THAT’S BRILLIANT! The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce recently announced the winner of its annual scarecrow competition that was held in conjunction with the village’s Harvest Fest. Port Jefferson Juniors & Cadet Girl Scout Troop 1390 beat out the competition with their scarecrow, ‘Harry Potter’s Hermione.’ The group wins a $50 gift card to The Pie in Port Jefferson. Congratulations! Take a Scarecrow Walk down East Main Street through November to view all the wonderful entries.
‘Catching Rabbits,’ 1839 oil painting by William Sidney Mount. Image from LIM
The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook bid bon voyage to William Sidney Mount’s painting, “Catching Rabbits” recently. The politically themed painting is on loan to the Dixon Gallery & Gardens in Memphis, Tenn., through Jan. 15 as part of a new exhibition titled Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Art, which celebrates artists’ captivation with hunting and fishing.
As we are bombarded with political messages in this historically significant presidential election, we can stop and examine the ironically parallel politics of Mount’s day depicted in his painting.
While the painting at first appears to be the triumphant illustration of two boys successfully trapping game, the underlying subject of “Catching Rabbits” is the contest between Democrats and Whigs in the 1840 presidential election. The boys in the painting represent the Whig Party “trapping” votes, while the rabbit signifies the Democratic Party, weakened by internal division and subjected to desertion by its membership. Mount’s imagery proved so apt that the Democrats adopted the concept of the trap for their campaign broadsides, which cautioned against being lured and caught by the Whigs.
When the pace of family life gets busy, it seems easier than ever to forgo healthy eating plans, and the hectic autumn season is a big culprit. However, you don’t need to compromise flavor for nutrition when turning to convenient options that fit your busy lifestyle. Round out your meal with a simple side dish recipe focused on vegetables, such as Chili Lime Butternut Squash, Thyme-Scented Roasted Vegetables accented with sweet, tangy pickled beets or Caul-Slaw.
Chili Lime Butternut Squash
Chili Lime Butternut Squash
YIELD: Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups butternut squash, large dice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
olive oil spray
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 400 F. In bowl, toss all ingredients except olive oil spray together. Spray foil-lined sheet tray with olive oil spray and spread vegetables over tray. Roast in oven 20 minutes.
1 medium onion, cut through core into 1/2-inch wedges
8 ounces shallots, peeled, halved if large
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 400 F. Line 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Add beets, carrots, onion and shallots. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast, uncovered, 15 minutes. Add garlic to vegetables; toss well. Return to oven and continue roasting 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
Note: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme may be substituted for dried thyme leaves.
Caul-Slaw
Caul-Slaw
YIELD: Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups cauliflower, grated
1 cup carrots, peeled and grated
3/4 cup ranch dressing, fat free
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
DIRECTIONS: In bowl, mix all ingredients together. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Tip: Cut cauliflower into quarters, keeping core attached; this will keep cauliflower from falling apart during grating.
From left, juror Caitlyn Shea and Alex Cartwright in front of Alex’s wining artwork, “Pearl”. Photo courtesy of HAC
BEST IN SHOW The Huntington Arts Council held a costume party reception for its annual Nightmare on Main Street art exhibit last Saturday afternoon. Juror Caitlyn Shea chose Alex Cartwright’s piece “Pearl” as the winner in the Best in Show Senior Division, which was featured on the cover of TBR’s Arts & Lifestyles last week. Best in Show Junior Division was awarded to Jack Ruthkowski, for his piece “Jimmy.” The exhibit will be on view through Nov. 5. For more information, visit www.huntingtonarts.org.
Jaeda, age 5, and Giana, age 3, of Setauket paint their pumpkins. Photo by Heidi Sutton
From left, 6-year-old Tyler McDermott of Lake Grove, his brother Justin, age 8, and Dylan Munoz, age 2, of Islip enjoy the day. Photo by Heidi Sutton
Painted pumpkins wait to dry at the Long Island Museum's Halloween Family Fun Day. Photo by Heidi Sutton
The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook hosted its annual Halloween Family Fun Day last Sunday afternoon. The free event attracted many families who enjoyed the day painting and decorating pumpkins, trick-or-treating, games and a 1960s-themed musical performance by Squeaky Clean.
The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook will welcome Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche in concert on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. for an afternoon of songs, great harmonies and stories. The mother/daughter duo bearing the names of two famous musical families is presented as part of the museum’s Sunday Street Concert Series, which is a collaboration with WUSB-FM, The Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and The Long Island Museum. All concerts take place in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room.
Advance sale tickets are $22 through Nov. 11 at www.sundaystreet.org. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $27 (cash only). For the full Sunday Street schedule visit www.sundaystreet.org or call 631-632-1093.
Staff members from the Sachem Public Library’s Community Services Department pose with Lidia Bastianich after the event: from left, Patrice Prawicka, Debra Vigliotti, Lauren Gilbert, Anne Marie Tognella, Lidia, Lorraine Silvering, Barbara DiPalmo, Karen Brady and Wendy Schlactus. Photo from Annemarie Tognella
The celebrity chef speaks to the a large audience at Sachem Public Library on Oct. 30. Photo from Anne Marie TognellaTeen librarian Kyle Quenneville gets his signed copy of Bastianich’s new book. Photo from Annemarie Tognella
TUTTI A TAVOLA A MANGIARE!
Approximately 375 fans of celebrity chef, author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich attended a talk and book signing event at Sachem Public Library in Holbrook last Sunday in honor of Italian Heritage Month. Lidia signed copies of her latest book, “Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook,” and posed for pictures with attendees both before and after her talk.
Lidia spoke about growing up in Italy and moving to the United States at the age of 12, how she got started in television with the help of Julia Child, going into business with her children and how important family is to her. She described some of the differences between Italian and Italian-American cuisine, how proud she is to be from “the two best countries in the world” and answered some cooking questions from the audience. The crowd was thrilled to meet her and enjoyed her personal anecdotes.
Pumpkins are readily available in fall, when people carve jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins for Halloween or serve up pumpkin pie after a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. But people who are unsatisfied with plain old pumpkin pie can add something new to their repertoire this fall by cooking up the following recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust, courtesy of Lori Longbotham’s “Luscious Creamy Desserts” (Chronicle Books).
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
INGREDIENTS:
Crust
1½ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
Filling
1½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
½ cup créme fraîche, homemade (see below) or store bought, or sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter an 8- or 8½-inch springform pan. To make the crust: Stir together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until the crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F.
To make the filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large deep bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and then the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and pumpkin pie spice and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the pumpkin purée, créme fraîche and vanilla, and beat until just combined. Pour the filling into the shell.
Place the cheesecake on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 F and continue baking for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 2½ hours. Then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 10 hours, until thoroughly chilled and set, or for up to 2 days.
To serve, run a knife around the side of the cheesecake and remove the side of the pan. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature, cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped dry after each cut.
Créme Fraîche (Makes about ½ cup) ½ cup heavy whipping cream ½ cup créme fraîche or sour cream with live culture Pour the cream into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and spoon in the créme fraîche. Let sit on the counter, with the lid slightly ajar, until the mixture thickens, from 4 to 24 hours, depending on the weather. Refrigerate, tightly covered, until ready to use.
The School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University, the Undergraduate Social Welfare Alliance (USWA) and the Protestant Campus Ministry will welcome Alex Seel, one of six participants in a challenging documentary, “Borderland,” on Saturday, Nov. 5, in the in the Health Sciences Tower (hospital side of campus), Level 3 Galleria and adjacent Lecture Hall 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The final episode of the series will be screened and Seel will share his experiences and answer questions.
A scene from ‘Borderland’
In this four-part television series, six Americans from varying backgrounds are confronted with the realities of undocumented migrant labor. The participants split into three groups and go to Mexico and Central America in order to retrace the footsteps of three migrants who did not survive the journey north. They discover the circumstances which led the migrants to risk their lives; they make their way north by riding atop a cargo train know as “La Bestia” or “The Beast”; they learn about the impact of Mexico’s drug wars on immigrants; they traverse the desert in which some 2500 migrants died the previous year. The journey leaves them shaken and changed. Borderland does not provide answers to the problem of undocumented immigration, but it shows the humanity of everyone involved in the process.
Undocumented migrant labor is a compelling issue that all of us face, and the debate over immigration policies brings out deep passions, but it is divorced from our day to day experience. The show presents the full complexity of the issue, and the participants come away with something desperately needed in the debate—empathy. After viewing the documentary, you will not look at the issue of undocumented immigration the same way again. Free and open to all. For more information, email [email protected].
For Free parking:
From 25A to Nicolls Rd., Rt to West Campus on Shirley Kenny Drive,
Immediate left on Circle Rd. to the stop sign then there is an entrance to free parking. Walk through the underpass to Health Sciences tower. Go up the escalator 1 flight. Parking here on weekends is free.
(From 347, left on Shirley Kenny Drive)
For paid parking:
From 25 A, left on Health Sciences Drive and follow the signs to the main entrance of the hospital and hospital garage or use Valet parking if you wish. Enter hospital lobby and ask at the registration desk for the Health Science tower escalators.
Volunteers at a previous Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson line up for the Giant Puppet Parade. Photo by Heidi Sutton
Volunteers from last year’s Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson. Photo by Bob Savage
Here ye! Here ye! Are you looking to volunteer? Do you need community service or acting experience? The Port Jefferson Dickens Festival committee is seeking adults, teens, children and parent chaperones for street character plays and performances including “Scrooge’s Dream” and “Oliver’s Adventures” to be held at the 21st annual Charles Dickens Festival on Dec. 3 and 4. Many key roles are available including Marley’s Ghost and Tiny Tim along with student improv groups, caroling groups and Newsies.
Choose your level of time commitment. Some positions only require availability during the festival. Rehearsals for the street performances are held on either Tuesdays or Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson.
For adult street character plays and Dickens regulars contact Karen at [email protected]. For students interested in performing and community service contact Carolyn at 631-741-6698 or Jill at 631-418-6699.
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