Must Watch on Netflix 

Posted on by jeffreylatty

Cowspiracy
There are many reasons why I’ve been Vegaetarian for three years and now Vegan for three months. Yes, some are to greedily better myself, however, I feel my lifestyle is truly something I can do to help better our world. And to me, that makes it much more worth it. 

Let’s make a real difference. 

Ⓥegan ZZA

Posted on by jeffreylatty


My favorite days are when I have time to create awesome food and have an outstanding ride on one of the bicycles. Today, being Monday “Fonday”, I made pizza, took a nap and attempted a ride. I only made it 7 km.


And I think it was because I read the temperature at 26-27 degrees Celsius and the wind blowing at 8 km/h and it was hot as shit and windy as shit. I need to stop checking the weather before I go and ride. Maybe just the radar. Or maybe I need to man up. Whatever the case being, I was not feeling a bigger ride today.


But, I made PIZZA. I am a pizza addict surviving life. The last time that I had pizza was June 22, 2015. That was before my Veganism lifestyle. Before my Veganism, I had the first of the month being my pizza day. And now, my pizza day is annually August 10, being Vegan Pizza Day.


I chose to make BBⓋ Tempeh, Roasted Ⓥeggie, Ⓥicago-Style Hot Dawg, Ⓥaco, MexiⓋano and Ⓥediterranean.

LISTENER


I just enjoyed a Arcadia Ales’ Sky High Rye and checked it in on Untappd for the 91st time, being the most in Untappdiverse. Not sure if I’m proud of that or not. It’s a delicious beer, though. I am currently listening to 3eb. Third Eye Blind might be my favorite feel-good band. And now I’m enjoying a Schlitz. I wish that I could find 16oz cans of Schlitz. I’ve only seen them at The Castle Theater in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.


Pizza Dough ingredients:

  • Flour
  • Dry Active Yeast
  • Veggie Broth, warmed for yeast
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • SeaSalt/Sugar/GarlicP/OnionP
  • Rosemary, which I was out so I used Oregano, slightly crushed
  • Fennel Seed, slightly Crushed
  • Oil

Let rise and impatiently use, like I always do.

Pizza Sauce ingredients:

  • Crushed Tomatoes
  • Sugar
  • SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP
  • Vegetable Broth

BBⓋ Tempeh Pizza ingredients:

  • BBQ sauce, vegan and I found this Whiskey Kicker, that was delicious
  • Tempeh, sliced smally, but not too tiny just to chicken slice size ewww chicken
  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce, with a splash of BBQ sauce
  • Daiya, white and yellow mmmmm
  • Red Onion, julienne sliced
  • Cilantro, chopped for garnish which I forgot

Toss Tempeh and BBQ sauce lightly keeping that Tempeh whole slices. Sauce the pizza with a little BBQ and Pizza Sauce, put some Daiya (it’s expensive, go easy) Red Onion and Tempeh. Garnish with Cilantro and ENJOY. It’s so good.

Roasted Ⓥeggie Pizza ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Daiya, whiteness greatness
  • Potatoes, red
  • Turnip, peeled if wax coated(LAME if waxed)
  • Corn, I used canned corn
  • Onion, reddish purple
  • Peppers, yellow, green, orange and red(my red pepper had fuzzy mold growing on it)

How’s it Gonna Be

I found a truly hilarious movie on Netflix last year called Awful Nice. I repeatedly watched it and watched it again last night. Also, this annual Pizza Day is stretching into three days…. Oh, well. I’ve also been blogging these words for the same three days. Here’s a sum of the movie I think is unbelievably funny.

Awful Nice Preview

And now that I’ve mentioned Netflix, I’ll have to mention a few others. As of the 15th of 2015 August these are on Netflix. From 1991, Ed O’neill and Ethan Embry deliver this now 24 year old classic. JUST WATCH IT.

Dutch Preview

Another is The History of Future Folk. A feel-good movie that is very well put together. Future Folk Preview

And lastly, I just watched this last night (8.14.15) as it was just put on Netflix this week. I first was introduced to this comedian years ago when you was on The Daily Show talking about myspace. He has had his own show with his own style of comedy on Comedy Central that I found hilarious.

Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time)


Ⓥediterranean Pizza ingredients:

  • Tofu, firm
  • Spinach, present
  • Onion, white and julienned
  • Tomato, roma julienne sliced
  • Artichoke Hearts, canned whole sliced
  • Kalamata Olives, cut long ways
  • Daiya, white and yellow
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Pizza Dough
  • Sriracha, cock sauce
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/DillWeed

Backflips:

  • First, infuse your Tofu with SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/DillWeed, Balsamic Vinegar & Sriracha. Get your dough stretched and put on pan. I sometimes like to fold the dough over to make a thicker crust.
  • I topped Pizza Sauce, Spinach, Daiya, Tomato, Onion, Olives, Artichokes & Daiya. I could’ve baked for 5 minutes longer, but I was impatiently hungry.

Perfect Situation


Monday night, I made two pizzas somewhat tipsy. Hence, the picture quality. They were made well, just not perfectly. The two styles of Pizza were the Ⓥicago-Style Dawg Pizza and The MexiⓋano-Style Pizza.


Ⓥicago-Style DawgZza ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce
  • LightLife Smart Dogs, sliced and grilled
  • Sauerkraut, drained
  • Onion, red and julienned
  • Tomato, roma and julienned
  • Cucumber, diced
  • Daiya, mozz-style
  • Scallions or Mustard, for garnish

Hurdles:

  • Get everything chopped/sliced/grilled and ready. Dough is ready with some sauce, just add toppings and Daiya and garnish how you’d like. This one is a treat.
  • Only Hunter Pence uses ketchup on DAWGS, dog. GO CUBBIES. That sweep against the SFGiants was HUGE.


Schlage


Ⓥexicano Pizza ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Tempeh, chicken-like sliced
  • Daiya, orange and white
  • Black Beans, rinsed and dried
  • Corn Kernels, rinsed and dried
  • Cilantro, chopped for garnish
  • Scallions, sliced for garnish
  • Cayenne/Pepper/Sriracha/ChiliP/GarlicP/OnionP
  •  

Triathlon:

  • Mix Cayenne/Pepper/Sriracha/ChiliP/GarlicP/OnionP with Tempeh softly leaving Tempeh intact.
  • Top Pizza Dough with Sauce, Daiya and toppings.
  • Bake and Garnish with Scallions and Cilantro. Apologies for the picture quality.

Jon from Vegan Zombie


AvocadoNaise ingredients:

  • Acocado, peeled and chopped
  • Vegenaise, mmmmmmmm
  • Cilantro, finely chopped
  • Scallion, sliced
  • Lemon, juice

Mix while not trying to consume all on the spot.


 Ⓥaco Pizza ingredients:

  • Tempeh, crumbled
  • Tofu, crumbled and infused (see Ⓥediterranean (above))
  • Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/Cayenne/Turmeric/GetchaSum!/Cumin
  • Black Beans, rinsed and dried
  • Corn Kernels, rinsed and dried
  • Daiya, orange-mmmmmmmm
  • Daiya, white-mmmmmmmm
  • Pizza Dough
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Iceberg Lettuce, chopped finely
  • Onion, red-julienned
  • Tomato, roma-julienned
  • Olives, black-halved
  • AvocadoNaise, tasty!


Wheelies:

  • Preparations before hand is easier. Like always…
  • Mix already infused Tofu with the crumbled Tempeh and infuse that with eventually infused Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/Cayenne/Turmeric/GetchaSum!/Cumin, BUT do not get confused
  • I went Pizza Dough, Pizza Sauce, Beans, Corn, Tempeh/Tofu, orange Daiya and then baked.
  • I cut the pizza when finished baking.
  • I topped the already topped finished pizza with Lettuce, more Beans and Corn, the white Daiya, AvocadoNaise (plopped in center), Tomato and Onion nicely around the AvocadoNaise, and to top it completely off, Black Olives around the perimeter of the AvocadoNaise or beginning of Mount AvocadoNaise.


They might be considered foothills, but I’m not too sure. Eat and enjoy with a stack of napkins or hand/face wash station nearby. Better yet, it wouldn’t hurt to have an eye wash station close by either. Depending on amount and time of Ⓥaco Pizza, it can get super messy. Clean up and #RideOn!


June Time Science

Posted on by jeffreylatty


I’ve had a super busy month of June. I have statistics and numbers to elaborate. It is now the 10th of July and I am still recuperating. The best thing about it all is that I’ve chosen to take that leap from Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism to Veganism as of 07.08.15. Time is everything. Time is something you cannot control. Time will continue throughout the ever-expanding universe even without precious you. What do you do with your time (EXACTLY)?


I’ve spent TIME in the past, accumulating numbers for TIME spent on things, but only a week at a TIME. And I’ve only included Facebook as my audience. This TIME, I try and make sense out of the entire 720 hours, 1,800 minutes and 108, 000 seconds involved timely in JUNE of 2015.


Out of all of the 720 hours of June, I have been Vegetarian for completely all of them, but ⓋEGAN at least 288 hours. I’ve been Vegetarian for three whole years without any slip-up… I have completed six straight ⓋEGANVEEKENDS. #VeganWeekends or #VeganVeekends are me being completely ⓋEGAN from midnight Friday morning until 11:59 Sunday night. And recently I have realized that I’m not meant for eggs or dairy at all. It stopped agreeing with the all-mighty science of my body. BOOM.


The only explanation of time I cannot account for could very well be linked to PORN. And by my PORN viewings, it must stop TIME literally because I watch 165 PLUS hours of PORN a week.


CELLARING TIPS: TIME LOCK SAFE DON’T DRINK THAT SHIT


No one watches porn. There is no money in that.


  
Wanna know something cool that I have figured out. Rhetorical question mark has got to be a freaking period?

(Slightly tipsy)

I have always worked in the restaurant business, killing myself and killing others with tasty and cholesterol packed foods and money tips are great. BUT I TELL YOU SOMETHING, when you leave that death-trap and work in a workplace full of life and help. When you’re not killing people in your line of work, that is a great feeling. Instead of selling well done filets, extra bloody carnivorous rare T-bones, meat lover pizzas, or basically contributing to a future heart attack, selling a nice door and windows that bring life and happiness to people. Unfortunately, many purchasing a nice door or replacing a double hung window, have been killing themselves with red meat and arty clogging cheese. It is incredible to have people skills and to sell necessities rather than sad addictions. Even better than that feeling is when you occasionally, or for me, an often handshake. I get many handshakes and after selling 2,000 dollars in just windows.


I might be the only asshole who is good with people, but gets a minor chubby after every handshake.


ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AND/OR CARRY SANITIZER WITH YOU

GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE USAULLY ISNT VEGAN

In the past, I’ve often used Worcestershire sauce in my Bloody Mary’s to add a little flare and flavor. Worcestershire sauce often and possibly always involves anchovies at the least. I concocted a Vegan Bloody Mary, but being Vegan, I need to remove the “bloody” from the name.


In the month of June, there were roughly 135 hours of TIME that I cannot account for and probably ties into many other things.


I have spent almost a third of my time in June working a whopping 197.42 hours. That’s an average of almost 50 hours a week. I was working two jobs for the majority of the month. I spent 32 hours riding my bicycles, 1,922 minutes to be more exact and quite a few of those hours were commuting the long way to work. Some were even climbing 200 meters before and after work, unfortunately, not during work or on the clock. I did climb a total of 3, 450 meters throughout June. My goal was 8, 848 meters, being the altitude of Mt. Everest to complete the Strava Climb For Nepal challenge. My total distance ridden was 763 kilometers or 763, 000 meters, being 8, 623 % of distance in climbing to complete that challenge. After riding 8, 623 % of climbing goal, only 40 % of goal was achieved. Now the month of June here in Illinois was not exactly Mt. Everest climbing weather.

According to

Illinois State Climatologist https://climateillinois.wordpress.com

Illinois received the most rainfall in the country in the month of June at 9.3 inches. In California it rained 2.5% of Illinois rainfall. I believe year round, Florida or Floyduh has one of the biggest annual rainfalls, only precipitated 63.4% of Illinois precipitation. My birth state, Colorado, rained only 20.7% of what Illinois rained.


  
MAKE IT RAIN

There were many days that it was too wet to ride comfortably and many days I did ride uncomfortably.


I concluded that I spent 42 hours watching sports and/or socializing and I enjoyed 56 beers last month for the very first time. I have made some adjustments and hopefully sense out of my 135 unanswered hours. I figured that I have spent 75 hours cooking/eating, 9 hours grooming/hygiene, 6 hours cleaning, only 50 hours watching Netflix/internet, 5 hours mowing the lawn, 10 hours shopping, 25 hours in the restroom RESTING, and 271 hours sleeping. 271 hours of sleep averages a little over 9 hours of sleep a day in the bedroom not the restroom. Many of these hours intertwine as I am a king of multi-tasking. It is crazy to think about and is not exactly quick and easy to calculate, but at the same time is fun to see and share.


As for this “bloody” Mary, I have decided to name it Vegan Garden Mary.


Vegan Garden Mary ingredients:

-Rosemary infused Vodka

-Sriracha

-Balsamic Vinegar

-Tomato Juice

-Lemon Juice

-SeaSalt/CelerySalt/Pepper/

-Celery

-Green Olives and Green Olive Juice or Brine


Vegan Garden Mary adventure:

The first thing to complete is infusing your Vodka with a few sprigs of Organic Rosemary. Fresh, of course. You’ll want to either drink a few shots of Vodka or use for Vegan Vodka Sauce like I did and throw the sprigs into the bottle closing it and infusing for 4-5 days. After infusement, strain Vodka into container and discard empty bottle with trapped Rosemary sprigs. When the Rosemary has been infused, it is go time. Combine all ingredients and garnish with Celery, Olives and Rosemary. Take a pic, cheers your friends and enjoy!

Whiskey Wine Edamame

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Title: Whiskey Wine Edamame 
Daily Ride: Yes
  
Happy Memorial Day to all and to all of my blog readers that I think I have, I hope you had a great weekend!

  
I don’t care for much attention here on my WordPress space.. I used to have a MySpace, but unfortunately I deleted it years ago. I was good at MySpace unlike this WordPress where I can’t even understand how to layout my page. Maybe it’s laziness, maybe it’s my stupidity. Maybe I don’t even care. Does this blog really need much attention for my dumb and mostly pointless rants and raves. Maybe with the rants and raves I should have black lights and glow-in-the-dark whistles and bow ties as the layout. Really it’s just a blog with improper English and grammar that openly proves that I have a drinking problem and even more expensively, a cycling problem. 
I might not be the healthiest person out there, but I take pride in making healthy choices and occasionally upgrading my healthy lifestyle. I might have a healthy problem. I’ve been partaking and mostly successful being Vegan on every Friday since January 9th of this year. 
I’ve been 100% Vegetarian since January 29th, 2013. I’ve overcome various different obstacles and challenges basically every #VeganVriday. 

  
I’ve decided to participate in #VeganWeekend every weekend starting this week. The entire weekend, Friday at midnight through Sunday at 11:59, would be completely Vegan. Do I plan on being a full time Vegan, no. Will I, very possible. As long as beer is vegan, anything is possible. 

  
I’ve been without Netflix since April, 20th of this year. And Netflix actually cancelled my membership after a month. I like Netflix, I just don’t want to pay for it and I want to watch it less. I am human and have been streaming freely with Crackle and Tubi TV. There is a very nice and large selection between them both, you just have to deal with commercials… I hate commercials, but I’m doing just fine. 
I’ve finally decided to move to the next cycling level and ordered cycling shoes and eggbeater pedals. I’m excited to see the difference and it better be a huge difference as I’m attempting the Strava Mt. Everest Napal climbing challenge in June of climbing 8,848 m, which is the height of Everest, in the month of June. I hate climbing… It is for a good cause.

   

  

  

Whiskey Wine Edamame:

   
 
I made this OILFREE 🙂
Ingredients:

-Red Wine

-Whiskey

-Lemon juiced no seeds,no stem

-Balsamic Vinegar

-Dill Weed

-Fresh Garlic, sliced

-Lentils, cooked

-Edamame, shelled & cooked

-Potatoes, largely chopped

-Turnip, largely chopped

-Carrot, largely sliced

-Tomato paste

-Parsley, for garnish

-Onion, chopped

-Fresh Kale, chopped

-Celery, largely sliced

-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne/GarP

-Water or Broth

   
 
The Voyage:
I started by chopping the Potatoes, Turnip & Carrots and placing them on parchment paper on a larger baking sheet. I turned on the oven to 415*F and threw that pan in and continued to chop the veggies. I chopped the Onion, Celery & Garlic and set a side for a few minutes. I started the water for Lentils at some point. I also had a few beers. I decided to use these frozen shelled Edamame that happens to be #NonGMOProjectVerified. I threw the Edamame in with the lentils towards the very end for a few minutes. I then put the other veggies in with the already roasting oil-free veggies and stirred them up making them super crazy. They had a very sexy aroma. I put the Lentils and Edamame in a colander and drained the water while putting the pan back on the stovetop heat adding Red Wine (Cab), Whiskey, Seasonings, Balsamic Vinegar and Tomato Paste and brought almost to a boil. I timed the Booze to get hot as the Veggies were good to go and first added the Lentils and Edamame and then the Veggies to the Booze. If you add the Veggies before the Protein, the world will end. I then added the Lemon Juice and Kale and basically steamed the Kale while stirring. It is basically done whenever your desired doneness is achieved and the liquid has mostly vanished. 

  
Enjoy if you try. No well wishes if ya don’t try. KIDDING! Have fun and take pics in whatever drives you!

Vegan Italian “beef”

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Title: Vegan Italian “Beef”
Daily Ride:  Yes
  
I recently had a Charles Bukowski binge and needed a mandatory detox. The detox excluded everything but water, food and vitamins. I didn’t have booze for 5 days, energy/caffeine for 3 days and Netflix is still going strong at like 12 days. 
  
The Netflix breakup, as I do date Netflix and f*%hdhdhdjdjjdjd Netflix up the a*+=]hdhdjjdd, was due to (sorry) an inactive debit card that the bank told me to cancel because of a threat. I just didn’t update my Netflix account. And have since been watching free streaming on Crackle. Crackle bl^#*hdhdjd me good, but then there are those damn commercials…. Apologies for being a dirty person tonight, but this is the only way to describe my relationships with streaming. I am drinking barleywine! I need another beer. Barleywine makes me feel FINE. 
  
I went for a ride to end up at my sisters for my seven year old nephews birthday party tonight. I had a water malfunction. I went to a bar with $3 and change and drank them out of water. I climbed 338 m in 58 km. I feel extremely happy about that. I had my Garmin on maps the entire time. And I just RODE. It is the greatest feeling. 
  
Live free, ride a bicycle. 
I need another beer. 
I need more THRICE. 
I made this vegan dish awesomely it just needs to be perfected. 
   

 

Seitan ingredients: 
-Corn Meal
-Tomato Sauce
-Vital Wheat Gluten
-Herbs/SeaSalt/Pepper
-BROTH
-Non Dairy Cheese Cloth 
-Fennel Seeds
(Continued the next morning)
Mix ingredients and wrap in cheese cloth and place in pan w/ Broth and seasonings and bake for two hours turning Seitan over after 60 minutes. And cool.
I haven’t perfected slicing the Seitan for Italian “beef” yet, but slice it how ya want.
   

 

Au Jus ingredients:
-Broth
-Brown Mustard
-Crushed Red Peppers
-Garlic cloves
-Peppercorn
-Sugar
-SeaSalt/Pepper
I sliced Red and Green Bell Peppers and an Onion and put into Au Jus with sliced Seitan and marinated for a bit.
  
I used French Bread and toasted in oven before topping with Seitan, Peppers and “Cheese”.
   

 

I also used Hot Goardiniera for one sandwich. I also pan fried Beefsteak Tomatoes. 
  
The Barleywine that I enjoyed last night was a 2013 Kosmyk Charlie’s Catastrophe Ale from Central Waters Brewing Company out of Amherst, Wisconsin. It aged very well. And I drank it quickly. 
The band Thrice is a post-rock, alternative and slightly emo/screamo (earlier years) band. I first and only, actually, saw them in Chicago for my 21st birthday. They were very good live and have put together great music from 1999-2012 according to Wikipedia. And are supposedly playing some shows this year? 
  
Anyways, I hope I’ve inspired someone to cook, jam out to Thrice or go ride a bike. Take pics and have fun! 

Big Muddy Vegan Earth Day

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Title: Big Muddy Vegan Earth Day
Daily Ride:  Yes
  
It is Earth Day 2015 today. And also my day off. Might as well spend some time on a blogfulness post. To others, Earth Day, means to recycle and post things on social media about how they are “saving” earth. To me Earth Day is every day. Many others have the same approach and lifestyle, but I want to talk about our planets livestock production. I’ve gathered a few notes from reading a PETA and Times article. 
  
Both articles state how livestock production may have a bigger impact on Earth than anything else. And by passively “May”, they truly arrogantly mean “IS”.
  
Here are some of the notes I took:
-5 lbs. of wild-caught fish fed to farmed fish to produce one lb. flesh
-30% of Earths ice-free surface is not for growing grains, fruits & veggies consumed by humans, but for chickens, pigs & cattle to consume before most humans eat the animals
-70% grain & cereals grown are fed to farmed animals
-13 lbs. grain to produce 1 lb. of meat
-Livestock production uses ⅓ Earths fresh water
-11 times the fossil fuels to make one calorie from animal protein to one calorie from plant protein
-It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef to which one pound of wheat only takes 25 gallons
I’m a geek and watch numerous documentaries every week and even the science documentaries stress the destruction of factory farming inefficiency. 
“You save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you do by not showering for six months!” PETA 
I say Happy Earth Day and don’t eat meat or better yet don’t eat or use any animal based product. 
I made Vegan Saison-Serrano CornDawgs that were Organic and NONGMO but also, oil-free and skewer-free. Technically maybe not 100% organic and NONGMO, but damn close. 
  
Saison (French, “season,” French pronunciation: ​[sɛ.zɔ̃]) is a broadly defined pale ale that, in modern versions, is generally around 7% abv, highly carbonated, fruity, spicy (sometimes from the addition of spices), and is influenced by Saison Dupont Vieille Provision.[1]Saisons are currently brewed in a range of countries, particularly the United States, and are often bottle conditioned.[2] 

                            -WIKIPEDIA 

Saison beers are usually amazing! I used two different Saisons for the batter. I used an Anchor Saison Spring Ale out of San Francisco and a Hennepin Farmhouse Saison from New York’s Ommegang Brewery. Both were very good. The Anchor Saison was very light for its ass-kicking ABV. I was impressed.
  
Vegan Saison-Serrano CornDawg ingredients:

-Organic Mustard
-Ketchup, high quality
-Spicy Mustard?
-Lightlife Smart Dogs, jumbo
-Saison, your choice as is anything 
-Corn Meal, quality over quantity
-Baking Powder
-Sugar/SeaSalt/Pepper/Garlic P
-Roasted Corn
-Serrano, deseeded and finely chopped
-Flour
-Parchment Paper
  
The Voyage:
-Create your batter to the thick consistency and add your Smart Dogs. 
-I let it all sit for a bit. Not sure how long. It probably doesn’t matter either way.
-Turn on oven, preheat is a joke unless you’re baking. 
-I battered the dog generously and put onto the parchment paper and then rolled the parchment paper to keep the CornDawg intact and then I baked it. 
  
I will have to remaster it, but it turned out very good. 
  
The crazy thing is that the Meat Industry and large scale farming is destroying our Earth and I always thought vehicles were the biggest destroyer, never thought of the Pig (Beef) Destroyer until recent years. 
  
I’ve mentioned in past Blog Fog that I used to go to SIUC and live in Carbondale, IL for almost four years. There is a brewery 5-10 miles west of Carbondale in Murphysboro, IL called Big Muddy Brewing after the Big Muddy River that flows through there. I used to drink various beers of theirs before my Untappd days. And have recently enjoyed many Big Muddy Brews in northern Illinois 300 miles north of this smallish brewery. 
  
The only Big Muddy Brewing beer that I do not approve of is their Sour Du Shawnee. It was horrible unless it was meant to obtain an age, they failed horribly. It was vinegary and not sour. It did have a good nose to it. The Big Muddy Brewing brews I’ve had post Untappd days:
  
-Saluki DunkelDog
-Sour Du Shawnee
-Vanilla Stout
-Blueberry Blonde
-Galaxy IPA
-Backwoods Monster
-Pumpkin Smasher
-Big Muddy Monster
   

     

It is Earth Day and y’all should go ride a bicycle at least. I’m not always a fan of road rides, but often partake. You can ride defensively to a point, but you cannot control everything vehicles do. I often ride on Canals near me. They are not in great shape and continue to fall apart without correct fixes. It sucks. IDNR does not give a fucking shit. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 
  
HOW ABOUT THOSE CHICAGO CUBBIES!?!?
  
THE DYNASTY HAS BEGUN 🙂

  

Eggplant Rice Boat

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Title: Eggplant Rice Bowl
Daily Ride: Yes
Yesterday, I needed to deposit some cash into my checking account and had to work at 0900. There are two locations for my bank and, in the past, one of them has always confused me and not been open for cyclists walking in. I decided to go (bicycle) to the location that is farther away from work and the lobby would most likely be open. I leaned my Trek against the brick wall by the front door at 0821, took my helmet and gloves off only to see their hours on the glass door. The drive-thru opens at 0730, but the lobby does not open until 0830.
  
I had my earbuds in with some lovely music blaring and screamed obscenities. I, for one minute, planned on waiting for the doors to open. Ultimately, I decided to ride to the other location that is closer to work. I hate being late and I hate climbing hills. I climbed up the damn hill and rode to the other bank pissed off. To me, it’s just good business tactics that if your drive-thru is open at 0730 because of demand, maybe the lobby is in demand also. And with bank tellers there at 0730, shouldn’t it be a no-brainer that your lobby should be open. Am I crazy for being frustrated and for having these thoughts. 
I think next time the lobby is closed, I’m just gonna ride through the drive-thru on my bicycle and probably cause a scene. Maybe not a scene, but maybe act a smart ass. 
I’ve been kind of bored with Netflix lately and I cheated on Netflix with Crackle last night. Crackle is basically the same concept as Netflix, just free and consumed with commercials. I hate commercials, but put up with them to watch Safety Not Guaranteed, first seen on Netflix, but unfortunately removed. Very good movie. The level of annoyingness of the commercials is nuclear. Not only are commercials fake, horrible and nowhere funny while obviously trying to be funny, these damn commercials sometimes play four times in a row. It’s equivalent to having your eyes wired open, fed illicit drugs and forced watching persuasion material. Only the strong minds survive. And Crackle did advertise for the movie Drive on Crackle, which later I could not find.
It’s a good marketing tool, labeling food or beer, as made with Sriracha. Monday, I had a Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer. I was hesitant the last couple of weeks after first seeing it. I like Rogue beers and LOVE Sriracha, but didn’t think it was worth $13.00 being under 6% ABV. Overall, it’s very overpriced, very weak on the ABV, but it was very decent with a good amount of spice and I was already multiple beers deep while enjoying the Rogue.
I had the urge to stop and make breakfast, eat the breakfast and read a National Geographic. I actually hate reading. I read the big typing and glanced at the pictures, but I definitely looked at a magazine while my phone was charging in another room. It was a rather splendid technology free breakfast. 
  
After my “Saturday CookFest” last weekend, I had some leftovers. I had a good amount of rice, a few Stuffed Poblanos and an extra whole eggplant. I thought about it for a couple of days and did see a picture of an eggplant bowl online. I think the picture that I did see involved shrimp or something. I just needed the concept. 
Eggplant Rice Boat ingredients:
-Whole Eggplant, halved stem intact
-Stuffed Poblano
-Rice mixture
-Good Oil
-Salt/Pepper/Cayenne
-Cheese or dairy-free “Cheese”
-Cilantro 
  
Stuffed Poblano ingredients:
-Wild Rice
-Brown Rice
-Cilantro
-Celery, super diced
-Carrot, supper diced
-Zucchini, diced
-Garlic, diced
-Onion, diced
-Serrano Peppers, sliced
-Sesame Seed Oil & other Oil
-Fresh Ginger, diced
-Water, super sliced!
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne
-Poblanos, cut top off and save, deseed also
-Cheese or “Cheese”
-Balsamic Vinegar
-I garnished with alfalfa sprouts
Heat oil, sauté Ginger & Garlic. Add Onion, Celery and Carrots with a splash of Balsamic Vinegar and Sesame Seed Oil after a few minutes. Add Zucchini and sliced water. Put desired Wild Rice in and bring to boil. Then cover and simmer after 20-30 minutes add Brown Rice and make sure there is correct density of sliced water. Add Serrano slices at anytime with generous Cilantro and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. You might have to strain before filling Poblanos. I invented a aluminum lasso in the past for making Stuffed Habaneros in order to keep them standing. 
I attempted this again with the Poblanos. It was more difficult as the Poblanos are not as uniform as the Habaneros. I put four into a taller bowl and then used the aluminum lasso at the top. I filled the Poblanos with the dry Rice and added Cheese and baked until cheese was melted. I now feel that cutting the bottoms of Poblanos would be easier and just dicing them and adding to Rice along side Serrano, I also baked the tops of the Poblanos. Bake to desired doneness and garnish with Sprouts or anything you’d like. You can use immediately or refrigerate for another day with the Eggplant Rice Boat. 
I just cut the flesh of the halved Eggplant at a cross pattern leaving skin unscathed and then backed for 25 minutes. Then remove the flesh and fill with Rice Mixture and then the roasted Stuffed Poblano. Bake again with cheese on top of the Poblano and garnish with Cilantro. 
  
Take a picture, grab a beer and enjoy. 


It took minimal exhausting effort. Really just involving suicidal thoughts while inside or around Walmart, but I found some fresh corn, corn on the cob. I definitely looked for organic, but had no luck as Walmart doesn’t even believe in organics much as their customers probably think it’s a fucking French cuisine. I bought three ears. And I bought three GMO ears, guaranteed. 
I was extremely craving some corn and unfortunately GMO corn won this battle. 

Saturday CookFest

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist    3.29

Began:   0800   Finished:  1013

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Tags: Netflix, food, cycling, music, vegan, vegetarian, recipe, safety, story, Strava, pics, photo, storm, beer, craft
Title: Saturday CookFest
Daily Ride: Taking the weekend off
  
With the cold and windy spring weather lately, I’ve been commuting everyday to work. I took last Friday off and yesterday (Saturday) and most likely today off of the bicycle. It’s been too long (8 days) since a 20+ km ride. I try and make my commutes longer, but staying in town usually persuades my internal mind-thought on shorter rides because of lack of space and my lack of tolerance for riding in multiple circles. 
I did KOM one all-time segment and multiple 2015 KOMs, which doesn’t mean much, but it’s a nice way to look at it. I’d like to claim that I still ride super hard in town pretty damn well. People probably think I’m crazy in this small twin city community because sometimes you have to be in the middle of the road (still on the right side) in order to turn left, because asshole drivers like to pass you three feet away from a stop sign or stop light creating a dangerously awkward situation. And at stop lights, I stop directly behind cars, rarely off to the side. 
You have to fight back when riding in traffic and not cower and give vehicles their way. You basically have to put yourself at risk. Sometimes you’re gonna get hurt, because most people suck at driving and get confused especially around cyclists. 
I was actually forced into an accident by a vehicle in 2013 where I then was life-flown 60 miles away because of brain swelling and trauma. The bicycle helmet, from Bontrager, saved my life. It wasn’t damaged much more than a huge divot, but the emergency personnel had to cut my clothes off of me, including the helmet. With the receipt ,my story of the incident and my damaged helmet mailed to the Trek/Bontrager headquarters in Wisconsin, I was awarded a fresh helmet at no cost. I’m not going to get into this ordeal much, but just a little Strava #ProveIt for any possible readers. 
Earlier this week, I added The Angriest Man in Brooklyn to my Netflix ‘My List’ after seeing it is a 2014 Robin Williams film before his passing. Like 98% of the entire world, Robin’s sudden passing last year was truly more upsetting than any other celebrities’ death and was, to me, taken as a family loss. 

  
I grew up with Robin Williams in various films and he has always put a smile to my face. RIP, Robin Williams. #RideOn
  
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, is a dark humor drama/comedy with a great cast. It brings you on a roller coaster journey of emotions. And because of his passing months after the release of this film, has me contemplating his death and life literally the entire film. I’m not going to spoil the flick. 
  
At the end, with himself talking about his exact tombstone years, has me speechless. And then later on jokes that Henry “hates bicycles”. Unfortunately, brilliant. 
I came across an amazing hardcore band Code Orange Kids or, I guess, now Code Orange. And with my technology difficulties and funds difficulties it’s easy to hear their music just not keep their music. Very hardcore. Most people would find it ugly and disturbing music. 
  
Last week, I bought a T-shirt. It enticed me brain with little sharks and vast blueness, not to mention the little pocket with…. Just blue. Anyways, I figured a large would size me up right. I’m not super fat, but because of my mostly German and Russian heritage, I’m husky. I then, after purchase, realized it was a British company and didn’t think much of it until I tried this work-of-art onto my work-of-art body. And it was uncomfortably small and tight. 
My brain instantly bubbled and popped and I had this thought that the British had created this hilarious and elaborate joke, by creating millions of T-shirts one size too small while claiming a size up, proving and mockingly stating that the USA is fat. I then swapped it for an XL and all is cool in that spool turning and burning in my skull. Possibly, the L shirt displays the correct sizing for the rest of the world and because I’m used to the USA and we are fat, maybe our sizes are bigger to keep our confidence up and our sizes fitting? I’m ready for a beer. 
  
No beer before breakfast…
  
Yesterday, I did a little shopping and a lot of cooking. I have food for days. I bought this wild rice because of the inappropriate situation in my pants when this Rice was discovered on the shelf. And then when I saw the NonGMO Project Verified label, I let out an uncontrollably loud and awkward moan while making a decent mess in my pants. I will forever owe my heart to this brand of wild rice! 
  
I made Stuffed Poblanos, Roasted Almonds, Cheesy Zucchini and Stuffed Eggplant Linguine. Everything was very good and I’m blessed with vast leftovers which I can play around with today. It all took me a little over four hours, taking my time and sampling a few beers that I purchased. About an hour into cooking, I was confused and thought it was Friday and became disappointed that I’d need to turn my Vegetarian planned food into Vegan food (which is not difficult) to keep my streak of #VeganVriday going strong. Silly me, it was Saturday. And I’ve already successfully completed a #VeganVriday without consciously thinking about it. 
Your brain knows things that you don’t really think you know.
  
Roasted Almonds ingredients:
-Good Oil
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Paprika
-Rosemary
-Whole Almonds
-Garlic, sliced 
-Shallot, diced & julienne sliced
-I added Crushed Rep Pepper
Super easy, just mix and bring Garlic slices and julienne Shallots to top and roast 20 minutes or so
  
Cheesy Zucchini ingredients:
-I used dairy Cheese, but non-dairy “Cheese” is much cooler. 
-Zucchini, halved longways
 (Quartered,if using oval dish like I did, to fit in awkward goalie areas) 
-Roma Tomatoes, deseeded & diced 
-Shallot, julienne sliced
-Oregano
-Good Oil
-SeaSalt/Pepper
-Garlic, diced
-Fresh Basil, sliced
Organic Basil is amazing
-Cheese or “Cheese”
I used Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Shaved Parmesan
Oil dish lightly and add zucchini, not stacking. Lightly brush zucchini with oil and season. Add Garlic, Shallot and then Cheese or “Cheese” with Tomatoes on top -bake for 25 ish minutes and garnish with Basil
  
Stuffed Poblano ingredients:
-Wild Rice
-Brown Rice
-Cilantro
-Celery, super diced
-Carrot, supper diced
-Zucchini, diced
-Garlic, diced
-Onion, diced
-Serrano Peppers, sliced
-Sesame Seed Oil & other Oil
-Fresh Ginger, diced
-Water, super sliced!
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne
-Poblanos, cut top off and save, deseed also
-Cheese or “Cheese”
-Balsamic Vinegar
-I garnished with alfalfa sprouts
Heat oil, sauté Ginger & Garlic. Add Onion, Celery and Carrots with a splash of Balsamic Vinegar and Sesame Seed Oil after a few minutes. Add Zucchini and sliced water. Put desired Wild Rice in and bring to boil. Then cover and simmer after 20-30 minutes add Brown Rice and make sure there is correct density of sliced water. Add Serrano slices at anytime with generous Cilantro and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. You might have to strain before filling Poblanos. I invented a aluminum lasso in the past for making Stuffed Habaneros in order to keep them standing. 
I attempted this again with the Poblanos. It was more difficult as the Poblanos are not as uniform as the Habaneros. I put four into a taller bowl and then used the aluminum lasso at the top. I filled the Poblanos with the dry Rice and added Cheese and baked until cheese was melted. I now feel that cutting the bottoms of Poblanos would be easier and just dicing them and adding to Rice along side Serrano, I also baked the tops of the Poblanos. Bake to desired doneness and garnish with Sprouts or anything you’d like. 
FIRST SPRING STORM!?!? BRB
  
I am an amateur storm chaser. I thought it was coming a little faster. The wind definitely picked up. Probably a good amount of rain, maybe some snow? I’m hoping for some thunder and lightening that I wouldn’t be able to see because it’s 0941. Here comes the rain. 
  
I did get to witness an inland hurricane down at SIUC with my roommate on the porch. I’ll have to dig up a few pictures.
  
Just a little rain for this weak-sauce “storm”… 
  
Stuffed Eggplant
  
BackBurner Ragu Mari ingredients:
-Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
-Garlic, diced
-Carrots, duper sicedly
-Celery, super diced
-Onion, whole & then diced
-Tomato Paste
-Chopped Tomatoes, canned or do it yourself
-SeaSalt/GarlicP/Sugar/Pepper
-Oregano
Cool down for at least two hours…
-Linguine, cooked Starch not rinsed
-Eggplant, thinly sliced longways
-Good Oil
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Oregano
-Cheese or “Cheese”
-Fresh Organic Basil, whole leaves or sliced
-Parsley, fresh tree trunks removed 
Have your Mari ready for ya. Lightly oil both sides of Eggplant & season. Lightly roast for 12-15 flipping once. Add Cheese or “Cheese” or nothing…Whatever airs your tubes. Bake just a little longer and melt whatever is on there. If nothing added skip that ordeal. Roll up eggplant and securely stab through the Rolled up Eggplants heart because why do you think we have Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyles…We hate PLANTS and also Eggplants have like 10 hearts that you should’ve allowed in each slice that you prepared. I used a lasagna pan and added a little Marinara as a base and then I carefully placed the Murdered Eggplant rolls onto the (Bloody) Marinara, while you painted an outline around the bodies and you’d #BetterCallSaul for contributing in this movement & destruction of a crime scene. You can only call Saul (Jimmy, as of now still) on Monday nights 10/9 c. 
  
I splashed a little more blood on top of the Delicious Eggplant massacre and threw some cheese on them. Baked until cheese was melted. They were Cheesy and stingy Eggplant slices, anyways. I laid Linguine on a bed added some delicious Mari and then not one, but two Stuffed Eggplant rolls. I garnished with ridiculousness. Sorry, Basil and Parsley and enjoyed with an AWESOME Stone Enjoy By 4.20.15 DIPA. #Prost to your outstanding weekend! 
  

Easy Chinesey

Posted on by jeffreylatty

VeggHead BeerCyclist   03.05

Began: 0030   Finished: 0730

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Tags: sobriety,mlb,chicago,cubs,writing,smoking,addiction,amc,movie,food,dessert,recipe,cycling,music,beer,craft,story,winter,vegan,vegetarian,netflix,apple,apps,social,media,tv,pics
Title: Easy Chinesy 
Daily Ride: Probable, cold but sunny

I’m not going to go over a specific Chinese recipe. I just want to share a few essentials which create my make-shift Chinese food. Military time is always an easy way to depict the time. Good thing it’s not Japanese food I’ll be going over otherwise I’d have to get nuclear with a joke or two. I also have a Root Beer Floater concoction that was very good on Super Bowl Sunday.
My last beer was at 2100 on Tuesday March 3rd and today, March 5th, my first beer was at I’m gonna guess noon on Thursday. Nothing like a little mid week sobriety to boost your next binge. IVCA (Illinois Valley Cycling Association) usually does a night canal ride every Wednesday on the I&M Canal with drinks afterwards. It’s usually around 40 km. I did not participate for a few reasons. The last time I was down there on the towpath there were sections of pure ice that even on four inch FatBike tires is like a tightrope balancing act without a safety net on a 35 pound bike. I’m ready for spring and have ridden my lower end FatBike 450 miles this winter according to Strava. My last ride was five days ago and I’m going through withdrawals. A bit of a cycling hiatus due to weather, cold and lack of motivation, unfortunately. Addictions can be healthy and not so healthy. Cycling is healthy. No comment on the booze. If ya can’t make it to work because of booze abuse, you have a problem. As of this year, I’ve been cigarette free for five straight years. I am super proud of this and try to influence others to quit as much as possible. 

It took me a good eight years to actually complete the process, but it worked. I unintentionally started to quit in high school. First of all, I started smoking at age 12 with friends and continued until the college years. I used to smoke a few cigarettes before school. My sophomore year of high school I had algebra II first thing. I was always good with mathematics and my teacher was in his mid twenties and decided to call me out in front of the class and asked me if I smoked an entire pack of cigs before school. I got nervous and replied, “No, it was two”. But it got me thinking. I probably smell horrible in the morning after a cigarette clam-baking session before school. Chicks don’t usually like smelly dudes, so I quit smoking before school. I still smoked at lunch and basically established a personal code of no smokes before noon. And no cigarettes in the morning helps weaken the addiction and urge for the “fix”. When I was 20, I tried quitting and couldn’t quit while partying and drinking. I then quit smoking unless I was drinking. I soon after started day drinking to have a couple of cigarettes during the day. It makes me laugh, but it’s true. I didn’t know it at the time. I still love some good day drinking. Is there ever some bad day drinking. Just without the nastiness filthy impolite cigarette habit. In 2010, my girlfriend at the time and I quit. She failed and I haven’t smoked since. The difference being that I actually had the will and she did not. 
HOW TO QUIT SMOKING:
1.) Obtain a strong will. Whether it be for health or for others, you’ll need it.
2.) Quit smoking in the morning. If you can quit cold turkey, do it.
3.) Cut down and give yourself days completely without.
4.) Pick a day like January 2nd and QUIT. 

It took my two days to finish the movie K-PAX on Netflix, but I discovered Aaron Paul was in the very last scene. 

I saw an AROD AB yesterday. It was a good AB and he drew a walk. Not sure how I feel about AROD, but he needs to retire. I did want him to hit a homer or strike out. I cannot wait for baseball to start. The Chicago Cubs dynasty has begun. WATCH OUT! 

I do not know if a Chicago Cubs addiction is good or bad for people. There is still hope and has been forgettable hope for many upon many of decades. There is always next year, but there isn’t always next century. Planets are aligning and things are looking good on both sides of Chicago’s baseball plate. 
Easy Chinesy 
Essential Chineses Ingredients:
-Fresh Ginger
-Rice Wine Vinegar
-Sesame Seed Oil
-Balsamic Vinegar
-Ramen Noodles
-Soy Sauce
(For years I’ve only bought Ramen just for the noodles. Most of them have meat traces in the seasoning packs.)

Additional ingredients:
-Garlic, diced
-Onion, diced 
-Mushroom, quartered or halved
-Cayenne 
-Various other Veggies
-Use your imagination and do it right, not over cooking all of the veggies

This was the batch I made for Christmas. Everyone loved it. Fra ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra. 

Root beer Floater, named after On-One Floater FatBike Tires:




Ingredients:
-Badass beer mug or chalice
-Dad’s Root Beer is cheap and good 
-Quality Vanilla Fro Yo or Ice Cream
-Almond pieces
-Whipped cream
-Maraschino Cherries, seeds and stems
-Good Vanilla extract, the stuff I used was 10% alcohol
Stairs:
-You do not want to use the vanilla to obtain a buzz. If that’s the case, add whisky or rum and run.
-Add a splash of Vanilla Extract to awesome mug or chalice 
-Put desired amount of Vanilla Fro Yo or Ice Cream. Leave room for the root beer!
-Add Root Beer almost to the top 
-Throw a little cream on top
-Stab the cream with a few Almond pieces and pop that Cherry with a maraschino cherry
-Take a pic and you might need a spoon or fork if you’re that talented
I’ve been monitoring my storage memory for my iPhone closely since my MacBook is still out-of-order, but by deleting and re installing my Facebook and Twitter app, I cleared almost a whole gigabyte. Taking up that much memory boggled my mind. And I feel like that might have to be a every-so-often procedure. 
Incorrect vegetarian labeling:

Worcestershire Sauce usually contains Anchovy.

Also, took me a few days, but I watched LEGIT season one on Netflix for the second time.
“billy rolled away”
It’s a darker comedy with heartfelt situations. Check it out!

Season two is on YouTube for free. I haven’t finished it yet. I had a playlist that I copied and was awaiting pastement, but I discovered it required payment. Bummer. 

YouTube is and always has been a great free way to do various things. It’s there for educational purposes, entertainment visually and audio and broadcasting. I’ve watched movies, even. And with the correct technology, it’s available for your big screen. It allows R rated language, but unfortunately not porn. Yet. Apple TV, roku and good wifi are my tools for watching YouTube and other things more comfortably. 

Masters of the Universe on tubitv app on my roku was an interesting film. Paste some whiteout over that on the bucket list.
I remember watching the cartoon in the 80’s, but I’ve never seen this movie that I know of. Within the first five minutes, it seemed like a rip off and heavily influenced by various popular 80’s movies. The opening credits and theme reminded me of the Superman sagas. And then Skeletor’s men look awfully like stormtroopers except they are completely black. And Skeletor’s confines reminded me of an early Indiana Jones’ temple. To make things worse the voice track isn’t synced 100%, not even 85%, with their lips. Gwildor gives me a combination of Yoda from Star Wars meets the luck dragon, Falkor, somehow from The NeverEnding Story. A nice sense of memories of movies I grew up with. And then there’s super young Courtney Cox. The sitcom Friends was entertaining and funny when I was ten years old. A couple of months ago, I attempted to watch the Friends pilot episode on Netflix, but only made it five minutes through. And then there’s a school stage with instruments on it where Courtney Cox is attacked and there’s a Back To The Future reference, to me anyways. Dolph Lundgren is He-Man. And when he swords Skeletor into a shaft, reminds me of something just can’t think of it. Is it Die Hard? 

Snowy cycling visibility is still something I cannot defeat. I have not tried actual skiing/snowboarding goggles yet. I will next year. I did try chemistry goggles and they only lasted for 15 minutes. 

A band, Pianos Become The Teeth, has a newer album that is very listenable to all listeners in KEEP YOU. Check it out!