Painting Lines In Florida

My work space in Florida is pretty 'sparse' compared to my digs at home in New Brunswick, and so while down here I have been working on small pieces.

The first works centred around the folks at Higher Ground Bike Co. They have all gone out of thier way to make it feel like home here, and I wanted to give them something for the hospitality they have shown me. The painting I gave Todd May (owner of HG) is a line painting of Ryan the shop mechanic working on a bike. It may become part of a larger project I'm working out with Todd.

The other two paintings, one of an orange blossom and the other of a magnolia flower, are inspired by the beautiful plants of Florida. Even in the winter, the landscape is very lush and green. These works will likely go in the studio this summer. The ones that I find the most successful compositions I'll turn into larger acrylic pieces back in NB.

Peace... Slats

Cheese Chips & Onion Dip (SCD Friendly)

This is a great quick snack that is super-tasty!



You'll need...

1 package Sargento Natural Baby Swiss cheese
1 onion
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 cup of yogurt (for it to be SCD friendly, it needs to be yogurt that has fermented for 24 hours...this removes all lactose)
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
parchment paper
baking tray
small frying pan

Chips

Cut all cheese slices into 3 equal parts. Line baking tray with parchment paper,then place cheese on paper approx 1 inch apart. Bake in oven at 350 until crispy. Remove and set aside to cool.

Dip

Dice onion into tiny pieces and put in frying pan. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and cook over med-high heat until slightly brown. Remove and allow to cool. Mix onions with yogurt. Serve with cheese chips!

Recipe copyright Geoff Slater

Night Ride Tallahassee....I've seen the light!!

Last night, I took part in the weekly Tuesday night shop ride that leaves from Higher Ground.



We left at 6:30pm, just as things were getting dark. Seven of us took part, and it turned out to be a nice moderate pace, with little stopping; just as a good shop ride should be.



We were out for a couple of hours. What was special about this ride, however, was that I was the only one running a halogen light system. For the last 5 years, my Solo Logic L&M has done me just fine. I have 2 batteries, and so I can get about 4 hours of runtime at 12 watts (the high beams). I'm used to the 'yellow' colour the light emits. Everyone else on the ride was running LED light systems. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, the latest in MTB lighting technology. Not so much a bulb, but a piece of electronic circuitry, these lights are vastly superior to any halogen system. In fact, I could follow a rider with a LED system, without even turning my light on! The white light they give off cut through all the shadows of the trail; they are more durable than a traditional bulb system; they require less power and therefore last much longer; kind of a no-brainer. The price for this level of technology is high, but if you spend alot of time riding in the dark...



I don't, so for now I'll just follow those who have seen the light.

Curried Chicken Stir Fry (SCD Friendly)

This is one of my favorite dishes; and it is quick and easy.

Adjust the amounts of chicken and veggies to the amount of people eating.

You need:
Olive oil
Butter
Ground turmeric
Ground cumin
Salt
Pepper
Chicken breast (sliced)
Cut mushrooms
Cut onions
Cut carrots
Cut peppers (red or green)
Lentils ( to prepare lentils, soak in water for 12 hours, then boil in water 3 times, draining lentils between each boiling. This removes the starches, making them SCD friendly. Then they can be used for any dish....).
*Cook at medium-hi heat.

In a wok, stir-fry chicken and onions in olive oil with salt and pepper until chicken is cooked.

Add lentils and a spoonful of butter and stir-fry until lentils start to brown.





Remove mixture from wok until later.

Add carrots and peppers to wok with a little more olive oil, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.



Add chicken mixture back in.

Add 2 spoonfuls of butter, and shake in some turmeric and cumin ( a few shakes of each...to your taste).




Stir-fry for one more minute, then plate it up.



Hope you enjoy... Slats

Recipe copyright Geoff Slater