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Countdown Till Christmas – #20 Gift Ideas for the Foodie on Your List

December 6, 2013 by pbenjay

I wish I had started this countdown on the first but somehow I forgot/got bogged down/was obsessing  over my granddaughter’s missing Elf on the Shelf.  Add a couple of nights devoted to movie going, a few hours at the office and all the other daily/weekly things that fill up your time.  All that and playing Scrabble online and Words With Friends lol.

Alright so I didn’t make this into an Advent Blog month, probably you don’t care one way or the other.  Well I decided to do it tonight (even though it is actually tomorrow -2am!).

Gift choices  for the Foodies on your list are almost endless.  You can go the imported wine route or single-malt Scotch, or the fancy small specialties such as caviar or truffles or choose from the myriad sources of artisanal cheeses, salamis, or smoked salmon.  Catalogs offering overnight delivery for every foodstuff imaginable are clogging the mailboxes. I really didn’t know which item to feature (Mmmm I may have an idea here about doing 2o days of gifts for Foodies), so I just picked one that sort of jumped off the page at me.

That’s it, I’m changing the name of the post, I’m going for 20 days of food and drink gift ideas.  WHY? Because I had almost forgotten the rule we have about receiving gifts;  If we can’t eat it, drink it or attend it, then please keep it for yourself because we have way too much stuff now!!

#20 – GOAT MILK CARAMELS

Want to spoil someone you love? Goat ahead. These caramels, made with goat milk, sea salt and bourbon vanilla, come in a lovely wooden gift box.  Caramels seem to be a hot item this year, I wonder if they pushed French Macaroons into second place?  You can purchase this tasty sweet treat from  bigpicturefarm.com. Cost is $50.

Sea Salt and Bourbon OH BOY!

Sea Salt and Bourbon
OH BOY!

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Wolf Of Wall Street-The 3 Shortest Hours I’ve Ever Spent

December 4, 2013 by pbenjay

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WOW – 2 hours and 55 minutes and it just flew by!  This movie is so fast-paced and never lags is clearly one of the reasons you don’t realize just how long it is.  Fact: It took 7 years to make!

Based on a true story, it sheds some light on why the economy tanked.  DiCaprio spent months working with Belfort in an effort to bring the author’s experiences which led him from “pond scum” to the Wolf of Wall Street, to life on the screen. The film is all about sex, drugs and greed and barely missed receiving a NC-17 rating.  Scorcese frantically cut some of the more salacious scenes and just squeaked by not having the movie rated NC-17.  One might wonder why such a fuss might be made about sex and naked people when these very people committed despicable acts and ruined other people’s lives, like that wasn’t offensive enough?  

The Wolf of Wall Street is a funny movie, the audience at the SAG screening I attended laughed all the way though it.  Yes, it was funny, because the dialogue is witty, clever and oh so natural, enhanced by superlative performances by all especially DiCaprio and Hill.  However, now a couple of hours later as I mull over this post, I think the movie probably glamorizes extra-marital and unsafe sex, STDs, excessive substance abuse as well as dishonesty and greed.   Yes, there is a comeuppance at the end of the film, but perhaps not as much in comparison to havoc the players wrecked on the lives of others during that 5 year run.  

Scorcese, at age 71, is at the top of his directorial powers, seemingly invigorated by the energy of the material and the fact that his ultimate financiers, Red Granite, gave him the green light to go all out and push the envelope with no holds barred.  And that’s exactly what he and his actors did which just might be why given the freedom to go all out, the acting and dialogue is absolutely believable.  And as I type that line, I want to add in parenthesis, disgusting and despicable as it was!  

I have never been a huge DiCaprio fan, however, I’m happy to say he was AMAZING!  What an exhausting and physical role!  His looks are maturing and again let me say, his role as Jordan Belfort is surely going to put him in the final 5 for Best Actor.  

As a final observation, I thought his wardrobe was impeccable, particularly loved his ties and definitely did not like the dye job on his hair, a very unnatural black.

Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

6 Words Fallen From Grace-GEN X and GEN Y are “clueless”

December 3, 2013 by pbenjay

 

Clueless

Clueless (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I love discovering words and phrases from my youth and childhood that have gone by the way.  Not sure why since it only serves to herald my own impending demise, lol.  I’ve said this before – I find so many of these words and phrases from watching movies on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).  This weekend has been a bonanza AND when is the last time you ever heard someone under the age of 40 use the term BONANZA to describe a WINDFALL (yet another unused term)!

 

Let’s start with what is known as the minced oath.  The English, being naturally reserved found a way to communicate some explicit emotions without being really explicit.  They have a long tradition of double-entendre comedy.

 

Euphemisms aren’t all from the distant past though. For every Shaksperian ‘beast with two backs’ there’s a 20th century ‘knee trembler’.  The first phrase on my list is a perfect example of the above.

 

1. Jumping Jehosophat– Jehosophat is a euphemism for Jesus

 

2. Peel an eel – I couldn’t find any origin of this phrase or usage except in the Preston Sturgis film when the term is used as the equivalent of “go fry an egg” .   NOT to be confused with the phrase Peel the eel whose meaning I am not going into.

 

3. Pshaw – heard this word used when I was a child and even then it was a dated term.  It’s really a word imitative of the sound one might make when annoyed or disgusted.  Pronounced p-shaw or puh- shaw.

 

4. Poppycock – Means nonsense or rubbish.  Never heard anymore, so dated.  Sounds like something a retired English Colonel might say but it is NOT English, it is American in origin.  It may come from the similar Dutch word poppekak, which appears only in the old set phrase zo finn als gemalen poppekak, meaning to show excessive religious zeal, but which literally means “as fine as powdered doll shit”. The word was presumably taken to the USA by Dutch settlers; the scatological associations were lost when the word moved into the English-language community.

 

The first half of the word is the Dutch pop for a doll, which may be related to our term of endearment, poppet; the second half is essentially the same as the old English cack for excrement; the verb form of this word is older than the noun, and has been recorded as far back as the fifteenth century.

 

5. – Davenport – Davenport was the name of a series of sofas made by the Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport and Company, now defunct. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name davenport became a generalized trademark, like aspirin.  

 

6. – Horsefeathers – It seems most likely that it began either as a bowdlerized variant of horse shit or as an expression of the view that something is highly unlikely, about as probable as that pigs might fly … or that horses might have feathers.  The issue of American Speech dated December 1928 records that “Mr. William De Beck, the comic-strip comedian responsible for ‘Barney Google,’ assumes credit for the first actual use of the word horsefeathers”. This claim has been frequently reported since, to the point at which it has become accepted knowledge.

 

Posted in Obscure Origins of Common and Not So Common Phrases | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

BLACK FRIDAY = In The Red?

November 28, 2013 by pbenjay

BLACK FRIDAY is one crazy, clever retail gimmick.  Get up at 4:00am to push your way into an overheated department store so maybe you can snag what? – the sought-after toy of the moment? REALLY??  The day after Thanksgiving IS the day to go shopping for Christmas presents according to a popular manipulative tradition dreamed up by the retail community.  This day which is orchestrated to create consumer frenzy is a store’s way of making up money lost through the normally slower summer season.  Add the proximity to the Christmas gift-giving holiday and you have the makings of a retail perfect storm.  They hope to end up in the black and you might just end up in the red.

Personally, Black Friday holds no appeal to me and never has.  I haven’t shopped in a Mall for a present or for that matter myself in a very long, long time.  Of course when you live in New York City, going to a mall is not really an option but I stopped shopping for Christmas presents in a mall years ago.  I like to give either really unique personalized gifts or unusual gifts.  I don’t buy sweaters, hats, ties, shirts etc as gifts.  I assume most people buy their own clothes, their own perfume and for the most part their own jewelry.  However,  jewelry is the exception to the rule;  I might purchase a ring, necklace or bracelet for someone but it won’t come from a department store and it probably will be vintage.

Tomorrow, I’m going to Walmart ONLY because it seems to be the ONLY store in my area that carries an item I need, not want but actually need. It’s not a gift, it’s a repair item.  Other than that one foray into a retail store, I hope to avoid the maddening crowds. 

English: DC USA, Target, Black Friday

Target, Black Friday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

WEDNESDAY Is A Workaday! Pre-Thanksgiving Prep

November 27, 2013 by pbenjay

The day is rapidly slipping away and I’m not half done with what I need to make or prep.  We didn’t exactly get a late start this morning but we did have to go out and pick up yet a couple more things.  I would think with all of my OCD planning and list-making that I would have everything I need. 

So far the cranberry sauce has been made and the cornbread-mushroom-sausage stuffing has been baked.  In this house you have to make as much as you can in advance because my stove and oven are so small.  When I think of the buyers in New York who when they see any kitchen, the first thing they say is, “We’ll have to renovate the kitchen”.  Cracks me up every time!  You would think New Yorkers actually cooked in their apartments.  Yes they do somewhat but not enough to insist on a Wolf 4-6 burner stove or Miele dishwasher and a sub-zero refrigerator!!  JUST try to imagine what a 20″ inch stove looks like and how small the oven is and how close together the burners are to one another.  That’s MY stove and I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner on it!

A Turkey Doesn't Fit in the Oven

A Turkey Doesn’t Fit in the Oven

This was a mini-break while the stuffing was cooking and now I’m back to work.  Where is my helper? Oh he had to go back to ShopRite because this morning when we bought Half & Half and a disposable roasting pan, somehow we picked up a bag that was left behind by the lady in front of me.  What do I have? Turkey legs, turkey cutlets and turkey thighs.  I really didn’t have an ethical dilemma about what to do, I just didn’t want to go all the way back to the store right now.  So I called the store and they asked me what did I have because some lady had been in saying she didn’t get her items.  I had them! I said we would return the stuff but later.  Peter brought the food back and while he was there, so it shouldn’t be a total waste of time, I called him and asked him to buy more butter – the list never ends….

Back to typing, it’s been a couple of hours since I typed the above.  I just had to sit down.  I made the chocolate ricotta mousse and oy what a mess!  There were chocolate splashes everywhere;  on the microwave, on the counter, on the cord of the food processor and on me.  But that’s done  and in the refrigerator, chilling.  Speaking of the refrigerator, it’s not exactly large either.  I had Peter peel the potatoes and put them in cold water;  They’re now in a covered pot sitting on the table outside!  Cold weather affording extra refrigerator space is one of the pluses of a winter holiday.  Of course it is raining on and off  but I think the pot will be secure.  There was no space for the cornbread sausage stuffing either so it’s out there too but in a casserole that isn’t airtight so there’s inverted plastic bowl over it.  I love improvisation.

The green beans have been cooked and refrigerated, the onions have been caramelized and the tarragon snipped and stored in a plastic bag.  As soon as I rest just a bit more and type away, I’m going to inject that pricey bird breast with Emeril’s very own recipe for a brine.  I’m going have to put the garlic heads in the oven to roast, so I can then make the garlic-herb paste à la Emeril and Martha and have it ready for spreading under the skin tomorrow.

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, Everyday Food, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday | 2 Comments »

The Turkey Cost HOW MUCH???

November 26, 2013 by pbenjay

MEMO to Self:  Make sure you ask what the price per pound is before you order!!! I learned a lesson today that I WILL NEVER forget.    

English: A picture taken of a Turkey.

English: A picture taken of a Turkey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two weeks ago when I was in the Delicious Orchards store buying those delicious soup mixes I checked out the price per pound on their fresh-killed turkeys.   I have a thing for fresh-killed turkeys, never been a Butterball fan with the pop-up timer and having to thaw the damn bird in my refrigerator for days.   The prices vary slightly depending on whether the turkey was organic and/or free range.  I don’t exactly remember what the actual price per pound was at Delicious Orchards but it couldn’t be too much higher than Wegman’s.  Now they are selling turkeys for $2.49 per lb. and organic free range fresh killed turkeys for $4.99 per lb.  I don’t even want to tell you that when I was a young married, you could get turkeys on sale at Thanksgiving for .59 cents per lb.  Can you believe it?  And right now I want to go on record that I resent the fact that the cent sign has been removed from keyboards.

I thought we were going to be 3 AND I swore this would be sooooooo simple a meal so I decided to just roast a turkey breast.  After all we love the white meat… sounded like a good idea to me.  I made that decision about 10 days  ago when I was in NYC and called Delicious Orchards to place my order for a Bell & Evans full turkey breast.  Bell & Evans produces really fine poultry.  I don’t know if they are just regional or national, but around here, their reputation is excellent.

Well today was my shopping day and after I went to Wegman’s to pick up all the other ingredients needed to make the sides, the salad and the dessert, I drove to Colt’s Neck to the Orchard to pick up my turkey breast and pumpkin pie and just a couple more things. The store was beyond crowded and it is NOT laid out like a regular grocery store. There are no real aisles, omg the carts were circling and weaving everywhere.

They had extra check-out counters manned so I was able to step right up and put my 1 red pepper, 2 navel oranges, a bottle of blue cheese dressing, about 6 apples, a soup mix package, a half gallon of cider, a dozen eggs,  a pumpkin pie and my turkey breast on the conveyer belt.  I had $93. with me and assumed  I had plenty of money to buy my items and then some.

YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN SHE ANNOUNCED THE TOTAL WAS $106.23! Are you f_____g kidding me?  I was so taken aback, I actually repeated the number and muttered to myself, “wow”.  Luckily I had my American Express card with me and after I paid the bill, I hurried out to my car.  It was raining so I quickly put the bags in the back seat.  I just sat in the car talking to myself about what just transpired.  After a moment or two, I picked up my cell phone and called the store from the parking lot.  

“Please connect me to the meat dept”.  “Hi, I wonder if you could tell me how much it cost per pound for a Bell & Evans turkey breast”?  “The reason I’m asking is because I just picked my order up and the turkey breast was rung up for $62.37″.  He replies, “Let’s see, the price per pound is $6.49″ .  OMG! I had been so hoping he was going to tell me it was  an error and this turkey breast did NOT cost $62.37!  “Thank you” I choked out the words.

NEVER AGAIN! 

Well I am taking this platinum-plated bird breast out tomorrow and am going to inject brine into it.  This is only the second time I ever brined a turkey.  The first time I was convinced not to do it again because it was so salty. This time I am making the brine and controlling how much I put into the breast.  Then I’m going make a garlic and herb paste that Emeril and Martha made and put it under the skin.  It goddam better be friggin’ delicious! 

Posted in BY THE WAY, Everyday Food, Smooth or Crunchy, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

THREE Days Till Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2013 by pbenjay

English: A slice of homemade Thanksgiving pump...

English: A slice of homemade Thanksgiving pumpkin pie served on a glass plate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tuesday is shopping day for me.  I’m off to Delicious Orchards to buy a Turkey Breast, a pumpkin pie and some apple cider – AND anything else that jumps off the shelf into my basket.  I know I will get sucked into buying some of the produce and ingredients there WHEN I know I will be paying more there than at Wegman’s but I can already feel the deep-bone tiredness that comes from store hopping and grocery shopping.  

Each year I tell myself not to overdo it and that it isn’t necessary to make every dish from scratch.  Intellectually that works right up until shopping day.  For the past several nights I have been cruising around the  Martha Stewart, Real Simple and Cooking with Nonna web sites and for every dish I eliminate, I add yet another.  I really love to make special dishes and prepare meals like Thanksgiving.  It’s not like I am creating dishes necessarily of my own, since if you read this blog, you know I pick out recipes that I think will be delicious.  Over the years I have compiled a large Thanksgiving recipes folder.  It’s filled with several different root vegetable soups, lots and lots of side dishes, salads, a good number of stuffing recipes and of course a bunch of ways to prep and season the turkey.  I even have pie recipes in there but I have to admit once I discovered Delicious Orchards, I haven’t made a Thanksgiving or Christmas pie.  However, lest you get completely disillusioned, let me state that I do make desserts, such as a cranberry trifle, a pumpkin cheesecake (to die for) and this year I making a chocolate ricotta mousse.

My grocery list is now a page and half and I have one day to do it all plus a few everyday errands;  You know the dry cleaner, Staples and the liquor store.  I can’t imagine cooking tomorrow night or Wednesday night, sounds like take-out Chinese!  

We’ve invited 4 guests so it will be six of us which is 3 more than originally planned.  So all of my OCD planning, recipe-reading, list making of what needed to be purchased for each recipe HAD to be revised so each dish will feed that many.  

Now if I can only find those plates!! I can’t believe I’m in this predicament, me who has no less than 4 sets of dishes in my New York apartment  cannot find the china plates for the cottage. This sounds weird I know, but here’s the deal;  The cottage has a 1950’s kitchen theme and motif so all of dinnerware and service pieces of Melmac or Bootonware or one of the other plastic dish wares of that era.  I have turquoise plates, pink plates, bowls in both colors, green service pieces, Jadite mugs, all of my glasses are from the 50’s – I just love it! I even have vintage cookware;  who remembers CLUB pots and pans?  Mine are turquoise.  However, as much as I love my dishes, I would like to serve Thanksgiving dinner on china plates and somewhere I believe there’s a set of Martha Stewart plates.  But where?  This is a teeny tiny cottage and  I know they are not in here, maybe the garage….

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, Everyday Food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Top Ten Things To Do In New York City During Christmastime 2013

November 24, 2013 by pbenjay

My previous blog(s) on what to do in New York City during Christmastime have proven to be among my most popular posts.  I’m including links to those two and am adding a few more fun things to do while you are here visiting.  You ARE coming to New York City during Christmas aren’t you?  So much to do, so little time….Top Ten Things To Do in New York City during Christmastime and the  later version: Top Ten Things To Do In New York City During Christmastime UPDATED!

The season really does officially kick off with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade BUT each year retailers move the calendar dates closer to Halloween than Thanksgiving.  Literally I swear Duane Reade was decked out in red bows and candy canes the day AFTER Halloween.

1. ROCKEFELLER CENTER:  There’s so much holiday here that it makes the list every year. NOT only should you go and see the tree and watch  the ice skaters, you should also check out The Top Of The Rock.  With the country facing economic catastrophe and the world between two wars, John D. Rockefeller’s vision for his center never wavered. Rockefeller Center and the observation deck were his gifts to Manhattan- a place for locals and visitors to marvel at the city he loved.  Yo

u can visit this spectacular observation deck during the day or night.  I opted for a night when there was a full moon and all I can say OMG.

What You See

What You See

2. CATHEDRALS and CHURCHES:  Some of New York City’s grandest structures are the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Among the most accessible are St. Thomas’ on Fifth Avenue and St. Bart’s on Park Ave. Take a moment and visit one or more of these places of worship, you won’t be disappointed.  The peaceful atmosphere (although a bit hectic at St. Patrick’s during Christmastime), the magnificent altars laden with red poinsettias and the glory of their stained glass windows is well worth a drop in. 

English: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, N...

English: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City – Shot from the northwest corner facing southeast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. THE HIGHLINE and EATALY:  There are “touristy” things to see and do and there are some that are more so.  Apparently, Eataly has become a  must see, must stop for literally thousands of visitors.  This is the gastronomic retail empire created by Lidia and family and Mario Batali.  Go, see, eat, buy and who knows you might even have a Lidia spotting.  As for the Highline, so many of my friends and relatives take visitors there, I felt I should include it.  It is a 1 mile long linear park elevated above the City and affording fabulous views.  If it’s not freezing or windy when you are here, you might want to walk along this man-made wonder which actually preserved the a scenic path where the former cargo trains ran.  

The Highline Park

The Highline Park

4. CANAL STREET: If you haven’t picked up all your gifts yet, this is the place to go.  You will find a splendiferous display of wares you won’t believe.  Handbags, perfume, gadgets, scarves, hats, gloves, jewelry, more jewelry, watches – you are truly in a shopper’s paradise on Canal Street.

5. MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC:  There are so many venues for holiday music, I couldn’t possibly list them all.  A few highlights to consider are starting December 17th are:

17 — Gotham Holiday Swing, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, Garrison Keillor, Nellie McKay, the Hot Sardines, Jonathan Batiste & the Stay Human Band and others, 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St. $55-$65. (212) 840-2824 (the-townhall-nyc.org).

17-28 — Michael Feinstein’s Holiday @ Birdland, 8:30 p.m., Birdland Jazz Club, 315 W. 44th St. $75-$200. (212) 581-3080 (birdlandjazz.com).

19-20 — The New York Pops, “Under the Mistletoe with Ashley Brown,” conductor Steven Reineke, Essential Voices USA, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, Seventh Avenue at 57th Street. $37-$112. (212) 247-7800 (carnegiehall.org).

21 — The New York Pops, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” narrated by John Tartaglia with Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA, choreography by New York Theatre Ballet and actors from TADA! Youth Theater, 2 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, Seventh Avenue at 57th Street. $75-$400. (212) 903-9734 (carnegiehall.org).

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN???

November 22, 2013 by pbenjay

Every generation has its own life-altering moment.  I imagine it was the day Pearl Harbor was attacked for my mother and father.  December 7, 1941, “…a day which will live in infamy.”   President Roosevelt delivered his famous Infamy speech the next day and the world turned upside down.  Within weeks, thousands of young men, my Dad included, showed up at the various military induction centers.  He chose the Navy and for him the war was in the Pacific ocean.  America switched gears and literally went from producing butter to guns.  I wish my Dad or Mom were still alive so I could ask them the generational question, Where were you when….?

President interviewed by Walter Cronkite. Pres...

President interviewed by Walter Cronkite. President Kennedy ( close-up ). Hyannisport, MA, Squaw Island. – NARA – 194259 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

During my youth, of course I was well aware of the Pearl Harbor attack.  Not only was I a child of a veteran, I also grew up watching the plethora of war movies that were made in those post-war years.  I remember Robert Mitchum. Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster.  We grew up with Ding Dong School, Fall Out Shelters, Elvis Presley, the fear of Communism, the Cold War and the Beatles.  When did my world stop and gasp and change?  The day President Kennedy was shot.  50 years ago today, I was a sophomore in high school.  The loud speakers of the intercom system rang out with a few long beeps to get everyone’s attention.  Then we heard those horrible, insidious words; “The President has been shot.”   Screams of  ” Oh No, Oh God” resounded through the halls.  Who would do such a thing?  Yes we knew that a president could be assassinated, after all history had taught us about President Abraham Lincoln.  But that was then and this is now and our beloved President had been shot and might die.  We were the kids who did the sit-ups, the jumping jacks and the dreaded push-ups, all part of President Kennedy’s Physical Fitness Program.  He was our hero, the First Lady was beautiful and life in the early 60’s was good.  School was immediately dismissed and we all scurried home to our moms (who of course were home) and spent the rest of day crying and watching Walter Cronkite.  Church bells rang, flags were lowered to half staff and we cried, our mothers cried and when Dad came home, his jaw tightly set, he cried.

 

And then along came our children, the future Generation X and Y.  My son was just a toddler when the Vietnam War was played  out night after night on the television but it didn’t really affect his life – his father was not going to war. These kids were living a life their grandparents only dreamed of in terms of the quality of life, the enormous strides in technology bringing them further and further into the 20th Century.  They were students of Sesame Street; I had loved Mickey Mouse, they loved Big Bird.  My son went to a private high school, my daughter played soccer and tennis, they spent summers at the country club pool.  But they also had turmoil and trouble and this time it was really close to home.   The divorce rate in America skyrocketed and for the first time in America, thousands and thousands of the next generation were being raised in single parent households.  I cried when John Lennon died, they cried when Michael Jackson died.  By the time this group of young people reached their 30’s, their Where were you when moment hit and hit them hard.  

 

911 happened and their world turned upside down.  Of the over 2500 people killed that day, more than half of them were part of Gen X and Gen Y.  So many of the young warriors of Wall St. perished in their day of infamy.  All of sudden, the world that they grew up in which was so safe and secure transformed into a world where you couldn’t get on an airplane with your bottle of shampoo or your cuticle scissors.  Armed soldiers roamed through Grand Central Station and police stood on the subway platforms.  Now, going to a museum or the theater meant having your briefcase or handbag examined before you can enter.  

 

So Where Were You When 911 took place?

 

 

Posted in BY THE WAY, Conspiracy Theory Wednesday, Smooth or Crunchy | Tagged , , | 7 Comments »

ROMAN STYLE BUCATINI

November 19, 2013 by pbenjay

Bucatini

Bucatini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lately, if it’s not soup, it’s pasta (we call it macaroni) and you know I love to cook both.  This past weekend I made a pasta dish I’ve been wanting to try for awhile.  It calls for using a macaroni known as Bucatini.  As for as long as I’ve known, Bucatini was a long spaghetti-like strand of macaroni that was hollow in the middle.  Heavier and thicker than regular spaghetti or linguine and a macaroni that needed a sauce to stand up to it.

However, when I went shopping for this pastas, what I found was a package being marketed as Bucatini but the pieces had been cut into lengths of about 3 1/2 inches.  Mmmm I thought this is not the real thing BUT as it turns out, this cut was probably better than the long strand version.  Why? Because the sauce was a bit soupy and with those two open ends, the sauce just slithered into the piece and oh what a delightful mouthful it was.

1 lb Bucatini (cooked per directions)

1 pkg (4oz) Pancetta diced

1 pkg (4oz) Prosciutto diced

2 cups thinly sliced red onion (about 8oz onion)

1/2 tsp or + crushed red pepper

2 TBS Chianti Red Wine Vinegar

1 jar of pomodoro sauce, 24 oz ( I used Wegman’s Grandma’s Pomodoro Sauce)

1 jar of water using sauce jar

2 TBS Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Use a braising pan.

1. Add pancetta and prosciutto to pan on MEDIUM.  Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes until browned.

2. Add onion and crushed pepper.  Cook 10-12 minutes until onions are softened.  Add red wine vinegar, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.  Add sauce and water; bring to simmer. Simmer gently 5-8 minutes.

3. Add oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir.  Add cooked pasta to pan and toss.

Recipe from Wegman’s MENU Magazine 

I served this dish with an Arugula Salad which proved to be the perfect complement.

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