The Starry Night by Vincent van Gough. The past four days I’ve had off of work; today was my first day back. And being the holiday weekend I had family obligations and barely used my bike(s)…much to my chagrin I mostly drove these past four days. Come to think of it I was barely outContinue reading “A Starry Night, a Minor Confession, and Bicycle Therapy”
Tag Archives: urban simplicity
Tomato and Spinach Swirly Two-Toned Sandwich Bread
This is a simple technique I’ve used for years to give bread a dramatic look when sliced. I made this for our Christmas eve dinner at my sisters house. The way to make it is quite simple: lay two different raw bread doughs on top of each other and roll them up. When itContinue reading “Tomato and Spinach Swirly Two-Toned Sandwich Bread”
My Favorite Stir-Fry (Recipe and Photos)
This is a variation of a recipe I published in Artvoice a couple years ago and it’s one of my favorite stir-fry recipes…it’s simple to prepare and is close to flavor of a dish you may order at a Chinese restaurant. But when you make it at home you can control the salt and sugarContinue reading “My Favorite Stir-Fry (Recipe and Photos)”
Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#255)
All the necessities: groceries, dog food, sundries, and red wine. (You can tell how cold it was by the blur to the lower right of the picture…fogged up by me holding the camera.)
Merry Christmas!
To all my fellow bloggers, readers, riders, cooks, and other misfits out there in the blogosphere, I wish you a very Merry Christmas…and health, happiness and enlightenment.
Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#254)…and my "city-boy triathlon"
Two plastic soda crates. Ingredients for dinner and a few other food items.4.4 kg of dog food.A set of Christmas tree lights.4 large envelopes.3 rolls of wrapping paper.3 small Christmas presents.3 rolls of Scotch tape. A gym bag full of wet clothes. This past week I seemed to drive my truck more than my bikeContinue reading “Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#254)…and my "city-boy triathlon"”
I’m Glad to be Less-Than-Average
Image found here. While fixing dinner yesterday and listening to NPR the commentator stated that with slightly higher gas prices this year the “average American household will spend $305 on gas this month.” What? Maybe I heard that wrong. But I didn’t (click here). As I’ve stated many, many times (did I mention many) IContinue reading “I’m Glad to be Less-Than-Average”
Happy Winter Solstice
In the event you missed the lunar eclipse yesterday (like I did because of cloud cover) here’s a sped up view of it…something like 4 hours condensed into 26 seconds. Amazing! And if you are interested in reading about some of the Pagan origins of Christianity and the relevance of the Winter Solstice within it,Continue reading “Happy Winter Solstice”
Snowy
Hmmm…I didn’t know we were supposed to get snow tonight. But I just glanced out the window and it was coming down heavy. I stepped outside onto the front porch to snap this photo. It was beautiful; the sight and sound of it coming down. It’s as if everything is slightly muffled in the city.Continue reading “Snowy”
Spinach and Turkey Meatballs Braised in Red Wine and Tomato
This is something I made for my son and I for dinner last night, and like all–or at least most–of the recipes on this blog, it is both simple and delicious. It’s a basic recipe for meatballs and tomato sauce with a twist. In place of the usual beef or pork I used turkey, andContinue reading “Spinach and Turkey Meatballs Braised in Red Wine and Tomato”
A Weighty Matter
My bikes are heavy…all of them. All have fenders and front-and-rear racks to carry stuff. I don’t race, nor do I tour; I ride bikes for transportation and I find heavier bikes to be the most practical. The above is one of my three “everyday bikes,” but mostly it’s my winter bike. It’s an oldContinue reading “A Weighty Matter”
Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#253)
A cardboard box containing two plastic containers; on contains a pint of Rice Pilaf with Orzo, the other a pint of Chicken a la King. A canvas bag containing a Kindle (containing 42 virtual books), two actual books, a day planner, and various writing implements.
Whole Wheat Potato Bread with Beer and Cheddar (recipe & photos)
Here’s another bread experiment I tried today; the outcome, thankfully, was awesome. It’s a variation on the basic whole wheat bread recipe using only 100% whole wheat flour (to read an article with recipe that I wrote for Artvoice magazine explaining the process in detail, click here). The variation with this recipe is that IContinue reading “Whole Wheat Potato Bread with Beer and Cheddar (recipe & photos)”
Does This Change Things?
I’ve resisted it for a while but have finally succumbed…I purchased an electronic reading device (Kindle), but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start over by saying that I am a bibliophile. I love books, and I own more than I’ll probably ever read. But as previously stated I bought a Kindle and itContinue reading “Does This Change Things?”
Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#252)
A paper bag containing two plastic containers, each container holding a pint of rice pilaf with toasted orzo (cooked in chicken broth). I ate one pint and my dogs ate the other mixed with dried dog food (mine was mixed with sauteed vegetables).
Caramelized Cauliflower Frittata…with other good stuff
I like eggs, simple as that. They are versatile, can be adapted to almost any flavor–from breakfast to dessert–and they are easy to prepare. When my son is not home, as was the case this evening, I tend to cook very simple things. Tonight was no exception. After looking in my fridge I came upContinue reading “Caramelized Cauliflower Frittata…with other good stuff”
Cold and Snowy
Like much of the country we have had an early and particularly cold winter this year…but it’s been an odd one, too. Last week it was very cold and extremely snowy, then it warmed up and the snow melted, and now it’s back at it. The weather was so bad this morning rather than riskContinue reading “Cold and Snowy”
15 Gallons of Vegetable Soup
I made this today at work for a luncheon I’ll be serving tomorrow. I always try to make soups a day ahead and let their flavors mingle overnight; they taste better the second day. None-the-less, I had some myself for lunch today…at nearly 57 liters a cup or two won’t be missed. It was deliciousContinue reading “15 Gallons of Vegetable Soup”
Let There Be Light…but it’ll cost you
This image was found here. I love that old sign (above). “Do not attempt to light with a match.” “The use of electric lights is in no way harmful to health.” While the invention of electric lights goes back farther, their use as a common form of lighting is only a little over 100 yearsContinue reading “Let There Be Light…but it’ll cost you”
My Son’s New Bike
This is my son’s new used bike. It’s a good bike but what makes it really special is that he built it from the frame up by himself. Well not entirely by himself, he attended a workshop at Buffalo Blue Bike with a few friends and the outcome of the workshop is a completed bike.Continue reading “My Son’s New Bike”
Urban Simplicty 