane Crab Cakes

We made these crab cakes while at work today and I thought I’d post a recipe. When I came home and searched my computer for the recipe I was surprised (a little) that the only one on my hard drive–and one I had forgotten I had–was the crab cake recipe from the original Park LaneContinue reading “Park Lane Crab Cakes”

Pug in Your Face

I’ve posted pictures of my pugs before but I thought I’d share these (who couldn’t love those flat-faced bulging-eyed faces). That’s Maxwell above and the bottom three are Franklin. All these little guys want is my love (and they have it). I can have the crappiest day at work and come home to their unconditionalContinue reading “Pug in Your Face”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#436 & #437)

#436…A small nylon bag containing various tools, a canvas bag containing–among other things–3 books and an extra camera, a live blackberry bush. #437…A book, a Fender Stratocaster guitar,and a double order of Chinese take-out food. Urban Simplicity.

A Question for Other Bloggers

Before I pose the question I have to offer a little background. In the past year or so visits to my little blog have steadily risen to around 600 a day. At this point I am speaking specifically of the Blogger version of Urban Simplicity, not the WordPress version, which of course is it’s mirrorContinue reading “A Question for Other Bloggers”

A View From my Handlebars

Buffalo, the city in which I was born and currently reside, is not a large city (we rank 70 out of 275 in the size of American cities, according to this page), but it’s a lovely city and a great place to live and work. But we still have traffic jams and rush hour, notContinue reading “A View From my Handlebars”

Three Photos and a Few Words

I took the above photo just a few minutes prior to typing these words. It is about 9:00pm and without question a truly idyllic spring evening here in Western New York. It is so beautiful I felt the need to share it the best I can via this electronic media. There is not a cloudContinue reading “Three Photos and a Few Words”

Twenty Minute Pasta with Beans and Greens Recipe

This recipe–as I say about all the recipes that I post on this blog–is really easy to make, nutritious, and super delicious. And it only takes twenty minutes (or less) to prepare, granting you have your beans cooked and have good knife skills (in other words, if you can chop things fast). The only meatContinue reading “Twenty Minute Pasta with Beans and Greens Recipe”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#434)

24 live fruit and vegetable plants (including a small blueberry bush) and $32.27 in groceries. Urban Simplicity.

Food Not Lawns

The above image is of my teeny front yard, or what was once a front yard. I haven’t grown grass there in years. I’ve been a vegetable gardener for the past 25 years or so, and after moving into my current house about ten years ago I realized two things. The first was that IContinue reading “Food Not Lawns”

An Army of One..a really little one

I generally do not post things on this blog related to politics or the military (other than my posts regarding military bicycles), it’s just not what I want this blog to be about. But when I came across this photo today I couldn’t help myself (I found it at A Taste for Social Media). HasContinue reading “An Army of One..a really little one”

Yet Another Variation

I’ve mentioned many times on this blog that this dish (Lebanese Chicken-and-Rice) is one of my all-time favorite recipes, I could eat it a couple times a week and not tire of it. I’ve also posted many variations of it, and this is yet another. The thing I did different this time–other than using brownContinue reading “Yet Another Variation”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#433)

  48 live vegetable plants, 120 lbs/54.4kgs top soil, 2 bags (5 lbs/2.2 kgs each) organic vegetable fertilizer, a jean jacket, 2 lbs/.91 kg brown rice,  2 lbs/.91 kg boneless chicken legs, 3 liters of red wine, a quart of milk, and 1 lb/.45 kg fresh spinach.  Urban Simplicity.

Consider the Wing

Okay…so I hail from Buffalo, NY and we are “famous” for our wings (but there’s so much more that there is to know about our cuisine and beautiful city). At any rate, this being partially a food blog I offer the obligatory chicken wing recipes. Some of these recipe have been posted before, but notContinue reading “Consider the Wing”

Five Quotes from Rumi

Photo found here. “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”  “What you seek is seeking you.”  “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”  “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”  “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames” Continue reading “Five Quotes from Rumi”

Anticipation

Yup…it’s that time of year again. Time to start thinking about the victory garden. That’s a savoy cabbage plant pictured above. Future food for my son and I. In a few months I plan on eating it. No, let me rephrase that. In a few month months, after I harvest the cabbage and some cayenneContinue reading “Anticipation”

The Last Remnant…literally and figuratively

Many of you likely know that I have finally (finally!) given up car ownership (or in my case, truck ownership) and have have seamlessly moved from being car-lite to car-free. Well in a last act of departure I had to “surrender” the plates to the DMV today, and it seemed appropriate–as if in some finalContinue reading “The Last Remnant…literally and figuratively”