Twas a nice relaxing day, perfect Saturday type stuff - slept in, ran a number of errands, went on a long bike ride - came home, showered, cooked, blogged, cleaned bike...yee haww...

I finally broke down and got me the cycling repair stand - it's really nice, lightweight..and portable (pictured, click pictures to enlarge - new window).

I went to my favorite asian market to get a few thangs - it was very packed (getting snow and ice storm tonight), I like to explore and get a few things to challenge my cooking. Like Iron Chef.

I got a funny mix of things to cook with (I am cooking for my parents tomorrow night - it has become a tradition), so I got some conch, mussels, fresh ginger, fresh tumeric, curry leaves, snow peas, cilantro, green onion, et al. I think I may try to make some spicy conch fritters (appetiser), angel hair with mussels in a wine butter and caper sauce served with sesame snow peas.

I sort of cook these meals by the seat of my pants - the menu may change. Recipe to follow.

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Zumblug, oh zumblug - tis how yorkle Oreo pop. Me no fray digger for hump. Oy vay.

Just in a silly mood. Today was yet another frigid day - never got above 32 degrees F (0 degrees celcius) - was a semi-busy day at work as Fridays go. People in my office were in a jovial mood, so the day passed by quickly. Got off work a little early (boss says, let's go!) at 5pm - headed out to a really cold 18 mile bike ride. It was 21 degrees (-6.7 Celcius) when I headed out - came back a solid ice cube, but very invigorating. I tell ya, if ya really want to wake up, and feel alive - try this routine. Granted I freeze my ass off - but I feel alive.

Came home, had dinner (yum, leftover pumpkin soup [homemade, but frozen, last of it from this season], spinach salad, and a turkey ham sandwich with a jalepeno and roasted pepper hummus sandwich) and had a beer thinking over the busy yet relaxing weekend ahead of me (realizing this as I write this). Unfortunately, the weather is going to be very uncooperative - cold, snowing a few inches..and some major ice/sleet storms on Sunday. I'll hopefully get my list of things done and maybe a bike ride or two before the wintery sloppiness continues. (Note to self, go to library, pick up books on CD or tape, notably something by Tom Robbins)

excerpt is from chapter 2 of Phase I, Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins:

Consider a certain night in August. Princess Leigh-Cheri was gazing out of her attic window. . . "Does the moon have a purpose?" she inquired of prince Charming [her pet frog].
Prince Charming pretended that she had asked a silly question. Perhaps she had. The same query put to the Remington SL3 elicited this response:
Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not.
Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end.
Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of bed, and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm.
There is only one serious question. And that is:
Who knows how to make love stay?
Answer me that and I will tell you whether or not to kill yourself.
Answer me that and I will ease your mind about the beginning and the end of time.
Answer me that and I will reveal to you the purpose of the moon.

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Brrrrr! Sitting here in the cold (well, heat is on - just been chilled all day) - the temperature dropped down to the teens since yesterday. Work was just a simple chaotic mess, but it went by fast.

I was ready, yet reluctant to go out on my nightly bike ride - it was hovering about 25 degrees. I suited up, in full winter regalia and headed out to my car to assemble it - I was almost frozen. Stepped back inside to warm up, and decided that it was going to be a really short ride - so I did one of the coldest 16 miles.

I was frozen to the bone when I returned to my car - I couldn't feel my hands and had difficulty getting to press the buttons on my key fob to de-alarm the car and pop the trunk and doors. I finally warmed up after starting the car, throwing the heat on high. Drove home, ate dinner, blah blah blah.

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Today, it warmed up - not like up to 70 degrees or something. I went out to my car this morning, didn't even have to warm it up, just zum zum zum. And it's been getting noticeably lighter earlier and staying lighter later - I can see the end of the Winter tunnel.

The snow has practically melted, and everything looks fugly with sand, salt stained cars, streets, bare trees (leaves cover trashy things). Work went by fast with a streamlined project and was let go early - so I went on a really glorious bike ride. It was still light out when I set out at 5pm, but it would be dark at about 6pm - and riding the trail was still not an option (patrolled now...but more noticeable was the snow and ice). I took to my safe 5 mile loop route, which I circled 7 times - totalling 35 miles. It was nice to enjoy the less-than-snotcicle biking weather.

Came home, did a few domestic things, and continued looking for cycling activities/races/Centuries this spring/summer/fall, and I have decided to apply to be a sponsored rider for the Tour De Cure for the American Diabetes Association. It's an extensive process...but I'm looking forward to it. And the upcoming weather. Here's a shortlist of some recently posted activities (still too soon in the season) which I'm starting to fill my calendar. (Pictured above is a photo from the View Trail 100 Full Century Ride in 2004, click for full size)

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Not a whole heck of a lot to write about today - more of the same redundant things done in a routine, work, bike, cook, blog...

Good thing Spring is around the corner - and a few activities here shortly to liven up my social life. Will be doing a organized ride in DC to outer Maryland on Sunday. Yes, a whole crowd of us crazy idiots out in sub-freezing weather pacelining.

Speaking of which, first time in a few days I was actually able to bike outside. The temperature warmed up to a blistering 38 degrees (enough to melt some ice and snow). Did a 32 miler, very cold. Wasn't too quick about it, it was dark and there were some patches of ice and snow.

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Busy snowy day - albeit a nice January day. Was a scary white knuckle drive to work with the ice and snow this morning, but got there - to a freezing office. Some Jackleg was there over the weekend and turned off the heat, forgot to turn it back on - dumbass, so it was 40 degrees in the office upon arrival. We were all in our winter coats in our morning meeting seeing out breath.

Work breezed by, then I retired the notion that I was going to go out on a bike ride after seeing the roads not melt the ice and the second layer of snow (2 inches) in the afternoon. Therefore, I tucked my tail between my legs and drove home in rush hour, all 17 miles (in the speedy 1.5 hours - left at 5:30pm...got home at 7pm)...gee..what fun. No biking tonight - big fat goose egg on my mileage chart, so far only 780 miles this year (for this month).

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Was a beautiful Winter day - very snowy, sunny, albeit windy. A perfect day to sleep in, and do small organizational domestic shit around the house, shovel more snow, do a sweaty hot workout on my bike trainer, and do some major cooking. This is what I did. I love it.

Before I cooked, I spent almost 1.5 hours on my trainer - put in about 30 miles. Read the paper as I sweated my ass off, then took a shower and then went down to the kitchen to cook for a feast for my parents and I. I had decided to make some French Onion Soup from scratch...my own concocted recipe, and to also make some very special Crunchy Pistachio Almond Chicken, also from scratch - oh it was a blast making both of these. These can also be found on my cookblog (just updated), but here they are (btw, I have been doing my own photography of the creation of the products of new recipes, now noted):


French Onion Soup

photo by d. scott gregory

For soup:
4 large yellow vedalia onions, peeled and sliced Julien style
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup dry Port wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
8 cups beef broth
8 cups chicken/turkey broth

Topping:
Bruschetta slices, thin toasted bread
2 cups shredded/grated Swiss Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

photo by d. scott gregory

In large 4 quart soup pot, add butter and sautee onions over high heat - stirring frequently until translucent. Add Port wine, Worcestershire, white pepper, salt and sugar. Stir until onions become glazed and an almond color then slowly add both beef and chicken broths - keep on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for an hour.

In 4 small crockery soup bowls (suitable for oven use) resting in a large baking dish, ladle onion soup into bowls then liberally cover with a layer of Bruschetta and a judicious amount of swiss cheese. Uncovered, place in oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling crispy and brown. Remove and enjoy!


Crunchy Pistachio Almond Chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts, cleaned, patted dry
1/2 cup unshelled pistachio kernels
1/2 cup whole almonds
3 roasted garlic cloves
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup Parmegan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

photo by d. scott gregory

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil medium shallow baking dish.

In food processor, add pistachios, almonds, garlic, paprica, cumin seed, ground ginger, parmegan cheese, salt and pepper. Blend to a fine ground mixture and transfer to a bowl. Dredge chicken in beaten egg and transfer to blended nut mixture, liberally coating each chicken breast then transfer to baking dish. Any left over mixture can be added as a topping. Cover in tin foil and place in oven for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove and enjoy.

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