Urban Hiking, Pizza and a Pantry Challenge

In the beginning...

Soul Party

A Soul Party was thrown, and food was made. Specifically pizza galore. I used the previously posted dough recipe with a few variations. I used a self raising dough and added 1 egg per batch of dough. A variety of thicknesses of dough were made and both thick and thin were damn fine.

Pizza Margherita

Some other pizza with yummy toppings that was eaten

Sadly, there was an0ther pizza made, but it was eaten too quickly to be photographed. I can provide witnesses, if needed, to back this story up. I think the last one, the one not photographed, was the best.

The rest of the spread was delicious, some dried cured meats, olives, cheese, and wine were available as well as some very very fine soul music that was danced too.

The hostess also served Molly Moon's Ice cream and another guest made some killer brownies to go with it. I could have rolled out of that party and home I had so much food, and that was even after I danced some of it off.

Urban Hiking

What urban hiking may look like

Urban hiking has temporarily replaced my hiking in the rural wooded areas, and I recently went to take in all the local areas of natural wonder in my neck of the woods. And drink, of course.

What foraging for food on an urban hike may look like

However, I quickly realized how similar urban hiking is to real hiking. There is beauty in those fine crafted cement squares you walk on, the way the houses are laid out in the neighborhood, the fences may have been aligned many years ago when created but now lean this way and that way every so often giving it a lazy look almost as if on purpose. There is just as much art and beauty in the city as in the woods; one just need to look for it. Even if the house or fence or cement layer years ago was not aware of it, he was making art, and even probably at the deepest level of their being knew it.

What a natural source of wild refreshment may look like on an urban hike

After the last stop on my urban hike, I decided to walk back to my lair as it was a sunny day and the fresh air after all of my jubilation was more than likely needed (and in the end it proved to be not enough to counter the wild intoxication of the urban hike). I began my walk home and again found myself amazed at the local bounty of art and grand art in the makings of man. After cresting a hill on my way home, a view of the far off jagged horizon appeared. The mountains in the distance adding to the serene placid beauty I was already experiencing and surrounded by on my urban hike. As if the mountains were not there to counter the city, but to make it better in any way they could.

A Challenge Arises

The beginning of a pantry challenge meal

I was recently challenged my a friend who came upon my blog. The challenge was simple; make a great meal out of whatever was in the pantry. The catch was I did not get to know what was in the pantry until I arrived.

The sauce is about to me made

The host was going to cook some all organic grass feed free range steaks, which I had marinated in lime juice, garlic and beer. The pantry was well stocked (according to me, not the host), and I found quinoa, seaweed, and a host of spices and other goodness to make a sauce and side dish with. The garden out back had some delicate baby squash that was sauteed up in, what else, garlic, onions, butter, salt and pepper.

Garlic lemon quinoa with seaweed

The quinoa dish was easy enough. I prepared the quinoa as normal, added a few crushed and whole cloves of garlic, a few tablespoons of lemon juice, and a handfull of rough chopped seaweed.

The End Results

The sauce was made with a little peanut butter, lemon juice, olive oil, tumeric (the yellow) powder, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and mayo (I hardly ever use this terrible stuff, but it was just needed to help with the texture).

I also sauteed some baby carrots, red onions, garlic, and black olives that were generously topped upon the quinoa.

The end result was a great meal with things that the host already had in the pantry. I was pleased with myself in the end, but is always the case, found things to do different and more better next time.