Gotham Gal

Memorial Day Weekend

This is a photo capture of life at the beach for a weekend (with 8 - 12 dinner guests).  Weekends out here consist of food, beach, read, pool and the attempt to chill.  Obviously chilling would be more available with less children but I'm thrilled they chose our home for hanging.  I'm feeling relaxed and exhausted at the same time.

Friday night not everybody had arrived yet.  I hit up the grocery stores first to fill up the refrigerator.  Beer chicken on the BBQ. 

Saturday we stopped in town for a case of white wine.  They were giving tastes of a sipping tequila called Casa Dragones.  At $250 a bottle, I was just interested in the taste.  Delicious to have a small glass in the middle of the afternoon to get comfortably numb.  They only make 100 bottles a year.

Dinner that night was paella.  Not the best picture.  

Sunday I got more into the idea of taking pictures to capture the weekend.  We ate four watermelons over the course of the weekend. 

I drove the boys to Montauk to play putt-putt and stopped by my friends new restaurant.  It is in the old Crows Nest spot.  Looking forward to trying out the menu. 

I got a hat at the art fair in town.  The man behind the booth was from Cameroon and made all the hats by hand. 

I made 35 bottles of strawberry jam.  The strawberries this year are unbelievable.  

Ollie and I walked to the beach.  There is a field of lavender in someone's yard before the boardwalk.

Ollie made friends.

I did the crossword and kept reading the last of the trilogy from Stieg Larson.  

This is one of the things I hate about the beach.  Massive laundry.

Dinner was ribs.  I put them in the oven at 9AM and on the grill at 630PM.

We also had local asparagus with corn.

Tomatoes with mozzarella and basil ( not the best tomatoes yet )

Had a few vegetarians so I made the strawberry pasta recipe out of New York Magazine this week.  Quite good and different.

Everyone seems a bit more relaxed than they were on Friday.  It appears that summer is here. 

alunmni?

I am not connected to the institution where I went to college.  I went to Simmons College in Boston.  I got an excellent education and when I walked out the door with a diploma in my hand I had a top job in the field I was interested in.  Why haven't I kept in touch is probably for a variety of reasons.  I had a few friends I kept in touch with after school but as a whole I always felt a bit disconnected to all the people there.  The only person I ever felt connected to in college was Fred and that obviously worked out.  I could come up with a variety of reasons why but it had more to do with me and where I was in my life than them.  So as much as I appreciate the path Simmons sent me on, I have absolutely no relationships with them or any desire to. 

Now our kids are entering the college age.  Jessica is at Wesleyan and couldn't be happier.  Last night Fred and I attended an event that was for mostly Wesleyan grads in the NYC area who are connected to the new media/internet world.  We knew quite a few people in the room.  It was a really nice event and a great way to connect to other Wesleyan graduates where the common thread is obviously Wesleyan.  That thread can go a long way.  

Both Fred and I are impressed with Wesleyan and although I have zero connection to my college days, I hope Jessica doesn't go down that path.  She has met great friends, there is obviously a network in NYC and there is something really nice about keeping up those connections as well as making more connections from people who chose the same college path.

content, content, content

I have sort of been in a funk.  I do feel like I am slowly coming out of it.  Too many moving parts.  Too much teenage angst.  Quite frankly I am surprised that I have not developed a case of serious acne. 

I like to blog daily, at least I try.  I find myself at a loss for content today.  No musings, no recipes, no nothing.  I should get up to see a few art exhibits, I should get to a movie, I should finish the book on my table, I should try something new and different in town but I am sort of burnt. 

I am hoping for a relaxing Memorial Day weekend where I cook and bake a lot ( recipes to be posted ), read a book or two, write a few things and seriously recharge my batteries.  With 10 teenage kids in the house it should be easy...right?

The Census

Like most good citizens, I filled out the census form.  The count takes place in the month of April so it was relevant to where we were living that month.  We have been receiving phone calls to confirm the information that I filled out on the form.  I finally connected with them today. 

I don't know whether to laugh or cry now that I have completed the phone call.  I assume that like the airport where they randomly decide to pull some aside that our census was just picked out of a group.  The questions they asked were pretty much the exact same questions asked on the census.  They want to confirm that all the information I filled out was true.  Did we all really live in that particular household in the month of March and April 2010, were any of us living in another place at the same time like jail, a nursing home, a different facility, etc.  Before asking everything question the caller would read some statement that was obviously written by a lawyer.  A few other questions were asked like was I sure I didn't have another baby during that time or perhaps have another person living with us.  My answers were basically no, no, no.

At the end of the call I did ask one question, "where are you located?"  The woman on the other end of the phone spoke seriously broken English with a heavy Chinese accent.  I had to keep asking her to repeat the question because I couldn't understand a word she was saying.  She continued to read off the computer screen in front of her and at one point I asked her to spell out one of the words she was saying.  She told me she was only reading a statement, it wasn't a question.  Basically, it was the legal cover my ass Government stuff.  She told me she was located in Georgia.  Not sure if that was Georgia as in the USA but I figured enough probing.

On another note, this was my second call today with someone that I couldn't understand a word they said.  I spoke with a banker today who had such a heavy Indian accent that I felt bad that I couldn't understand a damn thing he said.  I probably asked him to repeat what he said at least five times.  At one point I asked if I could speak to someone else but he refused to budget and just repeated himself again.  I finally got it.

Glad we are keeping the phone banks busy and employing people to do the work but not quite sure how we help the callers articulate the necessary information over the phone in a way that I can understand what they are saying.  It has to be frustrating on their end too.

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• The Census Takers (lewrockwell.com)

A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind

I'm not great with the non-fiction books.  I either get a portion of the way in and give up or read them, love them and then completely forget what I read.  I read Truman and can't recall a damn thing.  Funny how people's brains work. 

I was reading 3 non-fiction books at the same time, A Hope in the Unseen is one of them.  I told Debbie Stier about the book and she said she was involved with the book when it came out so I became determined to finish it.  So very glad I did.  

A remarkable book that gives the reader an insight into kids living in inner cities who are smart and driven.  It isn't just about going to college.  We follow Cedric through his last 18 months of High School in probably the worst High School in South East DC.  He is top of his class but struggles with a mother barely keeping her head above water who is committed to seeing Cedric succeed.  She finds her comfort in the church where she gives money on a weekly basis although she can't afford to.  Cedric struggles with the kids in school who think he is a total nerd trying to be a white person.  Cedric gets accepted to a summer program at MIT the summer of his junior year and is thrilled.  He is looking forward to connecting with other kids like him from other inner cities who see things that no adult should see let alone kids.  The dirty little secret that nobody talks about is the African American kids that are accepted into those programs generally come through groups like Prep for Prep who help middle income kids excel not inner city kids like Cedric.  Their parents are plumbers, secretaries, supers, etc., where Cedric's mother is about to be evicted from an apartment where gunfire is the nightly noise on the street and his father ( who was never part of the scene ) is incarcerated.  The reason for that is there is a higher rate of success with kids who had two parents at home with low-middle incomes. 

Cedric ends up at Brown.  Great, right?  Not so easy.  His education is missing some fundamental gaps of knowledge that we take for granted.  He doesn't connect with the all-black dorm on campus because none of these kids came from what he has.  He has very little in terms of funds and hanging out in a world of well-off kids who take vacations, have spending money and are here to learn and party is overwhelming.  He is scared to party or let loose growing up in a strict religious household. He finds himself angry and frustrated.  It is hard to connect with his peers so he finds himself lonely, disconnected and struggling to get through.

The story ends well because he does graduate and goes on to create a good life for himself.  Here is a kid who did awful on his SAT's (compared to most of the kids at Brown )but top of his class and was accepted to Brown because the University want to change the lives of more kids like Cedrics.  He was a success story but there are many others that aren't. 

When I went to college, I worked all the way through.  Even washed dishes in the cafeteria at one point.  I grew up in a upper middle class neighborhood.  My parents got divorced and we went from shopping at Saks to shopping at Loehmanns overnight.  I had a very good friend in college that went to MIT.  He came from a good family but not a lot of cash.  The smartest guy in the room, hands down, but he struggled with his lack of funds.  Once he left college, he literally left all of us.  It was a comfort level.

I look at my kids where one is in college and two more to go.  They have the luxury of having cash, connections and a solid education.  Although they know many people, through their school, who don't have their means and access, it creates a divide.  This divide is one of the reasons I have been involved with MOUSE for so many years.  How do we close a divide when it is about more than just income.  I certainly don't have the answers but reading A Hope in the Unseen gives you a glimpse into the hardships that kids who want to go college, create a career for themselves, have a family and move away from the life they grew up in, isn't so easy as getting accepted to Brown. 

the best banana bread

There were six bananas calling out to be made into bread.  I am always looking for another recipe for banana bread.  This might be the last look.  I found this recipe on Food52.  I didn't actually follow it which I just realized.  I only doubled the liquid part and kept the dry ingredients the same.  It worked.  Buttery rich delicious.  One loaf was gone in a matter of minutes.  Luckily, I made two.

6 overripe bananas (the blacker the better)
2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 1/2 sticks tablespoons butter (unsalted), at room temperature
4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; move rack to lower-middle position. Generously grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Beat bananas with an electric mixer until smooth. Add brown sugar, butter, and eggs, and mix until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In two bread pans, fill almost to the top and bake for an hour or until done.  Let cool before taking out. 

Amazing.

S.A.T.

I have never liked the whole concept of the SAT for several reasons which I will not go on about today.  In a world that is so completely different from 30 years ago where experts are trying to figure out how to use the technology of today to make smart more focused students.  Where people are thinking about not going to college because of the serious amount of debt that they walk away with.  Where schools are attempting to create progressive environments that are more practical for left brain and right brain thinkers, we are still taking standardized tests to help a kid to get into the school of their choice. 

Emily's frustration level is high just as Jessica's was and I am sure Josh's will be too.  Today sent me over the top when Emily told me that the October SAT is scheduled for Columbus Day weekend.  Are you kidding me?  Did some idiot just throw a dart on a calendar and decide that Columbus Day weekend would be the best time to test the overly stressed kids across America on the weekend where they actually get an extra day to recharge their batteries.  I'd love an answer from the person who runs the SAT/College Board to explain that idiotic decision. That decision says to me that nobody is actually managing the store. Yet every High School kid in the US has to rely on the college board to provide testing so they can get a score to add to the other data that is provided for each college or university to figure out if kid is the right fit.  

Emily is the editor of the school newspaper and in complete frustration she wrote this op-ed piece which will appear in the newspaper at her school in the next week.  She has hit a lot of nails on the head.  Maybe this should be her college essay?

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, otherwise known as the SAT, is unfair, corrupt, and frankly, complete bullshit. As stated on collegeboard.com, “The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge. It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math — subjects that are taught every day in high school classrooms.” This statement is completely untrue.

How can the SAT “let you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge” when it’s not like some kids don’t stay up until four AM in the morning taking unnecessary amounts of Adderall or Ritalin, whether they are prescribed or not, to study for this test that is supposedly not made so that one can study for. Not only that, but while the actual test may be standardized, preparing for it is the polar opposite of standardized – for colleges to require their applicants to take this test is unfair and in doing so, they practice class discrimination. Students who come from upper-middle class families can be tutored ten hours a week from the so-called best tutors in town from eighth grade on in order to insure that they receive a perfect score while students who come from families that cannot afford any tutoring at all – the best they can do is to tutor themselves in hopes of getting the best score possible, but only the self-motivated kids will do this.

So, what message are colleges sending us? That top-notch education is only for the rich who can afford endless amount of tutoring or for the lower income kids who are born geniuses? And what about kids who get straight A’s in school but simply do not test well? Should they get denied from an Ivy League school that they could easily thrive in just because they didn’t get a 2300? The SATs force kids to hibernate in their houses and give up their social lives. They create tension in school when kids begin to receive their scores and share them in joy or lie about them and cry in the bathroom. Is this really necessary? 

           

         While the SAT may be standardized because every student, besides kids who quality for extra time, receives the same amount of time for each section, does not mean that it assesses one’s skills appropriately. What if one does not apply their knowledge in the way that the SAT requires one to? The College Board states, “taking the SAT is the first step in finding the right college for you — the place where you can further develop your skills and pursue your passions.” Yet why would the SAT ever determine for you where you belong, and help you to find a place where “you can further develop your skills and pursue your passions”? The SAT in no way measures your skills and most definitely does not measure your passions. It measures your test-taking skills, and in all honesty, why does that matter? It is not at all the most important thing when it comes to college. What is important is learning while being in an environment in which you are among peers and professors that teach you as you teach them. What is important when applying to colleges is that they see the true you – your real skills and passions, and the SAT does not assess this efficiently. 

           

           Coming from a progressive school, I learn in an environment that is different from the traditional textbook driven curriculum. My peers and I learn in an environment where conversation and interaction with our peers and our teachers is valued most. Tests take a back seat – we learn to be passionate individuals who will thrive in the outside world, we learn important social skills through interactive ways of learning and we learn so much more than any student could learn from lectures and textbooks. The SAT is a test that will never take this into consideration. The SAT is in no way a progressive test. So what about us progressive learners? We have to learn how to study traditionally so that we can get an excellent score on a stupid test so that we can get into our top choice school.

        Taking three AP tests, three SATIIs, and the SAT Reasoning as many times as it takes to achieve my ideal score seems utterly ridiculous. Yet it’s what my parents, my tutor, and my own self tell me is necessary to have the best shot in expressing why I should be accepted into whichever school I desire – I am told, and therefore I tell myself, that I need to take these tests, and I need to do excellently on them, because writing an essay in which I tell schools who I am, showing them my transcript with my grades, and outlining every extracurricular I’ve ever participated in throughout my high school career is not enough. In order to secure a kick-ass application, I need to ace the SATs, and even if I do that, who knows if I’ll get in?

men are from mars, women are from venus

My life is constantly a variety of moving parts.  Trying to get to my bedroom to take a shower this morning with workers ( punch list )  blocking my access almost through me over the edge.  Moving is tough but having teenage kids is even tougher. 

I pride myself on having an open door for all the kids friends but when they all descend on us at all hours of the night when the other members are the family are sleeping ( including the dog), is tough.  Coming back from freshman year at college when there are basically no rules is absolutely a tough transition for everyone.  It doesn't matter how minimal the rules are, there are rules.  Bummer.   This week, Jessica returning to the fold, although beyond thrilled to have her home, is one of my major moving parts. 

Between that and being the resident hand-holder, I am exhausted.  Thinking I need some serious rest and relaxation.  I am so mentally exhausted that I sat in a board meeting this week and barely said 50 words.  Maybe not a bad thing for all the other members but not my usual vocal self. 

In a household there is one person who is the brawn.  They open the jars, lift the heavy boxes, deals with the technology ( in our case )etc.  Then there is one person who is the guidance and ear for all the emotional nonsense.  I might have opened lots of boxes when we moved but I am not the brawn.  I am the emotional guidance.  Unfortunately for me, all my patients are in need of a sound ear instead of a box opener.  I am overbooked.

I never read the book men are from mars, women are from venus, but based on the heavy motherhood lifting I seem to be doing these days....I might be from venus but I in need of a calgon moment. 

Limelight

Malls are turning into condos and churches that were once late night clubs are turning into malls.  I am a little late on the opening but finally got over to the Limelight Marketplace today. 


We entered on 20th street where there are vegetables stands outside the door.  We had entered the food area and headed directly into the "sweet room".  Small marketplaces for individual brands.  The first thing we saw was the Gelato stand which is displayed exactly like the gelato throughout Italy.  Tastes quite good.  The store is called Baci and this store is their first free-standing store outside of stores and restaurants.  Franchises for sale. 

We then turned left and came upon Carter and Cavero.  Old World Olive Oils.  I really liked the canisters that held the oils for tasting.  You can actually order one and get it in a few days.  $100.  This is their first free standing store in NYC. 

Next stop, Mari's.  Brownies galore.  Again, their first free standing store.  I think we have spotted a theme here. 

Next store is called Wanna Have A Cookie that makes whoopie pie cookies in a variety of different flavors.  Did I mention that this is their first free-standing store too? 

Across from them is The Little Candy Cake shop that makes miniature tiered cakes that are actually pure chocolate.  Clever gifts at a party.  Yes, yes, their only free-standing store.

Someone did their research and lots of hard work to draw in a variety of food shops to open up their first stores.  I didn't even name them all.

There are 25 stores represented in the Limelight Marketplace.  Even Petrossian Caviar and Olatz with their $550 pajamas.  Stores are a bit on the high end.  Once you walk past the first floor the floors get smaller and smaller.  There is something almost claustrophobic about it.  On one hand, who ever put the whole project together was pretty smart but on the other hand I am not sure the stores and feel are geared towards the customer who is going to shop there.  Time will tell.

Lots of crazy events took place at the Limelight in the day.  I wonder if the ghosts come out at night and party? 

simple side dishes

We had people over for dinner on Saturday night to break in the new place.  I went with the casual buffet style option with all the vegetable side dishes served room temperature.  Each dish was actually a bit better when the dishes were warm ( since I tasted them in the afternoon ) but being able to hang with everyone and not worry about cooking makes for a much better evening...particularly for the host.

There were four sides.  Beet orange mint salad, potatoes and cauliflower, grilled asparagus and roasted fennel.

Beet Salad:

6 beets

3 naval oranges cut into 1/4" pieces

lots of chopped mint

3 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

6 Tbsp. fresh orange juice 

6 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher Salt

The ingredients says it all.  After roasting the beets, slice them into wedges and mix with the orange pieces.  Toss in the chopped mint.  Mix together the vinegar, orange juice and oil and pour over the salad.  Mix.  Lots of salt for taste.  I also thought my salad needed a little bit more orange flavoring so I just took another orange ( one that you would use for juicing ) and squeezed it over the salad.  Simple and really tasty.

Cauliflower/Potato salad:

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes sliced in half

1 cauliflower head cut into small florets

1 red onion - thinly sliced

1/3 cup capers

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

olive oil and kosher salt

Preheat an oven to 400.  Take a deep cookie sheet and line with parchment paper.  In a bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt.  Spread them on the cookie sheet and bake until the potatoes get crispy brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large deep frying pan cover the bottom with oil.  Take the cauliflower florets and toss them in the same bowl you used to season the potatoes and season the cauliflower.  Put them in the hot frying pan and saute until browned.  Once the florets are browned, turn the heat down to medium low and cover with a lid.  That will allow the cauliflower to roast.  When ready ( 6 minutes or so ), remove from the heat.

In a separate saucepan, cover the bottom with olive oil and turn the heat to high.  Drain the capers so that they are quite dry.  Add the capers to the saucepan and stir for a few minutes until they get crispy and really open up.  Add in the sliced red onion and mix for a few minutes or until the onion gets soft.  Remove from the heat, add in the red wine vinegar.

Now take all three parts and mix into a bowl.  Add salt for taste and a little extra vinegar if you need it.

Roasted Fennel:

I cut off both ends of the fennel and took off the outside layer.  Rubbed each bulb down with olive oil and kosher salt.  Set them in a roasting pan and put them in a oven at 400.  I covered the pan with tin foil before putting it in the oven.  I literally left the fennel in the oven for easily 3 hours if not more.  Once I could slide a knife through like butter, I took off the tin foil.  Then I took shaved Parmesan and put it over the top.  Once the cheese melted and started to brown, I took the fennel out.  This was really delicious and just needs a long time in the oven.

Grilled Asparagus is just what it is.  Grilled on the grill with a little olive oil and salt. 

That was it.  Served with some steak on the side and everybody seemed quite happy.