Tofu croutons
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
I made these tofu croutons the other day and ate them all in one sitting, they were so good!
Ingredients
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, patted dry, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• fresh black pepper
• salt
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Toss cubes in a bowl with the oil.
• Spread the tofu cubes in one single layer on a baking sheet.
• Season with generous amounts of fresh black pepper and a desired amount of salt.
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden.
My Favorite Madison Restaurants
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
Here are my favorite places to eat in Madison. I am really spoiled by the amount of great restaurants for the size of the city.
Breakfast
Bradbury’s – awesome crepes and great espresso
Gotham Bagels – best bagels in town
Lazy Jane’s – delicious scones, good scramblers and strong coffee
Marigold Kitchen – always good fresh food
Sophia’s Bakery & Cafe – small space but awesome brunch on the weekends
Pizza
Buck’s Pizza – cheap takeout pizza
Cafe La Bellitalia – traditional mom and pop restaurant
Cafe Porta Alba – authentic Neapolitan pizza
Greenbush Bar – the best thin crust pizza in town
Natt Spil – not only my favorite bar but they have good thin crust pizzas
Italian
Lombardino’s – my favorite Italian restaurant
Osteria Papavero – my second favorite Italian restaurant
Gastropub
Brassiere V – kind of like jacs
Coopers Tavern – kind of like jacs and Brasserie V but with poutine
jacs – kind of like Brassiere V
The Weary Traveler – great atmosphere and tasty tom ka tofu soup
Mexican
La Zacatecana – Mexican grocery with cheap authentic eats in the back
Tex Tubb’s – this fills my Tex-Mex cravings
Japanese
Restaurant Muramoto – Hands down my favorite, love the food and the space
Upscale
Restaurant Magnus – My favorite fancy schmancy restaurant (also love the bar)
L’Etoile – My second favorite fancy schmancy restaurant
Ethnic Cuisines
Chautara – I like it a bit better than Himal Chuli
Himal Chuli – a classic
Lao Laan Xang – I could eat here every day
Mediterranean Cafe – cheap and excellent food
Monty’s Blue Plate – okay, not ethnic but the Sheldon is so good
Shish Cafe – for dinner, when Mediterranean Cafe is not open
Outdoor Dining
Mickey’s Tavern – I love this patio and the veggie burgers
Lake Vista Cafe – one of the best views in Madison
Joseph Campbell
Posted by creining | Filed under Personal
If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time. ~ Joseph Campbell
I recently borrowed Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth from the library. It is an excellent six part television documentary that was originally broadcast on PBS in 1988. I wanted to discover, challenge, think about, recreate my belief system.
The first thing that I would say about the program is that there is so much depth to the dialogue he has with Bill Moyer. Topics and thoughts that had my head spinning, my mind racing. I felt that when Campbell stated some of his more challenging or difficult viewpoints I would convince myself that I understood. But, I’m also of the viewpoint that if I think I understand something, that I get it, than I probably don’t. It was an enlightening experience and a great catalyst for thinking about belief systems.
I am going to write about a few of the topics that really resonated with me. The first was when he was talking about the source of life. Well what is it? No one knows. And he thinks that it is important to live life with a knowledge of it’s mystery and your own mystery. He mentioned that a lot of people in therapy, when they find out what it is ticking in them they get straightened out. They become more balanced and live with less anxiety.
Second, he talks a bit about dragons in mythology. When Moyer tries to relate that to a persons life Campbell states that the real dragon is in you, it is your ego. Your ego is what you want, what you believe, what you can do, what you think you love and all that. The aim of your life. The issue is that it might be too small, it pins you down. If it is simply that which what your environment tells you what to do than it certainly is pinning you down and your environment is then your dragon. Moyer then asks how do you slay that dragon in yourself, what is the journey you have to make. The general formula? Follow your bliss. If you are doing what you want to do because you choose to do it and you are happy to do it that’s fine, do what you want then. There is no dragon to slay. But, if you think I couldn’t do this or I couldn’t do that than you are not following your bliss. I think that is simple enough to follow; that is what is so beautiful about it.
Third was about nirvana. Nirvana is a psychological state of mind, it is here in the middle of turmoil. It’s the condition that comes when you’re not compelled by desire or by fear or by social commitments. Where you hold your center and act out of there. No one can tell you how to do that, it can’t be taught. This is something that I would like to explore more. Do I have to become Buddhist to achieve nirvana or can anyone achieve it? I think anyone could strive for it and the ideals outside of the formal path that Buddhists take.
Fourth, was about the whole planet as an organism. The idea that I came out of the earth. I am the earth. I am the consciousness of the earth. My eyes are the eyes of the earth and my voice is the voice of the earth. I love this way of thinking, it makes me feel a lot more connected to the world and everything in it. I never believed in a god or a personal god, I always thought that the earth was my god as it gives me life by the sun, the water, the air and the food it provides. I also have always believed that I am just a consciousness and that my body is a medium for that. Eventually my body will have served its purpose and my consciousness will be free to inhabit another transport.
Fifth, Campbell said that it’s important to have a sacred place. Whether it’s a place or an hour in the day where you don’t know about any news, or people or tasks or what you owe people. It’s a time to bring forth what you are and what you might be. Creative incubation. At first nothing might happen there. If you have a sacred place and use it and take advantage of it something will happen. Most of our action is economically or socially determined, it does not come out of our life. What is it I’m intended to do? I’m always doing something required of me. Where is my bliss station?
Lastly, God. He who thinks he knows doesn’t know. He who knows that he doesn’t know knows.
A great story Campbell told about a priest he met at a gym. The priest sat down next to him and it went like this:
priest: are you a priest?
Campbell: no.
priest: are you a catholic?
Campbell: i was, father.
priest: do you believe in a personal god?
Campbell: no, father.
priest: Well, I suppose there is no way to prove by logic the existence of a personal god.
Campbell: if there were father, what would be the value of faith?
priest: nice to meet you.
And the priest hurriedly walks off.
Trip to Alaska
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
A maiden voyage to the Land of the Midnight Sun! I am super excited because I think I will be floored by the natural beauty!
Friday, June 18
Arrive Anchorage
Drive To Denali
Accommodations at Denali Cabins
Saturday, June 19
Denali Backcountry Adventure
Accommodations at Denali Cabins
Sunday, June 20
Time to explore Denali
Drive to Anchorage
Accommodations at Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa
Monday, June 21
Denali Flightseeing Tour to Mt. McKinley
Chugach State Park and Flat Top Mountain
Accommodations at Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa
Tuesday, June 22
Portage glacier
Drive to Seward
Accommodations at Hotel Seward
Wednesday, June 23
Kenai Fjords National Park Tour
Accommodations at Hotel Seward
Thursday, June 24
Exit Glacier Ice Hiking
Drive To Homer
Katmai National Park / Lake Clark National Park
Accommodations at Driftwood Inn
Friday, June 25
Time to explore Homer
Katmai National Park / Lake Clark National Park
Drive to Anchorage
Depart Anchorage
Today
Posted by creining | Filed under Personal
I wake up. I’m glad that I’m in a warm bed. I can appreciate the fact that Rocco likes to sleep next to me. I lay there thinking how happy I am that I get to experience another day of life. The sun cuts in through the blinds reminding me about how good it will feel when I’m outside with the sun hitting my face while my eyes squint. A smile comes across my face when I step into the hot shower. I appreciate the fact that I have running, hot water. I appreciate the fact that I have a place I can call home. After I finish getting ready I head to the kitchen to take my vitamins with some orange juice. I eat some fresh fruit. I’m glad that I am able to buy these things at the co-op. I am happy to support this business and what they stand for. I lace up shoes and head out the door eager to start my day. I stop by the coffee shop happy to see who’s working. We banter about what what comes to mind. I love the smell of the coffee shop; glad to take that first sip. I have a smile on my face as I head back outside. I appreciate that I have a job that I love. I speed down the street taking in the neighborhood and how much I love living here. Looking forward to the day, the people I will talk to, the laughter and joy I will have. That other person wasn’t really me, I’m not draped in that anymore.
My life 2009 to 2010
Posted by creining | Filed under Personal
In my post a year ago, My life 08 into 09, I had a list of 7 things I wanted to accomplish. Well, I didn’t get them all done but that’s not a bad thing at all. I accomplished all my goals in 2008 which I felt really good about but it also caused me to become burned out and to miss living in the present. I learned a lot between about living my life during 2009. Here’s what I mean.
I have a tendency to always look ahead to tomorrow or the next month or even years ahead. I don’t think that it’s necessarily bad to look ahead and have personal or professional goals I want to accomplish or places I want to visit. However, I do that too much and it begins to dominate me. I remember when I was a little kid I couldn’t wait to be older so I could do more things. Get a job, drive a car, stay out until curfew, move out of the house, go to college, get a real job, buy a house.
Just a few years ago I would lie awake and think about all the things that I had to get done at work the next day. Or what I needed to do to plan a trip that was a year away. And on and on. I’ve found that there is very little I can do about anything in the middle of the night, except sleep.
I would start to think that I only have this one life and yet there is so much that I would like to do. So that lead me to try to orchestrate my future and the outcome is that I start to miss out on what is happening now. I start missing the journey because I’m wasting so much energy planning the future.
So I’m working on learning to live in the present, in the moment. Being aware of the journey and forgetting about the destination. I don’t want to sacrifice the present for the future because I won’t feel any accomplishment until I reach that goal. Wash, rinse and repeat. I don’t want to live that way.
This doesn’t mean that I have to give up all future plans. Living in the moment doesn’t mean to throw out all responsibility or become cavalier about everything. I have bills to pay, groceries to get, a house to clean, family to visit, deadlines for work. I just don’t choose to obsess over my future. I like to strive for a balanced awareness of my past, present and future with the present being my fulcrum on life’s see saw.
I like the way my life is now. I have more freedom to do what I want, when I want to and with whom. So now I would definitely say I’m living for happiness and satisfaction today. I know that I’m not going to be happy every day, but satisfaction with life covers a lot of ground.
After having said all that, my goals for 2009 were:
- Find and purchase 5-10 vacant wooded acres in Wisconsin (I didn’t do this; I still want to and this is going into my 10 year plan)
- Camp at Dells of Eau Claire, Nelson Dewey and Point Beach state parks (did it, loved it!)
- Vacation on Holbox Island, Mexico (we did this over my 30th birthday, a hidden gem!)
- Travel to India (I spent 16 days in Southern India, a wonderful adventure!)
- Fly fly fly (a trip to Washington Island is in order) (not this year)
- Design and start a half-sleeve (I have ideas of what I want but this is something I am not going to rush)
- Road trip! Wyoming (Yellowstone), Washington, Oregon, Arizona (Grand Canyon), Colorado (not this year, I didn’t even have enough vacation to attempt this!)
And I am making some 2010 goals. They are not too aggressive as they have been in the past and I’m not going to obsess over them or be upset if I don’t accomplish them.
- Camp at Sidie Hollow County Park
- Trip to Alaska, Anchorage to Denali
- Travel to Argentina
- Fly fly fly (a trip to Washington Island is in order)
- Learn about investment real estate
Madison area small business resources
Posted by creining | Filed under Personal
I have been kicking around the idea of starting a small business. I don’t know when, or how or where or what but it has been a dream of mine for awhile. I’ve found some good resources in the Madison area that I want to start looking into. These are:
Madison Area Technical College (MATC) Small Business Entrepreneurship Program
Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN)
Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Packing for India
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I am taking a trip to southern India soon. The only things I will be bringing will be what fits in my Kelty Redwing 3100 backpack. Here’s the list of the stuff I am planning on taking with me:
Passport/Vaccination certificate with India visa
Travel insurance papers (Travelex)
GAP vouchers and dossier
Airline tickets
Global GSM/GPRS smartphone/charger
400 USD
Credit and debit card
Camera/camera bag/camera charger
India power adapter
Disposable reading material
Small notebook and pen
1 100 weight fleece
2 pair Prana shorts
8 t-shirts
1 sun hat
1 pair ExOfficio convertible pants
2 pair wool hiking socks
1 pair Chaco Z/2 sandals
1 pair sunglasses
1 small towel
16 pair underwear
Sunblock
Insect repellent
Headlamp
Daypack
Glasses
Extra pair of contact lenses
Saline solution
Eye drops
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Razor and shaving cream
Facial cleanser
Shampoo
Deodorant
Lip balm
Aleve
Band aids
Antihistamine
Imodium
Antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin)
Malarone
Hand wipes
Plastic Ziploc 1 gallon bags
Sugar Skull Tattoos
Posted by creining | Filed under Personal
I have been wanting to get a tattoo, for awhile. I am finally set on a sugar skull. Although I don’t want color. Maybe with the inscription of the the dates 6/15/1946 – 9/27/2006 for my dad.
Some of the ones that I’ve seen that are generally what I like:
sugar skull
Trip to Holbox Island
Posted by creining | Filed under Travel
I caught myself saying “what a hidden gem this is” every day that I spent on tiny Holbox Island near the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. There are no cars, white sand roads and turquoise virgin beaches. The island is somewhat inaccessible and it’s not yet developed. It’s where mexicans go to vacation. And when you eat at a restaurant you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home. It’s very community-oriented and welcoming. Pure paradise in my opinion.
I usually do a lot of research before I travel to a new place and this time was no different. As usual, the TripAdvisor website was a great resource with the hotel reviews and the friendly folks on the forums who have a wealth of information and are happy to share their opinions and answer questions. The posts I found most useful were the one on locally owned businesses and one on how much cash to bring. Of course, there were plenty of other posts on hotels and their differences, how to get there from Cancun and what to bring.
I stayed at two different hotels while on the island. The first was Villas Flamingos which was down the beach about a 20 minute walk from the village and Holbox Dream which was essentially next to the village. Both were wonderful places with their respective pros and cons. My reviews for Flamingos and Dream on TripAdvisor. I would stay at Flamingos again in a heartbeat but a similar cabana hotel on the island is Villa Los Mapaches which I would enjoy trying next time (yes, I am going back).
The best meal I had on the island was at Los Pelicanos, an Italian restaurant run by an Italian guy named Luca. It was an absolutely amazing meal with top notch service. The risotto and tiramisu are world class. The food on the island was always good and fresh. As Holbox is a fishing village, the fish and seafood was always exceptional.
The transfer service was provided by VIP Holbox. Scheduling it was a bit difficult as numerous emails to them went unanswered. Eventually using a different email address for them worked and the service went off without a hitch. There was a pickup from Cancun (CUN) airport in an air conditioned van which went to Chiquila where we were handed ferry tickets for the transportation to Holbox where we were met and led to a golf cart taxi that took us to the hotel. As I am more comfortable with the ground trip now, when I return to the island I would either get a taxi at CUN to Chiquila or try the bus from Cancun to Chiquila. Also, there are a couple other transfer services from CUN, Cancun Transfers and Mexican Caribbean, but they were a little more expensive than VIP Holbox.