Archive for July, 2008

Go See the Waterfalls, She Said

. . . so go see the waterfalls we did.

Fabulous! It was a super-hot day, and it’s no “Maid of the Mist” soaking, but our trip was really great. You can see the falls from the end of Pier 17 at South Street Seaport very well. We took the circle line tour from Pier 16. They have a special 30 min. waterfall tour, but we took the hour tour of lower Manhattan. DO THIS. Amazing views of lower Manhattan, Ellis Island, and this pretty lady:

She will bring tears to your eyes every time.

There is a great recorded introduction by the artist Olafur Eliasson. He talked about it as a shared experience, as it most certainly was on our crowded tour boat. Was passingly jealous of the small boaters on their private tours, but turns out our experience was just right. Knowledgeable tour guide talked the whole time, but was interesting enough. Spent a lot of time talking about Ellis Island.

She said most families in the US can trace their ancestry through this place. I wonder how the African-American family standing next to me felt about that one!?

Trip almost over, heading for home, but the view downriver is majestic.

Dontcha just love the cranes of Sealand in the background mirroring lady liberty?

July 22, 2008 at 12:51 pm 3 comments

This is the Time to Remember . . .

Seems we were the only LI’ers who weren’t at Shea last night:

We had our own mini-concert right here on Merrick Road. The goal? Total nostalgia. Billy, whether you realize it or not, is in the fabric of your lives. Try to identify your favorite song and you will certainly have a memory that goes with it.

Mine? The Ballad of Billy the Kid. Hands down. Don’t you love a song that starts out slow and then ROCKS! I’m also a sucker for a song that tells a tale (memories of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” anyone?). It is one of those songs that was always in the background, and somehow, osmosis?, I know all the words AND now I can find Oyster Bay on a map.

So Billy memories anyone? Looking to brush up on tunes? Go to www.seeqpod.com and search “Billy Joel.”

See NYT Article forwarded by Mom for a real writer’s great take on Billy and the goodbye to Shea. Will remind you of how much you love billy and have you whistling “Uptown Girl” – Shameless.

July 19, 2008 at 11:59 am 5 comments

Cilantro Time!

Finally, Anna, time to blog on a Friday! My friend Anna does “Food Fridays” at her wonderful blog. Check her out at Hank & Willie on blogroll, all is delicious and tested. I am a kitchen “MacGyver” – will make anything work to avoid excessive (that being more than 1 time a week) trips to the grocery store. Makes for fun, creative work, and some wonderful, and horrible, outcomes. So, readers, play away with these two. Very forgiving recipes. They’re great on the road, and a hit with many (my poor Dad being an exception, he is one of those poor souls who find cilantro revolting).

My first Food Friday recipe of the day comes from Rachel Ray’s All-Occasion Cookbook.

Calbacitas Casserole with Polenta and Cheese

2 tubes prepared polenta (I scale it down to one)

3T EVOO

2C Frozen corn kernels, defrosted (or do something with extra fresh corn!)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 green chile pepper, seeded and chopped, or 2 jalepenos, seeded and chopped

2 small to medium zucchini, diced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

s & p to taste

2 t. dark chile powder

1 can stewed tomatoes (or use fresh! I do!)

2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 scallions, chopped

2 (more! More!) T chopped cilantro (or if you are a hater, use flat-leaf parsley)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Don’t do this if you are making ahead – cover it and just warm it up later!

Drizzle 1 T evoo inot a shallow baking dish or casserole. Spread and coat the pan. Cut polenta into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise (I go a little thinner) and line the bottom of the pan. Slice the other tube of polenta into discs – 1/2 inch again and reserve.

Heat a large skillet over med/high heat. Add remaining 2 T evoo, the corn, garlic, and chiles. Saute 3 min, add zucchiini, yellow squash, and onions. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook 7 to 8 min. Add stewed tomatoes and heat through. Transfer vegetables to the baking dish. Top with reserved polenta disks (I skip this – too much polenta!) and cheese. Place in hot oven to melt cheese and warm through, 8 to 10 min. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro or parsley.

AND, if it’s too hot to even DREAM of turning on your oven, even for 8 lousy minutes (today!)

Cevice -recipe totally adulterated – freestyle it, it’s very hard to screw it up!

Ingredients

1 lb scallops, whitefish, shrimp – almost any tender fish will do!
5-6 limes (Enough Juice to cover fish)
1 cup diced tomato
1 chopped pepper – I like to add a little red/yellow/orange for color and taste
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro (or parsley, if you must)
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (or more to suit your taste), can use canned, and add some of the pickling juice for flavor
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Tabasco, to taste
Lettuce leaf (to line serving bowls)
Avocado (optional), can chunk into ceviche or add as garnish
black olives sliced (for garnish) (optional) – yes – I LOVE oil-cured, there is no other olive!

Directions

Dice the fish (approximately 1/2-inch)
Marinate the fish in lime juice, at least 30 min. but can go overnight. Stir often
Pour off most of the lime juice (just leave it moist).
Add remaining ingredients except lettuce, avocado and olive. Do this preferably a few hours before serving & refrigerate.
Toss well and arrange in individual serving bowls that are lined with the lettuce leaves. Or serve with crackers as an appetizer, my favorite way.
If you wish garnish with sliced avocado and sliced black olives.