Missed You

I have fallen in love with my bike. Through dirt and mud to pavement and roads, it has been with me. Granted, I have only had it for one year now, but it has been a heck of a year. This bike, who has no name at this point, has pleased me beyond belief. If I am having a bad day. I go bike. If I feel tired, believe it or not, I go bike. When I am bored, well, you guessed it, I hit the trails. So, you get the picture here. Through good times and bad, biking never lets me down. I've never been much into the Zen of yoga. Such exercise frightens me. I don't know how it is done. Tree pose, maybe. But gravity has sadly defeated my efforts of lifting my body off of the floor while my palms spread wide, hold me upward. For now, its just not going to happen. While on a bike, my behind sits happily centered on a bike chair, my hands gracefully reach the handle ,and my toes glide easily onto the pedals with a slight bend in the knee. All positions of which my body has been accustomed too. My joints are intact and my body is saying YES! IT'S TIME TO RIDE! I'm not putting down yoga, I guess I am just slamming myself for the incapability of this art. So anyhow, its been a long two weeks without my bike. My two weeks have been filled with not enough time in the kitchen, at the dinner table, in my bath tub, and in bed. Instead high school filled with final exams, research papers, and graduation prep has occupied my mind. Its sad that the very things I dislike are the very subjects that were granted the most attention. But, I am graduated now, so there is more time to spend doing what I love to do. Shouldn’t life always be that way?

Today being a free day, I got to ride my nameless friend. I don't know if I should name it? It's a custom to name your car, so why not your other (or only..) prize possession. Should it be a boy or a girl? I don't know. Rumor is most cars are named after a she. Why is that? Maybe I should give the male gender a chance. I need some suggestions for names. I'll ask around.

It was a good ride today. Very, very hot. I wound my way around Otter Lake and back, just enough to be drenched in mud and sweat. Yes I traversed across a few mud holes and ponds on the way, just to get a few bugs and bites.
My ride was wonderful, just what I needed to end the day. I even got to take a dip in the pool. It was bliss.

Hunger quickly grew and my mother had fired up the grill. It was a beautiful evening with sun and clear skys, so there is not one excuse for cooking inside. You may be thinking we sat down to have some burgers or maybe even a few slabs of grilled chicken ,but I wouldn't settle for that, not after what was on our dinner special. Yes, we indulged in none other than grilled Brat Pizzas. %^*&%@##$#WHAT! That’s a mouth full. Yes, it was truly delicious. Mound full’s of bratwurst over a Greek pita, olive tapenade, garlic, and tomato sauce, smothered in mozzarella cheese, and carmelized onions. It was my mother who was in charge of this grill creation. Since, Italian sausage wasn't remnant in the house, what better substitution than bratwursts? The brat's gave it a nice salty/greasy sensation. Not always the healthy way to go, brat's not being my favorite, but every once in awhile your belly needs the Great Brat Awakening. Brat pieces were mounded atop the crusty pitas. The pitas caramelized to perfection around the edges, and the top was smothered with golden hughed mozzarella. These little pitas were absolutely stunning and even more than that, truly delish! So I encourage all who have some brat's on hand, especially those of you from Wisconsin, to try this easy dinner mouthfuls. Italian sausage no more, wer'e having a brat party!

To counteract the grease feast, I decided to take on a salad. A few mixed greens and green onions did the trick. Toss that with some cumin clove gouda,toasted almonds, and candied walnuts, and you've got yourself a treat. What better way to use the cheese in the back corner of your fridge than toss it in a salad, especially those with unique flavors.



Grilled Brat Pizzas

2 Greek pitas sliced in half
Olive Oil
Tomatoes sauce (3/4 cup or so)
2 to 3 giant bratwurst cooked and chopped.
1 onion sliced
4 tablespoons Olive tapenade
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
About 2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Heat bratwursts in a sauce pan with water or beer(which is the best option) until cooked through. When cool, chop bratwurst into small pieces. In a frying pan, saute onions in a bit of olive oil, on low heat until soft and carmelized.

Fire the grill on high. Slice 2 Greek pitas in half. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil. Smother in tomatoes sauce (just enough to coat the pitas.) Top each pita slice with 1 tablespoon. olive tapenade, garlic, and onion. Lather the pitas with chopped bratwurst following mozzarella cheese. With a spatula, transfer pitas onto the grill, and turn the grill to medium.

Grill until outer crust is golden and mozzarella cheese is nicely melted.

Serves Four




Walnut Salad

8 or so cups of mixed greens
1/3 cup green onions chopped
1 cup Walnuts (or pecans..)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 cup walnuts (Enough for leftovers)
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup Cumin Clove gouda shredde6
salt


In a saucepan heat the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sugar until sugar has disolved. Mix in walnuts and coat with sauce. Transfer to parchment lined cookie sheet and cool in freezer until the sugar has hardened. (10 minutes or so..) Heat frying pan on high. Toast almonds with a pinch of salt until just golden. Be sure not to leave the stove; these burn quickly!

Toss the greens,onion,cheese, and nuts. Serve with favorite dressing.

Note: I usually make my own salad dressing, but I fell in love with Salad Girl's Pomegrante Pear dressing. Fruity and sweet, and healthy too; a perfect compliment to fresh greens. I would love to try their other dressings as well! They all look very unique and delicious. You can take a look here. Regarding the cheese, a blue cheese or parmesan will do. I just so happened to have Marieke Gouda's Cumin Clove in the fridge. A very exotic combination; the cumin lends spice to the age old cheese while the clove gives it a nutty, bold flavor. My mom and I found this first generation cheese farm near Chippewa Falls, WI. Marieke and her children happily greeted us on their Dutch farm with dozens of samples that took me to cheese heaven. If you wish, check these out here. Or if your in that area, stop by and she may just give you a cheese tour.

Another note...You will have leftover walnuts for future use. You do not by all means have to use both almonds and walnuts. I was just feeling real nutty;)