Stuffed Mushroom Pilaf
Three Floyds Brewing Company
Here in the psychotic midwest, mother (F*#ker) nature gave us 2 ½ days of spring. Bikes and Beers must be had before Old Man Winter slaps anyone in the face with a 23° F wind chill on a bicycle (like today).
Illinois weather does really suck sometimes, but if you’re up by the suburbs of Chicago, safe trail Cycling is vastly open to where your mind and body can take you.
On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, the trunk bag was minimally packed on the Trek Darth Vader to trek to Three Floyds and back. And by back, I mean to my parents where they’ll bring my bicycle and I the remaining distance.
Trails taken (that made up of 97% of the entire trip):
- Kishwaukee – Kiwanis Trail
- DeKalb Nature Trail
- DeKalb – Sycamore Trail
- Great Western Trail
- Randall Road Bike Trail
- Silver Glen Trail
- River Bend Trail
- Fox River Trail
- Stearns Road Trail
- Illinois Prairie Path Elgin Branch
- Illinois Prairie Path Aurora Branch
- DuPage County Regional Trail
- Dupage River Walk
- West Branch DuPage River Trail
- Southern DuPage Regional Trail
- Greene Trail
- Veterans Trail
- Centennial Trail
- Old Plank Road Trail
- Thorn Creek Red Paved Trail
- Pennsy Greenway
- Munster, IN – Pennsy, Thorn Creek, Old Plank Road were taken back
- I & M Canal Trail (61 miles)
The 365.53 km (227.13 miles) in three days were Beautiful and exhausting. Here are my Relive links:
I have not experienced a bad 3Fs brew. And I don’t think that I ever will. The stay at a new hotel almost next door to 3Fs was modern and wonderful. Please, check out Munster, Indiana and Three Floyds Brewing Company.
Adventure is my exercise.
CHEERS
German Beer Mustard
Through the spring snow, through the freezing rain and through my own sanity, a nice, lengthy visit was made to the parents a few weeks ago. The trip helped me realize all the little things in life that my careers tediousness takes away from. To sum it up simply, I cannot truly receive packages that require a signature, because I’m always at work.
This winter, in the midwest, has been painful, grueling and never-ending. Perhaps, the weather got to my head, but money isn’t everything. Time is money. Passionate hobbies should not decrease to better others dreams. I quit my job this last weekend.
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”
-Stephen Hawking
While visiting my parents, homemade Mustard was created in two separate batches.
German Beer was used for both.
Yellow & Brown Mustard Seeds, Garlic, Beer, Allspice, Sea Salt, Tarragon, Turmeric, Brown Sugar and Wasabi Powder were carefully combined and set at room temperature before blending, cooking and cooling.
Keep exploring. Do the things that you LOVE. And don’t let anyone (but yourself) take them away from you.
CHEERS
Enchilada Flats
Fork it. Fork it all. Finger foods are constantly my go-to, first-choice, comfort food. Sometimes, changing things up can be chaotically forking comforting.
The one thing I would’ve done differently, is baking the Tortillas ahead of time to avoid soggy Tortillas.
And nothing cheers up soggy Tortillas than Vegan Enchilada Flats.
Blackened Corn was the beginning. After that, Boca crumbles, Tofu crumbles, Garlic, Peppers, Onion, Ghost Pepper Sauce, Sea Salt, Pepper, Chipotle Powder and Paprika. Cilantro was stirred in very last.
The Enchilada Sauce was as simple as Tomato Sauce, diced Tomatoes, Sugar, Sea Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, Oregano, Garlic & Onion Powder, Parsley and diced Jalapeños.
These awesome ingredients were layered Sauce, precut Tortilla, Daiya and repeat.
Garnishment was with beautiful Scallions.
Cheers.
Ⓥegan Stromboli
To overcome various obstacles is never an easy feat, but sense of accomplishment can be so great once overcome.
Illinois, this month of January, has been bipolar and basically psychopathic. This one commute home on a Sunday evening was very unusual. The air was thawing the frozen ground like a shock thaw, that some of the most dense fog was literally in the air. On this commute, I had to overcome the fog and a portion of that commute was dealing with the thick fog and the road traffic barely visible. Eyewear was useless because of the heavy moisture in the air. The ground was still mostly frozen with some ice and water. Getting closer to home I chose an off-road path on the softest ground that had some snow, some mud and some puddles. Never had I ever had to deal with all of those obstacles in one ride.
#RideOn
Today, through an indecisive process, a Stromboli was made. A Celery Blush Sauce was utilized to compliment this Vegan roll of awesomeness. The Celery Blush Sauce was a combination of Celery Soup:
High Quality Tomato Puree, Basil, Garlic, White Onion, Sugar, Cayenne, Sea Salt & Pepper were simmered and slightly cooked down before combining with the Celery greatness.
The Ⓥ Stromboli’s key ingredient was a Plant-Based Protein mostly from Lightlife products.
Dough was rectangled and seasoned to be then stuffed with the Plant-Based Protein and Daiya. After being rolled up and splashed with Celery Blush Sauce, this massive loaf was baked and cooled to be sliced up and served.
Cheers.
Hammed Up On Tofurky
On my bicycle commute this morning, ice got the best of me and I hit my head pretty hard. Attempting to stand, I fall again. I called off of work today.
Yellow Potatoes, Celery, Carrot, Red Onion and Garlic were chopped up and put into a mixing bowl. Along with the veggies, Ⓥ Bouillon, Dill Weed, Sea Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Liquid Smoke and Cayenne were mixed up and added to a pot with a little Veggie Broth.
The Tofurky (thawed) was placed in the center and covered with their provided Ⓥ Glaze. Tomatoes were sliced and literally thrown on top of the Veggies.
Baked and Roasted for a good while, the dish was allowed to cool and the Tofurky was successfully sliced with a mandolin slicer. As most Vegan food, it wasn’t the greatest looking, but it was delicious.
Cheers.
Tripel Beer Ⓥratt
Onion, Broccoli and Cauliflower were diced and riced. Previously Beered Brats from Tofurky were utilized. Beer, Tripel if ya got it, was heated in a pan. Seasoned with Sea Salt, Pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder, the Brats, veggies and seasonings were simmered. The Brats were grilled. The Brats were put in the Simmering Beer and thrice beered.
Topped with Daiya and melted, Veggies and BBQ Sauce, these bastards were bunned and SERVED.
CHEERS
Pita Papa Mexicana
Mother Nature is a literal bitch. Rain and Fire in California is utterly devastating. Extreme temperatures in the midwest are brutally frigid. Of course, the day the temperature rises, there’s dangerous ice everywhere. Snow, freezing rain and sleet fell right around 32 degrees this Sunday evening. I made my commute home, but had to overcome a few obstacles. A screw to my right Old Man Winter cycling shoe came out while clipped in on my Trek. I could not unclip on the right. The only way to get my foot loose was to take my boot off. Turning around on an icy trail was challenging. Let’s make some food.
Leftover Vegan Tzatziki was Infused Mexican-style with Cayenne and Cilantro. Cucumber, Dill, Vegan Yogurt and various seasonings consisted of the Tzatziki sauce.
Yellow Potatoes were chopped and boiled. After draining, the Potatoes were pan-fried with light oil, Smart ‘bacon’, Corn, Cilantro, Sea Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Poblano & Cayenne powder.
The Pitas were warmed and stuffed with the Mexican potatoes, Tzatziki sauce, Avocado and Tomato.
Best of 2017
Just photos.
Winter Cycling
Cold weather and air is adaptable. Getting sick cannot be fun. Constant boosting of my immune system is key to my survival through the Winter commutes. Often, the choice of bike depicts exactly how fast you will get to point B or point C. Weather forecasters and I all suck at predicting the weather. Here in Illinois, the weather forecasts change hourly.
As long as the Winter cyclist is dressed appropriately, the cold shouldn’t truly effect a cyclists well-being. Of course, it is not good for anyone to be out in negative degree Fahrenheit temperatures for longer than 60 minutes.
Layers are more important than bicycle choice. Correct footwear, headwear and handwear are most crucial to comfort.
My commutes range from 6-8 miles to and from 6-8 fro. The time ranges from 20-45 minutes each way. In-between my rides, the work hours range from 7-13 hours. Lights are essentially a must. At the moment, two front (both 700 lumens) and one rear attempt to keep me seen. I have just upgraded to a brighter rear light as I’ve been riding more road lately on my cross bike. The All-Weather hard-case tires are amazing in sloppy conditions. My FatBike, the Arrogant Bastard, is so heavy and slow and hard to commute with unless an utter snow massacre has just happened.
#RideOn
#BeSafe
VeggHead BeerCyclist 