Great Jersey pocket food!

Muffin tops…heh, heh. It’s term generally used to describe the roll of fat around the top of low cut jeans. But here in the Druber Blog, it’s the outcome of a happy accident I had attempting to make scones with the addition of chocolate whey protein powder. I got the batter a bit to soft and the outcome was more of a cake batter than a scone batter. What the heck I said – I’ll just see how this comes out. Result: Some damn tasty treats with a nice moist cakey texture that makes for a great breakfast or some excellent jersey pocket food.

Preheat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl, combine the following:
1 c. Light Rye Flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
1 c. Spelt Flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 c. Chocolate flavor Whey Protein Powder
1/4 c. Light Brown Sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. each dried currants and dried cranberries (or raisins or whatever dried fruit you want to use)
1 whole egg
6 T. cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
1 c. buttermilk

Mis all ingredients with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Spoon 3-4 inch mounds onto parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches between each to allow room for expanding in the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes on center rack until the “muffin tops” are browned and a toothpick put into center pulls out cleanly.

The whole grains, dried fruit and of course sugar are great sources of carbohydrates and the protein powder gives you a good protein balance for a complete real food alternative to fuel you up before or during long rides.

The trip started out better than any I’ve ever taken. I checked in at the oversize luggage counter in terminal one at O’Hare and the guy behind the United Counter weighed the bike box and said, “You know what? You’re allowed one free checked bag…we’ll just consider this that free bag – save you $100″. Wow. I thanked him profusely and I certainly hope good karma is returned his way.

My flight was smooth and arrived in San Diego 30 minutes early. The sun was brilliant outside the terminal as I waited for The Rhino to pick me up. He came by and we stopped for lunch with his wife Laurie, had some sushi at Red Dragon where we ran into some friends of Laurie and The Rhino. Good times. We were on the road by 2:00 and got a nice 51 mile ride up the coast.

Day 2 we rode inland and tackled most of the large climbs up Dehesa Rd, Lyons Valley Rd, Honey Springs Rd, Japatul and Skyline. 5:30+ of ride time and 6800+ feet of climbing. This is my first real test of the new Leader Mark 1 frame and I have to say – it’s a rock star both climbing and descending. It’s easy for an inexpensive frame to hide on flat terrain but all bets are off when you’re descending at 50 mph with crosswind. A Chinese knockoff won’t cut the mustard and trust me – Leader bike sourced a top quality frame from one of the best factories in Taiwan to get the Mark 1.

Day 2 was supposed to be with the Suami’s group ride but we missed our connection and opted for the closer San Diego Bike Club ride. The ride was fairly quick but not extreme. Saw a dude that had been clipped by a car waiting for our ride to come by – dangerous shit. He was laying on the pavement on the far side of a Mercedes that had a dent just behind the head light on the passenger side fender. Looked like the driver pulled into an intersection as he was going through. Heard later that the damage was limited to a broken wrist. While not good, it could obviously have been worse. Near the end of the ride, we were joined by two team mates of Rhino’s Chris MacDonald and James Gunn-Wilkinson and Thurlow Rodgers. The five of us went back and did the loop through the Elfin Forest State Park and tackled a steep climb with a wicked fast descent at 15%. Again – the bike was rock solid. You can’t hide an inferior frame on 15% downward grades. Not a shimmy or a shake.

We went out Saturday night and drank a bunch of beer and ate fried food and Sunday I felt really nasty. We went back inland with Chris and James and were joined by Nick Onate, another good racer in San Diego. We climbed up Dehesa and Japatul to Alpine Rd and decided to cut our ride at that point. I climbed really hard trying to get myself feeling normal but it was useless. I had some really nasty bloats from the fried food. On the way down from Alpine we drilled it and I had a chance to really push the pedals in anger and had some surprisingly good turns of speed.

Yesterday (Monday) was my last day. Randall rode with me up to Suami Beach and then flipped. I continued up to Oceanside and turned inland for a few miles on Oceanside Drive before turning back and ended with an even 80 miles by the time I got back to San Diego.

I had dinner last night with Sal Lombroso, the owner of Leader Bike USA and his wife Dahlia. Sal is a great guy and he and Dahlia are expecting child #2. Sal tells me that he has a new TT frame on the drawing board and scheduled for production by early summer. He’s selling through bike shops and coghouse.com these days so if you’re interested in getting in on a great bike but not paying $5000 – check into it or ask your independent retailer to look into becoming a dealer.

Toast 3T pine nuts over high heat in a heavy bottom sauce pan for two minutes or until golden brown – stirring constantly to avoid scorching the nuts. Remove from heat and set them aside.

Start of pot of water to boil for you noodles

Rinse, trim and halve about 2 dozen Brussels Sprouts (more or less depending on size) I used smallish ones in this dish. They taste better than the big fatties IMHO.

Heat 3T Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the pan you toasted the pine nuts in. When the oil is hot (it will shimmer) add

2t crushed pepper flakes

Stir the pepper flakes in the oil so the oil becomes infused for about 1 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add in the sprouts. Stir frequently to cook the sprouts evenly and to avoid scorching them.

When the spouts are tender, add 1 half of a Red Onion chopped medium to coarse. Stir frequently until the onions begin to turn translucent and partially caramelized. Season with Black Salt or a nice sea salt to taste.

Add 3 servings of linguine to your pot and boil until al dente – about 5 -6 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the pan with the sprouts. Add pine nuts and toss the whole lot with an additional 3T of really good olive oil until the noodles are covered in the oil.

Plate and grate with Pecorino Romano or a hard Italian cheese of your choice

This didn’t disappoint. I have an awesome fish monger in the neighborhood that provides sashimi grade goods to most of the sushi joints on the Northwest side. I got some Red Snapper and rolled back to a preparation I did for my friend from Germany Christian and his family when they visited summer before last with a bit of a twist.

Sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 thinly sliced red (mine was orange) jalapeno
2T finely diced ginger

Combine in a small covered pot and simmer for 45 minutes on low heat. The ginger and jalapeno will infuse the broth with a tremendous amount of mouth exploding FLAVOR – not HEAT. There is a difference. The Buttermilk holds up well with the spices and imparts a nice creaminess without being heavy.

Cut 1 large Green Plantain in half. The Green Plantain is very much like a potato – starchy and firm. Not as sweet as the ripe plantain. It bakes well. Coat two 4×12 pieces of foil (shiny side) with olive oil and place peeled plantain halves dead center. Dust Plantains with curry and hot paprika. Wrap foil around the Plantains and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

I served this with wilted baby bok choy but certainly, you can use something green of your own choosing. Nothing magic here but the bok choy is a nice accompaniment.

Saute 1 large peppered Red Snapper filet in 1T butter over medium low heat for 3 minutes per side until the fish is white and flaky.

Plate and spoon a couple of tablespoons of the sauce over the snapper and bok choy. You don’t need to use the entire amount of sauce but be sure to get all the jalapeno and a good dose of ginger onto the fish.

Mangia!

This will make two 1.5 lb loaves.  All grains and flours are Bob’s Red Mill – it’s the best!

In a mixing bowl, combine

1.5 cups cooked cooked brown rice

3 cups Unbleached White Flour

1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

2 T Spelt Flour

2 T Dried Milk Powder

2 T Golden Flax Seed Meal

1 T Active Dry Yeast

1 t Salt

Whisk Dry ingredients together with the bread hook attachment of a mixer or by hand.  

Add:

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Turn on mixer and gradually add 1 3/4 cups of 110 degree water.  After the first cup, add it at a rate of 2 T at a time while the break hook kneads the mix into a dough.  Add water until the dough forms a nice ball that the bread hook will hold and work.  Different flours and grains take water at different rates so you just need to use some observational skills at this step.  

Mix alternating high and low speeds for a total of 10 minutes and lift the mixer, remove the  dough from the hook, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.

One hour later…

Punch the dough, remove it from the bowl and knead vigorously on a floured surface for 5 minutes.  Divide the dough into equal halves and form into loaves – shapes of your choosing.

Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 400 and bake for 40 minutes on a baking stone.

This breadhas an awesome crust and has a really great consistency

http://www.truesport.com/rzone/articles/article.asp?recid=1711

OMG Mark I have to say you must drink the cool aide [Kool Aid] and tune into the “butch” [nice] on the leftist MSNBC. I think her name is Maddow. Are you kidding me [?] – teleprompter boy [President Obama]- addressing the prime minister [not named] as MR. President then saying uh oh thats me. You want to talk Clueless Your boy [I will assume the use of the word "boy" has no racial intent] has never accomplished anything accept [except] success with fraud on the american people and off [of] course becoming the greates [greatest] food stamp president ever [a term coined by Rush Limbaugh to describe Pres. Obama]. I thought you were in the people business – and you can not see the magnitude of fraud and incompetence in [of] Obama. And to think any one could be so stupid to think you tax more and grow business – Sure I’ll stay right here and pay more taxes because I know them money will spent oh so wisely [unclear what he intended here...sorry]. UHHHH Vote for me and I will tax those unjustly enriched business people (piece of coal) [unclear what the coal reference is] and take care of you. ” Daahhh Oh Thank you Mr. Prethident. I’ve been waiting for thomeone like you to help me forgonna [again, unclear on forgonna] cuth I aint thmart enough to make it mythelf. [I believe he was mimicking how Rush Limbaugh often mockingly voices those who oppose him as the "new castrati" by giving them a lisp when he speaks for them] what [insert ?] WOW i [I]just thought there were more lazy low self esteem mooches who are content with getting a hand out, than there were ambitious, self respecting people – and that is how he got voted into office after fraudulently obtaining fictisous [fictitious]votes with our tax dollars spent through Acorn [laboring under the now dis proven theory that ACORN produced massive amounts of voter fraud]- But i guess I was mistaken – there are apparently some well educated self respecting clueless folks as well [assume he means me and others who are educated and voted D]. And his Jobs plan[s] old and new. [Unclear - not a full sentence] Ever look at a P&L in conjuction with a balance sheet Mark? Obviously teleprompter fraud boy [Again, use of "teleprompter" is a frequently used criticism of Hannity and Limbaugh - again allowing since I know this guy to be somewhat decent that the word "boy" is not a racial pejorative] has never seen one or understood one. This dip shit and his fellow dip shits think you can eat seed corn and have more crops next year. You either think he is that stupid oryou don’t. And if he isn’t that stupid – it is that their fans are that stupid so they sell such a plan and go on a fraudulent spending oragy [orgy], that lines their relatives pockets with wealth beyond that of a powerball winner- and you and I get to pay for it. They put lipstick on it and now try to sell it again. Mark I have to ask How do you stay upright on two wheels?

Okay…whew. Given that this was sent at about 1:00 a.m. in the senders time zone I will allow that if such writing had emanated from me, a large amount of alcohol would most surely have been involved. That said, it’s time that I address the issue which I’ve long promised to address with respect to what has gone wrong.

Since 1980 the theory of supply side economics has been part of national policy. Essentially, this theory suggests that if top income earners and so called job producers are allowed to work in an environment of minimal taxation and regulation, the effect will be economic growth that benefits the population at large as it will unleash the power of free market capitalism, resulting in job creation and an environment of corporate self regulation whereby companies recognize that if they lose sight of the long view, in lieu of short term profit making, the invisible hand of the market will ultimately penalize them. Ronald Regan and the Congress lead by Tipp O’Neill carved out a compromise to cut top marginal income tax brackets to 28% from over 70% and close many of the tax loopholes that allowed those in the over 70% tax bracket to actually pay no taxes at all. There is no question that then as today, the tax code needed simplification and this was largely in my view a good thing at the time.

Also in 1980, parts of the Glass-Stegal Banking act, which essentially separated traditional lending and deposit banking from investment banking were repealed. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, bankers and brokers were sometimes indistinguishable. Then, in the Great Depression after 1929, Congress examined the mixing of the “commercial” and “investment” banking industries that occurred in the 1920s. Hearings revealed conflicts of interest and fraud in some banking institutions’ securities activities. A formidable barrier to the mixing of these activities was then set up by the Glass–Steagall Act.

Shortly after this law was partially repealed we had the collapse of the Savings and Loan industry and the Junk Bond scandal. Surprise! This collapse was largely due to simultaneous deregulation of the S&L industry, allowing S&Ls to operate as banks without being subject to the same level of regulation. This allowed S&Ls to lend against lower capital requirements, broker Certificates of Deposit (CDs) which spawned a brand new industry – packaging good and bad loan pools together, writing derivative contracts against those loan pools, and selling leveraged pieces of the loans as “insured bonds” to investors. Sound familiar? A few institutions and individuals profited greatly from this while the net effect was devastating to a larger number who depended on those new fangled “junk bonds” to back their pensions, CDs and savings accounts.

Fast forward to 1999 and the final deregulation of the banking industry the bill sponsored by Republican Senator Phil Gramm and Republican Rep. James Leach (Gramm-Leach-Bliley) signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton. This was back before bipartisanship was looked upon as a sign of weakness. This law effectively repealed the Glass-Stegal Banking Act of 1933 and allowed the wall between commercial, deposit and investment banking to be completely done away with. Not only that, but insurance companies could own banks, banks could create mutual funds and investment companies could sell insurance and take deposits. What a wonderful world! Of course, it only took 7 or 8 years for the unintended consequence to result in the shit storm known as the “global financial crisis”. As an aside – voting my pocket book, I supported Republicans and these pieces of legislation at the time.

That is all background – here is the crux of the matter: Since 1980 and the advent of public policy designed to deregulate and lower taxation – which were intended to spur economic growth that benefited all of society – we’ve been in a series of 5-8 year cycles of bubbles where those who create the bubbles are greatly enriched and those on whom the bubble bursts get hosed.
Take a look at the following graph Note the percentage of income ownership of the top 1% of in 1920 and what happened under Glass-Stegal and what has happened since 1980 when Glass-Stegal started to be dismantled.

I don’t begrudge success. I’m not opposed even to the concept that wealth attracts and engenders wealth – this is the way it should be. What I do oppose is those who own wealth, using that wealth to influence public policy in such a way that the system becomes rigged to essentially ensure their success and prevent their ultimate failure while at the same time placing road blocks in the way of their competition.

The key reason I have become a Democrat Voter (George W was the last R for whom I voted – burned badly by his humble foreign policy and compassionate conservatism bait and switch. Feel like a complete dumb ass to this day) is that I have witnessed first hand, the abject FAILURE of the low tax, low regulation, anti labor environment that the GOP insists is the road to prosperity to actually do what it is advertised to do. FACT – George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton both raised taxes and increased regulation and the economy grew. FACT – George W lowered tax rates, loosened several key pieces of environmental legislation and job creation stalled, middle incomes stagnated and we ended up in a world wide market collapse. Want to argue that with me? Really?

Many of my right wing friends detest president Obama and cite their common complaint that he is a Socialist and wants to “redistribute wealth”. The fact is, “trickle down” economics has created the greatest mechanism for wealth redistribution in the history of our country. Over the past 30 years, top wager earners have seen their incomes increase by over 275% while real wages for those earning $75,000 or less have actually DECREASED. Listen, before I became a financial advisor, I owned a painting and decorating company. I paid my guys about $17 an hour. That was during the mid 1980s. Guess what the guys painting the house next door this summer were being paid? $15 bucks an hour. And, they were not migrant workers. This was their trade! For thirty years, real income has been flowing OUT of the middle, TOWARD the top while the bottom has stayed relatively constant. These facts are indisputable

I have many thoughts on this a related subjects that I’ll be laying out over the next few weeks. Stay tuned…
Why income disparity is dangerous
Why slightly higher taxes lead to investment while low taxes lead to hoarding of wealth

Slowly mix all dry ingredients until well sifted. Gradually add 2 cups of 110 degree (just above luke warm) water while slowly mixing. If you’re using a mixer, use the dough hook.
When dough is completely mixed, increase speed of mixer and knead for 10 minutes.

Cover in bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Punch and knead on a counter covered with fine corn meal for another 5 minutes and divide the dough into two equal portions and form into roughly 10 inch long loaves. Cross the loaves with a knife diagonally with 4 evenly spaced slits.

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

Allow to rise for 15 more minutes and place loaves in the oven on middle rack on a pizza stone with either parchment paper, foil or corn meal to prevent the dough from sticking to the stone and bake for 40 minutes. Roll the loaves over during the last minute of cooking to allow the bottom crust to brown a bit.

Enjoy!

16 oz baby carrots
1 c chopped fennel
1/2 large red bell pepper chopped
1 c chopped onion
3 T chopped fresh ginger

Cover with water, add 2T sea salt and bring to boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes then set on low simmer, cover pot and walk away for 90 minutes.

With a hand mixer (you need to go to Target and get one if you don’t have a stick hand mixer, it’s an essential!) blend until the soup is a smooth even consistency with no lumps, clumps or chunks. Add 1T toasted sesame oil and 1T Xanthan Gum (Bob’s Red Mill) or tapioca powder (thickening agent). Blend those additions into the soup.

Remove from heat and cover. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes and serve.

I served this with some oat and corn flour bread sticks I made.

Bon Appetite!