We Ride Bikes

100 Miles on 2 wheels

On Saturday, September 26, I'll be riding 100 miles to help raise money for 3 separate farm animal sanctuaries.  It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now, and when this opportunity came along I jumped at the chance. 

I haven't really been training all that much.  My eating has gotten better, and will hopefully continue that trend in the next week, leading up to the big day, but I haven't really been riding like they say I should be.  Then again, I think whomever "they" are, pretty much assume I drive everywhere I go as opposed to riding my bike everywhere I go. 

I'm excited.  It's been a while since I've had that sense of accomplishment that will come when this is over.  It seems like I've been running in place a lot lately.  Being a stay-at-home parent is great, don't get me wrong.  I love being able to take Amelia to the park with the dogs, and put her down for a nap, and make sure she eats well and I get to read to her all the time but I'm looking forward to being on the road, and being done. 

Most importantly, the whole reason we're doing this is for the animals.  The sort of abuse and neglect that these farm animals have suffered is beyond comprehension.  We are raising money for 3 sanctuaries, and visiting 2 of them.  We start at the In Defense of Animals (IDA) office in Portland.  One of the sanctuaries we're raising money for is Project Hope, a program of IDA.  We're stopping at Out to Pasture Sanctuary in Estacada, Oregon.   From there we ride to Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary in Scio, Oregon. 

Please take the time to visit the donation page here.  Every little bit helps. 

Vegan Biscuits

Laura's dad loves biscuits.  When Liz, Laura's mom, found out about it she set her sights on learning how to make fluffy and delicious biscuits for him.  So Laura grew up eating biscuits.  She loves them.  As in, loves them so much she won't share.

I learned all of this last winter and have been baking biscuits every couple of weeks or so in hopes of perfecting them.  I started with Betty Crocker's recipe, veganized, and have altered it more and more until I think I've got it.

The first thing to know about biscuits is they're a quick bread, and shouldn't be messed with too much.  Once you've mixed the wet and dry, there shouldn't be a lot of fiddling around with them.  Roll 'em out, cut 'em, bake 'em.  Done.  Seriously. 

The second thing is, roll the dough out once, fold it in half over itself. Then, do it again.  This will get the nice layered biscuit.  Also, don't roll the dough out too thin.  Tall biscuits with lots of layers, are the key, I think.

2 cups flour (plus 1/2 cup or so for rolling out the dough)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup plain soymilk

Heat oven to 450º.  Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Spoon the vegetable shortening into the flour mix as you use two butter knives in a scissor motion to break it up and mix it.  If you've done pie crusts it's the same thing.  If you've never done it, no big deal, you'll get the hang of it.  Just try to get it as small as you can, but don't work it too much.  Once you've got nice, relatively consistent crumbs of shortening and flour mix pour in your soymilk.  Mix this up until you've got a dough, then put it on your counter and start rolling it out.  Roll it out to about an inch or so thick, then fold it in half on itself, and do it again.  Then grab a biscuit/cookie cutter, or glass and start cutting biscuits.  For your extra dough, I roll it back into a ball, and start over.  Roll it out to an inch or so, fold it over, and roll it out again.  I use a spray on oil and a cookie sheet, and toss them in the oven.  I want to say it's about 12-15 minutes, but I usually just eyeball them.

I've had to practice them, that's for sure.  But they're delicious, and come out really fluffy usually.  Amelia loves them.  Well, except for that time she put them in the dishwasher, but that's a different story. 

Father's Day

Some friends and I were talking the other day about reaching that point in your life when you realize your parents are actually people, and always have been, and are actually fun to know.  I'm not sure when it was, but it's definitely been a while. 

This Fathers' Day I spent some time thinking about what kind of father I hope to be, and how great my dad is, and how easy he made it seem.

My dad has taught me a lot of things.  Granted, I like to tell people, "my daddy always said. . . " which is rarely, if ever true.  My dad didn't dispense wisdom in fortune cookie bits along the way, but it makes for a better story that way. 

Which reminds me, of all the things I've learned from my dad some of my favorites are his ability to turn his Texas accent on extra thick for Yankees (people who live north of Oklahoma), and his ability to not quite embellish, but enrich the details of a story.  

I know there were times when he didn't have answers.  I'm sure there were times when he had no idea what to do, and I remember times when he must have been so terribly disappointed.  But I also never felt as though he lost faith--in me or anything else.  That is a testament to the strength of his character.

I don't know that I'm capable of that sort of faith.  I hope I am able to live and lead by example as my dad does. 

 All that being said, today Laura made some pancakes (and got the crispy edges, like my mom used to) and we went on a family bike ride.  This was the first time she'd been on a ride since her collision, and she said it went well.  Amelia hadn't been on a bike in a while either, and she seemed as though she had a great time.  

This is right before we got geared up to leave.  Amelia has a sign for helmet.  One of these days I'll record her doing it, and post it, so everyone can see her sign language.  All in all, it was a really happy father's day. 

An Open Letter to Obama

I knew "Change" didn't mean EVERYTHING.  But I didn't expect outright hostility and "business-as-usual" on LGBT issues.  President Obama, you've pulled the bait-and-switch on the LGBT community and their allies as well, if not better than, George W. Bush and his compassionate conservatism. 

I got this from the Slog, and while the writers were more fervent Obama supporters than I was, I think it rings true. 

Dear President Obama,

My wife and I have been enthusiastic supporters of your candidacy and administration since early in the 2008 Democratic primaries. We are a young, professional, married, heterosexual couple with a 1-year-old son. I am a medical student, and my wife is a small business owner. Despite the incredible amount of time and attention consumed by being students, businesspeople and new parents, and our vested interests in issues like health care and the economy, we consider Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender rights to be among our most vital political interests. To date, we have been extremely disappointed in the near total lack of active support your administration has provided to the GLBT community.

Achieving equality for our GLBT brothers and sisters is the civil rights movement of our generation. Just as the movement for racial equality in the mid-20th century is well-remembered today, we feel
that the citizens and leaders of today will be remembered by how they stood on the issues of GLBT equality. You told us that you would be a "fierce advocate" of GLBT rights. We believed you. Since this January, your administration has continued enforcement of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, filed a deeply offensive brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, and most recently offered a hollow promise of benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, without assurance of heath coverage. The apparent rapid backpedaling of your administration on GLBT equality has been frustrating and alarming.

We represent a key sector of your constituency. We advocated for your candidacy; we contributed money to your campaign. We are young, educated, politically active, and vote in every election. We talk to our friends about politics. While we are not gay or lesbian ourselves, GLBT issues are near to our hearts, and right now we feel left out in the cold by your administration. We recognize that politics is a complicated game, and are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps there is a grand scheme that includes "fierce advocacy" for GLBT citizens at a later date, as it is clearly not occurring now. We understand that we may not get everything we want right away, but as of today your administration has given nothing concrete to the GLBT community, and we consider that unacceptable.

We want you to know we are watching you and your administration. The buck stops with you. If you are unable to exercise some clear leadership on this civil rights issue, you cannot count on our support in 2012 and the future. We believe that there are hundreds of thousands of people, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Straight that agree with us, and whose support likewise depends on your leadership on these issues. We expect to see improvement from your administration on GLBT equality: the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and the extension of Equal Protection Under the Law to Gay and Lesbian families, including health insurance benefits. We hope to hear what your plans are on these issues, but we demand that you remember: it will be your actions, not your words, that we and history will remember you by.

Regards,

Lorne Walker & Laurel Greenidge
San Diego, CA

We're engaged.

It's great to have something, someone, that I can count on these days.  She's amazing. 

Even eating that "meat"ball sub she's adorable!

Our Gang

Here in Portland, we have what some might call fitness clubs.  There are running clubs, cycling clubs, rowing clubs, possibly even climbing clubs.  People joining together to participate in some common activity that they all enjoy, and share similar experience level.  Well, we have what we like to affectionately call, our bike gang.  Most of our friends are car-free, or car-light so if we go places together we're riding our bikes.  It's just a great way to experience the city together.  It sure beats being stuck in a car, or taking 2 cars, or riding the bus.  We find free boxes, see who can ride with no hands, see who can ride with no hands and stand on their pedals (I can), and judge people in cars.    

Lately, we've upped our game a bit.  Instead of just being for transportation a few of us have been getting up and riding for a couple of hours in the early morning.  We don't go too fast.  We're not out there in full kit monitoring our cadence like we should.  We're also not fully loaded down with bags and panniers headed to work like the commuters.  We don't run stop signs and blow through red lights like the fixed gear hipsters in tight pants.  We ride cause we love it, not cause we think we're fast or even really to exercise.  The exercise is just a bonus.  The hardcore cyclists would probably mock my homemade fingerless gloves, and inexpensive components, and they'd drop us the first chance they'd get, but we have fun out there.  It's tough getting up sometimes, but I definitely feel better when we ride.   

Yesterday morning, a few of us went for a short ride around the river in the rain.  It was a good time, as always.  Then later we met up for $1 vegan corn dogs and afterward rode home together.  There were 5 of us riding to our house from across the river.  The weather had cleared, and it was so nice out.  It was definitely one of those days that make the long, wet winter worth it.  

Bike Trip

I'm working on a bike camping trip for our bike gang (more to come on that).  Luckily, there's so many people and groups who've done it before, we don't have to reinvent the wheel.  A group called Cycle Wild is entirely dedicated to getting people to take bike camping trips.  

We're starting off kind of light on this one.  We probably won't be able to go until June, and it'll only be for a night, 2 at the most.  We'll probably leave our house early one morning, take the MAX out to Gresham, ride 20 miles.  Camp.  Then do it in reverse.  I'm excited about it.  Amelia's first time camping!  Hopefully she'll enjoy it.  The only question really, is how we'll pack our gear.  We have a month to figure it out, but Amelia complicates it a bit because she effectively eliminates one bike from having a rear rack, or occupies the bike trailer.  I think we'll probably put her in the seat, and take the trailer for gear.  Who knows though, it's only a couple of nights. . . 

Here's the route we'll take: 

Milo McIver Back Way from Gresham
Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

This is really cute.

I go through all the trouble of making biscuits from scratch, only to have them stuffed in the dishwasher. 

She's one of my favorite people. 

79º and Sunny

Today Laura, Amelia and I took the bikes out like we always do.  Rain or shine, we ride bikes.  If it rains, we get wet.  If it's cold, we wear coats.  We ride bikes. 

Of course, the weather was incredible today so everyone and their dog were out riding their bikes too.  I realized today, that maybe everyone doesn't need to ride a bike.  People riding without shirts, helmets hanging from the handlebars, walking their bikes with headphones, going the wrong way, riding too fast, riding too slow.   I realize not everyone is a day in and day out cyclist like the rest of us.  Hey, you drive a car. Glad to see you out of it, one less car etc etc etc.  But people act like they once they're on a bike, they still have the "I own the road and will be damned if I'm gonna move over/slow down/give the right of way to you" mentality they have in their SUVs. 

All I'm asking for is a little courtesy.  

The three of us went to our favorite vegan bakery, Sweetpea Baking Company (yes, they do weddings),and had a couple of cookies.  The tattooed young hipsters that work in these places enjoy keeping you on your toes musically speaking.  We went from some obscure grindcore punk to some 2+ year old mainstream dance tracks which now constitutes as ironic, I guess.  At this point, Amelia did what she always does when she hears a beat. 

That is trouble, I tell ya, trouble.  Right here in River City. 

Food Blogging

Okay, so if I'm gonna blog about food, then I'm gonna blog about food.  There used to be a Troy Aikmen commercial for GMC (which, my ex-wife's advertising agency did) where he said, "Three steps back, throw.  Three steps back, throw.  I do one thing; I do it well."  And then they tied it into GMC making trucks and doing it well.  

Anyway, I cook well.  I bake adequately.  I fix bikes pretty well.  I ride a bike. . . well, that's it.  I ride a bike.  

These are the breakfast burritos that I make pretty frequently.  They're delicious.  If we had a microwave, I would pre-make and reheat them, daily.  As it is, I make them probably once a week.  The hyperlink in the ingredients link to my preferred choice, just in case someone is new to vegan cooking.  

Breakfast Burritos Almost Just Like Mom Made

1   12 or 16 oz block of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled (Nigari Extra Firm or Firm Tofu)

1/2 medium sized yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 bell pepper, diced

2-3 medium sized potatoes 

olive oil

vegetable oil

turmeric 

salt

pepper 

spices to taste

tortillas 

mushrooms, quartered or sliced (optional)

jalapeno, sliced (optional)

  red, yellow peppers, diced (optional) 

  fake sausage/Soyrizo, crumbled (optional) (Field Roast Sausage Mexican Chipotle)

  salsa (optional) 

Directions: 

First things first.  When I went vegan, I loved recipes.  It took me about a year or so before I realized that lots of recipes are designed for you to use as a baseline or guide.  So feel free to use this recipe as it's written here, but it's meant for you to customize, and make your own.  I make these burritos so often, and I can almost guarantee that I've not made it the same way twice.  I don't like exact measurements, so apologies for the lack thereof. 

There are two ways of doing the potatoes.  They are both good, but one seems to require more oil than the other.  Method 2 is how my mom does hers, so I like doing it when I can, but have never quite replicated hers.  

Method 1
 - Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
 - Chop your potatoes to bite sized or smaller pieces.  
 - Place potatoes in a pan
 - Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Stir around a bit to minimize sticking in pan.  Place in oven for about 20 minutes or until tender. 

Method 2 
 - Chop potatoes to bite sized or smaller pieces 
 - Put enough vegetable oil in a pan to cover the bottom.  
 - Heat over medium to high heat, cover and stir occasionally until tender.  
 - Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Method 2 usually comes out with much softer potatoes.  The frying and steaming is a great combo for potatoes in breakfast burritos.  

Tofu Scramble 
 - Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet.  (Laura thinks the teflon will kill us one day, who knows maybe it will.  It makes better scramble I think.)
 - Put in minced or pressed garlic and heat on medium heat.  
 - Put in diced onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos, whatever veggies you like.  
 - When the onions are clear put in the tofu.
 - Stir occasionally, and put in just enough turmeric to get a pale yellow color.  (It gives the meal some authenticity, and adds a nice subtle flavor.) 
 - Let the scramble sit in the same position to get a nice brown color on the bottom, then stir.  Do this periodically. 
 - Season with salt, pepper, Spike, crushed red pepper, Italian spices, or others of your favorites. Get creative. 
 - If you're using a sausage product, feel free to crumble it and toss it in here. Most of them are pre-cooked and just need to be heated up. 
 - When these are getting close to done, check on your potatoes (either method) and if they're getting close just toss them in this pan.  

Burritos
 - Ideally, take a clean and seasoned cast iron skillet and place empty over medium heat. 
(I've also heated tortillas directly on the electric burner, but I understand that might not be for everyone.  These are my preferred methods, but in lieu of that, heat tortillas as the package recommends, assuming you've not made your own.)
 - Place a cold flour tortilla in, flipping occasionally until soft and warm.  Flour tortillas should be pliable and not crispy.  
 - Place tortilla on a plate, put a couple of spoonfuls of Tofu Scramble and potatoes and wrap.  

Enjoy. 

These would be really good if you pre-made them and reheated for breakfast or lunch on the go.  We made some for a road trip and just wrapped them each in a paper towel and tossed in a ziploc baggie and they were great several hours later.  

Pizza

I realized the other day that I'm probably one of the few people who blogs with "Vegan" in the title that doesn't post food pr0n. Weird.

This is a pizza I made a couple of weeks ago completely from scratch. I realize the picture isn't great, but Porter in the background staring at Laura while she took it is pretty common in vegan households I would guess. 

The recipe for the crust came from VegWeb's Pizza Dough section, but I can never remember which one I use, so I pick a different one each time I think. Honestly, I could be picking the same one every time and not know it. They're all flour, yeast, warm water, mix, knead, rise, roll out, toppings, bake. 

The pesto is pretty straightforward, and absolutely delicious. 

1 cup fresh basil, washed 

3-4 cloves of garlic 

1 tsp sea salt 

3 TBSP pine nuts 

3/4 cup or so of nutritional yeast 

1 cup olive oil, or as much to get a good consistency 

Put everything in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth-ish. 

The only hard part is finding organic pine nuts. If you can find them, they're expensive as all get out, so I usually go with conventional. Also, taste it after you've blended it, I think it needs more salt, but I tend to like salt. Also, I topped this pizza with yellow pepper, yellow onion, mushrooms, and zucchini. Oh and I don't think you can tell in this picture but there's dried basil in the crust. Just put that in with your dry ingredients before you mix with the wet. 

I'm realizing I cook a lot, and am probably going to start throwing some pics of that up on the blog. What can I say, I'm in the midst of a crisis of confidence and need something to serve as redemption. 

Oregon's Proposed Idaho Stop Law

Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

Sunny Sunday

Originally uploaded by stupidrobots

Wow, the weather was wonderful this weekend.

She's incredibly cute here. She's gonna be big soon. . .

We're in Arizona visiting family

And they live way out in the country, which is scary for 3 reasons: In Cold Blood, Signs, and Fire in the Sky.

We miss you, buddy.

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by jake_mrtnz

We lost our cat last week, and it's been really sad. 

Coffeeshop

Two men sitting next to me are playing cribbage. One is older, disabled and has a really nice board. The other is younger than me and showed up late. It seems like something they do often. I like that.

Dumbest idea of 2009

The Snuggie (you know, the blanket with sleeves) Pub Crawl. Link to come.

Test

Phone blogging.

Last Name

Distribution of the surname Martinez

Where does your name come from?

Martinez is the 52nd most common last name in the US. With most occurrences in Texas. ¡Horale!

Happy Birthday

Raar, Meow, Woof Woof, Thppbt
Originally uploaded by jake_mrtnz

In only a year you've managed to completely turn my life upside down, and I can't thank you enough. You're the sweetest person I've ever met, and you never cease to amaze me.

When I hand you a stuffed animal and you immediately hug it and snuggle it, my heart melts. When you pretend to go "night night" and lay your head down on the carpet, I think I might die from the cuteness. Many times you look at me and smile, or laugh and I don't know what I ever did without you.

You're a year old now, and you know where your hair, teeth, pansa (tummy), toes, feet, and sometimes where your nose all are. You also know the noises that a tiger, a cat, a dog, and a truck make. You know how to say dog, cat, duck, and the sign for fish, and more (sometimes). They say babies know more words than they say or even really indicate. That amazes, but doesn't surprise me. Your mommy once told you that she didn't have anything for you, but that I had what you were looking for, and you turned and came straight to me to find it. It's amazing to me just how much you do know.

Granted, it's not always fun and games. You have several different cries--all of which I can handle. But sometimes you manage to get a particularly loud and frightening screaming cry that breaks my heart. You also like to flail your body when you don't want to be held. It's amazing I haven't dropped you.

Happy birthday, Amelia, and do me a favor--try to sleep til at least 8:30am on Sundays? These early weekend mornings are brutal.