Rarely do I sort the jumbled contents of my drawers. With a burst of energy, I did just that the other day, and I was rewarded with an archaeological find. There, toward the back, where I had clearly put it for safekeeping, was a $25 United States Saving Bond that had been given to my husband in 1950.
Curiously, it happened to be exactly on the day and month of our second son’s birth many years later. But I digress.
Back to the matter of the bond. What to do with this bit of Series E antiquity?
First thought was to bring it to my friendly banker, who searched for the serial number on the web and found it was worth $147 and change today. OK, not too bad, since it originally cost $18.75. At least the gift has kept up with inflation.
Next were the requirements for cashing the bond. That has proven not to be so simple for a couple of reasons. First, there is another name listed as the recipient on the front. It is that of his mother. The name on the face of the paper reads this way: that of my husband OR that of his mother.Whoever gave him the bond probably thought it was a good idea to have the parent involved as a backup. After all, my husband was just a teenager then. So, not only do I have to supply key information about my husband, like social security number and death certificate. I also have to produce the names of my mother-in-law’s parents, the county in which she died, her last residence, along with her social security number and her date of death in order to get her death certificate. Well, that’s not happening. At least not without some huge sleuthing.
At this point, kudos to my banker, who will not give up. And we do have a couple of lucky breaks here. She was born in the United States, so presumably, a death certificate can be found. Further, one of my husband’s siblings and his wife thankfully are still alive, with both retaining every single brain cell. They could tell me where she lived and her parents’ last name. They had no idea of her social security number, nor could they recall where she died. My daughter-in-law, called in to help, was able to use the internet and found her date of death.
Another kink in the thread is that the last name of both is misspelled, with an extra ‘f’ on the end. The gifter did not know their correct spelling. My brother-in-law assured me she did not spell their name that way. I don’t know how much of an obstacle that will be in this age of computer exactness.
The biggest challenge remaining is to determine in which county she died. She lived in Queens, she may have died in a Manhattan hospital, or she may have been living in an adult home in Nassau County, near her daughter, at the time of her death. I will be paying $23 and some change in order to file for a search of that elusive certificate. Perhaps I will have to do that three times.
This is not about money now. I know both those people listed on the bond would want to be made whole lo these 71 years later. I owe it to them to continue the search. Besides, as my banker explained, this is the first such conundrum he has been presented with, and he will learn from it and know how to deal with the next one.
For my part, I will consider any money I should ultimately receive, as the 1936 Bing Crosby song goes, pennies from heaven.
Labor Day is more or less the official farewell to summer. It’s a bittersweet holiday marking the end of lazy, languorous days poolside or at the beach with time being some abstract notion governed more by light than by the hands on the clock. In our reluctance to let go of all that summer connotes, we hang on, in wishful perpetuity, to whatever we can salvage despite the back-to-school, close-the-pool regimen.
One thing that endures far beyond the season is cooking on the grill. So what better way to celebrate this holiday than with a barbecue in the great outdoors with all the traditional dishes that we love and crave. It can be anything from a clam bake to a hot dog roast but it must include barbecued chicken too, spicy and sticky and charred. Here are three different ways to do that chicken. Sauces can be thinned out with a little water if they get too thick.
All 3 versions would be great served with any one or combination of the following: tossed salad, garlic bread, corn on the cob, iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing, coleslaw, potato salad, sweet potato fries, corn bread, baked beans, macaroni salad.
Barbecued Chicken #1
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Barbecued Chicken. Metro photo
3/4 cup ketchup
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon za’atar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 garlic cloves, minced
One medium onion, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 broiler -fryer chicken cut into 8 pieces
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, za’atar, cayenne, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.Place chicken parts in bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Transfer contents of bowl to a large resealable bag, seal and refrigerate for two hours. Prepare a grill on medium heat and place chicken on grill over indirect heat, turning once and basting with any remaining sauce, until it is lightly charred, cooked through and an instant read thermometer reads 165 F, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Barbecued Chicken #2
YIELD: Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon cucumber relish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 generous dashes hot pepper sauce
8 chicken breast halves, bone in
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, then add garlic and cook, constantly stirring, 30 seconds, until it releases its aroma. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, tomato sauce, relish,Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce; stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat and set aside. Prepare grill on medium heat; season chicken with salt and pepper, then grill, covered, turning and basting frequently with sauce, until charred on both sides and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Barbecued Chicken #3
YIELD: Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 bone in chicken thighs or half-breasts
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl whisk together half a cup of the oil, vinegar, salt, sugar and red pepper flakes. Place chicken pieces in gallon size resealable plastic bag, then pour marinade in, seal bag and tilt and rotate to be sure chicken is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally 4 to 8 hours.
When ready to grill remove chicken from refrigerator and let come to room temperature. In a small saucepan combine the remaining tablespoon oil, ketchup, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic, cayenne and salt; over medium heat; stirring frequently, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool 10 minutes.
Set a grill on medium-low heat to 300 F. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Place chicken pieces on grill, cover and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. During last 15 to 20 minutes or so of cooking, baste with barbecue sauce and turn frequently. When chicken is charred, sauce is thickened and sticky and a thermometer reads 165 F, it should be cooked through after a total of about 30 minutes.
Three families and their foundations jump-started a research mission on Long Island that offers a chance for change. Their stories reflect a desire to remember their family members and a need to offer hope and help to others.
Christina Renna
Christina Renna with sister Rae Marie Renna
Phil Renna waited while his 16-year old daughter Christina spoke with her doctor. He and his wife Rene had decided to allow their daughter, who was battling a form of connective tissue cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), to be involved in decisions about her treatment.
When Christina came out of the room, Phil, director of operations in the communications department at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, asked if he should also speak with the doctor. Christina said it wasn’t necessary. On the way home, she told him it had to be a “really good Christmas.”
He knew what that meant, although she also asked him not to tell anyone how close she was to the end of her life.
Renna and parents throughout the country have had to cope with the agony of rhabdomyosarcoma, which mostly affects children. People battling this cancer have turned to medicine for help, only to find that the treatment options are limited.
That, Renna and others say, was as unacceptable to them when their children were battling cancer as it is now, when the next generation is struggling with this illness.
RMS doesn’t receive the same level of funding nationally as cancers that affect more people, such as breast, lung and prostate cancer, but the agony and suffering are just as significant.
Amid their battles with the disease, families have turned to their support groups, including friends, extended family, and community members to raise funds for basic research, hoping grass roots efforts allow future generations to have longer, healthier lives.
Supported by these funds and a willingness to fill a research gap, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory CEO Bruce Stillman has backed efforts to gather information and to support research that may also help people with other forms of cancer.
Renna, who lives in Lindenhurst, struggled with his role as father and protector when Christina developed rhabdomyosarcoma.
“I’m supposed to protect my kids,” Renna said. “I should be able to tell them, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”
Renna went to Stillman to ask whether Christina, who was a patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering, might get better care somewhere else.
After conducting some research, Stillman told his colleague about the lack of basic research and other treatment options.
“That was a crushing moment for me,” Renna said.
During treatment, Christina had to be at Memorial Sloan Kettering at 7 a.m., which meant he and Christina’s mother Rene got in the car at 5 a.m. with their daughter.
Renna dropped them off, drove back to work, where he’d put in a full day, drive back to the hospital and return home at 10:30 p.m.
“That was every night, five days a week,” Renna recalled. While those were tough days, Renna said he and his wife did what they needed to do for their daughter.
Five years after his daughter died at the age of 16, Renna drove home from work one day to find his shirt was wet. It took him a while to realize the moisture came from the tears, as he cried his way back to his house. At one point, he thought he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
Renna continues to raise money to support research into this disease, while also helping people create and develop their own foundations, often after enduring similar pain.
“Every single foundation that has come and given money to the lab, I have personally met with,” he said. “I helped our advancement team onboard them.”
As someone who has lost a child and understands what a parent can be feeling, Renna is committed to helping others cope with their grief.
“For me, it is about helping the lab, but also about helping families honor the memory of their child in a meaningful way and what better way than to help another family and perhaps find a cure,” he wrote in an email.
Renna believes investments in research will pay off, helping to answer basic questions that will lead to better treatments down the road.
So far, the foundation has given $387,300 to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for research. They also gave $50,000 to Make-a-Wish in Suffolk, and $25,000 to local scholarships. The foundation supported Memorial Sloan Kettering with an iPad program. Ultimately, Renna believes in the ongoing return from research investments.
“Everybody wants to find and fund the silver bullet,” he said. “Everybody wants to give money to fund a clinical trial. Basic research is where the discoveries are made.”
Renna urged people creating foundations to have a strong board that included business people and that might also have a scientific or medical advisory element. He also suggested funding foundations a year ahead of time. That helped his foundation in 2020, when finding donors became more challenging during the pandemic.
Being at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and helping others get through darker days that are all too familiar to him gives Renna comfort. “I know, in some way, every single day, I’m making an impact,” he said. “How measurable it is, I don’t know. There are days when I’m pretty proud.”
As far as he feels they have come, Renna said it’s not the time to look back, but to press ahead.
T.J. Arcati
A former summer intern in Bruce Stillman’s lab when he attended Notre Dame, T.J. Arcati was married and had two children when he succumbed to sarcoma.
“We know what we went through,” said his father, Tom Arcati, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Huntington. “He left a son and a daughter without a dad.”
Tom and his wife Nancy, who raised T.J. in Lloyd Harbor and live in Huntington, were with their son for his treatments and therapies.
Tom and Nancy Arcati are determined to extend people’s lives by more than a year or two and are actively engaged with other families who are coping in the midst of the cancer storm. “I’m talking to people now that unfortunately are going through what we did seven years ago,” Tom Arcati said.
While the Arcatis support other families, their empathy “brings you back to a place you never really leave,” Nancy Arcati said. These interactions “keeps T.J.’s life on people’s minds and in their hearts.”
Tom Arcati tries to be a source of solace to people who are trying to gather information.
In the aftermath of TJ’s death at the age of 34, Arcati reached out to Stillman to see if the lab could work towards better treatments.
One Saturday, Arcati and his son Matthew went to Stillman’s house, where they sat in his living room, with Stillman drinking tea and Arcati having coffee.“What do you think?” Arcati recalled asking. “Are you going to do sarcoma research?” Stillman looked back at his guest and mentioned that he was thinking about it. Stillman called Arcati a few days later.
“When he called me, he said, ‘We’re a cancer institute. We should be doing sarcomas.’ That’s how I remember this whole thing going down. It was pretty heart warming.”
The first step for CSHL was to host a Banbury conference. The site of international meetings on a range of scientific topics since 1978, the Banbury center brings together experts in various fields. The meetings provide a forum for scientific advances and result in various publications. By holding a Banbury Center meeting, CSHL helped advance research into sarcomas.
The Arcatis have remained active in the Friends of T.J. Foundation, which TJ and several college friends founded in 2009 after T.J. was diagnosed with sarcoma. They have stayed in close contact with CSHL Professor Chris Vakoc and his PhD student Martyna Sroka, who regularly keeps him informed of her progress. Sroka has spoken at some of the outings for the Friends of TJ Foundation. This year, Stillman will speak at the September 13th fundraiser at the Huntington Country Club.
“It’s really imperative that people who are supporting us know what their dollars are being spent on,” Arcati said.
The Friends of TJ Foundation has raised about $50,000 each year, bringing their total fundraising to about $400,000.
Arcati hopes something positive can come out of the losses the families who are funding Vakoc’s research suffered.
“If we can save one kid’s life somewhere by doing what we’re doing, then this whole process is worth it,” Arcati said.
Michelle Paternoster
Michelle Paternoster of Lindenhurst developed sarcoma in her sinuses. Her husband Paul Paternoster helped her through 38 surgeries, over 90 radiation treatments and several rounds of chemotherapy.
Michelle and Paul Paternoster
The couple tried immune therapy in the Bahamas in the fall of 2008 and went to New York in 2011 for treatment.
“We drove [to the city] for 90 days” excluding weekends, Paternoster recalled. The treatments seemed to have a positive effect during the trial, but shortly afterward, the cancer continued growing.
After Michelle died in 2013 at the age of 34, Paternoster was determined to help others, initially asking supporters to contribute to the fundraising effort from the Arcatis.
Donations to the Friends of T.J. Foundation reached $30,000, which helped underwrite the Banbury conference at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Michelle and T.J. had seen each other in the radiation suite in the halls of Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Paternoster then started the Michelle Paternoster Foundation for Sarcoma Research. The President of Selectrode Industries Inc., which manufactures welding products and has two factories in Pittsburgh, Paternoster wanted to help people at a clinical level.
Through Michelle’s Clubhouse, he partnered with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, paying for hotels of pediatric cancer patients when the Ronald McDonald house is full. The clubhouse also provides gift cards to help pay for gas, tolls and copays on prescriptions.
“Knowing how difficult it is to go through this, I can’t imagine what it’s like to not have that capability” to pay for basic needs during treatment, Paternoster said. “That is why it is so important for our board to do something at the clinical level to support families in this battle.”
Paternoster said the relatively small but growing size of the group dedicated to helping each other makes each person’s contribution that much more important.
“Normally, when you’re doing any kind of charity work, you feel like you’re a tiny part of this project, especially when it comes to [diseases like] breast cancer and things that impact millions of people,” Paternoster said. When he attended the Banbury conference that launched the research effort at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he said “you felt you could make a difference. You’re sitting in a room with 25, 30 people max. That was the entire effort to eradicate this disease.”
Paternoster, who lives in Cold Spring Harbor, called the collaboration that came out of the meeting “astounding.”
The Michelle Paternoster Foundation has raised $500,000, with about $350,000 of that supporting the work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Ultimately, like the other families who raise funds, stay informed and offer help to strangers battling an all-too-familiar disease, Paternoster feels that the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution inspires him.
“That’s our dream,” he said, “to find a cure, so other people don’t have to feel what we felt.”
A group of people may prove to be the guardian angels for the children of couples who haven’t even met yet.
After suffering unimaginable losses to a form of cancer that can claim the lives of children, several families, their foundations, and passionate scientists have teamed up to find weaknesses and vulnerabilities in cancers including rhabdomyosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
Rhabdomyosarcoma affects about 400 to 500 people each year in the United States, with more than half of those patients receiving the diagnosis before their 10th birthday. Patients who receive diagnoses for these cancers typically receive medicines designed to combat other diseases.
Christopher Vakoc. Photo from CSHL
A group of passionate people banded together using a different approach to funding and research to develop tools for a different outcome. Six years after the Christina Renna Foundation and others funded a Banbury meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the grass roots funders and dedicated scientists are finding reasons for optimism.
“I wish I could run up to the top of a hill and scream it out: ‘I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been,’” said Phil Renna, director of operations, communications department at CSHL and the co-founder of the Christina Renna Foundation. “I’m really excited” about the progress the foundation and the aligned group supporting the Sarcoma Initiative at the lab has made.
Renna and his wife Rene started the foundation after their daughter Christina died at the age of 16 in 2007 from rhabdomyosarcoma. Renna’s optimism stems from work Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Christopher Vakoc, a professor and Cancer Center co-director and his research team, including PhD candidate Martyna Sroka have performed.
The cause for optimism comes from the approach Vakoc has taken to cancers, including leukemia.
Vakoc has developed a way to screen the effects of genetic changes on the course of cancer.
“Usually, when you hear about a CRISPR screen, you think of taking out a function and the cell either dies or doesn’t care,” Sroka said, referring to the tool of genetic editing. Sroka is not asking whether the cell dies, but whether the genetic change nudges the cellular processes in a different direction.
“We are asking whether a loss of a gene changes the biology of a cell to undergo a fate change; in our case, whether cancer cells stop growing and differentiate down the muscle lineage,” she explained.
In the case of sarcoma, researchers believe immature muscle cells continue to grow and divide, turning into cancer, rather than differentiating to a final stage in which they function as normal cells.
Through genetic changes, however, Sroka and Vakoc’s lab are hoping to restore the cell to its non cancerous state.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has had success with other diseases and other types of cancer, which is where the optimism comes from, explained Paul Paternoster, President of Selectrode Industries, Inc. and the founder of the Michelle Paternoster Foundation for Cancer Research.
As a part of her doctoral research which she’s been conducting for four years, Sroka is also working with Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Novartis AG to test the effect of using approved and experimental drugs that can coax cells back into their muscular, non-cancerous condition.
The work Sroka and Vakoc have been doing and the approach they are taking could have applications in other cancers.
“The technology that we’ve developed to look at myodifferentiation in rhabdomyosarcoma can be used to study other cancers (in fact, we are currently applying it to ask similar questions in other cancer contexts),” said Sroka. “In addition, our findings in RMS might also shed light on normal muscle development, regeneration and the biology of other diseases that impact myodifferentiation, e.g. muscular dystrophy.”
Martyna Sroka’s journey
Described by Vakoc as a key part of the sarcoma research effort in his lab, Martyna Sroka, who was born and raised in Gdańsk, Poland, came to Long Island after a series of eye-opening medical experiences.
In Poland, when she was around 16, she shadowed a pediatric oncology doctor who was visiting patients. After she heard the patient’s history, she and the doctor left the room and convened in the hallway.
Martyna Sroka. Photo by Sofya Polyanskaya
“He turned to me and said, ‘Yeah, this child has about a month or two tops.’ We moved on to the next case. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. That’s as far as we could go. There’s nothing we could do to help the child and the family,” said Sroka.
Even after she started medical school, she struggled with the limited ammunition modern medicine provided in the fight against childhood cancer.
She quit in her first year, disappointed that “for a lot of patients diagnosed with certain rare types of tumors, the diagnosis is as far as the work goes. I found that so frustrating. I decided maybe my efforts will be better placed doing the science that goes into the development of novel therapies.”
Sroka applied to several PhD programs in the United Kingdom and only one in the United States, at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where she hoped to team up with Vakoc.
Sroka appreciated Vakoc’s approach to the research and his interest in hearing about her interests.
“I knew that we could carve out an exciting scientific research project that tries to tackle important questions in the field of pediatric oncology, [the] results of which could potentially benefit patients in the future,” she explained in an email.
The two of them looked at where they could make a difference and focused on rhabdomyosarcoma.
Sroka has “set up a platform by which advances” in rhabdomyosarcoma medicines will be possible, Vakoc said. “From the moment she joined the sarcoma project, she rose to the challenge” of conducting and helping to lead this research.
While Sroka is “happy” with what she has achieved so far, she finds it difficult at times to think about how the standard of care for patients hasn’t changed much in the last few decades.
“Working closely with foundations and having met a number of rhabdomyosarcoma patients, I do feel an intense sense of urgency,” she wrote.
With autumn weather around the corner, real estate trends and values are still looking good. This news is fantastic for those who want to move before it gets cooler.
Ready to move
For those planning to move at the beginning of next year, now may be the time to put your house up for sale. The market is still moving quickly, and you want to be ready. Being here for the holidays is one thing; however, you may not want to be on Long Island for the entire winter.
Keep in mind, as mentioned in previous columns, the trend from western Long Island is that houses are taking a little longer to sell.
One step at a time
Sometimes people who are moving, especially those who are downsizing or want to simplify their new living space, look around their house and say, “What am I going to do with all this stuff?”
Packing up doesn’t have to be a horrible chore. If you’re lucky to have your new home — say a winter place that you’re now making your permanent residence — you already have an idea of how much space you will have.
Go around your future home and measure the rooms, cabinets and any other storage space. Having these measurements will make it easier to decide what goes with you and what gets sold or donated.
If you don’t know where you’re moving to yet, think about how big you want your new home to be. Then you’ll have an educated guess about what to pack up and what to donate.
Remember to take it room by room when deciding what you’re taking with you and plan to do a bit each day. Decide what furniture is going with you first since some pieces also provide storage. If you’re going to use the bookshelf in your new house, then there’s a place for some of your books.
Some easy things to get rid of are multiple items or clothes you haven’t worn in a decade. Do your children no longer live at home, but their stuff still lives with you? Ask them to come over to help you go through the things they left behind.
The key is still pricing
One of the most important conversations you can have with your real estate agent is about pricing. It’s important to be knowledgeable and reasonable about your home’s worth. A lot of people see a house sold in their neighborhood, one that may look the same from the outside, and think they can get the same amount.
Remember … you can’t judge a book by its cover. The house down the street may be the same style house, with the same square footage and rooms, but there can be differences inside that can play a part in pricing — good or bad.
Be proactive
It’s important to meet with a real estate professional whether you plan to sell now or in the future. The agent will go over your options for when you decide to sell and your home’s current market value.
They will look through your home and give you valuable advice. For example, has the kitchen not been renovated in a few decades? They may suggest some creative, less expensive upgrades that will make a difference financially once you do sell the home.
Takeaway
It’s never too early to talk about an important decision such as selling your home. Real estate professionals can help you with these important conversations. So, let’s talk.
Michael Ardolino is the Founder/Owner-Broker of Realty Connect USA.
Michael Boren snapped this incredible photo in his hometown of Setauket on Aug. 19. He writes, ‘Couple of bros taking in some rays … They were resting on the grass without a care in the world.
Blaze is an eight-to-nine year old male Pit Mix who was rescued by Smithtown Animal Control Officers when he was found abandoned and left in a cage at Blydenburgh Park. He is now patiently waiting at the Smithtown Animal Shelter for his furever home.
Blaze is an extremely loyal guy who is very protective of the people he trusts. He is energetic, playful, and loving. His favorite activities include swimming in the kiddie pool, going on walks, and playing with toys. He is also a big eater and a big kisser! Blaze should be the only pet in an adult only home, and any potential owners should have experience with his breed.
He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on his vaccines.
If you are interested in meeting Blaze, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with him in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room, dog runs, and a Dog Walk trail. Family Pet Meet and Greets and at home interactions are also welcome and an integral part of the adoption process.
The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Shelter operating hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only).
For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.smithtownanimalshelter.com
Foster Opportunity:
If you have no other pets or young children at home, and are looking for a way to serve your community, please consider signing up to be a foster. Foster parents provide temporary care for cats, kittens, and dogs in their own homes. Some animals need as little as two weeks of care, while others may need care for extended periods of time.
It seems like just yesterday but it was actually last year that I wrote about summer soups. And I’m doing it again not just because it’s perfect weather for them, but also because I keep coming up with new concoctions and discoveries. Here are my three most recent favorites. I came up with the salad soup one night when we had a vegetable drawer full of salad ingredients and not much else. The pappa al pomodoro came from what else? A bumper crop of tomatoes. And the garlic soup? Well, that’s a long story that I don’t have room for here.
Salad Soup
This is sort of like a gazpacho but is a little tamer.
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 large red bell peppers, trimmed and chopped
2 garlic cloves, lightly bruised
1 cup cooked arborio or long- grain rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably from Liguria
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
Basil leaves or dill for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir well; cover and refrigerate for at least four hours; remove garlic and reserve for another use: adjust seasoning if necessary. Place ingredients in a food processor or blender until very finely chopped but not pureed. Return to bowl, cover and refrigerate another hour. Ladle into stemmed glasses of dishes, garnish, and serve with focaccia on the side.
Pappa al Pomodoro(Tomato and Bread Soup)
This is a great way to use those tomatoes that seem to ripen all at once and stale bread.
YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large sprig sage, stems removed
1 2/3 pounds stale Italian or French bread, sliced thin
1 2/3 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes, puréed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh sage leaves for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
In a deep skillet heat oil over high heat; add garlic and sauté briefly, about 30 seconds. Add sage leaves and bread, and, turning once, sauté until bread turns golden; add tomato puree, salt and pepper and, stirring frequently, boil for 5 minutes. Add just enough cold water to cover mixture, then over low flame bring to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook for 30 minutes until mixture achieves a mushy consistency that is neither too thick nor too runny. Serve chilled, lukewarm or at room temperature with fresh corn on the cob.
Garlic Soup
This is not your usual garlic experience; creamy and smooth, it actually has a rather mellow flavor.
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and minced
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Snipped fresh chives for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, briefly sauté the onion until it becomes opaque and the garlic until it releases its aroma, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add potato and chicken broth, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer about 20 to 30 minutes, until potato and garlic are soft and mushy. In a blender or food processor, puree mixture until smooth, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cool. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls or mugs, stir in cream and sour cream, add salt and pepper and garnish with chives. Serve with crusty bread and cheese.
Obesity is an ongoing struggle for many in the United States. If you, like many, put on some extra pounds during the past 18 months, it’s even more concerning.
Obesity is a disease unto itself and is defined by a BMI (body mass index) of >30 kg/m2, but obesity can also be defined by excess body fat, which is more important than BMI.
Poor COVID-19 outcomes have been associated with obesity, especially in the U.S. In a study involving 5700 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the NYC area, the most common comorbidities were obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes (1). Of those who were hospitalized, 41.7% were obese.
In a study in China, results showed that those who were overweight were 86 percent more likely to have severe COVID-19 pneumonia, and that percentage increases to 142 percent when obesity is reached (2).
In fact, one study’s authors suggested quarantining should be longer in obese patients because of the potential for prolonged viral shedding compared to those in the normal range for weight (3).
And though age is a risk factor for COVID-19, among those younger than 60 and obese, there is a two-times increased risk of being admitted to the hospital, according to a 3,615-patient study at NYU Langone Health (4).
While these studies do not test specifically for the more recent variants, I would expect the results are similar.
Why is risk for severe COVID-19 higher with obesity?
According to the prevailing theory, obesity may interfere with mechanical aspects of breathing, thus increasing airway resistance and make gas in exchange more difficult in the lung. It may also impede on lung volume by exerting pressure on the lungs and may involve weaker muscles necessary for respiration (5).
Why is excess fat moreimportant than BMI?
First, some who have elevated BMI may not have a significant amount of fat; they may actually have more innate muscle. More than 25 percent of my patient population is “solidly built,” which means they have greater muscle mass as well as too much excess fat. Visceral fat is the most important, since it’s the fat that lines the organs, including the lungs.
For another, fat cells have adipokines, specific cell communicators found in fat cells that communicate with other fat cells but also other systems such as the brain, immune system, muscles, and liver. Adipokines can be mediators of both inflammation and insulin resistance, according to an endocrinology study (6). In a study of over 4,000 patients with COVID-19, the author suggests that inflammation among obese patients may be an exacerbating factor for hospitalizations and severe illness (7).
If we defined obesity as being outside the normal fat range – normal ranges are roughly 11-22 percent for men and 22-34 percent for women – then close to 70 percent of Americans are obese.
Inflammation reduction and weight-loss combined
In a randomized controlled trial with 75 participants comparing a plant-based diet to a control diet, there was a greater than 14 lbs. weight reduction and roughly 10 lbs. fat reduction over a 14-week period (8). Of the weight lost, about 70 percent was excess fat. Remember, excess body fat, through adipokines, may be inflammatory and increase the risk of severe COVID-19.
The weight reduction with a plant-based approach may involve the increase in fiber, reduction in dietary fat and increased burning of calories after the meal, according to Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) (9).
You also want a diet that has been shown to reduce inflammation.
We recently published a study involving 16 patients from my clinical practice. It shows that those who ate a whole food plant-based LIFE (low inflammatory foods everyday) diet over a seven-day period had a significant decrease in inflammation measured by hsCRP (high sensitivity c-reactive protein). This occurred in those who completely changed their diets to the LIFE diet, but also occurred in those who simply added a greens and fruit-based smoothie daily to their existing diet (10).
In my practice, I have seen a number of patients lose a substantial amount of weight, but also body fat, over a short period. For instance, a 70-year-old male lost 19 lbs. of weight and 12 lbs. of body fat over a six-week period. His inflammation, which was very high to start, dropped substantially to the border of optimal levels, using hsCRP as the inflammation measurement. This patient and many others have seen tandem reductions in both weight and inflammation. To boot, this was a cardiac patient whose cardiologist had considered a stent, but later said he did not need it after reducing his inflammation.
If the continuing COVID-19 concerns do not convince you that losing excess fat is important, then consider that obesity contributes to, or is associated with, many other chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which also contribute to severe COVID-19. Thus, there is an imperative to lose excess body fat.
References:
(1) JAMA. online April 22, 2020. (2) Clin Med (Lond). 2020 Jul; 20(4): e109–e113. (3) Acta Diabetol. 2020 Apr 5: 1–6. (4) Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Jul 28;71(15):896-897. (5) Chron. Respir. Dis. 5, 233–242 (2008). (6) Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013; 4:71. (7) MedRxiv.com. (8) Nutr Diabetes. 2018; 8: 58. (9) Inter Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention 2019;1:1. (10) Am J of Lifestyle Med. online Oct. 5, 2020.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.
Pictured with the West Meadow beach clean-up volunteers are, from left, co-founder of the Pollution Prevention Passport program, Cayla Rosenhagen; Town of Brookhaven Department of General Services Executive Assistant, Frank Petrignani; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; program co-founder, Iris Rosenhagen; Brookhaven Town Youth Board Chair Charlotte Pressley (third from right); Supervisor Ed Romaine (second from right) and Town of Brookhaven Environmental Educator, Nicole Pocchaire (right). Photo by Raina Angelier
By Cayla Rosenhagen
Cayla Rosenhagen
In the words of Dr. Jane Goodall, “Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, we shall be saved.”
Environmental awareness is critical in creating widespread care for the nature that surrounds us. And when we care, we are driven to protect.
A press conference was held on August 18 at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook to announce the launch of Brookhaven Town’s new environmental conservation program for all ages. The event, preceded by a beach clean-up with over fifty volunteers, celebrated a novel way for locals to get involved in protecting and appreciating the natural beauty our town has to offer.
Members of Brookhaven’s Youth Board, including myself, joined Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, and town environmental educator Nicole Pocchiare at the beach to kick off the Pollution Prevention Passport initiative.
The Passport program encourages community members to visit Brookhaven’s many parks and beaches and record their travels in their very own document of travel. Additionally, it fosters environmental stewardship by supporting and suggesting eco-friendly decisions and collecting litter.
Inside the passport, participants will find pages to tally the kinds of litter they have found, to document and illustrate their experiences, and record the conservation efforts they have made during their outings. A map featuring an inspiring list of Brookhaven’s abundant parks and beaches can be found in the back of the passport.
After filling in the passport, it can be submitted to the Town for a “Stamp of Stewardship,” as recognition for the participant’s contribution to protecting Brookhaven’s green spaces.
To download and print a passport of your own, or to find out more about the program, please visit brookhavenny.gov/passport.
Cayla Rosenhagen is a local high school student who enjoys capturing the unique charm of the community through photography and journalism. She serves on the board of directors for the Four Harbors Audubon Society and Brookhaven’s Youth Board, and is the founder and coordinator of Beach Bucket Brigade, a community outreach program dedicated to environmental awareness, engagement, and education. She is also an avid birder, hiker, and artist who is concurrently enrolled in college, pursuing a degree in teaching.
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