Bike Commuting Take 2

I've tried to bike commute in the past, but quickly fell off the wagon. I was all gung-ho in May 2009, but life had other plans that summer. It rained almost every day in June, my life went crazy in a bad way, and when I moved to Park Slope, my potential bike commute went from 5.5 miles to 9 miles, a task far too daunting for someone like me who is decidedly not a morning person.

Now I am happily back in Williamsburg, and my new bike commute is a much more manageable 3.5 miles, so I am recommitting for real. To force myself to bike regularly, I signed up for a metrocard (through my work transit check program) with only enough money to travel by subway half the month. I'll see how this goes and hopefully adjust to an even cheaper metrocard in the warmer months. I'm also hoping that because the ride is relatively short, I won't get sweaty enough in the summer to need a gym membership just to shower before work.

To prepare, I bought a basic fender for my back tire (something like this) to protect me from slush and rain spraying up my back, and got my bike tuned up. My bike is over 10 years old and I'd never taken it for a tune up before. I'd always wondered if the creaky gears and weird noises were a sign it might fall apart at any minute, so it's good to feel confident in its working condition now.

So this morning, I rode my bike to work for the first time this year. I've been getting around Williamsburg and Bushwick by bike all winter, so the 30 degree weather didn't faze me. I don't wear any special gear for biking in the cold - just my usual clothes, winter coat, gloves, scarf, a ski headband underneath my helmet, and a backpack. For now, I'm bringing a clean shirt to change into when I get to work.

It was 30 minutes door to door, the same as taking the subway. The route had me safely on bike lanes most of the way. Bike lanes have come under a lot of controversy lately in New York, but they are necessary for bicycling to become a viable form of transportation as we move away from reliance on cars and oil, and I am personally grateful for the Department of Transportation's work to create an extensive bike lane network in this city. And I didn't encounter any ticket-happy police. Here we go...

Have you ever tried or thought about commuting by bike?

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Going Almost-Vegetarian Part 2

A year and a half ago I wrote here about my difficulty in sticking to a diet relatively free of factory-farmed meat. I've been having a lot more success with this lately. Partly because I no longer live with a meat-eater and have more control over what I eat, but also partly because I experienced a mental shift toward vegetarianism.

For years I lived with an avid carnivore and consequently ate plenty of meat. At home I cooked a lot of quality grass fed/sustainably raised meat from farmers markets. Braised lamb shanks. Meatballs. Bison steak. G rilled pork chops. Perfectly crisp bacon for curing hangovers. And so on. For dinners out, I often ate at Brooklyn's many new-american-local-seasonal restaurants where I was happy to order meat. But I also found myself at average restaurants with lackluster vegetarian options or at family or friend's homes where I felt bad turning down non-vegetarian food they'd prepared - which is where it got tricky.

When I started cooking for just myself several months ago, I decided to eat less meat - only when my body craved it for nutrients. However, I realized that I rarely crave it. Instead, I'm eating a lot of roasted vegetables, eggs, cheese (pizza!), and beans, which satisfies me. When I go to the farmers market, I have no desire to buy meat for myself, nor do I want to spend the added expense on it. Moreover, I've even found that when I try a bite of a friend's sandwich or sample a free meat and cheese plate at work, it doesn't taste as satisfying as I expect - for the most part. Every now and then I'll still enjoy meat, like Fette Sau barbecue last week, which is oh so good and comes from organic and small family farms.

I don't think it's realistic for everyone to become a vegetarian. I just think we should be more conscious about where the meat on our plate comes from and eat less of it. So many people go to a deli and mindlessly order a turkey sandwich without thinking about all the implications.

On top of all the water pollution, excessive antibiotic usage, deforestation, and methane and carbon dioxide emissions related to factory farming, I also recently learned that meat eaters intake higher levels of carcinogenic chemicals called dioxins - industrial byproducts that end up in the air, water, and soil, and in higher levels in animals because they are bio-accumulative. Something to think about next time you're ordering lunch at the deli.

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The 20 Lessons of Moving from Brooklyn to Boulder

Remember my friend Gina, who left Brooklyn a year and a half ago for a fresh start in Boulder? Well she gave a funny and inspiring talk about the lessons she learned along the way, as part of Ignite Boulder's monthly series of quirky 5 minute presentations. This video made me smile when I first saw it. When you take a risk, you are never sure what you're going to get, which is why I am so happy for her that she was able to create a good life there, and that we both found our way out of our ruts to venture forward in life's journey. I had the pleasure of visiting her in Colorado this fall and at some point (hopefully) soon, I will share my own Brooklyn versus Boulder experiences from my visit here on this blog.

So check out her video below. Gina's words are guaranteed to make you smile too and maybe even take a chance of your own. The big takeaway - If it's reversible, just do it!

"Drugs, Sex, Love, and Environmentalism: 20 Things I Learned During My Move from NY to Boulder"

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Experimenting

I haven't have a whole lot of time or inclination for cooking or blogging lately, as music making has been edging out other activities as a priority. So it makes me happy when I manage to find an occasion to cook something new rather than the tried and true like yesterday's post.


I had some delicious soft and slightly sweet bread at Spring Street Natural a few weeks ago that we deduced to be sweet potato bread. I experimented with making my own recently, adapting the potato bread recipe from my trusty copy of Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. And my new apartment came with a dutch oven(!), which makes it easy to achieve this beautiful crust without needing to adapt my slow cooker crock with aluminum foil. I used one medium sweet potato in my version, and the flavor came out nice but a little too subtle, so I'd like to experiment again with a greater proportion of mashed yams.


I also tried my hand at homemade veggie burgers for the first time recently. I don't know why I'd never done this before...I guess I thought it was more complicated, but it really is as easy as throwing beans and a few other ingredients in a food processor, forming patties, and frying them. I forgot to snap pictures, but I made vegan black bean burgers with onion, garlic, cumin and other spices, and oats instead of bread crumbs. Well, they were vegan until I added cheese on top. It was a winning combination together with toasted slices of sweet potato bread and mustard.


I would have liked my burgers to be less mushy on the inside, which seems like a common problem with veggie burgers - does anyone have any tips on that? My sister recommended incorporating wheat gluten for consistency. I will be experimenting with homemade veggie burgers more now that I have become an almost vegetarian (more on that another day), so I'll report back once I settle on a recipe or two I like.

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Roasted Brussels Sprout, Potato, and Egg Salad

People like to know about meals that can be easily made at home when cooking for one and cooking from scratch. This is mine, with minimum prep and minimum fuss, making just enough for dinner and lunch. I like to roast the brussels sprouts and potatoes until they are so crisp and brown that I'll happily snack on them on their own. Then I add chopped up hardboiled eggs to the equation for protein. The creamy hardboiled yolks find their way into all the nooks and crannies of the salad, transforming what could be soggy leftovers into more goodness for lunch the next day. If you prefer runny yolks, poached or soft boiled eggs will also work, but I feel that hardboiled are best for leftovers.


My only problem is that I haven't found a new reliable source for brussels sprouts. Having access to good produce at the Park Slope Food Coop made me lazy. I used to get cheap brussels sprouts there almost every week. Last winter was the year of brussels sprouts, and I was continuing on that path this year until I moved back to Williamsburg this month, away from the Coop. I can't always count on finding brussels sprouts at the farmers market. Last Saturday at Union Square there were just a lot of onions, apples, carrots, and squash. But it all depends on the day and the market, so it's time to recommit to my former routine of going to the McCarren Park farmers market every Saturday, and stopping in at Union Square on weekdays to check out the selection, (which should be especially easy now that I work downtown within walking distance - no more corporate midtown for me!)


Roasted Brussels Sprout, Potato, and Egg Salad
Preheat oven to 450. Rinse and chop one medium potato into small wedges (the smaller, the faster they cook). Pour olive oil liberally over a baking sheet, as well as salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes onto the tray, adding more oil, salt, and pepper and stirring around until thoroughly coated and evenly distributed so that each potato slice gets surface space. Put in the oven to roast.
While they start cooking, rinse about a dozen brussels sprouts, chop off the ends, and slice in half. Likewise prepare the sprouts on an oiled and seasoned pan. Roast for about half an hour, removing both potatoes and sprouts halfway to flip each vegetable slice over to allow the other side to brown. This is also a good time to munch on the leaves that have fallen off the brussels sprouts and crisped. Meanwhile, hard boil three eggs. I like these instructions for hard boiling. Once the eggs have cooled enough to peel and chop, mix it all together and enjoy. Makes two servings.

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So this is the new year

The new year doesn't necessarily mean anything besides a change in the date, but 2011 really is a new year for me. In the past week, I moved into a new apartment AND started a new job. It feels good to finally be in the places personally and professionally where I have long wanted to be. I've come a long way from a year ago, when I was in the dark nadir of a three+ year rut. The summer saw me take the courage to make one key change for the better, which set off a domino effect of good things coming my way in the months since.

I already made resolutions of sorts when I posted my list of 25 (actually 26) things to do before turning 26 in November. I'm not making new resolutions now, but have revisited the list and will continue to work my way through these goals and others as they come.

More importantly, a recent sad event served as a reminder that tomorrow isn't promised today. It forced me to reflect and realize I'm doubly glad that my life is on the right path now, because as cheesy as it sounds, life is too precious to let it pass by. It was a reminder to do the things that make us happy, and to not just think about them, but to make them happen. So that is my real new years resolution: to keep making the good things happen.

1. Visit Gina in Colorado. 11/4-11/8 recap pending

2. Visit little miss homebuyer Caitlin's new house upstate. 8/21 a night at her lakeview bungalow with a fire pit!

3. Visit the Jersey shore with my family. last weekend of August

4. Have a dance party in an apartment. 7/24 one of Jamie's infamous dance parties until the sun came up.

5. Go to a dance party at a bar. 10/30 Halloween party at Union Hall and others since.

6. Stay up until sunrise. see #4

7. Throw a party. 9/24 party with cupcakes

8. Host Thanksgiving. FAIL in 2010. cooked all the side dishes for Thanksgiving 2011.

9. Attend more concerts. have been good about going to about 4 shows a month.

10. Get a tattoo, or think about getting one. decided not to get one because i am worried about putting toxic inks into my body.

11. Bike to work. have been bike commuting 20-40 miles a week since march

12. Do the New York Century bike ride. 9/12 recap here

13. Attend a Transportation Alternatives meeting. got involved with the Bushwick Food Coop instead.

14. Go no 'poo (no shampoo that is). have been shampoo free since 3/5

15. Make homemade deodorant and other body products. made deodorant in October 2011; need to blog about this

16. Trim my hair. 12/25/2011
17. Write something every day. started a journal to write at least a sentence or more about each day.

18. Write a new song. 9/9/10 done, several written since then.

19. Play a show at Rockwood Music Hall. it's harder to get a show at Rockwood then I thought. played four shows in 2011.

20. Collaborate with musical friends. joined the band Sexy Neighbors

21. Play in the folk jam at Sunny's in Red Hook.

22. Audition for a choir. 8/15/10 waitlisted. not currently interested in joining a choir again. 

23. Fit into my skinny pants. decided i don't care as long as i know i'm getting my exercises in by bike commuting and feel healthy

24. Model in a shoot for my photographer friend. she shot my band photos but still no solo promo photos.

25. Knit a scarf. 10/19/10 birthday gift for a friend. March 2011 knit a scarf for myself as well.

26. Get a new job. 9/9/10 new position at same organization....1/4/11 new job at new organization!!

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Squash and Leek Stuffing

I haven't been much in the holiday spirit here, aside from enjoying the brisk December weather. I've been too preoccupied by more big life changes over the past month to be able to pay attention to Thanksgiving or Christmas. I failed in my goal to host Thanksgiving (as happens almost every year) and only contributed one side dish for my mother's Thanksgiving meal (this squash and bean casserole). I haven't procured any Christmas gifts yet (hopefully tomorrow...). There are no holiday decorations up in my apartment, since I should be packing up anyway for another move at the turn of the month. I've even been neglecting this blog, seeing now that it's been a month since I last wrote!

But last week I made a squash and leek stuffing, presented in a hollowed-out squash, which felt ever so seasonally appropriate. I was inspired by a stuffed pumpkin my roommate made this fall, as well as a delicious looking pumpkin with panade on Tea & Cookies. However, I've found that when you bake it all together, the squash remains too firm for my liking. To solve this, I roasted my squash first, and then scooped out the pureed flesh to mix into a stuffing with cubes of crusty bread, sauteed leeks, and cheese, and refilled the squash rinds for a final bake.

I'm taking several days off for the holidays and hoping I'll have time then to get excited about festive baking and cooking, including pumpkin snickerdoodles and almond biscotti. Now the question remains, should I make this stuffed squash, or maybe pizza with a side of swiss chard gratin, for my family's Christmas eve dinner?

Squash and Leek Stuffing

I used one delicata squash, but you could also use any other variety of squash or pumpkin. Slice squash in half, and place it in a pan, flesh side down with a few inches of water. Roast at 450 degrees for 30-60 minutes until easily mashable with a fork. Scoop out all the flesh out into a bowl, being careful not to tear the squash rind (unlike me).

While the squash is roasting, clean one large leek and slice into half moons. Sautee on low heat until softened.

Rip a day-old crusty baguette into small cubes.

Grate about a cup of cheese. Cheddar, gruyere, swiss, or any combination of these varieties would be nice.

Combine squash, leek, bread, and cheese in a bowl, with salt and pepper to taste. Fill empty squash rinds with stuffing and sprinkle additional grated cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes until the cheese and stuffing edges turn golden brown.

Makes two servings.

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