Flashback Friday with Heya Sparky!

My friend Lauren does an amazing blog called Heya Sparky. It's really great and you should all check it out. As part of her blog, she does a weekly post called "Flashback Fridays". Here she shares an old photo of herself and a story to go along with it. She has asked a few others to join in on the fun and "link up". Lauren, hopefully I am doing this right.

From Top Left, Clockwise: My Mom, My Brother, My Sister, My Niece and Me

I am the little on the left. This photo was taken the last time I lived in Pittsburgh, well Aliquippa, in the early 90s. My father grew up there and my parents decided for some crazy reason to leave sunny California to come back...who knows? My brother and sister, amidst their crazy lives ended up visiting at the same time once. So this is one of the photos of a visit I will never forget. It would be almost 10 years before my mom had all of her children in one place again, and she has never had all of her grandchildren in one place. My niece and I played and played and we were all a family together. Thanks for the marvelous life family, I wouldn't want any other crazy!

Thanks, Lauren this was fun!

Primal Apple Crisp

I mentioned previously that I was taking a trip into Primal land. If you don't know what that means then you can go here to check it out a bit. Basically, it is a theory that we should eat as our ancestors ate, our cavemen ancestors. Meaning a heavy reliance on meat and animal fats, no grains, legumes(beans), sugar, vegetable oils or potatoes. That is a very basic take on it, but if you are interested I encourage you to check out the website.

Friends of mine are also doing the Primal thing so I decided to make a dessert we could all enjoy. I was thinking that fruit dessert would be easiest, and decided to modify an apple crisp recipe. Below is what I make and I think it turned out pretty good. As I was making it I forgot that honey is an "acceptable" sweetener, so this is made without any additional sugar. However, if I made it again I would probably put honey on the apples, though it was sweet enough without it.

Primal Apple Crisp

Prep Time 30 mins : Bake Time 30 mins : Serves 12
Ingredients
8 Apples¹
1/2 Cup walnuts
1/2-1 Cup Raisins
1/2-1 Cup Craisins(Dried Cranberries)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
nutmeg, optional
ginger, optional
cloves, optional

1/4 cup quinoa flakes²
1/2 cup coconut flour³
1 cup almond meal⁴

1/2 cup butter(1 stick)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core and slice the apples. If you are particular about your apples then feel free to peel them as well.
2. Place the apples, walnuts, craisins and raisins in a bowl and toss them with whichever spices you have chosen to use, but with at least the cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3. Combine quinoa flakes, coconut flour and almond meal in a bowl. Use a pastry blender to mix in 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick).
4. Spread apple mixture into a 9x13 pan. Use remaining 1/4 cup butter by cutting into pads and distributing over the mixture. Spread topping mixture evenly over the apples.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are bubbling and topping is browned. Like any crisp, this too would be delicious with ice cream or whipped cream, though not necessarily primal.



Foodnotes
¹Often times apple dessert recipes call for granny smiths or special baking apples. Anytime I bake with apples I use whatever apple I want or is on sale. I am sure there are reasons for using specific apples, but I have never had issues with any of the ones I've tried. This time I used gala, pink lady and braeburn.
²I have only found out about this craziness of quinoa flakes, they had them in bulk at our food co-op. They are suppose to work very similarly to rolled oats and they substituted marvelously for this recipe.
³The coconut flour I found was Bob's Red Mill. I am sure you can find some online, though I got ours at our co-op. The package said it could be substituted for up to 1/3 of the flour in recipes. I used only it because I wasn't actually baking a cake or bread or anything that needed to rise in anyway.
⁴You can buy almond meal, it can get rather expensive sometimes. But my almond meal I made using my food processor. This recipe also had some walnuts in the "almond" meal.

Kill Your TV

...no really.

I am not a crazy anarchist, or even an extreme activist, but I have seen great benefits come from not having a television or mass amounts of media in my life recently.

About 3 months ago, I would check IMDb at least once a day. I am a film person, I went to university for it, and so it was quite an interest of mine. I wanted to be caught up on what movies had come out, who was working on this, who was being honored with awards and, yes, a little bit of who was dating who. For a few days I had been busy and for one reason or another hadn't gone onto the site. Then I thought, maybe I should see if I can not go on for longer, can I really do this? I think at the point when I really wanted to go to it and had to shut the computer and walk away, was when I realized I guess I was slightly addicted to it. Now, I am at a place where I could kind of care less. I actually hadn't realized that X-Men: First Class had come out until I saw an ad for it on Google. This was the first step in me understanding what role I want media playing in my life.

When Ben and I were in China, especially this last trip, we were on media overload. I basically slept, ate, watched television and exercised, while watching television. I was watching American Idol, like we had to get home from dinner so I could watch it. Now I understand this was partly because I was feeling incredibly isolated and wanting my own culture and interaction desperately. Either way, I had become accustom to watching television, which I hadn't had before. When I got back home, that feeling of being starving for community could be fulfilled by hanging out with anyone I ever knew, any time I could, leaving no time or longing for TV. We had a television in the living room that we used mostly for movies or gatherings. I decided I didn't want it taking up space anymore, and we chose to move it out of the living room. I was never a huge fan of television and aside from China, I hadn't watched television much since high school. But even with the level that I watched, getting rid of the TV was one of the best decisions I have made in recent history.

Recently, Ben and I were doing some moderate yard work. He looked at me and said something like I hate yard work, why did we buy a house? I responded that I didn't mind it so much. What else would we be doing? We both looked at each other and said watching TV? That was confirmation enough to me that living without a television was a good idea. I have so much extra time and so much less thought spent on media. I feel like I am going over to the dark side of hippy-ism by saying this, but my brain feels less cluttered. This combined with my listening primarily to NPR or our local station, WYEP, have made me rather unaware of what is going on in mainstream media. I have become ignorant to who the rising star is, what films to look for and, right, who is sleeping with who. This is an ignorance that I have been glad to accept, one that has made me a happier me.

I would encourage you to take some time away from your television and media. I have heard before that people do media fasts or have one day a week without media. I am sure that this could be effective. Though, I would prefer the extreme of turning all of the televisions into fish bowls.

How much television do you watch? Do you consume it via the interwebs? Have you tried to do a media fast or decrease your amount of watching?

Relapse

After all of my zeal and motivation, my excitement and perseverance, it's happened to me too. I have relapse into laziness. Well maybe not exactly laziness, but definitely not a regular exercise schedule and definitely not eating well. When I realized what was going on, I decided to take a step back and look at what happened. After some examination, I figured out why things had changed and set up ways to stop it from happening again.

Time

This is an easy one, one that we all share. Where does all the time go? It is also the springboard for everything else. When I started working at my new job, everything had to be consolidated. I went from having five days to fill, to one day. That was difficult. I don't understand how all of you full-timers do it. I really don't, let me take this space to applaud you for your amazingness. ::applause:: But when it comes down to it everyone knows that we all make time for the things we find important. If you really want to watch TV, then you stay up late and watch it. If you have to read your favorite blog, then you sacrifice your lunch hour. Why not do this for things better than TV, but don't stop reading blogs :)

Buddies

Can't possibly get up to run in the morning, run in the evening with a friend. Exercise buddies are the best. If you pick the right one, they help keep you on track. If not, they can become your ice cream buddy instead. You want to pick someone who you can stand up to and who can stand up to you. When you don't want to go, they do and vis versa. They need to be able to push you without it feeling like criticism. That usually means someone pretty close to you, like a best friend, but not always. Here is more on exercise buddies, specifically in the area of running.

Combos

I have had the pleasure of being able to ride my bike to work. It has been a time effective way for me to exercise, get to work and have some time to myself. Try to think of ways that you can combine different activities in your schedule. Maybe you too can bike to work, it is really awesome. Maybe you can take the bus, which usually causes you to walk more than driving. If you have to drive to work, park as far away as possible and walk to your building. You know those people you see on lunch break, wearing business clothes and tennis shoes. Become one of them. If you have an hour break, it doesn't take an hour to eat. Or even a half hour. Join a co-worker or two and walk around your building or a few blocks during lunch. See if your boss will let you replace your desk with one of these:

If you can't get away with that, ask if you can switch out your desk chair for a stability ball. Here are some super easy "exercises"/stretches to do at your desk. You can even try walking to the grocery store or farmer's market when you are only picking a few things up. Take advantage of the great summer weather and get outdoors.

Plan

You can read all over the interwebs that meal plans are cost effective, help you lose weight and waste less food. I believe wholeheartedly that this is true, but that doesn't make it any easier to actually do. When I do have a chance to plan, one "meal" that I feel gets lost in planning is snacks. I don't think that snacks are horrible, and I think it is unreasonable for you to think that you will never snack again in your life. Situations happen, especially the mid-afternoon my-brain-is-melting-into-the-keyboard-ooo-cookies. I try my hardest to pack a snack. Usually this consists of some almonds and a mix of other nuts we have in the house. Sometimes it will be a piece of fruit or craisins. I have recently started doing a Primal thing and anticipating my craving for crunchy chip/cracker type things, I got roasted seaweed snacks. If you are a fan of seaweed or sushi, these are simply nori-like sheets that are salted and, in my opinion, super tasty.
Also, when you are planning, have back ups for your back-ups. Remember that time when your friend told you their hard drive crashed and they lost everything? And you responded with, well don't you have an external drive? Yeah, but I hadn't backed it up recently. I am not going to lie, I love schedules and plans. I find it really fun to figure out timing and writing up menus and making lists. But sometimes you forget your list, or the avocados are way too expensive. This is when you need a back up. Have some extra meal ideas that take less time in case you had to stay late at work and the chips and salsa dinner is calling you when you get home. When you do have time to make dinner, make extras. Then package them in lunch sized containers. I have leftovers for lunch everyday, it's so much more satisfying than say a sandwich.

I realized that I also have to be patient with myself...again. While getting back into habits and routines that you once had, times can be difficult. I know what I use to be able to do and in my mind I should still be able to do it. But you have to realize that you aren't going to be able to go from where you are now to where you were. It is going to take time...again. The positive side is that you know you can get there. You know you are strong enough, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

Anybody have any other advice to get things rolling again after a relapse?

Fermentation Update

I posted earlier about my new venture into fermented foods. I put the glass jars on top of one of our kitchen cabinets so that I wouldn't look at it everyday and mess with it. Which was a rather good idea because I totally forgot about them after a while. When the month had passed we pulled them down and found some interesting things.

First, the sauerkraut has shifted. Apparently I hadn't pressed it down enough, because it expanded above the liquid level. This made me nervous, but there didn't appear to be any mold on the top. There were little stripes of white, but they didn't look like mold. The carrots also had some white that settled at the bottom which I couldn't remember if it was there before or not.

At the time Ben and I were both really sick and so we decided to wait until our immune systems had recovered before putting potentially harmful food into our bodies. A couple weeks later I got around to remembering that the fermented foods existed. We happen to be sitting down with some friends and asked them what they thought of their condition. We decided to open them up and see how they smelled. The sauerkraut was very strong smelling, but not unexpected. The carrots smelled like carrot wine, or at least what I think it would smell like. It was very interesting. Ben and I decided to each try a little bit of the sauerkraut and see if we'd die through the night.

::suspense:: We didn't die! We also didn't feel ill which would be a lot more likely.The sauerkraut taste was everything I imagined and more; definitely the best sauerkraut I have ever had.

About a week later we tried the carrots. When I went to the presentation, it was explained that they would be like carrot sticks. This is not what I they were like, at least not the carrot sticks I think of. They became entirely mushy once you try to remove them from the jar. They are also incredibly strong in flavor, and that's coming from someone who likes strong flavors. I am not sure if we let them go for too long or if I cut them is too small of pieces, but we won't be making them again. Right now I am trying to come up with an idea for how to use them in a recipe or something. I am thinking of trying to make a kimchi and adding them to that.

Verdict:

Sauerkraut will definitely happen again, I have been enjoying it a whole bunch. Carrots might happen again, but maybe using this recipe instead.

Is anyone else going to try it? Or have you fermented foods before?

CHICKENS!

I have always been a city girl. I love going camping in the woods, but rural areas kind of give me the heebee geebees. That is why we bought a house in the city and I went to college in the city, I just love "the city". Recently though I have been having these incredible urges to just want to do manual labor. I started having these thoughts that maybe I was wrong and what I really desire is to be a farmer. Which seems crazy because I don't have any experience with handling animals. I have barely ever been on a farm or really seen even a chicken in real life. But I do have a longing to reconnect with my food.

I am not exactly sure when I first had the thought that I wanted chickens. It was somewhere after deciding that I not only really liked eggs, but, more importantly, felt it was okay to eat them. This thought, like most, grew into an idea, and then slowly became a reality. It started with looking up the local laws and regulations. I thought that this would be easy, I guess I forgot I live in Pittsburgh. Then I had to actually do research into what type of chickens, how big of a space they would need and what type of coop I would want to build. I started with going to a friend who also has chickens and asking him for advice. Gleaming knowledge from him and the people he referred me to made me confident that this was something I could actually do.

The Basics

Chickens are one of the easiest "farm" or livestock animals to have. The reason that urban backyard chickens are popular is because you can actually have them in an urban environment, they don't require much care or space. (though more space than some factories would have you believe)

Local Laws & Regulations
We live in a society, and world, filled with rules and restrictions. The first step towards owning chickens is understanding what you can and cannot do. Some cities/towns/boroughs have general laws, others are very specific. One law here in Pittsburgh says we are not allowed "fowl at large". Sometimes it is very difficult to figure out what your specific legal boundaries are and when you do it might still be difficult to get the right permits. Two of the best online compilations of chickens law are City Chicken and Chicken L.O.R.E. But do some of your own research as well.

Also, though it usually isn't part of the law, you should really talk to your neighbors, at least the immediate ones. They might be just as clueless about chickens as you were. You can help to quell some of their potential fears and concerns, and share your newfound poultry knowledge.


Space & Housing

I have seen some pretty creative ways people have housed chickens in small areas, but here are some things to think about.

Coop
The henhouse is where your chickens will sleep at night. The coop needs to be completely sealed and protected. At night chickens enter an almost trance-like state and will not be able to protect themselves or even run away from predator.  For the coop you want at least 2-3 ft² per chicken. You also have to have a "roost". This can be anything that resembles a branch. The chickens actually roost at night, they sleep on the branch.

Fenced Area or Run
In most cities, you can't have your chickens just wondering around and you don't want them to be. Depending on the chicken and if they will be supervised while out, will help determine what kind of fence or run you need to create. Sometimes also clipping the chickens wings, which is completely harmless to them, can make it possible for you to have a shorter fence. The chickens we have are really docile and haven't flew over the 3 ft. fence we have, yet. For a proper run, you should have at least 4-5 ft² per chicken.

When you've determined that you have enough space in your backyard to house a coop and a run, you need to decide how you are going to get them. You can purchase already built coops or you can make them yourself. You can pay thousands of dollars or you can build something with all scrap.There are plans everywhere for coops, search online until you find one you like and is equivalent to your skill level :) If you want to go the pre-made way, the Eglu is supposed to be rather cool, but expensive.


Breed
Once you've figured out that you can legally have chickens and have physical space for them, you need to find which breed is the best for you. What are you looking to get out of this? Eggs or a pretty pet?

The Sultan chicken on the left is going to produce much fewer eggs than say a Rhode Island, because they were breed for their looks not their eggs. Also, you need to think of what environment you are in. Some breeds are more hearty while others require cooler temperatures.

You also need to decide if you are going to raise the chicks or get laying (grown) hens. Since we received our chickens at a year old I have no real experience here. I have heard that chicks are really cute, but can also be work. There are also specific laws about buying chicks vs. chickens. Most of the people I know ordered their chicks online, which seems really ridiculous. To learn about raising chicks, go here.

You can find a complete list of breeds and their various characteristics here.

Care
When you finally get your chickens, coop and run, you'll want to know what to do with them. The chickens need to be let out in the morning. They will roam around and graze, mostly just eating and pooping. Because of the poop, you will need to hose things down. Depending on what method you use  for litter, you can clean the coop every 1-2 weeks or 1-2 times a year. This is the Deep Litter Method. As it gets dark, they will naturally go back into the coop and settle onto the roost. You need to close and secure the coop. Sometimes they need a little encouragement with returning to the coop. If we know we are not going to be home by sundown we put them back in their coop early to avoid any danger. They also need water, especially on hot days like we have had recently, and food, though the amount they consume will vary depending on how much they've grazed or been given treats. You also need to be aware and watch for their health. Here is a little guide to some basic issues.

Links
Urban Farm Store - They have some great resources, I would also highly recommend their book "A Chicken in Every Yard" it is really easy to read and super informative.

Backyard Chickens - A wonderful online resource with pretty much everything you can think of.


All that is left to do is enjoy the eggs and the entertainment your flock brings. I can watch scratch-scratch-peck for hours. And how large and delicious the eggs will be!


This is in no way a comprehensive guide to chickens, but it is at least enough to get you started thinking about it. Do you have chickens or advice to give? I love hearing chicken stories!

Baked (Fried) Green Tomatoes

I don't really remember this movie, because I saw it so long ago. But I am pretty sure I really liked it.

Tomato season is soon upon us, and if you check out your local farmer's markets it has probably already hit. I was lucky enough a couple of weeks ago to find some beautiful green tomatoes. I was unable to resist their color. The classic fried green tomatoes is what I decided to make, but I wanted to see if I could make them tasty if they were baked. The result was pretty delicious, without the dripping oil.

Look at that amazing green

Baked Green Tomatoes

Prep Time 10 min : Cook Time 30 min : Servings 10

Ingredients:

Breading¹
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1/2 Cup Unseasoned Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
Hot Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Buttermilk
6 Green Tomatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops off of the tomatoes and continue to slice, crosswise, down the fruit.²
2. Combine the breading ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix well.
3. Place the buttermilk in a bowl, I usually start with a little bit (1/2 Cup) then add more when I need it.
4. Set up the breading train. Don't worry about keeping you fingers clean, your efforts will be futile.
5. Start with the buttermilk on both sides and then the breading.
6. Spray or grease a baking sheet. Place breaded slices on the sheet and the sheet into oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. They should be golden brown and delicious. Serve immediately with homemade ranch dressing, because they are the best piping hot.

Foodnotes
¹This isn't a precise measurement. It will depend on how well you bread each slice and how much they want to hold. You may need to add some more to the mix.
²One of the great things about green tomatoes is that they are firm and super easy to cut. You can use all those extra little tops and bottoms in a green tomato salsa.

The Great Outdoors - Trekking through the Desert

We are lucky enough to have a friend who is temporarily living in Phoenix. He has an apartment and so we planned a trip there to take advantage of the opportunity. We planned to start in Phoenix and stay there for a few days before driving up to Las Vegas. If I would have went back to Phoenix two years ago, we would have spent our time hanging out, going to a movie, eating tons of Mexican food and maybe sitting by the pool. But my lifestyle has changed. I wanted to get outside and do things, hike, climb, etc. I wanted to soak up as much Vitamin D as I could and work for it. Most people would look at this as a good change, and I do to, but that doesn't mean that lifestyle changes are any easier.

Camelback Mountain - The Railing of Doom

After climbing up some nice sized steps and weaving a path along the edge of the mountain, this was what awaited us. The rock was so steep and smooth that they decided to put up railings to help people get through this section of the trail. This was where I had my first freak out of the trip. My hands were too sweaty and I didn't trust my feet to hold. I tried to just boulder up it without using the railing, but it wasn't working. I was scared that I would get to a certain point and then not be able to go up or down and resolve to just live my life on the middle of this rock. I kept thinking, this is silly, there's a railing, it should be the easy part, but it wasn't. I was setting up a mental block on getting up this part of the trail. I was thinking about it too much rather than just going, doing. I watched as person after person passed me and climbed up to the top. At some point the Jillian kicked in and started yelling "Are you going to let that dog show you up?" I stopped thinking about it and climbed up. It was still really scary and I was thinking about what would happen on the way back down, but I stood at the top with some satisfaction.

South Mountain - Just a pile of Rocks

South Mountain was much more of your average hiking trail. There wasn't any even mild bouldering and aside from the gradient, it wasn't much work. (We even did some trail running to help liven things up.) When we reached one of the peaks we saw this strange pile of rocks. We decided it was an ebenezer. Ebenezer is translated to "stone of help". We all picked up rocks and told God what we were thankful for. Where we had felt his presence and his help in our lives. Then we added our stones to the pile. It was a really awesome moment. It might have just been a pile of rocks that were moved away from the trail, but we made it an ebenezer. We saw God in it.

Right before the rocks was an old stone sacrificing table. We used it too.

There was definitely something spiritual happening up on that mountain.

Red Rock - It Doesn't End With Me Getting to the Top of the Mountain

Red Rock is one of the most beautiful natural areas of it's kind, especially that I have physically been at. The rock is literally red in areas from the iron deposits and it has created one of the greatest climbing areas in the country. There are all different levels of hiking/climbing, from strolling through the desert and admiring the beautiful colors to lead climbing up a rock face. We settled somewhere in between. There was some bouldering and some "difficult" hiking. There was no definitive path, just kind of finding your way up the mountain. To date this rock has pushed me farther past my comfort levels than most other things.(Especially if I qualify that with things in this country that don't have to do with cross-cultural experiences) There were multiple freak out moments, much more significant than Camelback. This was mostly because falling was much farther at Red Rock. There was a lot of "I can't do this. I can't do this" in the crazy girl voice.

In the end, I didn't get to the top. I didn't conquer the rock. I didn't look it in the eyes and tell it I wasn't scared, because I was scared. But I did go farther than I thought I could. I still pushed myself past points I didn't know I could be pushed. I very rarely have moments where I can physically see "cliches" in my life. Usually I just know that they exist in the world. (In fact the cynical person in me can't believe I am even writing this, especially using these words. But I am so I am trying to get over it.) But for me Red Rock that day was about not always reaching big goals, but pushing past limits you set up for yourself, most of which end up being subconscious. I might not have made it to the top, but I tried my hardest and I got farther than I was expecting. I showed myself that if I can push to this point, maybe next time I can push to the top.


I don't know what exactly I am trying to say with all this. You don't always reach the end, but that doesn't mean you've failed. You can find God and His presence in many places, even when you're not looking. Little freak outs along the way can be good for you, they sober you into appreciation and recognition. Arizona and Nevada are really beautiful country and you should go there. I'm not sure, but it was a great trip. I feel like I changed a bit and therefore it was worth sharing with you. I hope at least someone enjoyed it, it was for you.

...And we're back.

So it's true the hiatus was rather large, but so much has been happening...and I have been really busy...and I got a job...and, yeah I just stopped blogging. Sorry. But I'm back now.

I have what I think are rather fun posts to share. Including...

CHICKENS!
We got chickens! I am super, crazy excited about this and want to share why it's wonderful and you should do it too! Chickens!

Recipes
Though there wasn't much response to the Recipe of the Week poll, I love cooking too much to not share it on the blog.

The Great Outdoors - Trekking through the Desert
On our recent trip to the American Southwest, we spent most of the time outdoors in the beautiful desert.


...and hopefully much more.

Thank you for your patience and stay tuned!

Small Hiatus

We are leaving for a little vacation. Therefore, I am going to take a little break from the blog-o-sphere.

But don't worry, I'll be back soon with enlightening new posts!


Have a good week.

ROTW and ArThursday Poll & Caravaggio

I have been doing the Recipe of the Week and ArThursday for about 6 weeks. I wanted to see if everyone is still interested in them existing.

So if you feel one way or the other leave a comment with your opinion. Write which one you like (it can be both), you can even write why if you would like. Just let me know. - Thanks Anne

Caravaggio

This week I decided to go with someone old school. In fact so old school he is considered one of the "Old Masters". I learned about Caravaggio in High School when we studied the Baroque period in Mr. Justice's class. I was always really interested by Caravaggio and his intriguing use of shadows. So here is some classic painting for the traditionalists.

Judith Beheading Holofernes 1598–1599. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome.

The Calling of Saint Matthew 1599–1600. Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

Martyrdom of Saint Matthew 1599–1600.  San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter 1601. Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

The Taking of Christ, 1602. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.

Conversion of Saint Paul, 1601. Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

David with the Head of Goliath, 1609–1610. Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Snobby Joes

We had a group of friends coming over for dinner last night and I was trying to think of something easy to make for a large group. Snobby Joes was definitely it. This recipe is from Veganomicon, a very valuable book to the vegan crowd. I change just a few things to make this recipe even more healthy than it already is. The "meat" of it is lentils, but it would be easy to substitute grass-fed ground beef. Though I would suggest you try it with the lentils as it is super tasty! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures of these, but I did steal one.

Image courtesty Seitan Is My Motor

Snobby Joes

Prep Time 10 Min : Cook Time 40 mins : Servings 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked lentils¹
4 cups water²
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2-3 carrots, diced³
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4-6 buns⁴

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. In a covered microwave safe bowl, steam the carrots for about 2 minutes, no need to add additional water the carrots will have enough. Saute the onion and carrots in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot!

Courtesy of PPK(Post Punk Kitchen), a blog of one of the authors of Veganomicon.


Foodnotes:
1 We usually use red/orange lentils
2 I actually used a mix of water and whey, which I had left over from making cheese. Whey is awesome! FYI This makes the recipe not vegan.
3 The original recipe calls for green pepper, but I am not a fan of green pepper. And red, orange and yellow peppers are always incredibly expensive as well as hard to get local. Whereas carrots are cheap, filling and from our area!
4 We had delicious buns from Allegro Hearth in Squirrel Hill

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 2

This is continued from last Friday's post.

Map Your Route

Not knowing where you're going sucks. Not knowing where you're going when you are biking, sucks more. After you've been biking around and are tired, or it's started to rain, the last thing you want is to be circling around an area. We are incredibly lucky to have multiple resources to map your route in Pittsburgh. First, BikePGH has a free physical map that you can get at many different locations around Pittsburgh, including all bike shops and the East End Food Coop. For a full list of where to pick one up, go here. They also offer a "high quality rip-proof, waterproof paper" map for $10 available for purchase on the same site. Second, they have an interactive online map which you can use to map out where you're going. The online map allows you to see trail access, bike shops, where there are dedicated bike lanes and crash reports. (Here is a great article about why you should report a crash and how to stay protected.) Finally, Google maps offers a "bike" option as one of their modes of transportation under "Get Directions".

Ride With Friends

The more people riding together, the more visible you are. Though this isn't feasible for all situations, you be surprised who else bikes places. Ask around at your job or school and see if others are interested in starting a bikepool. Using your bike to commute even once a week, can make a big difference. Here are more resources on how to start or join a bikepool. One of our favorite spring, summer and fall activities is going for a bike ride with friends. It is a great way to hang out and explore the city together. Also, because biking isn't always as cardio-intensive, you're able to carry on conversations easily with each other.

Ride Often

Like anything, the more you do it, usually the better you are. When I pull out my bike for the first time in a season, I need to re-learn and re-adjust to using a bike again. This biking season my goal is to ride my bike as much as possible. I want to act like I only have a car to use when a bike just won't work, because I would like to think that I could survive without a car. This season is my experiment in that, and it is going well so far. It doesn't help that we live at the top of a hill, but then again it's Pittsburgh which is all hills. Also, it isn't nearly the biggest hill around.

Some Things That Don't Fit Into Categories

Always, I repeat ALWAYS wear a helmet. I see some of my friends riding around and other strangers without helmets, and it makes me really sad. I don't care how stupid you think it looks or how hardcore you think you are, it isn't and you aren't. I was hit by a car once on my bike and I thanked God that I was wearing a helmet, my injury could have been a lot worse without it. Helmets come in so many different styles, pick one you like and wear it every time.
Get a lock! Preferably a U-Lock, but at least a nice chain lock. You don't want to spend months fixing up a junker at Free Ride just to have it stolen. Also, if you only have a U-lock, lock your front tire AND frame to a secure apparatus. You don't want this happening:

If you are going to ride at night you need a bike light. You MUST have a back red light that blinks, and ideally you should get a front, white light that has a solid and blinking setting. Our house really like Planet Bike, in general, but especially for their front, white bike lights.

I hope this has been helpful and encourages you to ride in the city, or to just ride in general. I find bike riding very rewarding. Often times I get nervous or whinny before I start a ride, but once I get out there I am happy that I made the right choice and I have a great time. What good times have you had on your bike? What's your favorite ride through Pittsburgh?

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 1

It's that time of the year again, when you go dust off the bike you've been neglecting all winter and go for a ride. I personally would love to be one of those hardcore bikers that rides all through the frigid, ice-filled winter, but I'm not. I try to tell myself one day I will be, but we'll see. Now that the weather is nice though, I take every opportunity to ride my bike. It is great for so many reasons, environmentally better, more healthy, and it builds character. When I first started riding in the city, back in college, I was very apprehensive. It was scary, there were cars and pedestrians, and I wasn't all that comfortable on a bike. But after some practice, I became versed in city riding and now feel like I am one of the cars. Don't be discouraged not to ride your bike; there are plenty of things you can do to make yourself more comfortable and, more importantly, more safe.

Like Your Bike

When I first started riding a bike again I was on a little mountain bike. I wasn't really comfortable on it, and therefore my riding experience wasn't that fun. Then I went to Free Ride and was lucky enough to find a great small road bike. It was an old Schwinn and I loved it. It made riding so much more enjoyable. Part of that was because it was made more for city riding, but more of it was that I felt comfortable. Last year I graduated to buying a new bike. It took a lot of debate, but I decided it was well worth the money. And it has been. When I was looking for a new bike, one of the guys I talked to asked if I was looking for a road bike, a cruiser, a hybrid, or a mountain bike. I said that I was going to be doing mostly city riding, so I guess a road bike. He asked if I was going doing a lot of long distance road riding? No. Then you don't have to have a road bike. Really? This changed my world. I like my hybrid because I feel like I have more control over the bike than I did, even with my beloved Schwinn.

My new commuter

And that is the key, the more comfortable you feel, the more confident you'll be. Confidence is what you need when you are riding in the city. So try some different bikes out, see what makes you feel comfortable. Talk to the people who your buying from. They should be able to help you with what you need and what type of bike will work best for you. If you want to brush up on different bike styles before heading to the store REI has a great bike page.

Have A Local Bike Shop

We are blessed in Pittsburgh to have multiple great bike shops to choose from. A local shop where you get to know the people is the best asset to have. You are able to stop in if you have a question, they can show you how to fix things on your own, and they can help when the job is too big for you (though I have been told that no job should be too big).

Thick Bikes

62 South 15th Street, Pittsburgh PA; (412) 390-3590
Located in Southside, this where I bought my new bike. The guys in here are really easy to talk to. They sell some used bikes as well as new bikes and various accessories.

Iron City Bikes

331 S Bouquet St, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 681-1310
Located in South Oakland, and is probably Ben's favorite bike shop. They are a smaller store but can do orders if they don't have it in the shop. They sell new bikes and accessories. And have a local racing team.

Love Bikes

212 1/2 44th St, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 235-7026
Pittsburgh newest shop located in Lawrenceville. They are mostly a repair shop right now, but plan to start selling complete and refurbished bikes soon. Unfortunately, I have not been here yet to have a personal opinion of them.

Ted’s Excellent Bike Repair

2110 E Carson St, Pittsburgh PA; (412) 224-2324)
Also located on Southside, it is suppose to be a pretty great repair shop. I haven't needed a repair shop yet, but have heard great things from many friends who've used them.

Kraynick’s Bike Shop

5003 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 621-6160)
In Garfield, Kraynick's is the Yinzer of shops. Not the shop to go if you have an overwhelmingly expensive bike, but definitely the place to be if you need to be economical. Also if you want to work on your bike for free and be able to get some knowledgeable advice, come here. Many people can only sing the praises of how awesome this shop is.

Free Ride

214 N. Lexington Ave, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 731-4094
Another great place to work on your bike for free. Free Ride does a great job of teaching you how to build and take care of a bike. They call themselves a "bicycle educational facility". You can literally start with a frame and build your bike, for free. I highly suggest you check out their website to see all that they have to offer. They also sometimes have finished recycled bikes for sale, which is how I got my Schwinn, but this is rare.

BikeTek

5842 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 521-6448
Located in Squirrel Hill, these guys were pretty nice. I ended up getting my rack from them. They sell mostly new bikes and accessories, but they also do repairs.

There is REI(Southside) and Pro Bikes(Squirrel Hill). As per my experience, I am not a huge fan of either of them, especially Pro Bikes. But I love REI, so if I need an accessory I would go here, but I don't use their shop. If you aren't in Pittsburgh, do a google search or talk to friends who bike. If Pittsburgh has this many choices, chances are you city should have at least one.

Here is BikePGH's list of resources in and around Pittsburgh.

Check out Part 2 coming on Monday with the topics "Map Your Route", "Ride With Friends" and "Ride Often".

Slinkachu

Fantastic Voyage

Slinkachu is a street installation artist and photographer based in London. His work is fun and I get enjoyment out of it. But as he describes there is also a more serious side to it:

My 'Little People Project' started in 2006. It involves the remodelling and painting of miniature model train set characters, which I then place and leave on the street. It is both a street art installation project and a photography project. The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works.

Susan

I definitely see more humor in them.

Jesus Saves

I Can't Actually Graffiti

Chicken Tikka Disasta

Company Car

Majestic

Relic

Boys Own Adventures

Close Shave

Last Resort

If you enjoyed these I recommend you visit his website or search him on Google images. He has many more great ones online.

Albondigas

Albondigas is the Spanish word for meatball. When I think of Albondigas, I think of the Mexican dish. The Mexican version consist of meatballs in a tomato broth soup. I found a few different recipes that I combined and then tweaked, there are still some changes that I would make in the future though. I noted these changes, if you would also prefer it to be a bit different in places. I hope you enjoy this delicious dish, after tonight it has become one of our new favorites.

Doesn't look as good as it tastes, unfortunately

Albondigas

For the "meatballs"¹:
1 cup TVP flakes²
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup brown rice
1 egg
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
olive oil

1. Cook rice. While rice is cooking heat vegetable broth to just below boiling. Place TVP flakes into vegetable broth and cover. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until browned.
3. Place cooked rice, onion/garlic mixture, rehydrated TVP, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and spices in a medium bowl. Mix together. If it looks like it needs some more breadcrumbs, add up to another 1/4 cup. Beat egg and add to mixture. Mix until well combined.
4. Stick your hands in and start making meatballs. Place on a plate until all of the mixture is formed. Should make about 15 meatballs.

5. Heat olive oil in the same pan you sauted the garlic and onions. Carefully place meatballs into the oil once it is heated up. You want to let them get really brown before you flip them for the first time. This way they will stay together better. Flip them around, browning on all sides to your liking. We like ours dark as you can see. If they crumble a bit that will be okay too, don't worry about it too much.
6. Once they are done to your liking, remove them from the pan and set aside.


For the sauce³:

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 5.5 oz can V8
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper⁴
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas (or fresh peas)
freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Take the same frying pan you used to make the meatballs, add olive oil if necessary and heat. Cook the onion until it is soft, then add garlic and some pepper.
2. Once the onion is looking translucent, add in the vegetable broth and turn the heat up to high. Let it boil for about a minute.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, ketchup, and V8. Wait for it to boil again, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add peas and stir in cayenne. Let simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add meatballs and spoon sauce over the meatballs to make sure they are covered. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve HOT, preferably with some nice bread. We had Veg Bread,⁵, which worked really well.



Foodnotes:
1 This was a new veggie meatball recipe for me, and while the taste was nice, they were a little finicky on the frying pan. I had to be really delicate with them, so they wouldn't fall apart. I think next time I might try the beanball recipe from Veganomicon, one of my favorite veg cookbooks. But at least these ones tasted great.
2 TVP(textured vegetable protein) comes in many forms, we use the chunks and flakes. We always have both of them in the house because they can be used for so many different things and are dehydrated so they keep probably forever. I don't completely understand the process but it is a by-product of making soybean oil. If you are interested you can find out more here. TVP is available at the co-op in bulk and I have even seen it in some Giant Eagle's if you are in Pittsburgh.
3 When I think of Albondigas, I think of a soup. This turned out being more of a meatball with sauce dish. When I make this again I will probably put in a can of tomato sauce and at least another 2 cups of broth. You can find your own proportions depending on what you are feeling like, a brothy soup or a hearty sauce.
4 As I've mentioned before, we like the spicy in our house. If you don't, feel free to adjust the cayenne to whatever you feel like. However, this wasn't incredibly spicy, at all. If you decide to make the changes mentioned in foodnote 3 to make the dish more soupy, remember to keep in mind the cayenne will be even more diluted.
5 I had this idea to make basically zucchini bread out of a bunch of vegetables and make a double batch consisting of a large loaf pan and 2 dozen muffins. The result was what the house called "veg bread". It isn't sweet zucchini bread, it has definite vegetable taste and is only mildly sweet. It is good, but is much like the difference between complete pancake mix and buckwheat pancakes. Either way, it went surprisingly well with the Albondigas, the mild sweetness was highlighted in just the right way to completely compliment one another. If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know and I can forward it, just be warned.

Diary of A Slogger, issue 5

...Or why you should change it up.

I usually do my slogs on a city trail. One that is paved with just a small section of crushed limestone. But I decided to run in Frick Park last week. For those not from Pittsburgh, Frick Park is a city forest-y park that has dirt and crushed limestone/rock trails. I chose to do this the day after Pittsburgh precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, mist all in one), good idea right? Most of the trails looked like this, but add an incline:

For those of you who don't know, I fall a lot. Correction, slip a lot. I have good balance, but if there is ice or slippery conditions, there is a good chance I will slip. But I wanted to take the challenge. I had decided to go to Frick because it isn't flat and it makes me feel like I am in a forest. Slogging in Frick, under these conditions, was like my own version of Mt. Marathon Race, which a fellow blogger just entered the lottery for. Okay, maybe not that intense, but certainly took more effort and thought than running the flat, paved trail my body is becoming use to.

It was also great interval training. The inclines would go until I almost couldn't take it and then they would top off. And when I was just getting too relaxed that I didn't feel like I was exercising anymore, another hill would start.

I am not sure how far I went, even when you think you know what trail you're on in Frick, you really have no idea. But I had fun and I worked. Muddy work.

How do you try to break your routine?

Listener

I have a rather eclectic taste in music. Some times I am in the mood for honest to goodness country, I am talking Dixie Chicks, other times I want to listen to Boy Sets Fire. I will state that this artist is probably not for everyone.

When I first heard about Listener, I was told it was this guy speaking/singing while banging on a washing machine. I was confused. A few weeks ago half of Listener was playing an "acoustic" house show with some friends, it was promised that there wouldn't be any washing machine. A guy, Dan Smith, got up to do his set. He had a stage presence and personality that I immediately loved. There was something corky and honest about it. He only did his spoken word, no music and no singing. I enjoyed him immensely. As I sat squished in my pastors living room with maybe 25-30 other people, face to face with someone bearing their heart and mind, I couldn't help think that we are all artists. Maybe everyone doesn't like the art we create, maybe we hate it ourselves, but there is magic happening. There are nameless photographers sharing photos with friends, painters sketching trees in the park, and lyricists screaming words in a crowded room on a Sunday night.

Here are the lyrics as I find them impressive, but sometimes hard to know.

You Were A House On Fire


Building Better Bridges


Wooden Heart


Seatbelt Hands


Most Roads Lead To Home


Listener is Dan Smith and Christin Nelson. They are certainly artist in my opinion and if you want more check out their website.

Fermentation

I don't know about you, but I love sauerkraut. I can eat it just by itself.

I was lucky enough to attend the Farm to Table Conference here in Pittsburgh. It is an awesome little conference where local farms and health conscious businesses come to share about their products. There were also speakers, demonstrations and kids activities. One company that was there was Zukay Live Foods. They are a PA company that specializes in non-dairy probiotic foods. They have juices, salsa, salad dressings and relishes, all of which are made with fermented vegetables.

Why Fermented Vegetables Are Important

Don't say anything about her, she is AWESOME!

Fermented foods are full of bacteria. Unfortunately in modern society, bacteria are equated with germs and germs are bad, so they are avoided like the plague(which is also a bacteria). However, not all bacteria are bad, our bodies are filled with good bacteria, or at least they should be. These good bacteria are all throughout our digestive systems making sure that our food is being digested properly so that we can get everything we need out of it. In most people now these good bacteria are far to low and can lead to digestive problems. This is why Jamie Lee Curtis is telling you to eat Activia, yogurt has the same delicious cultures that your digestive system needs.
These good bacteria can also be killed in our body by taking things like anti-biotics. Do I think you should not take these if your doctor prescribes them? No, but maybe up your fermented foods or yogurt intake afterwards to get all the good germs back.

Why it is important to eat RAW Fermented Foods

When you buy sauerkraut in the store it has been canned. This means that it has been cooked. When it's cooked all of the good bacteria has been fried alive! It no longer has the added help of the bacteria, it's just some tasty cabbage. When you ferment raw vegetables, you are keeping those bacteria alive and allowing them to prosper by breaking down the vegetables.


We were lucky enough to see a demonstration by Scott Grzybek of Zukay, who made two fermented recipes in front of us. They were so easy that I decided to share them with you this week. It's a TWO-FER!

Sauerkraut AKA deliciousness in a bottle

Tools
Knife
Ball or other type of jar
Bowl
Masher

Ingredients
Celtic Sea Salt (please read note)
Cabbage
Spring Water (please read note)
Fennel/Caraway seeds, optional

1. Do not wash your cabbage! You want all of that added goodness on there, this is why I bought organic as to ensure it was all good stuff and not chemicals. Remove the large outer leaves that are almost falling off³.Slice the cabbage as thin as you would like your sauerkraut.
2. Throw the sliced cabbage into the bowl and add salt. Scott said to add a few teaspoons, but looked like he was adding a few Tablespoons. He was my kind of guy with the non-measurement thing, but I added about two teaspoons to mine and it was doing fine.
3. If you have the time let the sauerkraut sit in the salt.

See the water pooling on the bottom

The salt will draw all the water out and make the sauerkraut cry. I had to go somewhere so I left mine for about an hour and a half, but 15-20 minutes would be sufficient. If you don't have the time to wait then you can force the process to move more quickly. You want to start "mashing" or beating down the cabbage. This will break it down more quickly. The purpose is to get as much water out as you can, because this water is going to ideally cover the cabbage once it is placed in the jar. If you don't have a lot of water, that's where the spring water will come in. Just work on the cabbage as long as you feel like it. You also want to add the fennel or caraway seeds in at this time if you are using them.
4. Once the cabbage is looking significantly beat. You can start stuffing it into your jar. Having a jar with a wide mouth really helps at this point. You want to squish out as much air as possible, so a small head of cabbage might not even fill your jar depending on what size it is. Just keep compacting and pushing the cabbage down, leaving no spaces or gaps. I also used a small ladle at this point because by hand couldn't reach the cabbage until it was much higher. The ladle really helped push it down.
5. When you feel confident that the cabbage can't possibly get anymore compact, look at the liquid level. If all of your cabbage isn't covered, this is where you need to add the spring water. Add enough to cover the cabbage, anything left out in the air is going to become moldy. Don't fill the jar all the way to the top with water, or cabbage, as it will expand when it ferments. Leave it some space.
6. Screw the lid on the top, but NOT too tight. As Scott explained, the pressure will build up while all the gases are being released and the bacteria are working. You want the weakest point in that jar to be the seal between the jar top and the lid, rather than the side of the jar. This is also why it is a good idea to place your jar into a casserole dish. This way if it leaks, which can happen, you won't have nasty, smelly juice all over your shelf or counter.
7. Place your jar in a place where it won't bug you for the next month. Ideally this place should be warm and out of direct sunlight. We put ours on top of a kitchen cabinet that doesn't get sun.
8. Wait a month. I know it is a really long cooking time. Scott said that at the bare minimum you should wait 3 weeks. But I want to make sure it is good, so I am waiting a month or more if I can take it.
9. Open and eat. You can refrigerate it after you open it, this will just slow down the bacteria. You can also freeze, though it might change the taste. Since it is fermented, it doesn't really have an expiration date, but hopefully it will be so tasty that you'll finish it quickly. Scott suggested putting it on the table with dinner and just adding some to whatever you are eating. If you can't tell I really like sauerkraut and love the excuse to have it every night.

Carrot Sticks

Tools
Knife
Ball or other type of jar

Ingredients
Celtic Sea Salt (please read note)
Carrots
Zukay Raw Veggie Medley Juice⁴
Spring Water (please read note)
1 clove garlic, optional⁵

1. Don't wash the carrots! You want all of that added goodness on there, this is why I bought organic as to ensure it was all good stuff and not chemicals. Cut the carrots into sticks or julienne them.
2. Put them in the jar, again rather snuggly. You want the jar nice and full of carrots.
3. There was some discussion as to whether or not the carrots needed salt, but I threw some in there because it wouldn't hurt. I put about a teaspoon. If you are adding garlic, slice the clove thinly and add it to the jar.
4.Add enough Zukay Juice to fill about 1/4 of the jar. Then fill the rest of the jar with spring water. Again, anything left out in the air is going to become moldy. Don't fill the jar all the way to the top with water, or carrots, as it will expand when it ferments. Leave it some space.
5. Screw the lid on the top, but NOT too tight. As Scott explained, the pressure will build up while all the gases are being released and the bacteria are working. You want the weakest point in that jar to be the seal between the jar top and the lid, rather than the side of the jar. This is also why it is a good idea to place your jar into a casserole dish. This way if it leaks, which can happen, you won't have nasty, smelly juice all over your shelf or counter.
6. Place your jar in a place where it won't bug you for the next month. Ideally this place should be warm and out of direct sunlight. We put ours on top of a kitchen cabinet that doesn't get sun.
7. Wait a month. I know it is a really long cooking time. Scott said that at the bare minimum you should wait 3 weeks. But I want to make sure it is good, so I am waiting a month or more if I can take it.
8. Open and eat. You can refrigerate it after you open it, this will just slow down the bacteria. You can also freeze, though it might change the taste. Since it is fermented, it doesn't really have an expiration date, but hopefully it will be so tasty that you'll finish it quickly. Scott said kids love these, because you can just pick them up and pop them in your mouth.

Foodnotes

1 You don't want to use table salt, this has been bleached and has had many of it's great minerals taken out of it. Scott suggested Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond's Real Salt or Himalayan Salt. All of which are available at the co-op. I personally used the celtic, oh man does it smell like the sea!
2 Don't use tap water to try to save money. The chlorine that most cities put into their water will kill the bacteria. I used regular Giant Eagle spring water, Scott says that they have well water where he lives and that works just fine.
3 All the vegetable remains in our house go into the broth pile. I don't get special veggies just to make broth, I just through everything in to a pot with peppercorn and a bit of salt and let it simmer.
4 Cabbage naturally has enough bacteria in it to ferment itself, other veggies need help. You have to add a culture to it, like Yogourmet Kefir Culture or something that already has cultures in it, like Zukays juices. I found getting the juice easier than having to deal with a powder. The juice is available at the co-op. The veggie medley is recommended as its flavor will work well with the carrots.
5 Our household has a saying, well it has a lot but this is one of them, "you can never have too much garlic". Apparently when it comes to fermenting you can. Be very careful with how much you add, garlic can add very strong (the bad kind of strong) flavor and smell to your fermented foods. Scott suggested never to add more that 1 or 2 cloves to a jar.

Please share if you have made your own sauerkraut, or other fermented foods, before or if you make this recipe. I would like to see how it has turned out for others.