A Stunning Sunset

Having fun with HDR 

One of my friends, Ann, has introduced me to HDR photography.  Here's one of my latest shots of a spectacular sunset. Does this fiery sunset mean that the spring is coming soon?  I can only hope! 

Thoughts on My Birthday

Taken at the MCA, Chicago IL

Absolut Chicago

Taken December 27, 2010

On a recent trip to Chicago, we noticed these great bus stops, decorated by Absolut Vodka, with distinctive chairs matching the "wallpaper" in the ad.  Each bus stop had its own theme and decorative style.  This one caught my eye.  What a fun way to wait for a bus.

Overheard in a Grocery Store in Manhattan

Two firemen are grocery shopping at a store on 9th Avenue and 35th Street.  They're dressed for a fire...boots, topcoat, etc.  Their truck is parked outside in front of the store.

The first fireman with a grocery list says to his buddy, "Don't forget the bacon."

lieutenant
Originally uploaded by mudpig

Didn't Make It To The Finish Line

...but it was a great race.  Thanks so much for all my friends and family who read my novel on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award site and wrote reviews.  The odds were staggering (10,000: 1) but at least the book made it to the top 250!  Many thanks and love to all.  Your support is terrific and means the world to me.

For those of you who still want to read it, the link is here:
Just click on the link below for the free download on the Amazon site.

The Incident at Montebello  

Arthur's Heavenly Tomato Sauce

After months of grabbing quick meals, I've been dreaming of getting back into the kitchen and cooking up some of my favorite meals...which usually involve some form of pasta, fresh cheese, and thick, crusty bread.  So this weekend as I finished up my remaining projects for school, I had some free time, so I cooked for some friends.   Eggplant parmegiana, pasta with homemade sauce, a fresh green salad shot through with arugula, fresh crusty ciabatta bread.  Delicioso. 

My friends loved this sauce made from roasted tomatoes.  The taste is unbelievable.   Rich, savory, the flavor just bursts in your mouth.   You might never want to eat bottled again.   Serve it with some thick, crusty Italian bread, a salad, and some wine, and everyone will be happy.  Here's the recipe I adapted from one of my favorite food writers, Arthur Schwartz, who hosted a food radio program on WOR in New York for years.  

Roasted Tomatoes (And Sauce)
Adapted from Arthur Schwartz, The Food Maven
(Makes enough sauce for a pound of spaghetti or macaroni.)

5-6 medium very ripe tomatoes (about 2 lbs.)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
8-10 fresh basil leaves shredded or snipped
Kosher or table salt
dried or fresh spaghetti
grated Parmegiana or Asiago cheese

1.  Cut out the tomato cores with a small sharp knife.  Half tomatoes crosswise.  Coat bottom of a baking dish (Pyrex or disposable work well) with about 2 tbsp. of oil.  Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, in a pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Press minced garlic into each half; drizzle with olive oil.  Pour on any remaining oil.

2.  Place tomatoes in a preheated 375-degree oven and cook for 2 hours, basting them two or three times with the oil and the juices that collect in the pan.  When done, the tomatoes will have collapsed and some of the juices will have burned a little.  (This is good.)

3.  Cut tomatoes into small pieces and slide them into a pot.  Scrape burned bits into the pot to amalgamate into the sauce.  Heat as you cook the spaghetti.

4.  Drain the cooked spaghetti.  (I take it off the heat when it's a little al dente because it cooks a little when you add it to the sauce.)  Toss it into the sauce along with some shredded basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (I also add some dried oregano.)  Don't forget the red pepper flakes for everyone to add at the table if desired.

5.  Serve immediately with grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Note:  This freezes well.  It also stores well if you have leftovers.

Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before?

And yet...she lived thousands of years ago.  Taken with my new favorite lens...Canon 50 mm.

Another Expressive Face

 

Another Favorite Shot

 

I loved the expression on his face and the wisdom there.  

Favorite Shot of the Week

Easter Island, would you believe?  Not quite.  Taken with my newest toy--a 50 mm Canon lens.

Knocked Down? Well, It's Time to Get Up.

Sometime life sneaks up on us and gives us a kick in the pants.  Our dreams get derailed.  Our plans go up in smoke.  The unexpected happens.  So today, I'm happy to share you with some uplifting words from one of great minds at TED.  It's a 3 minute talk...and 3 minutes well spent.  Enjoy!

The Results Are In

Landscape Tuscany
Originally uploaded by enzo.tiberi

Thanks so much dear friends, for participating in the Pick A New Title for my novel survey. You’ve given me valuable information about which names spark the reader's interest. I realize that some of you wanted to judge the titles based on the plot, but my purpose at this point was to find out which titles had “grabbing” power. So without further delay, here they are. Drumroll, please.  

• 1. Mussolini’s Secret
• 2. The Incident at Capodichino 
• 3. Remembering Sofia.

Because of your comments, I will also be changing the name of the village in my novel to something other than Capodichino because of the difficulty remembering and pronouncing it. 

Again, many thanks!  You made a difficult task a lot of fun!

Favorite Shot of the Week--Welcome Home

This week I got a great tip on a fantastic lens at a seminar at B & H Photo in New York.  The instructor was describing lenses that cost thousands of dollars, but happened to mention that their 50 mm f/1.4 lens for $89.00 was one of the best deals Canon offers.  Of course, I promptly bought it.   This shot of Tiffany's doors was taken with my brand new lens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  What do you think?  Is there enough green in the doors?

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache

Now that I'm finished with school, I'm heading back into the kitchen.  How wonderful that the holidays give me an excuse to bake some wonderful treats.  Here's one that Alex and I baked last night that is absolutely decadent and delicious.  When Alex took his first bite, he could only say, "Oh my God.  Try this."  And so I did.  The chocolate was luscious and blended beautifully with the peanut butter.  The nuts add just the right amount of crunch.

I've modified the recipe a tiny bit from the Better Homes and Garden's Christmas Cookie recipe.  Instead of adding honey roasted peanuts and honey roasted peanut butter, I just used Skippy's Reduced Fat Super Crunch.


Ingredients:

1 2-layer devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanut butter OR Super Crunch peanut butter.
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 11.5 oz. package milk chocolate pieces (Ghiradelli's is my favorite.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the pan edges.  Lightly grease foil.  Set aside.
2.  In an extra-large bowl, combine dry cake mix, 1/3 cup melted butter, and egg.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is combined.  Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan.  Bake in oven for 12 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.
3.  In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup softened butter, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar and beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in 2 tablespoons of whipping cream.  Stir in the chopped nuts (if adding separately).  Spread mixture evenly over cooked crust.  Place uncut bars in the refrigerator while preparing the chocolate ganache.
4.  For the ganache, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup whipping cream to just boiling over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate pieces.  Do not stir.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Very gently pour ganache over uncut bars, lightly spreading it to the edges of the bars with a spatula.  Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until set.  Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan.  Cut into bars.  Makes 48 bars.

To Store:  Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; cover.  Store in a refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  To serve, thaw bars, if frozen.  Let refrigerator bars stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies.  December 2009.  Page 33.

Pizza Night at Paesan's

Pizza Night ...
Originally uploaded by beebo wallace

Great pizza and pasta in a strip mall? I didn't believe it until our friends Rich and Kathy took us to Paesan's Restaurant in Winthrop.   Literally in the shadow of the jumbo jets flying overhead from Logan Airport, Paesan's reminds me of the local Italian restaurant from my childhood with checked plastic table cloths on the table, a baseball game playing on the TV, Frankie Sinatra on the radio, and bottles of Chianti, some with candles, which serve as humble decorations.

We go for the pizza, and pride ourselves in nearly finishing two whole pies, because it's just about as authentic as you can get outside of New York. Choices include the traditional, as well as buffalo chicken (Rich and Kathy's favorite), Pompeii (tomato slices, feta, black olives, and mozzarella), Melanzo (eggplant), and the New Yorker (garlic, feta, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella). But as we relish each slice, we have noticed people digging into plates of pasta and arrancini with obvious delight.  Their homemade specialties di casa include: gnocchi, pasta with meatballs and sauce, arrancini (rice balls stuffed with meat), and an array of the traditional items--veal and chicken parmigiana, shrimp and calamari scampi, chicken marsala and francese. Think supper at the Bada Bing with Tony Soprano and you'll know what to expect.  Nothing fancy, but good, honest food that grandma (or grandpa, in my case) used to make.

Warning:  Yankee fans are advised not to wear any part of the uniform upon entering the premises.     

For more details, click on the link:

Paesan's Restaurant, Winthrop, MA

10 Putnam St
Winthrop, MA 02152
(617) 539-1676

Favorite Shot of the Week

Savannah Shadows.  Taken last week with my Canon Rebel XT. 

Favorite Shot of the Week

Monday Morning in Savannah at Gallery Espresso

"Mornin'" people call out as we walk around Forsyth Park, joining a mix of locals with dogs and students in shorts and sneakers who head out in the early morning, in the cool air that doesn't linger long.

Savannah rolls out of bed late most mornings, so when we head up Bull Street and stop for tea at Gallery Espresso, we have our choice of seats inside or out. On our visit last week, my tea of choice was Assam, a full-bodied and rich black tea from India that tastes wonderful with milk and a little sugar.

We collect memories on every visit. This time it was art--an exhibit on Andy Warhol at the SCAD Museum and another on the American Progressives who flocked to the Netherlands in the early 1900's for inspiration--aesthetic and cultural.

But the main purpose, as always, is to visit with our son--unshaven, uncombed, overworked, but delightful as always.

Old School--New School

St Fagans - Old School (literally) Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 6x9
Originally uploaded by VEB Zardoz the Gravyboat

Well, I'm back at school. On both sides of the desk. I'm teaching English two days a week and taking two classes at U Mass Boston on Thursday nights, getting training to learn how to create web-based instruction. It's exhilarating to be back at school. To be quite honest, I'm one of those geeks who wanders through Staples, deliberating the merits of one binder over another. (BTW, there's a new model that has a little window on the spine for a label...)

Some observations:

Red Bull is the students' drink of choice.
Texting in class is commonplace. "But it's rude," I said to Alex, who replied, "Why?"
There is and will always be students who do assignments at the last minute.
Students can doze just as easily through a Power Point presentation as a lecture.
All that important information covered on the first night of class never sinks in.
You Tube videos can provide wonderful teachable content.
Streaming video broadcast from the library and into the classroom is the most amazing technological invention ever.

If It Comes From Arthur, It Has to Be Good

Here is Arthur Schwartz' recipe for noodle kugel. Who's Arthur Schwartz? The Food Maven, of course, who for years had a wonderful food talk show on WOR Radio in New York. If that weren't enough to make me a fan, he also loves Italy and Italian food and has written a number of Italian cookbooks, which I use religiously. I was thrilled to meet him earlier this year at a conference on exploring our Italian-Jewish roots in Grammercy Park. I had a chance to chat with him and hear him correct speaker on the precise number of seeds in a pomegranate, more proof of his vast knowledge about food.

So, for my Jewish friends and family, have an easy fast and a sweet new year! Here's Arthur's recipe for the Yom Kippur holiday feast. And for those of you who need a visual, here's a photo of noodle kugel from the iconic Katz' Deli in New York.

Katz's Delicatessen - New York, NY
Originally uploaded by The Travelin Man

My Grandmother's Yom Kippur Noodle Pudding

Elise Sonkin, my maternal grandmother, was, as I have said many times on the radio, a very glamorous woman. Despite the appearance she gave of a pampered lady of leisure who never prepared a meal or washed a dish, her cooking was the despair and envy of the neighborhood. Everyone in our circles knew she was the best around. Elise loved doing it and she loved the reputation, knowing full well it was at odds with her appearance and demeanor.

This is the noodle pudding she made to break the fast on Yom Kippur. It is extremely rich, a buttery custard shot through with noodles. It is certainly not the best thing to eat after an entire day of not eating. But we did and still do. We precede this with platters of smoked fish, bagels and other breads, cheeses, egg salad, tuna salad, and whitefish salad, a platter of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers – basically what used to be considered the quintessential New York Jewish Sunday breakfast, the festive family breakfast that my family did indeed indulge in when we all lived together in one house in Brooklyn.

My Grandmother's Noodle Pudding
Makes about 12 luncheon servings


1 pound very wide egg noodles
8 eggs
3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 pounds pot cheese (preferably fresh bulk)
1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly. Stir in sour cream, cheese and most of the butter, reserving some butter to grease the baking pan.

Add the cooked and drained noodles, mix, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture in a 10- by 16- by 2-inch baking pan.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until top is lightly browned. Let cool about 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve hot or warm.