Cycling Foodie

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“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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I always wear my bicycle helmet to protect my head. Here is some great advice from the Mayo Clinic about how to choose and wear a bike helmet. Remember … “A bicycle helmet only works if you wear it correctly. Here’s the lowdown on bicycle helmets, from choosing a bicycle helmet to avoiding common helmet mistakes.” For the full article, please click here.

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Hi Everyone!

It’s that time of year again – New Year’s Eve is just around the corner!

If you find yourself out and about and not in condition to get yourself (and your friends) home safely, please remember that The American Automobile Association (AAA) is again running their holiday Free Tipsy Tow Home service for New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day morning (December 31, 2012 – January 1, 2013) for anyone in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah. If you’re drinking and don’t think you should drive, give them a call.

Write the number down and keep it in your car’s glove box:

800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP)

Just tell the AAA operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow,” and a truck will be on its way.

You (or your friends) do not need to be AAA members – this service is available to anyone in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah. For full information, please see:  http://savvycities.com/aaas-tipsy-tow-program/

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, joyous, fun, safe, delicious and healthy New Year!

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“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.”
~ John F. Kennedy

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Davis to Vacaville, via English Hills, Steiger Hill Road, Gibson Canyon Road … those are all the names I remember … then lunch at Nugget in Vacaville and back to Davis via a bunch of Solano and Yolo County back roads.  A few little climbs, nothing too much. The chain popped off the back gears on Steiger Hill Road on a climb, but that was easily fixed.

Fresh Squeezed Pineapple Juice

I confess that once we hit Gibson Canyon Road, I was looking forward to having the fresh squeezed pineapple juice at Nugget again. At just 90 calories in 8 ounces, loaded with vitamins and bromelain, it’s well worth it!

Ciabatta, Grilled Chicken Breast, Whole Grain Mustard ... and no waiting in line!

Lunch at Nugget was fun. The sandwich line at the deli was (as always) super long. I really didn’t want to stand in line and wait, so I wandered over to the deli case and saw some beautiful chicken breasts.

Hmm … why not just get the ingredients and make our own? I was quite pleased that the team member in the deli was happy to oblige. A grilled chicken breast, a ciabatta roll, and a little cup of whole grain mustard. Voila! Everything we needed for a reasonably light and healthy sandwich.

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A little salmon …
A little cucumber, avocado, and fresh herb salad …
A little multigrain bread and goat cheese …
A glass of dry rose …
A Friday night after a crazy busy workweek …
A little planning on how to restore a 1972 Schwinn Super Sport …

Life is good!

Oh, and coming soon … progress reports by a special guest blogger on the resto-mod.

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I’m trying out a new recipe … Piadine Dough, from The Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello (see:  http://www.napastyle.com/recipe/recipe.jsp?productId=2342)

In the book, he writes, “Perhaps you think that making dough is a bother. But once you work with this dough, you will want to do it again. It is one of those textures that begs to be touched, caressed. It feels as smooth and silky as a baby’s bottom.” Well, I don’t know much about baby’s bottoms, but  this dough does have an exquisite feel that does make me long for my bread baking days.

Of course, I did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe.

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast (because that’s what I had access to)
1/2 cup water
About 3 cups bread flour + 1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Piadine Dough, fresh from the mixer

Measure out all of your ingredients. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the 1/2 cup water, let it soften a moment, then stir to combine a bit. Add about 1/2 cup flour and stir to make a smooth sponge. Pour this mixture into your mixer bowl, cover with a towel, and set to proof about 20 minutes. You want to do this to make sure your yeast is viable, and it also gives it a little head start.

When the yeast has proofed, pour in the 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and then add about 3 cups of the flour. I like to start mixing the flour in before adding the salt. When the dough starts to come together a bit, then I add the salt. It’s usually OK to just stir the salt into the flour, also, but I prefer to not do this because I never know if I’ll have to use all of the flour or not. I tend to like a wet dough, so I typically have some flour leftover from the recipe. That’s the main reason I don’t just stir the salt into the flour. After adding the salt and mixing on low speed for a few minutes, feel the dough and add up to about 1/2 cup of flour until you reach the desired consistency. Do this at low speed, then increase the speed to medium and let the dough knead about 2 minutes. Again, you’ll know by the feel. I often like to finish the dough with a brief (a minute, give or take) kneading at high speed in my KitchenAid mixer.

Gently shaped into dough balls

At this point, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured board for final shaping. This dough will be soft, so be sure to give your board a pretty good dusting of flour, but not too much. It’s tempting to use lots of flour at this stage, but try to avoid that temptation. Let the dough rest just a moment, then gently roll into a ball. Place the dough balls into bowls coated with olive oil, cover with plastic, and place in the refrigerator to rise slowly.

When the dough has doubled in size, you’ll want to “punch it down. This does NOT mean smash the dough; a dough like this needs to be handled very gently. You just want to deflate it, gently push out the gasses that have built up. Here is a good link to check out:  http://www.redstaryeast.com/lessons-yeast-baking/baking-steps-guide/punching-down-shaping

We’re heading off to the Farmers’ Market to pick up some veggies to top our pizza with tonight.

 A few important notes:

1. If you haven’t made dough before, it might take a few practice batches to know what to feel for. For me, it was like learning to ride a bike. Once you get it, you’ve got it. But, it can take some time. (I don’t even want to tell you how long I had to use training wheels when I was a kid learning to ride a bike. My poor father. It took the patience of a saint to teach me to ride a bike. But, once I got it, you could hardly get me off the bike.) Be patient with yourself, be patient with the dough. You are creating a living, breathing thing here. Some batches will come out great, some will be disappointing. You just have to love the dough for what it is and understand that some batches just will not come out the way you want them to.
2. In the refrigerator, this rise will take a few hours … I’ll have a better idea later this morning how quickly this dough will rise. A softer (looser) dough like this will rise more quickly than a drier (tighter) dough.
3. I used cool room temperature filtered water. In general, it’s a good idea to use either filtered or bottled water for bread. Water straight from the tap can contain a lot of chlorine, which can adversely effect the yeast. I tend to use cooler water in my dough because I like a slower rise, which allows the dough to develop more depth of flavor and a silkier consistency.
4. I typically use up to about 25% whole wheat flour, but (gasp!) I was out of whole wheat flour this morning. I’ll let you in on a little baker’s secret, too. If you can add a very small amount of rye flour (up to 2% by weight), this will add a really nice flavor and silky feel to the dough.

Dough is in the refrigerator, the kitchen is cleaned up, now we’re off to the Farmers’ Market!

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Let it roll off you ...

like water off a swan's back ...

and take comfort in knowing that everything is going to work out just fine. You just have to believe in yourself.

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“There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.”

 ~  José N. Harris, MI VIDA

I hope you never fall from your bike, but if you do may you get back up
and back in the saddle again soon.

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To keep the body in good health is a duty…
otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
~ Buddha