ready to ride ?

i finally got my rack mounted onto my bike, and the panniers ....

now, the question is ... will she ride to work tomorrow ?



ps. aren't they pretty ?! they're blue, just like my bike !

well, my photo does look a little congested with that overly leafy border, ... too late now. what is it? it's something yummy! it's this recipe from 28 cooks. i made this last night, and another batch of the couscous salad. all i need now is some hummus and i won't have to leave the house at all!

what's cookin' ?

as it's been a very hot summer, i have not cooked as much. instead, i've done more assembling. though lots of people seriously lay off carbs, i've found them to be the basis of some of the salads i've been making lately ... whether tabouli or ...



...this yummy Southwest Couscous Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette from 28 cooks. mine may not be as pretty as hers, but i'm sure it's just as delicious.



i was hesitant to use couscous because i thought i could only get it with semolina, but found other varieties at the grocery store. this box is whole wheat with milled flax seed and soy. bizarre, huh?

the nice thing about these salads is that they are made with minimal cooking ... cooking usually only means adding some grain to boiling hot water, and then turning off the heat and waiting for the grain to absorb the water. easy peasy!

this particular salad recipe was extra easy because the only things i had to chop were part of a red onion and two romas ... everything else went into the food processor.

have you ever seen ?!

... such a pretty carolina blue sky ?!












i went for my second ride today, and went maybe twice as far as i did last time. what was different about this time? well ... i had a girl-friendly skort on (with padding) and i took multiple breaks to take pictures!

i am not totally geared out (yet). i wore one of my short sleeved hiking shirts, and got a serious sunburn on my lower back where my shirt rode up! also, my arms are burned. ouch!

i also made some decisions about my bike rack/pannier options ... i got a rack today that will hopefully accommodate my ortlieb panniers i'm getting gently used for $50 from a friend of a friend bike riding buddy! (they look new! and they're blue!)(though i want everything in green!) i like green. i guess it is my favorite color ....

so, i had a great time, i got sunburned. i rode more miles than i thought i could, and it was all in the name of fun & exercise!





when he smiles, it just makes me ... sigh ............



look! i'm 1/2 through my ride and i'm still smiling!

(b)itchy

i may have killed the fleas, but with the windows open and my place airing out, i have let in a bloodsucking mosquito!

home improvement

i have asked my landlord, for almost a year now, for a new mailbox ... because, if i happen to get mail delivery in two consecutive days, i might excede my mailbox capacity! and so, i get these awful notices ... "mailbox full, please pick up at ____". so, after almost a year, i spent the $10 and 10 minutes and installed a mailbox that is happy to receive a large format magazine and all the regular junk mail! what my landlord says if he ever even notices ... i'll let you know.



my other news is i've been riding my bicycle. my ass hurts! but it's good. i want to eventually get into the habit of using my bike to ride to work and back. and i found this nifty-neat-o trunk bag that slides onto the bike rack (which, is relatively an inexpensive $26) and "clicks" into place ... quick to remove with expandable capacity ....!

all good things must come to an end

though, before my house sitting gig was over, i managed to wreck the kitchen one more time!



i made a nice batch of cilantro jalapeno hummus. it is exceptionally tasty! for breakfast this morning, i toasted two slices of whole grain bread, put sharp cheddar on one slice, and spread the hummus thick on the other slice, and sandwiched a fried egg inbetween! yum-city!