Beginning of Week II

The last few days have reminded me that 'busy' can exist without 'hectic'.

On Wednesday I did more touristy things, and surpise, surprise, it was another rainy day. I walked back into the First District and stopped at the St. Peter's Church, a baroque number that is as beautiful as many as I've seen around Europe. Lots of gold and marble. Then I wandered off into the shopping area where I bought postcards. I haven't addressed them or written them or anything, but be on the lookout: part of my plan for today is to work on that.

Then it was off to the Naschmarkt, which as the name suggests, is all about food. It is a 1.5 km stretch between the Linke and Rechteweinzeilen with vendors selling food of all kinds. Fresh vegetables and fruits, some of them really exotic, share center stage with the cut flowers. There are stores with health food products and several chinese groceries. Prevalent are the Turkish stands selling cherry tomatoes and peppers stuffed with feta cheese, olives, kebabs and other meat-on-a-stick type products. To get your attention, they yell, 'MY LADY' in as many languages as you can before you pass their stall.

There were stalls with alcoholic wares and sweets that I was tempted to try out, but it was so crowded despite the rain that the idea of opening my wallet seemed like a bad one.

I finally ended up in a cafe house for lunch, where I decadently ordered a Topefenstrudel (sweet cheese strudel) and a melange. And yes, that was my lunch. I mean, why should I suck down a big salad or something, when really all I want is a strudel?

Then I walked on over to the Museums Quarter and into the Leopold Museum for more art. On permanent display is the largest collection of works by Austrian artist Egon Schiele, an expressionist and cubist, plus other Austrians of the same period; Richard Gerstil, Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka. The few Klimt items on display were not the huge Jugendstil informed paintings expected of him, with highly detailed, gilded dresses. He did some surprisingly realistic work, including portraits and landscapes.

The main exhibition hall featured work by Albin Egger-Lienz. The display takes up nearly an entire floor, and was for the most part so gruesome, I sort of ran through it. He did some very realistic work as a field painter during WWI, apparently on-site, of battles and fallen soldiers. Some of the portraits were clearly meant to show how war as anti-humanistic and and anti-heroic, but I couldn't deal with it.

Then I walked my way back home and cooked dinner for my host and his friend. Several bottles of Burgenländishe Sauvignon Blanc were ingested, life was good, if not somewhat fuzzy.

Thursday was a holiday here, and I used the time to hop a train and visit friends from grad school in Salzburg, Paul and Doris. They have two beautiful little ones and a new house in the middle of nowhere in a part of upper-Austria known as the Mühlviertel. We did some walking around in his little town, I saw where he worked, where he lived, and his local hangout. Then we toured around Linz, ventured up to the closed castle, tried to climb the Pestsäule and sampled some local beer. (Wieselburger).

The next day found us up early, courtesy of his two children. We drank some green tea and dashed off to the playground to play soccer. The boy, Niklas, is 4, and already has a pretty good idea of how the game is played. The little girl, Anna, 2, pretty much just wanted to dance around and sing, which she did. She was on my team, and an excellent morale builder.

After a wonderful lunch of ratatouille and a nice, long chat with Doris, I caught the train back to Vienna, where I was greeted by Romeo and his bicycle.

Whew! I could go on and on, and I will for sure, but not now. It is 9 am GMT+1, and it is time for me to get dressed and find a place to write out those postcards!

For those of you playing along, ordering a shit scratcher in Switzerland will get you some chicken.

Read the Label - and Set a Better Table!

This month's Vegetarian Times has all kinds of interesting stuff in it, including this little tidbit that exposes Kellogg's and other companies' production of frankenfoods. Seriously, anyone who wonders why the life expectancy for the average US citizen is falling behind that of other countries why health costs are higher than ever, and why people are obese in this country need look no further than the ingredient statements of their supposed healthy foods.

I am especially grateful of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (the guys who alerted us to the dangers of Kung Pow Chicken) for bringing this to light:

Carrots to Center for Science in the Public Interest, for alerting consumers about misleading health claims on food products. Among those cited are Kellogg's Special K fruit & Yogurt cereal, which "combines the crunch of whole grain goodness, the smooth creaminess of yogurt, and the sweet taste of berries," yet has no berries or real yogurt, and barely any whole wheat. Smucker's Simply Fruit, Gerber Graduates Juice Treats, Multigrain Tostitos and Sara Lee Fruits of the Forest Deep Dish Pie are also on the list. "Companies say just about anything to give their product a health halo,"says Bonnie Liebman, CSPI's nutrition director. "Consumers need to read labels to get the whole story -- and even then it's not always clear."

L'Shana Tova!

Happy 5768 y'all.

Since I can't possibly bake for all of you, I'll share my honey cake recipe. By design, this cake is sweet, but also spicy - an excellent way to start a new year. You can salivate over the thought of this baking in my oven, or you can make it on your own:

Serves 24 - uses 2- 9 inch loaf pans

Cake Batter
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
4 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups honey
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup raisins (soak these in rum or Grand Marnier for about 1/2 hour - natch)

Glaze
1 1/2 cups honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 325
   
2. Mix (or sift if you have the patience) together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice.
   
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, gradually adding the sugar. Beat until thick and light in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in the oil, honey and coffee. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Chop the almonds coarsely and mix with raisins. Stir into batter.
4. Oil the two pans and line the bottom with waxed paper. Oil the wax paper. Fill each pan with batter to within 1 - 1 1/4 inches from the top. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until cake tests done.
   
5. To Make Glaze: Boil together 1 1/2 cups honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and water. When glaze reaches a thick consistency, remove from heat and drizzle over cake.
   

I always find that this cake tastes best the next day, but who can wait?

Five Things - East Coast Edition

Five things that are just better about the East Coast

1. The time zone - my body clock is just set for Eastern. I never have to look at my watch here.
2. Bagels - need I say more? I sent Lauren a text message when I got my bagel and whitefish to share my joy. She's either jealous or ambivalent, I don't know. She didn't respond.
3. "soda"
4. Kids sitting on the stoops on the street - I had forgotten that kids played there. In Chicago they hang out either on random apartment steps or in parks. Here in NJ it is just like I remember it on Long Island - you sit on the stoop with your feet in the street. And nobody even tries to run you over.
5. The beach. No, I haven't been to the shore and I'm not likely to on this visit, but just knowing that the Atlantic is so close makes me very happy.

Anyone care to add to this?

More on Binky's Big Adventure

When I last left you, Binky and I were about to embark on our final day in Chicago. We unfortunately had to start the day with my allergist, but by noon we were ready to go. We shopped the mag mile (she bought a necklace from an outdoor market), and then stopped off so she could see my office.

Her reaction was priceless:

"Wow, so you sit here? Is this your desk? Are these your papers? Is that your computer? Why do you have windows, but no door? You have a Slinky at your desk?

*pause*

What do you even do with all of these things?" We didn't stay long. I showed her the trading floor introduced her to a few people at work, and then we were off to the aquarium, albeit via some boutiques on Michigan Avenue.

We spent a glorious three hours at the aquarium - and it truly is a wonderful place, even if you don't like fish She photographed every tank in the place, ooohhed and aaahhd with the rest of them, and even knew some interesting facts about the fishies. We didn't go to see the otters in the Oceanarium because we were just exhausted at this point. Well that, and I thought I was going to lose it if I saw another wan group of campers running at the clownfish screaming N E MO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the aquarium there was shopping on State Street to do. Binky found herself a few nice things and even bought her boyfriend an outfit. On the way home, I realized I was far too exhausted to actually cook dinner - so I ordered chinese takeout. I would like to report that the child ate tofu and broccoli! And liked it!

We watched the end of Little Miss Sunshine while I packed (big hit) and then it was off to bed.

Because I couldn't get the little angel out of bed on time, we very nearly missed our 11 a.m. flight on Tuesday. I did a great job of not flipping out. Really, I should get an award for keeping it real in front of the jr. section. I was cool, I was in control, and I got us on the plane with all our luggage, and truly minimal swearing.

We hit the ground running once in New Jersey. Yesterday we went to my favorite diner in northern NJ - The Chester Diner, where I had a Nirvana Burger with kosher dill pickles so good, that I was thinking of moving over from vegetarianism to picklitarianism .Tomorrow I'm getting up early and biking over to the bagel shop. I will be in true Jew heaven, because on that bagel that I will purchase just for me, will not sit the usual, revered lox, but rather a whitefish salad.

Anyhow... I played basketball with the kids for a few hours (and by the way, they won three games of HORSE over me in a row) before coming in to play with Oreo the dwarf bunny.

Binky's brother Stevie was so happy to see me I thought he was going to burst , He's 12 flipping brilliant, and sweet, open, and huggy. If it weren't 90 degrees and humid enough to rust my teeth, I'd be enjoying these hugs to the fullest. After another late night, I went up to Binky's room to go to bed. I wanted to do some cleaning in there before putting my face on the pillow (I share quarers with Oreo), but I was out like a light and stayed out until nearly 9.

While we were at my place, I could at least have a few hours of private time before Binky got out of bed. I'm getting crumudgeonly in my old age I guess, and I need some down time to blog and think and read, and breathe. Now that we're in NJ, there is no way I can get time alone during the day. Any time I plop down to read, someone wants to talk or play or go to the mall. I am having to re-learn the ways of children.

Tonight, Stevie and I cooked dinner for everyone - shrimp scampi and a salad of non-offensive vegetables. I taught him how to measure a teaspoon by making a dent in the palm of his hand. We talked about ratios and doubling recipies, and about testing for al dente pasta by throwing it up on the ceiling. He learned how to sharpen a knife and then chop red peppers and to wash his hands after touching the dog.

In the end, we had a yummy, yet artery clogging meal that Stevie helped make, and that the rest of the family melted over. He was so proud of himself that he couldn't sit still.

Tomorrow is Steven and AuntyEm Day - Binky and her mom will be at work, and the boy and I will get to bond. On the plan: swimming, baking cookies, more basketball (I need to prove myself out there!) and then I have to edit his summer writing project.

I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable week so far!

Nutrition Alert

I went for an extended bike ride today with my beloved Gary Fisher. Aside from the issue of the handlebars coming loose during a ride, everything has been going splendedly with Gary and we are very happy together.

At one point during today's ride I got ridiculously hungry. I hadn't prepared for this eventuality. I had water with me, sure, but food? Feh. So sweaty and gross, I popped into a Dunkin' Donuts to get a bagel (carb loading, right?) I ordered a sesame bagel, no topping, no toast. The lady handed the goods over and then gave me a second bag.

"What's this?" I asked. "A free donut for you on this Independence day!" she said.

"How revolting!!" I thought to myself. I just can't deal with donuts. They burn a hole right through my digestive system, and even if I ever just have one bite, I have indigestion for hours and hours. So I thanked her politely and handed back the bag with the donut.

"OH, watching your weight?" she asked. I tried to explain my situation to her, but she just wouldn't get it. "You know, that bagel has more calories than this donut," she replied instead. I smiled at her, thinking "what an idiot," and made my way outside.

When I got home, I looked this up. By god, she's right!

Apple Fritter has 300 calories (130 from fat) - I pick this one, because if I could eat a donut, I would get this sweet apple-y goodness.

But their best-seller seems to be the Boston Kreme. It has 270 calories, 80 calories from fat.

Now check this out. The sesame bagel, yes my beloved sesame bagel has 380 calories, 70 calories from fat.

Sure, the fat ratio is better on the bagel, but you actually save 80 to 100 calories by eating fried dough and sugar instead of boiled and baked bread.

I just don't understand how this is true. What a sad, sad state of events. I'm not going to stop eating the occasional sesame bagel because of this - but it just doesn't seem fair!

Resolution Update And Then Some

Resolution Weeks Two and Three
The drive to make my own damned coffee continues on. Week two was pretty easy. I only succumbed to Starbucks on Friday. Being that it was my birthday, I was just in the mood to be served.

Week three is where it got interesting. It seems that the green coffee giant has noticed my absence, and is moving heaven and earth to get me back:

Monday of last week I decided to use my Starbucks gift card from Lauren for an afternoon pick-me-up. The card reader was down, so the cashier said. She just gave me a free latte, since I hadn't brought any cash with me.

By the time Friday came around, I was out of milk, and was forced to caffeinate at Starbucks. I ordered my latte, paid with my gift card, and moved over to watch the barrista make my drink. Just then, the steamer/espresso maker started to overheat, spewing steam and milk and froth everywhere. Thank goodness someone managed to unplug the thing before it blew. Lucky for me, there was another machine and I got my latte. Because I ended up waiting 10 minutes for my drink, I also got a coupon for a free drink of my choice.

Do you see what is going on here? I'm going to get my coffee for free until I'm hooked on getting my daily brew at Starbucks again! But fear not. I won't fall for this trick. I stocked up on milk this morning and I ground my beans for the week. My commuter cups are all clean.

The straws on the spokes come later
I mentioned to Dr. B once that I needed to replace my 30 year-old Schwinn this year. It's a great bike, don't get me wrong, but the tires are thin and difficult to replace. This causes the inner tubes puncture often. The front derailleur has some rust, and one of the gears is missing a tooth.

Being the kind, giving person she is, and given that she's sick of hearing me bitch about my poor Schwinn, she gave me an overly large gift certificate to a very chic bike shop in town. After much deliberation, I decided that I would not only accept said overly large gift certificate, but that I would break with my tradition of needing several years to buy anything costing more than $50, and leave that day with a bike.

And I did it!

Meet the Gary Fisher Nirvana:



It only took me 20 minutes to decide on this purchase, as I was in love from the moment I sat on its sweet, sweet saddle. Bikes have shock absorbers now-a-days. Why didn't anybody tell me this? I was trying to act all knowledgeable about the mechanics of bicycles, and I think the sales lady bought my act until I let out a little scream of delight at how bouncy the bike was.

She: "Those are shock absorbers."
Me: "Fancy! Do all bikes have those now, or is this special?"
She: "No, bikes have pretty much had shocks for a good five years now."
Me: "Do they make coffee now too?"

Anyway, this hybrid baby features big honking thick mountain bike tires. I tested them out all the way home. (The bike is guaranteed in full for seven days, including punctures.) I navigated right through potholes and gravel like a madwoman and five hours later the tires are still inflated. And my butt? It doesn't hurt! The gears - 24 in all - shift like a dream.

The only drawback I can see so far is the "easy release" front wheel that I pretty much have to remove and lock to the back of the bike when I park it anywhere but my basement. When the saleswoman showed me how to release it, it did indeed look easy. But things are never as easy as they look when you have to do them yourself. I expect this to be a pain in the ass.

I forgot to buy fenders, but did trick it out with a rear-view mirror, a kick stand (bikes come shocks, but no kick stands!) a headlight, and a mounted Kryptonite lock. So unless it rains, I'm pretty much unstoppable.

More Goodness To Come
I'm only working two days this week and the Hucklebug Returnith!

Resolution - Week One

I'm happy to announce that I indeed managed to make it a whole week without Starbucks. A situation occurred early on when I woke up late and had to rush around to make it to work on time. I would have missed my train if I stopped to make coffee at home, meaning I would have to rely on the swill I can make for free at work.

In short, it was a vomitous occasion. I tried mixing it with milk that I'd brought to work earlier in the week, but it was so bitter! So I added sugar, which resulted in kind of a sweet and sour effect. So then I added one of the toxic vanilla-flavored creamers, (can you tell I was desperate?!) and was nearly moved to eject the contents of my poor stomach immediately. I solved the problem by drinking tea. The rest of the week progressed rather smoothly.

Today, when Dr. B and I went out for our monthly-ish pedicure, we went to Starbucks first, and did, alas, have a latte. But I made it a whole week as planned, and had ONE as a treat. Tomorrow's morning brew will be made at home.

It is funny that my original Starbucks blog generated so many comments! Obviously coffee is on the mind and in the hearts of at least six of you. Let me put your mind at rest on a few items:

1. I am not frothing the milk at home. As yummy as that is, I just don't have the time or coordination to do something like that at 6 in the morning. I also don't have a frothing device. For everyday consumption, coffee with plain old regular fat-free milk (organically puss-free) from the fridge is just fine.
2. I'm not really tied to the Starbucks brand - I do get lattes from other coffee shops. It is just that Starbucks is so damned convenient. I pass FOUR on the way to work. The independent coffee shop across from the El makes a decent latte, but it is only 10 cents cheaper and they take for EVER to make one. Also, a lot of the independent shops around here use Intellegencia coffee, and I just can't stand it.
   
3. My caffeine addiction doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I have no desire to give up coffee or other caffeinated beverages. The whole point of this exercise is not to spend unnecessarily because I am a lazy ass. After I've made it a whole month of making coffee in the morning, I'll have no problem grabbing a $3.58 latte on the occasional, messed up morning. "Why a month?" I hear you asking yourselves. Well. I chose this amount of time because I learned once that it takes 30 days to make a new habit.

In other news, I'm quite proud of an accomplishment of a different kind today. By 8 a.m. I was on my bike, and I not only made it all the way downtown, but according to the Official Chicago Bike Map, I managed an 18 mile ride today. My trip from home to my office took me 65 minutes. If I can shave off 5 to-7 off of that time, I can claim to be faster than the Brown Line.

Resolution

Did you know that a Starbucks Grande Latte costs $3.58 ?

I've developed the unfortunate habit of buying one of these every single morning on my way to work.

As I was checking my budget against reality this weekend, I realized that this little "necessity" is costing me $17.90 a week. This adds up to $71.60 a month. That's an awful lot of money! And guess where I was sitting when I was doing this little budget exercise. That's right. I was in Starbucks, drinking $3.58 worth of milk and coffee. I don't usually go to Starbucks on the weekend, but I didn't feel like sitting around in the condo.

Maybe I have a crutch, or maybe I'm just lazy. But at the end of this year, I will have spent at least $900 at the Big Coffee Corporation, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

So I made a resolution: I am going to start making coffee at home. I have my French press and I have a big bag of beans in the freezer. I also have a small collection of commuter mugs. It is only Tuesday, but it is already tough going.

After all, I pass by 4 Starbuckses on the way to work. The temptation is difficult. Very Difficult.

To combat any temptation I might have in the middle of the day (sometimes I need coffee after lunch,) I bought a small bottle of milk to keep in the fridge at work. We get free "pod" coffee you see, but I just can't drink that powdered creamer crap they give us to put in it.

I'm not saying that I'll never have another Starbucks Latte again, because that would be a fat lie. I also don't think that's necessary. As a treat, the occasional latte is ok. But my daily brew is going to have to be at home.

The One About Peanut Butter

Confession: I bought peanut butter at the store today. I haven't had peanut butter in my house since last century. See, I'm a peanut butter addict. If it is in the house I will eat nothing else, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's not like I sit down and eat the whole jar in one sitting or anything. I just lose my appetite for everything else.

So I ate peanut butter and strawberry jelly on matzoh for dinner. The apple I took out is still sitting there, and I think it's getting jealous and pissed off. But I'm full. Besides, strawberry preserves are fruit.

Hopefully, falling off the wagon won't have any reprocussions. I mean, it isn't like I haven't eaten the stuff in seven years, I just don't keep it around here.

In fact, Potbelly's has a toasted PB&J that I totally recommend.

And the poor apple knows that it would taste good with peanut butter on it, and I still don't want it.

From My Mother's Cookbook

Anyone who has ever discussed food with me at any length knows that my mother's cooking did not enjoy the greatest reputation: she wasn't particularly interested in food and it showed. For the most part, she ate the absolute minimum of what she needed to stay alive, the more convenient the better.

For example, until I was 17, I had never eaten fish that wasn't formed into tiny sticks. My mother detested fish and didn't know how to cook it.

She didn't want to learn, either. But Better Homes and Gardens said it was what she should be feeding her family, so by golly, once a month or so she'd buy a box of frozen, breaded fish, douse it in Realemon, and broil it until it was burned.

Every once in a while though, she'd get inspired and really whip up something tasty. One of those dishes was split pea soup. This stuff was thick and creamy, flavorful, full of vegetables and, um, probably not kosher, if you get my drift. She made a HUGE vat of this stuff at least once a winter and freeze it. Even frozen it was something we all looked forward to. (Except maybe my sister. She poured ketchup in her soup.)

This past week I've been really craving some of this soup. Sure, I'll have to augment it a bit, since I'm not about to put a dead animal's bones in my food. But how much of a difference will that really make?

I guess I won't know, because I can't find her recipe. I remember seeing the recipe hand-written on yellowed looseleaf paper in the photo album she used as a cookbook. But when I looked today, it wasn't there.

I did, however, find this little gem, written on a piece of stationary from Calumet Auto Wrecking, Inc. It isn't in her writing, I didn't know she had friends to the south, but wouldn't you know, she got a moonshine recipe from them! I felt it would be irresponsible not to share this little gem further.

Kahlua

3 cups sugar
3 cups water
boil 10 minutes and then cool.

Add 750 ml of vodka
3/4 cup of instant coffee

Chop 1 long vanilla bean and divide between two fifth bottles. Pour the liquid into the bottles. Shake every day for three weeks.

Then I guess you drink it. Sounds kind of tasty, actually. I might have to try this instead of the soup.