Oktober & fall: transition of colors, slow rolling clouds and wind. Also the re-emergence of cycling season and charity ride events. This weekend it was the Livestrong Challenge (previously Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses before it expanded to multiple cities and expounded in its charity fundraising goals). Livestrong always surprises in its scope and appeal: people from all over the US and even a few international participants (Italian, Spanish) come to Austin to ride and now run to support the fight against cancer. Livestrong along with the Hill Country Ride for Aids (my favorite spring charity ride) focus on the survivors, the cause, and the participation of a wide variety of riders.
A perfect weekend of clouds, headwind & hills. I rode with a team of very good friends (Anne, Jess, Kristi & Amity) and started out early to get some miles in before meeting them at rest stop #8 (65 miles of happy hills for me; 45 amazing accomplished miles for them). Flickr has all photos but suffice to say it's extremely rewarding to pedal through beautiful challenging hills while thinking about those one rides in support / in honor of (for me it's my Aunt Kathy who went through breast cancer and had her last chemo session last year). Seeing that there are people who conquer the disease and then continue with riding and living strong (as the motto says) gives strength to those who are faced with the seemingly insurmountable challenge of cancer.
It's a bit motivating.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
livestrong signage
Monday, October 25, 2010
Kartoffelsalat
oktoberfest - a cultural annual tradition of friends and merriment with the finest of foods and music (all kinds of polka; an acquired tasted, yes).
kartoffelsalat is a family tradition I was raised on (I was completely unaware of the yellow mustard based potato salad of the south and was perplexed as to why they were identified the same at friends' picnics and at restaurants). For everyone knows that all good potato salads have bacon, onions and a cider vinegar sauce as their base.
regardless; I have now taken this familia dish as my own and present it proudly every oktoberfest for friendly enjoyment and appreciation (with tasty tweaks added over time).
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
wine food art: performance pile
Favorites of the night:
- running event logistics and overseeing a smooth operation
- east side show room lamb rillettes and squash terrine
- balcones distillery new releases
- back porch end-of-night lake overlooking relaxation
- san palo's puerco nopalitas cheese & avocado perfect bites
- paggi house oyster soup
- llano winery
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
tdf 10 vista
with world cup done (viva espana; alas hup nederland); classic grand entertainment now moves to tour de france. this clockwise year quite entertains with hills, cobbles & mountain categories to challenge. and oddly enough; I'm glad that the lance isn't in maillot jaune contention as it allows almost neutral passionate coverage.
Friday, July 9, 2010
celery reduction
corn stock; celery stock; lamb stock...
things to play with and insert as a background for sauces and dish creations.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
lamb box
Johnny G's - a local butcher that sources farm raised fresh animals and sells to the community. A great service that's no longer really prevalent in the supermarket driven culture of today (large companies have minimum orders and supply chains that often prohibit local fare).
I still prefer getting meat directly from farmers / ranchers at the farmers market but it's a nice alternative to have.
Now it's time to find enough various recipes for half a lamb...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
restaurant thinkings
business plan pondering: remote restaurant near nature with fields of seasonal fare.
small house
family style service
seasonal kitchen fare
on-site gardens & prep.
water features
cycling stop
large outdoor flagstone / CG patio with garden trellises
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
cap tex tri
first time tri - sprint distance.
quite fun and an affirmation that goals are to be accomplished.
official results:
chip time = 01:38:00
class position: 30 overall place: 264
splits (time / overall rank):
750m swim (23:23 - 446); 20K bike (37:34 - 156); 5k run (30:25 - 297)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
South Austin creation.
interesting creation - fit for south congress and hippy enclaves / college campuses everywhere.
fast? finished.
congress avenue mile race.
training:
six course dinner
email reminder of morning race
wake & run
too fast a start (first quarter; balanced second quarter with no kick at end).
baby octopi bests
'new' current favorite establishment.
open kitchen (hot!) and a short eclectic menu of fine things. great staff; amazing food & reasonably priced. a fine northern neighborhood addition
http://www.foodanddrinkaustin.com/
Sunday, May 9, 2010
eve luxurious lunch
birthday week brings obligations of celebration (difficult I know) and affords the opportunity to focus on what I really enjoy (many many things. But with opportunity I get to choose various settings of life enjoyment: nature-centric; solitude; group joined; close friend enjoyed activities; all various activities to allow relaxed focus and introspectional enjoyment.
Friday lunch: a hot summer-ish day that eschewed the usually enjoyed warm hearty plates in favor of the lighter porch friendly fare: charcuterie, beans, olives & beets; all with an amazing Sancerre Rose
Monday, May 3, 2010
Porch declarations
congregations of friends and years of traditional ongoing: tired post-oaks waking, morning-long drizzled food prep, cocktails, stories & races of the day; celebrations throughout the night.
Oaks Day Beauty
There might be nothing finer than sauntering through Old Louisville south past the university to Churchill Downs; walking through shotgun shack neighborhoods and seeing the twin spires slowly rise.
Friday is Oaks Day; the precursor to the Kentucky Derby which is held on Saturday and receives the majority of media attention outside of the city. Oaks is more of the locally focused day with the same amount of fashion, juleps, races & festivities. It's usually half the cost to attend and a bit less crowded; which allows for a more relaxed excited environment. That and it's been the best weather day the past several years.
Tradition at its finest
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
summit presented climbing leg(s
This year's team was Ballet Austin which consisted of friends from ballet fit class that I was introduced to almost a year ago now. Initially bought in to try the program and evaluate its athletic benefits and how it might be marketed to the male demographic. It ended up being a great ongoing experience and offers a great complement for cycling training: strength, balance, flexibility & fluidity. Alas, no team Soup Peddler this year; but the team costume tradition continued (and with a professional edge). I had to go with a last minute boa addition to balance the comprehensive tutu costume of the other team members. It's a lighthearted ride for sure; well - as much as a 65 mile ride with headwind hills & a water crossing crash can be.
Lots of fun, camaraderie, crazy support and seeing folks that don't ride too much achieve something that truly does challenge (all while exhausting oneself and achieving that favorite euphoric fully muscle exhausted state of being).
Monday, April 19, 2010
blooming boggy
rains of spring and misty morns: the slow revealing of spring and scents reward those who wander out despite the lack of sun. the realm between full motivating sun spring and the heat of oncoming summer is most enjoyable.
visiting my favorite farms throughout the spring rewards in that the slow evolution of late winter growth and the transitions to verdant vibrant productive spring illustrates the growth and seasonal evolution is fully appreciated.
Monday, April 12, 2010
spicewood
open road, open thoughts & a wandering mind to accompany swift rhythmic peddling and miles of rolling road intermixed with the finery of spring: bluebonnets, indian paintbrush, flowing creeks & lush trees. such enjoyment and scenery accompanies the euphoria that continued physical exhaustion provides.
happy tired legs; clear head & healthy being
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Grouper ceviche
office - desk made.
file under "how to make co-workers confused"
a dilemma: one has acquired excellent fresh local fish (gulf grouper flash frozen immediately upon catching and then transported to Austin upon docking where it's filleted and then sold the next morning). what not to do: let it rest in your fridge or re-freeze it.
so upon morning waking and noting that fresh amazing fish is now just over two days old and demands immediate consumption. wait until dinner?? never! have for breakfast?? an excellent option but requires time; thus compromise = lunch; but how to prep... (work has no cooking facilities) which leaves the great lime + chili + fish ceviche option. pack fresh herbs (dill, chervil, italian parsley), green garlic, salt.
a small sharp knife; desk prep & a sealable container create the opportunity for sashimi light lunch. it's not quite the office space desk gutting; but it does suffice.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
3 palms lounging
phoenix spring training. amazing baseball setup of comprehensive intimate laid back fun. small field professional training that combines the innocence of youth and the uniformed technical repetition of the simple things that comprise a great game.
the only randoms: autograph seekers and the city itself. why are signatures of strangers so valued?? perhaps a documentation of pleasant memories or a tangible alternative to photographs. also, the city: a strange combination of Vegas & LA - expansive 'flat' development in a setting that seems desolately beautiful.