Saturday in the Park with Mike

Summer is in full swing. The heat and sunshine, so foreign to us just weeks ago, are once again familiar companions. With the 4th of July in sight, the season seems to be barreling along. I feel like it's just getting started!

Every summer Michael and I come up with an ambitious list of all of the activities and adventures we'd like to accomplish during the fairer months of the year. First and foremost on the list is the agreement that we'll spend as much time out of doors as possible. We also try to maximize nighttime, especially on weeknights, hoping to extend each warm day into its own mini-vacation. Beyond those requirements, we try to put together a combination of new experiences and places with a healthy dose of our favorite haunts and pastimes, while factoring in some inevitable lazy, relaxing days. This year we have no trips planned and we are moving out of our apartment at the start of September, so we are really trying to make the most of the summertime.

One of the best places in our neighborhood to visit in the summer (in any season, really) is Prospect Park. It is a truly beautiful space; a massively sprawling urban oasis. Every time I visit I am reminded how fortunate we are that our city's planners had the foresight to arrange this bit of green for future Brooklynites to take a break from the city sidewalks and gently remind ourselves of the beauty of nature. Michael and I often take weekend strolls on the same path around the Long Meadow, on occasion run along the winding paved roadway, and have attended several concerts at the Bandshell. But until this past Saturday, we had never really made it down to the Peninsula that extends into the magnificent Prospect Lake. It was there that we had the pleasure of doing something new and taking part in a "popup" dinner, a benefit for the Prospect Park Alliance, the group that works with the city to maintain the park and keep it as gorgeous as it is.

This dinner was unique in that all the guests were asked to wear white and bring their own table settings, decorations, food, drink, and dinner party. From groups of two to full tables of 16, folks came out by the hundreds to fill the Peninsula and enjoy the wonderful summer night. The white outfits made the evening feel almost like a Gatsby-era soiree, against the backdrop of lush green trees and the perfectly still water.

Keeping with that theme, I tried to prepare a meal for the two of us that felt fancy (we were, after all, using cloth napkins) yet laid back: an elevated picnic. To start we had bruschetta, made with Jersey tomatoes fresh from the greenmarket. Say what you will about New Jersey, but my home state really does produce outstanding tomatoes. We followed that with spicy lemon and garlic shrimp made with my favorite spice, red pepper flakes, and a kale salad with carrots, yellow peppers and peanuts with cider vinaigrette. Finally, after a walk down by the water, we ended the meal with personal strawberry rhubarb cobblers. I never grow tired of that good, old-fashioned, ruby red combination.

We shared a meal, surrounded by members of our community doing the same, as we drank wine, listened to Ben Folds perform, and watched our candles burn low. The park, with its fresh smells of grass and slow, cool breezes, enhanced the whole experience and evoked a summer of old.

Luckily, when we do move at the end of the season, we are only moving a few blocks away, so I will still have Prospect Park as my backyard.

Spring Awakening

It has been a long time since I have written last, friends. Since that time we've braved a brutal winter that seemed as if it would never end. It was tiring and wearisome. Snow was admittedly enchanting on December 14th as it covered the city in its first blanket of the season and we gallivanted, ice skated, and filled ourselves with good winter cheer. But by the morning of April 15th when we awoke to find a sheet of ice on the sidewalks and neighborhood's cars, winter had overstayed its welcome. The drudgery had gotten old. Fast.

Luckily, the weather bounced back from last week's fluke freezing rain storm to the pleasant Spring temperatures and clear skies that I hope will endure.

The newness of Spring is a beautiful thing. We yearn for it, wait eagerly for it, chit chat about it at water coolers around the world once it finally arrives. The air feels new and clean, the sunlight better than any we remember before. The world renews itself and new life sprouts everywhere. Even people come alive again, venturing out of doors, facing the breeze instead of cowering from it, and collectively walking with a spring in their step.

This past weekend we celebrated Easter, and it could not have come at a more perfect time this year. Easter is, of course, full of symbols of new life, and the holiday's position near the start of Spring enhances its significance of renewal. Yet to celebrate this holiday of newness we look to the past, as with most holidays, for a little help from tradition.

One of my family's most treasured traditions is going together in the days before Easter to an old, family-run Polish market in Irvington, NJ to pick up our kielbasa for Easter Sunday and some kruschiki, a simple fried cookie dusted with powdered sugar, for a treat. The kielbasa is smoked in-house and is the real deal. The deli has barely changed in the decades we have been making our yearly pilgrimage, and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's a bastion of Polish-American culture in northern New Jersey and helps us maintain the special Easter traditions of our heritage.

Another beloved part of Easter is the cake my Grandma used to make each year. Simply called Yum Yum Cake, it is a confection that lives up to its name. I have made it for the last few Easters since Granny passed away and I am so proud that I can contribute to the holiday table what our wonderful lady had in the past. There is nothing like bringing smiles to the faces of my loved ones by making them treats, but it's even more pleasing when it is a dessert so close to all of our hearts and one which brings back so many sweet memories.

So I'd like to share this recipe with you, with the hope that it will bring some of that same joy to your table. Enjoy this cake throughout the Spring while reminiscing about the warm people and loving moments that have graced your celebrations in the past.

Yum Yum Cake (Hawaiian Wedding Cake)

1 box yellow cake mix

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup milk

1 12 oz. container of Cool Whip

2-3 bananas

1 can crushed pineapple

sweetened coconut flakes for sprinkling

• Bake the cake in a 13x9" pan according to the instructions on the box. Let cool completely.
• Cream the cream cheese, pudding mix, and milk together with an electric mixer and set aside. 
• Mix the Cool Whip with the cream cheese mixture.
• Slice the bananas on top of the cooled cake. 
• Put the cream cheese/Cool Whip icing on top of the banana slices, spreading evenly and smoothing out.
• After draining the canned pineapple for any excess liquid, spoon evenly on top of the icing.
• Sprinkle the top with sweetened coconut flakes. 

A Year in Music

Looking for a roundup of 2013's best tunes? Head on over to the Stafford music blog for his lists of the Top 20 Songs and Top 15 Albums of 2013.

I was invited to contribute the latest post for the #1 album, Laura Marling's Once I Was an Eagle, a personal favorite of mine. Give her a listen below.

Happy New Year, everyone! May the year ahead be full of good health and cheer, great company and food, and excellent music throughout it all!

An Instrument of Peace

As 2013 draws to a close, I find myself in a position very similar to that of two years ago, facing the new year ahead with a renewed sense of purpose. At the end of 2011 my dear Grandma passed away, leaving a legacy of tenderness and grace, and a family deeply devoted to the wonderful woman who made our lives special. At the head of this family was Pop, Granny's husband, partner, lifelong love, and best friend. In observing Pop in the time that followed Granny's death I learned a great deal about love, how it truly carries on even beyond death.

I also saw a living testament to the human spirit in Pop. Although he was grieving the loss of his other half, he continued to be a man full of humor and optimism, determination and courage, generosity and kindness, faith and wisdom. He carried the torch he and Grandma tended for 60 years together, full of all the goodness they built in the world, including our family.

In November of this year Pop passed away, joining his wife at rest. He fought an extremely difficult battle in the last months of his life, but again did not lose who he was. His humor shone through his pain and his primary concern continued to be not himself, but the well being of the others around him. He was the epitome of a class act, and demonstrated how to live with honor, humility, and selflessness until the very end.

These times of remembering our grandparents put things into a stark light, reminding us of what the important life pursuits are. Surrounding yourself with those whom you care about and who care about you. Filling each day with love. Giving of yourself to others. Living with honesty and dignity. Working hard to build a happy, simple life.

The past year has been full of many events in my life: some happy and some sad, some trying and some uplifting. There is no shortage of personal lessons or a list of things to improve. But I feel that the most fitting and important lessons I can take into 2014 - and all new years to follow - are those examples imparted to me by Pop's life.

Pop was a man of extraordinary character. A humble, patient man who treated all people with respect and justice. He was a living, breathing history book, conveying detailed accounts of his life and the stories of generations who came before him. And he did it all with a smile, spreading joy to us listeners with his countless jokes and unending good humor.

I remember Pop telling me once that every day, going to work as a police officer, he would repeat the Prayer of St. Francis in his head. It was the example by which he wanted to live, the way he wanted to model his life when interacting with people he encountered. I believe that whether you are religious or not, these words are beautiful and humbling and provide an unerring guide to follow in life. They remind one to pause and think before one acts, to put others before oneself, and to act with purpose. The words capture perfectly how Pop lived his life and, as such, are a perfect place to begin with new resolutions.

Make me an instrument of peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

.

E.A.G., September 10, 1929 - November 5, 2013

In and Out

It was a truly wonderful weekend here in New York. Spring has been taking its sweet time to fully arrive, but it sure made an appearance over the last few days.

Weekends like this seem to last forever, creating a refreshingly long escape from the workweeks on either end. We fill up every possible minute of the two days, whether dashing outside to catch the last hours of sunshine or ducking back indoors to avoid the cool night winds, trying to forget that real warm temperatures haven't been hit yet. I spend my weekend doing my fair share of both, and had a great time both in and out.

Friday followed up an especially gorgeous Thursday, so I decided not to take a jacket to work with me. By the end of the day, however, with the setting sun settling behind some clouds, the winds had picked up and I was regretting my decision. Lucky for me, Michael and I had a date that evening which brought us inside, to a place called Milk & Honey. After reading about M&H in the Times, we made a last-minute reservation. Cozied into a candlelit corner by the bar, we watched the bartender whip up custom cocktails for us and our fellow patrons of this modern-day speakeasy. Michael opted for bourbon drinks while I chose gin. With drink names like the "Bee Keeper" and the "Sunflower," Spring was channeled into liquid form inside Milk & Honey that night. Old time jazz played as we sipped our drinks of choice and made friends with our waitress. I dared not take pictures, though, for fear that it is a faux pas to bring out a camera inside a speakeasy.

On Saturday, my parents and youngest sister came to pay a visit to Brooklyn. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day! It seemed all of Brooklyn bolted outside, happy to feel the sun on our faces, to finally be free of winter's grip (or at least we all hope we are). We strolled through the neighborhood over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. The garden's paths were filled with admirers, ogling at the colorful beauty and taking the air on the Cherry Esplanade.

We walked on to Prospect Park, where the Long Meadow lawn was full of sun bathers, kite flyers, picnickers, runners, and ball players all enjoying the glory of the day. After lunch we tried to treat ourselves to some cones of salted caramel ice cream from Ample Hills, but the line of folks who already had the same idea trailed out the door, sadly preventing us from doing so. When my family had left, I ventured back to the park to join the people reclining in the Long Meadow grass, perfectly at leisure to soak in the last rays of the day's warmth.

Today was the perfect Spring Sunday for splitting time in and out of doors. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the curtains to wake us up and the breeze filled the apartment with a crisp, fresh feeling. Michael and I went, yet again, to the area between the park and the Grand Army Plaza Arch. Every Saturday, all year round, this space is filled with the farmers and vendors of the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. And now that the warm weather months are upon us, the Food Truck Rally has returned. On the first and third Sundays of each month food trucks from around the city converge to serve up delicious meals and treats. Today Mike had a cheesesteak from Phil's Steaks and I had one of my all-time favorites, a falafel sandwich from Taim. There's no better way to start a day than to delight in an outdoor meal, in my opinion.

After a long stroll back through the neighborhood to take in the early part of the day outside and try a second time for an Ample Hills treat, we headed to MoMA PS1 in Queens for a bit of time indoors. A contemporary and experimental art space and affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, today PS1 was showing a performance arranged by an Icelandic artist called A Lot of Sorrow inside a large, domelike tent. This piece consisted of one of our favorite bands, The National, playing their song "Sorrow" in a loop for six hours straight, from noon to six. It may sound unconventional or "out there," but it was an extremely interesting experience. The song itself is calming and hypnotic, with a driving beat that kept the band going as the song would end and start right back up again. It didn't at all feel tiring to hear one song again and again (though I can't say with certainty that the band felt the same way). It speaks of the title word pervading the narrator's life - from "when [he] was young," to the present, in his honey and in his milk. It was soothing and poignant and light-hearted all at once. The band members had high spirits and must have had legs of steel as their music swayed the crowd and mingled with the breeze from the open doorways.

Back outside, in the fading daylight, The National's song continued to run through my head. I expect that it will for some time, perhaps even until I see them again in June. But that's how all good weekends should end, with their events replaying in your mind as you wind down on Sunday night, lulling you into a contented sleep. The past week is long gone, the week ahead will come in due time. The weekend has given you its all. For now, everything is perfect.

My Deer Friends

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in my uncle's long-planned and much-anticipated venison feast. Having scored two large deer late in the Fall, he had a bounty to share. So he invited us all, friends and family, to share his good fortune and his passion (both for hunting and for cooking), and to taste a bit of the good life.

Artwork by M.P.W.

The menu was outrageous, with venison shepherd's pie, venison sausage and peppers, a venison roast, venison chili, venison jerky, even venison egg rolls! But the crowning achievement of the night was the venison tenderloin that was saved until last. As we all stood around the fire pit, Pat grilled up thin slices of venison in the style of a beefsteak and then dipped them in a bath of warm butter and garlic. It is exactly as delicious and decadent as it sounds. Bathed in the glow of the fire, with the smell of wood smoke and cigars and the sound of laughter hanging in the cool Spring air, I felt profoundly lucky and happy to be alive. 

Last night I had the pleasure of going to see a concert, one that showcased 5 different bands whose careers are now beginning their third decades, at the Bell House in Gowanus. The stage was a revolving door of different acts, often sharing and trading members, all of them friends who came together to support each other. Ida, fronted by a husband and wife duo, was mellow and sweet. Haunting harmonies and poignant lyrics. M Shanghai String Band packed the stage with all sorts of instruments - standing bass, banjo, two violins, harmonica, saw and spoons! - and with energy, sheer electricity. Babe the Blue Ox, whose release party this whole thing was, rocked the house with two drummers, a guitar and larger than life female bassist. The night passed from slowcore, to Americana, to indie rock, but with no break in the good vibes, no loss of the crowd's enthusiasm for each new group. It was so clear to me that these people truly enjoyed every moment that they were performing, and I couldn't help but feel their joy.

Watching Babe the Blue Ox play through their first new album in 15 years, I was struck by the same sort of profound feeling I had leaving the venison dinner. Perhaps it had something to do with the lead singer's uncanny resemblance to Pat, but more likely it was the trait that they have in common: pursuing the things that they love throughout their lives. And beyond that, they recognize that the best part of having a hobby or a talent is to share it with others, to bring it to full fruition.

The venison dinner would not have been the same without Pat opening his house to friends and family, to showcase his successful hunt and keen abilities in the kitchen. The show was made even better because it was clear that the bands were there to play alongside each other and to invite us all to feel that support and exuberance with them.

It's so true of all things in life: they are made better, more fulfilling, by joining with others to experience them. So eat! Drink! Run, jump, hunt, sing, play, cultivate your talents! And do so with an openness to celebrate each moment with others.

Artwork by K.E.H.

Check out some of last night's acts!

• Ida
• M Shanghai String Band
• Babe the Blue Ox

...And the Craic Is Good

'Tis the season. The season of parades and pipe bands, of sweaters and shillelaghs, of smiling Irish eyes. It's such a beautiful time to me, when good friends and family meet in good cheer and revelry to celebrate our Irish roots.

 West Orange Parade Through the Years

There is such a feeling of togetherness at these gatherings. Everyone is jovial and spirited, simply happy to be alive. We rejoice in good health, good times, and good fortune to be Irish Americans!

In addition to the parades, a corned beef and cabbage dinner has always been a staple for our family, along with Irish soda bread. Throughout the month of March, Granny would bake loaves and loaves for each one of our homes. She even would make a special loaf for me, free of caraway seeds. I decided to try out Granny's recipe for the first time today as a test-drive for our family's feast tomorrow afternoon.

This is one recipe that I never actually watched Granny make, so I was not sure what to expect out of the dough. I sure do wish I had her around to ask her advice! Since I only have one loaf pan and was running low on all-purpose flour, I cut the recipe in half and used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. I, of course, left out the caraway seeds. Made with buttermilk and shortening, it is a very thick dough, much like a scone or biscuit. It took a bit of muscle to come together and had to be spread out into the pan.

My finished product was pretty good, but definitely could be improved. Next time I will make the entire 2 loaf recipe and use all-purpose flour alone. Hopefully I can turn out a decent couple of loaves for dinner tomorrow.

Granny's Irish Bread

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups flour
raisins
caraway seeds
_____________________
Mix together - ( 2 loaves)
Grease pans
Bake at 350º - 1 hour

Make a loaf, don some green, get your Irish eyes to smile and have a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sláinte!