Life is like a 100 mile bike ride...

Gotta love the farmers market

2010-07-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

Headed off to the Schenectady Green Market this morning. This is a farmer's market loaded with local produce right out of the field and off the truck. Goal today was eggplant parmesian. On the shopping list eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce and garlic.

My mom is known for her eggplant parm. She makes pans of it for our family reunion and freezes a couple in case she has company. Our friend Patty asked my mom for her eggplant recipe once. It went something like this: Do the eggplant, layer in a pan with sauce and cheese. Bake for 40 minutes.

My EP is nothing like hers. Sorry mom. This is a vegetarian version and could easily be vegan with fake cheese. No offense to my vegan friends but there's no way in hell I'm using fake cheese.

Making this is a project so you need to carve out some time. The recipe is simple, just like the ingrediants. It just takes time. Here's what you need:

2 large eggplants
14 large, ripe tomatoes
1 head of garlic
some basil (I used dried because I only had $14 with me at the market)
half an onion
shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil
canola oil
12 oz can of tomato paste
bread crumbs
flour
eggs
a couple of big pots
a 9x12 baking dish
a good bottle of italian wine
music- I have the the 7.2.10 Phish show from Charlotte on. They're cooking while I'm cooking.

Fresh local tomatoes are incredible this time of year, The heat and sun make them fat and juicy. Start by cutting an x in the bottom of your tomatoes. Throw them in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, then dunk them in a pot of ice water. When they cool down the skins will slide right off.

Fill the bottom of a large sauce pot- the bigger the better- with olive oil. Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, the onion (also chopped), basil and tomato paste. Fry the paste for a few minutes, stirring so that it doesn't burn.

After you take the skins off the tomatoes hold them over the pot and squeeze in your hands crushing them into the pot. When they're all in set the burner to medium and bring to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Stir your sauce every fifteen minutes or so at least. You can't stir it too much.

You've got about an hour to kill here so do the dishes or take a nap.

Now it's time to "do the eggplant". Today I skinned them but you don't have to. Totally up to you. I figure I have a better chance of the 7 year old eating it if she desn't have to worry about skin. I also sliced in discs rather than the long way. Again, it's totally up to you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Make sure you use all of the slices and the ends. The smaller pieces will come in handy in a few minutes.

Dredge the slices in flour and set them aside until they're all done.

Fill a pan with canola oil, heat it up, open your bottle of wine and reload the music. Frying the eggplant slices takes time and the wine and music will make it go faster. Use enough oil so that it comes up the sides of your eggplant but doesn't cover completely. The oil is hot enough when you drop some bread crumbs in and they sizzle. If the oil starts to smoke it's too hot. Dip your eggplant slices in scrambled egg then coat with bread crumbs and fry. A couple of minutes on one side and then flip. The eggplant slices should be golden and crispy. Drain them on a paper bag or a wire rack to get the extra oil off.

Once all of the eggplant is fried you're ready to build your parm. Start by coating the bottom of the pan with sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, more sauce and sprinkle some mozzarella on top. Another layer of eggplant, more suce, cheeze... you get the idea. The small pieces come in handy here. You can use them to fill in the gaps or you can do what I do. Dip them in the sauce and eat them. You've been cooking for far to long without a least a sample.

My eggplant parm has 3 layers of eggplant. When I get to the top I add more mozzarella and grate some romano on top. Then it goes into a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. When it's done let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before you cut in. This gives the smell time to move through your whole house so that the kids start asking when dinner is.

That's it. Simple but it takes about 4 hours start to finish. Let me know if you try it, like it or have a way to make it even better!

Phish ticket giveaway

2010-05-25T10:14:00.004-04:00

This is the second year in a row that I'm riding 100 miles to raise money for MS research, and the second year that I'm giving away Phish tix to help!

I have a pair of inside seats, section 5, row J for the Phish show at SPAC on 6.19 and I'm giving them away to someone who makes a donation to support my ride. Here are the details:

Win my tix to Phish! On July 10th I'm riding my bike 100 miles to raise money for research for Multiple Sclerosis. To help raise money I'm giving away a pair of tix to the Saturday night Phish show at SPAC. This is the second year in a row I've done this and last year I raised $2700, partly due to generous Phish Heads!

Here's the scoop. Minimum donation of $25 gets you 1 entry. Every $25 after that gets you another entry!

Last year there were a few questions that I'll try to answer here:

- I am not scalping these tickets. I bought them directly from the promoter and paid extra service charges to make sure I would have inside seats.
- The tickets will be given away as long as I raise over $200 with them. I could sell them on stubhub or ebay for a lot more and donate the money.
- The money absolutely goes to MS research. You will make your donation online on the secure MS website and the money goes directly to the charity.
- Your donation is tax deductable. MS will email you a receipt.
- I'll drop the tix off if you live in the Albany area or meet you in the lot before the show if you're travelling.

Link to make a donation is http://bit.ly/100miles4ms

Thx!!!!

Learning about weather from a 12 year old.

2010-05-14T11:34:00.005-04:00

I've never paid much attention to weather reports. Seriously, how often are they right? When I lived in Breckenridge the Denver TV stations were showing the entire state as clear with blue skies while it was dumping an inch an hour outside our window. And it's not like my wardrobe changes with the weather, so why pay attention?

Biking to work this Spring has changed all of that. April started off with a week of 80 degree temperatures and it looked like we were raging into Summer. Of course, we were skiing in VT that week. Since then the teps have bounced between freezing and hazy, hot and humid. Getting on the bike at 6:30 in the morning, I need to know what to wear.

So I've started checking the weather online in the mornings. Nothing in depth. I just search weather 12110 to check the temp and I'm off.

Yesterday morning Weather.com had the Latham weather as 32 degrees and 100 percent humidity. When I told Jimmy (our too smart for his own good 12 year old) he asked "What's the dew point?" I looked at him like he was from Mars and asked him why that would matter. Apparently if the dew point and the temperature are the same we're going to get percipitation. His words.

So back to weather.com and guess what. The dew point was also 32 degrees. Precipitation looked imminent. And a 32 degree, wet bike ride can be a little rough. I did what every weather man should do before he (or she? are their weather women? why not?)and looked out the window. Blue sky. Little whispy white clouds. Precipitation?

32 and sunny I can handle I jumped on my bike, headed to work and promptly ran into a giant, thick, white wall of fog. The Mohawk River was invisible. Rexford Bridge? Erased. Normally the GE R&D facility glows like a small city but yesterday it was gone. My ride to work largely follows the Mohawk and it was completely covered in a fog bank.

It made the ride almost surreal. I couldn't see any of the checkpoints that I normally pass- bridge, GE hill, 4 entry points to GE including the circle,Knolls, the ball fields at Blatnick Park, the old train station in Latham. Visiblity was brutal.

The precipitation came in the form of the tiny ice crystals that were forming on my clothes. 32 degrees.

It turns out that fog is actually a form of precipitation.

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8f.html

Who knew? Apparently the 12 year olds.

I'm riding my bike 100 miles on July 11th to raise money for MS research. Having multiple sclerosis means that you may suddenly have blurry vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. Or that you may not always be able to walk, let alone ride a bike. The symptoms of MS are different, and devastating, for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.

Please support my ride by making a donation or joining my team!

http://bit.ly/100miles4ms

100 miles... all over again

2010-05-03T08:37:00.005-04:00

May is National Bike to Work Month. I was trying to figure out if I could do all of my commuting by bike this month but it doesn't seem possible. There is the logistical nightmare of getting clean clothes to the office as well as shuttling kids to soccer and basball games and practices. So my goal is to do 1/2 my commuting by bike- 1 way each day. I leave my car at work a few nights a week to make this work.

Commuting by bike is the best excercise for me. It's a 9.5 mile ride, mostly bike path, with 2 short but steep climbs. It takes around 34 minutes on most days. The bike path is loaded with wildlike. Last week I saw a heron perched on the side of the Mohawk searching for breakfast. Today there were yellow birds 9 (maybe goldfinches?) circling at the crest of the GE hill. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, turtles, gophers, geese and ducks all share my commute most mornings.

Best of all is that I get excercise without taking any time out of my day. It takes 25 minutes to drive to work, much of it sitting in a line of cars waiting to get to the Rexford bridge. On my bike I can buzz by the traffic, shoot across the bridge and be on the bike path in less than a third of the time it takes by car.

Cycling has become a big part of my life since I decided to ride 100 miles in the MS Follow the Foothills ride last summer. I'm doing it again this year, the ride is on July 10th. I hope you'll support me by making a donation or joining my team! Details are here: http://bit.ly/100miles4ms . I'm also using the Tour De Cure as a training ride this year, riding 50 or 62 miles on June 6th.

Let me know if you want to go for a ride!

phish ticket giveaway

2009-07-07T11:02:00.002-04:00

Quick update on my Phish ticket giveaway. So far we've raised $400 for MS research and there are 15 people in the drawing. My 100 mile ride is this Saturday, July 11th. I'm going to pick a winner on Sunday as soon as I can crawl out of bed!

Want to get in the drawing? Here's how it works:

-you log onto the MS website (link below) and make a minimum $25 donation to support my ride.
-in the box that says "recognition" either put your twitter ID (ex. @jimstagnitti) or put #phish after your name. That's how I know to put you in the drawing.

That's it!

Tickets are inside, lower level, section 7, row R.

Thanks for your support and GOOD LUCK!

WIN MY EXTRAS!

counting the days

2009-07-06T14:42:00.004-04:00

Just a few short days until the MS Follow the Foothills 100 mile ride. The heavy lifting part of my training is done, just a couple of short - 20-30 mile- rides early this week and then I'll let my legs recover the big ride!

Friday was my longest training ride to date- a 65 mile ride that started and ended at West Mountain. Here's a map of the ride:

07/03/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Lake Luzerne, New York

The first 12 miles are basically up hill as I rode from West Mountain to Corinth and into the Adirondack Park. Click on the elevation button on the map and you'll get the idea. The ride took me around the long, northern finger of Great Sacandaga Lakeover the Batchellerville bridge and through the towns of Hadley and Lake Luzerne.

There's something about a steady rain that makes the Adirondack's feel more, well, Adirondacky. Friday did not dissappoint. As I crested the hill on West Mountain Rd heading toward the lake fog was rolling in between the mountains. A slight wind picked up and the sky darkened. All I could hope for was no lightening and luckily it held off. The rain, however, didn't. Fifteen miles in a steady drizzle/downpour. By the time I reached the little general store in Edinburg I was soaked and cold. Good time to stop for a couple of Gatorade's and a Powerbar.

As the rain let up and the sun started to peak through I was back on my bike heading up the North Shore Road. Great Sacandaga Lake is a huge, beautiful body of water that is all Adirondack's. Shoreline covered with towering pines and dotted with rustic camps.

Hard to believe that the big ride is here. I've been joking around that I have no idea if I'll be able to get out of bed on Sunday. Truth is that people with MS wake up that way every day. Not knowing if they'll be able to walk, play with their kids or dance their way through a Phish show. I glad that a few hours on my bike may help to find a cure someday.

good karma.. see Phish!

2009-06-14T22:47:00.005-04:00

Here's the deal... You may or may not know that I'm riding 100 miles on July 11th to raise money for MS research. Help me out and you could win 2 tix to see Phish at SPAC on August 16th! Section 7, row R.

Here's how it works:

The link below will take you to my donation page on the MS website. Make a donation on-line for a minimum of $25.00. When it asks for your "recognition name" put in @ and your Twitter ID... for example, I'd put in @jimstagnitti.

If I raise at least $300 through Twitter, I'll do a random drawing to give away the tix. These things are selling on Stub Hub for $200+ a piece and you could win them by making a $25 donation! Good karma, good seats, gonna be a great show!

Win 2 tix to see Phish at SPAC!

Peacocks, Dragons and Battlefields

2009-06-01T10:58:00.005-04:00

I mapped out a 45 mile ride for Sunday morning. Starting in Rexford, winding my way north around Malta and Saratoga Lake before heading south from Stillwater through Mechanicville and into Waterford. Derrick's (nephew) travel team was playing ball in Waterford so I could met up with the family there and catch a ride home.

Map my ride had me touring through Saratoga National Historic Park, a park that I had never heard of!

Aside from a little rain the beginning of the ride was pretty uneventful. My plan was to ride a portion of the 100 mile MS ride before heading south. That part of the ride was Rt. 9p around the southern tip of Saratoga Lake and along the eastern shore. Of course, that was the plan but my rides never go according to plan!

Leaving Malta Ridge I passed the Bass Manor. Bass Manor is an original Adirondack Camp built in 1927 and converted into a B&B and art museum. Looks like it's worth checking out sometime! As I rounded the lake I saw something I wasn't expecting- peacocks! Two of the with tail feathers spread. They were at a house that seemed like a wild bird sanctuary. Loads of geese and ducks.

A few miles later I there was a sign pointing to the Saratoga National Historic Park. It seemed a little soon to be turning but who was I to argue? Turned out it was earl, I was only about 1/3 of the way up the lake. But a closed road later in the ride made this look like a pretty good decision.

The original plan was to ride through the park from north to south, but my new route took me across the southern edge. I passed a small monument in field where General Gates and the American Army camped during the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. These were the first major victories during the Revolutionary War. The field to my left was the site of the battles in which Gates defeated General Burgoyne in September and October of 1777, battles that are know as the Turning Point of the American revolution!

A few more miles down the road and there was another historic marker. The road I was turning onto was used by troops supplying George Washington as he was driving the British out of Boston. When I think of the Revolutionary War I think of Bunker Hill, Lexington and Concord, and Washington crossing the Delaware. I never realized there was this much history so close to home.

Finally headed into Stillwater and saw a pretty cool sculpture of a dragon holding a blue glass ball. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful until I left Mechanicville and found the road closed headed to Waterford. The detour took me up a pretty long climb headed toward Clifton Park. It would have been easy to head home from there. Empty house, hot shower....

I followed the detour, took a left turn and another climb and rode on to Waterford. The Oneida Muddogs (?) were up 15-1 when I got there and put up another 8 or so runs in the 5th.

Looking forward to more riding around Saratoga Lake and discovering some more of the Revolutionary War history in our area!

Please make a donation to my 100 mile bike ride for MS this summer.

lost... agian

2009-05-18T09:13:00.006-04:00

Getting lost on long rides is almost at the habit stage. Yesterday I set out for a 44 mile ride. Using Mapmyride I plotted out a course that started at home in Rexford, went out past Ballston Lake, through Malta, Mechanicville, Waterford, Cohoes and Latham. The plan was to meet up with @cleastagnitti and catch Jimmy's ball game.

Things started well. The first 9 miles are a repeat of all my training rides. It helps to have some idea of what to expect. After leaving Malta on Rt 9/67 there's some construction that has signs down. Missed the turn to Mechanicville. Not a big deal, only cost me a couple of minutes and an extra hill.

Mechanicville was the half way point. MMR sent me down a couple of streets that dead ended at the railroad tracks. Again, not a big deal.

Stopped at Stewart's for an energy bar and a fresh Gatorade and it was off to Waterford. Waterford bills itself as the oldest incorporated village in the United States. It's a cool little town that sits right where the Mohawk River meets the Hudson. It's also where the Erie Canal and Champlain Canal connect making it the perfect place for the annual Tugboat Roundup!

The real adventure started in Cohoes. The streets on my directions didn't seem to exist. I stopped to look around and happened to look up and see... the bike path! so I backtracked a little and after the steepest climb of the ride hopped on. After about a mile the path ended. Not what I expected since it should have gone all the way to Schenectady.

Bike route signs pointed down the hill and across the highway. Yes, down the hill that I just rode up. Another mile or so and I see a sign that says Green Island. Not where I want to be since that's heading toward Troy! Turn around, cross the highway and back up the hill to the bike path. It turns out I went the wrong way!

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Made it to Jimmy's game in the top of the 5th. They lost 7-5, first loss of the season. Jimmy had a single in the 3rd.

So I turned a 44 mile ride into 51 and know that I can do half a hundred. 7 weeks to train for the next half!

Please support my 100 mile ride for MS. Anything you can do will help!

100 miles on my bike... no.. really

2009-05-13T16:13:00.015-04:00

I've committed to a 100 mile bike ride this Summer to raise a little money for MS and to celebrate turning 45. Committed is the key word because I am not even close to being in good enough shape to do this!

The ride is July 11th, 2009. It's the MS Follow the Foothills ride and starts at West Mountain in Glens Falls, NY.

I started this blog as a record of the event and to let even more people know what I'm doing in hopes that it will be harder to back out!

You can look forward to hearing about my training schedule, gear, daily rides, frustrations, triumphs, etc.

Oh yeah.. I hope that you'll make a donation to MS to help keep me motivated and on target! It's super easy to do - just click this link and it will tell you how to donate:

Click Here!

Or paste this into your browser: http://tinyurl.com/ox8259