From left, Madison Klimkoski, Callie Shao, Molly Hyland, Francesca Zins, Abigail Sacco, Sadie Messler and Julia Lucca. Photo courtesy Smithtown CSD
The need: To provide canned food items for those in the community who are going hungry.
The project: Seven Accompsett Middle School students went to their classmates and encouraged their involvement to collect cans of food for those less fortunate.
The result: More than 2,000 cans of food donated and $2,500 raised.
Twice a year, the Lead4Change organization hosts TheLead4ChangeProject, which is a small grants program that showcases the growth of students as leaders and funds their ideas for community impact.
After collecting 2,384 cans, the students partnered with the Smithtown Township Food Pantry to donate all the cans they had collected.
Lead4Change then donated $2,500 to the pantry to help meet their needs as a community.
From full-course brunches to simple sit-down dinners, Easter celebrations are a time to enjoy family, friends and the delicious tastes of spring. However elaborate the festivities, a rich and creamy dessert is the perfect finale to any Easter gathering. These fresh dessert ideas feature everyone’s favorite indulgence — cheesecake — along with other lively flavors, such as blueberry and coconut. Desserts this delicious will have your guests hopping up for seconds.
Blueberry Streusel Cheesecake
Blueberry Streusel Cheesecake
YIELD: Makes 16 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup cold butter, cut up
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 325°F. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup; press remaining onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Beat cream cheese, remaining flour, remaining sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust. Top with berries and reserved crumb mixture. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours. Garnish with additional berries or cinnamon just before serving.
Easter Mini Cheesecakes
Easter Mini Cheesecakes
YIELD: Makes 18 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut, toasted
54 speckled malted milk eggs (9 ounces)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 325°F. Mix graham crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter; press onto bottoms of 18 paper-lined muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Spoon over crusts. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours.
Top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon coconut; shape to resemble bird’s nest. Fill with malted milk eggs.
Note: To soften cream cheese, place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 10 seconds or just until softened. Add 15 seconds for each additional package of cream cheese.
From left, Long Island Cares VP, Development & Communications Katherine M. Fritz; King Kullen VP of Store Operations Frank Vassallo; Wild by Nature President Michael Infantolino; King Kullen VP Corporate Strategy and Initiatives and Long Island Cares Board Member Tracey Cullen; Long Island Cares CEO Paule T. Pachter; Long Island Cares Corporate Philanthropy Manager Kaylin Peterson; and Long Island Cares VP for Procurement & Supply Chain Oversight Robert LaBarbara
King Kullen and Wild by Nature recently came to the aid of Long Islanders in need by hosting their annual in-store “Check Out Hunger” campaign, raising $22,000. The money was donated to the Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Food Bank, which has served Long Island’s food insecure population since 1980.
Tracey Cullen, King Kullen Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Initiatives and the great-granddaughter of King Kullen founder Michael Cullen, observed that King Kullen and its customers have a long history of supporting Long Island Cares.
“Since 1997, the ‘Check Out Hunger’ campaign has played a significant role in helping Long Island Cares advance its mission to provide food where and when it’s needed,” said Cullen, who serves on the Long Island Cares board of directors. “As always, we thank our customers for contributing to the ‘Check Out Hunger’ campaign and our food drives.”
King Kullen was the first supermarket chain to participate in the annual “Check Out Hunger” campaign, a unique partnership between Long Island Cares and the shopping community in which customers can make a donation with a coupon when checking out at the supermarket register. One hundred percent of all donations go to Long Island Cares.
“King Kullen and Wild by Nature have made a meaningful difference in the fight against hunger,” observed Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Paule T. Pachter. “Their customers continue to generously support our mission and we are forever grateful for their support all these years.”
Declan Doyle, President, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, cuts the ribbon to the new restaurant.
Photo courtesy of St. Catherine of Siena Hospital
Mary Ellen McCrossen, Community Relations Manager, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital; Thomas McLaughlin, Senior Advisor for Senator Mario Mattera; John Kennedy, Suffolk County Comptroller; Leslie Kennedy, Suffolk County Legislator; Declan Doyle, President, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital; Gary Havican, Executive Vice President and COO, Catholic Health. Photo courtesy of St. Catherine Hospital
Catholic Health celebrated the grand opening of its second Root & Sprig location at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown with a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 12.
The event was attended by Mary Ellen McCrossen, Community Relations Manager, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital; Thomas McLaughlin, Senior Advisor for Senator Mario Mattera; John Kennedy, Suffolk County Comptroller; Leslie Kennedy, Suffolk County Legislator; Declan Doyle, President, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital; and Gary Havican, Executive Vice President and COO, Catholic Health, among others.
A fast-casual concept restaurant, Root & Sprig brings creative healthy food and beverage options to hospital employees and visitors. Catholic Health opened the first Root & Sprig at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® in Roslyn in June 2023 and plans to open more in other Catholic Health hospitals later this year.
“We are always looking for ways to promote healthy food choices for our patients, employees and visitors,” said St. Catherine of Siena Hospital President Declan Doyle. “Located in the hospital’s lobby, all will have easy access to healthy and delicious food.”
Root & Sprig was developed and founded by Tom Colicchio, host of Bravo’s Top Chef, and HHP, a healthcare amenities company with the mission to deliver bold flavors and friendly service to patients, visitors and employees in healthcare facilities nationwide, while calling attention to the crucial role that food plays in health. Menu items reflect healthy dietary selections and feature sandwiches, salads, soups and breakfast items that include vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
According to a press release, Catholic Health is working with HHP to curate and host high-quality food retailers such as Root & Sprig, who provide healthy, fresh, and nutritious food, and who are dedicated to bringing a true sense of hospitality to health care. Catholic Health is focused on ensuring that patients have access to healthy food options as poor diets are associated with a higher probability of diabetes, stroke, hypertension, obesity, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and kidney disease. In addition, campaigns have been implemented to address food insecurity in the communities Catholic Health serves and beyond.
A Column Promoting a More Earth-Friendly Lifestyle
By John L. Turner
John Turner
While progress is being made in reducing the amount of food that’s wasted in the United States, for example in 2022 New York State passed important legislation — the NYS Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law, we have a long way to go.
Two informative websites where you can learn more about how to reduce wasted food are: “Save the Food” and “Love Food, Hate Waste.” These sites offer tips on better ways to store food to prevent spoilage and how to better plan the exact amount of food that’s needed for your family and for hosting guests at dinner parties, picnics, and other gatherings. They also offer many tasty recipes on using leftovers or food that you might typically throw out, like the stale ends of a bread loaf, tops of beets, extra ripe bananas, or bruised pears. Anyone for some killer banana bread or how about some “Bruised Pear Pandowdy”?
The sky’s the limit on ways to use all the food in your pantry and refrigerator.
A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.
At one time, Carmenère was a minor red grape variety used in the making of some red Bordeaux wines. The outbreak of phylloxera (a root-eating louse) during the 1870s devastated much of Bordeaux’s vineyards. When the vineyards were replanted, Carmenère, which was difficult to graft, was mostly replaced by disease-resistant grape varieties.
It was during that same time Carmenère arrived in Chile, alongside other Bordeaux varieties. As of 2020, the acreage of Carmenère has dwindled to where it is virtually extinct in Bordeaux, although some is grown in Chile, Italy, California, and China.
Carmenère is a thick-skinned, medium acid red grape variety. Its name is supposedly derived from the word carmine, an obvious reference to its deep, rich color. According to DNA analysis, Carmenère is a cross between Cabernet Franc and Gros Cabernet. In Chile, it was officially categorized as Merlot until 1994, when the French ampelographer Jean-Michel Boursiquot visited Viña Carmen in Maipo Valley and correctly identified the grape as Carmenère.
Some recently tasted Carmenère wines are:
2017 Ventisquero “Obliqua” Apalta Vineyard “Carmenère,” Colchagua Valley, Chile. Blend of 94% Carmenère, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot. The wine was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, followed by one year of bottle aging. The Carmenère grapes come from a small selection of low-yielding grapevines that surround a great oak tree, Nothofagus Obliqua.
Deep ruby with a complex bouquet and taste of blackberry, red currants, black figs, chocolate, and hints of white pepper. Medium-full bodied with an aftertaste of herbs and dried berries.
2019 Ventisquero “Vertice” Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile. Blend of Carmenère and Syrah. The wine is a collaboration between renowned Australian winemaker John Duval and Ventisquero’s head winemaker, Felipe Tosso. Vertice was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, followed by 14 months of bottle aging.
Reddish-purple color with a bouquet of black fruit, especially blackberry and black raspberry. Flavors of black plums, black peppercorns, and smoky meat. Hints of herbs, damp earth, and eucalyptus with medium-high acidity.
2020 Leyda Carmenère “Reserva,” Rapel Valley, Chile. Full bouquet and flavor of spicy plums, blackberries, cherries, and black pepper. Medium-bodied with subtle hints of anise, herbs, and dark chocolate.
2021 Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre “Carmenère” Apalta Vineyard, Chile. Notes of blueberries, black cherry, green peppers, pomegranate, coffee, and vanilla. Aftertaste of plums, dill, and spices.
2020 Santa Rita 120 “Carmenère,” from Chile. Cherry-colored with flavors of blueberry, green pepper, coffee, pomegranate, and tart-berries. The aftertaste had hints of licorice and cinnamon.
Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected]
This recipe for corned beef and cabbage is a great pick for St. Patrick’s Day. Use your slow cooker to simmer this traditional one-pot Irish meal and you and your family will be sitting down to a delicious meal 8 hours later. Serve with a savory Irish cheese soda bread and leave room for mint chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
INGREDIENTS:
8 small red potatoes
2 cups baby carrots
1 small onion, quartered
1 corned beef brisket (4 pounds), rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
DIRECTIONS:
Place potatoes, carrots and onion in slow cooker. Place corned beef brisket over vegetables. Sprinkle with pickling spice and minced garlic. Add enough water (about 8 cups) to just cover meat. Cover. Cook 7 hours on high. Add cabbage. Cover. Cook 1 to 2 hours on high or until cabbage is tender-crisp. Remove corned beef brisket to serving platter. Slice thinly across grain. Serve with vegetables and Irish soda bread.
Savory Irish Cheese Soda Bread
Savory Irish Cheese Soda Bread
YIELD: Makes 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons caraway seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup shredded Irish Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and seasonings in large bowl. Stir in cheese. Set aside. Mix eggs and buttermilk in medium bowl. Add to dry ingredients; stir until well blended. Spread in lightly grease 9-inch round cake pan. Bake 30–40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
YIELD: Makes 36 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1–1 1/2 teaspoons green food color
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, food color and peppermint extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10–12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Share a sweet way to complete your St. Patrick’s Day meal in style with Irish Apple Cake, a classic dessert to top off a filling celebration. This version is easy enough to prepare with a handful of everyday ingredients for the cake, a crumbly topping and homemade custard for the finishing touch. The best part? It’s equally as scrumptious for breakfast as it is an after-dinner dessert. Serve it with a delicious cup of Maple Irish Coffee any leprechaun would approve of.
Irish Apple Cake
Irish Apple Cake
YIELD: Makes 10 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 stick butter, cubed
3/4 cup sugar
4 apples of choice, peeled and cubed
2 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
Topping:
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
Custard:
6 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour 9-inch round springform pan.
To make cake: In large bowl, sift flour with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Using fork, cut butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add sugar and apples; mix well. Stir in eggs and half-and-half until mixture reaches thick, dough-like batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
To make topping: In bowl, mix butter, flour and sugar to create crumbled mixture. Sprinkle on top of batter in pan. Bake 1 hour. Check with toothpick to make sure middle is completely done. If not, bake 5-10 minutes. Let cool on rack.
To make custard: Whisk egg yolks and sugar. In saucepan, bring half-and-half to boil. Add one spoonful half-and-half at a time to egg mixture, whisking while adding. Once whisked together, return to saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Serve custard over cake.
Maple Irish Coffee
Maple Irish coffee
YIELD: Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup hot coffee
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons whiskey
1 tablespoon half-and-half
1 teaspoon maple extract
DIRECTIONS:
Stir coffee and brown sugar in mug. Add whiskey, half-and-half and extract; mix well. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream and maple sugar, if desired.
Pictured from left, PJCC Director Leah Dunaief; Port Jefferson Village Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay; Port Jefferson Village Mayor Lauren Sheprow; PJCC Director Brett Davenport; PJCC President Stuart Vincent; Bartender Erik Killian Bartender; Castaways co-owners Michael Krohn (holding scissors), John Sarno and Mario Tucci; Assistant General Manager Kathi Heggers; General Manager McKayla De la Pena; chamber partner Michelle Cruz; and PJCC Secretary Nancy Bradley. Photo courtesy of PJCC
The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for its newest member and Port Jefferson restaurant Castaways Steak and Seafood on Feb. 26. Mayor Lauren Sheprow, Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay, members of the chamber and staff joined co-owners Michael Krohn, John Sarno and Mario Tucci in the celebration.
The restaurant is the latest addition to the Silver Lining Restaurant Group which includes Village Idiot Pubs in Patchogue, Oakdale and Lake Grove and Drift 82 in Patchogue owned by Sarno and Chops Steakhouse in Patchogue which is co-owned by Sarno and Krohn.
The former location of The Village Way, the completely renovated 2,900 square foot restaurant at 106 Main Street in Port Jefferson Village sports a most fitting nautical decor with mermaids, diving helmets, life preserver rings and an octopus chandelier.
“The Chamber is very pleased with this newest addition to our restaurant inventory, Castaways! Partners, John, Mario, and Mike have taken great lengths to pay attention to the décor and the menu. Creating a vibrant and welcoming establishment only adds to our downtown business community. Wishing them and their staff much success,” said Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the chamber.
Currently serving only dinner, wine and cocktails with live music on Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant will later expand to include lunch and brunch menus. Their extensive dinner menu include a variety of seafood, steak, pork and chicken entrees along with appetizers, salads and a raw bar. They also host special events including birthday parties and office functions.
Operating hours are noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; closed Tuesdays. To make a reservation, call 888-624-6106. For more information, please visit castawayspj.com.
Pictured with some of the donations are William Gonyou, LI Cares Community Event and Food Drive Manager, (left) and Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta. Photo from Leg. Trotta's office
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta is participating in the 13th Annual Legislative Pet Food Drive Challenge to support Baxter’s Pet Pantry, a program of Long Island Cares.
Since 2009, they have provided free pet food and supplies to individuals and families in need, in an effort to enable them to keep their pets at home instead of placing them in shelters.
According to Long Island Cares, dog and cat food are the most requested items by their member agencies. “I would be most appreciative if the generous residents and pet lovers in my district would help out,” Trotta said.
The pet pantry needs 5 pounds, 10 pounds or larger bags of dog and cat food, canned and dry cat/dog food, cat/dog treats, birdseed, and food for fish, rabbits, and ferrets, as well as kitty litter and small new toys.
Long Island Cares asks that all pet food be unopened, and in its original packaging.
The drive is from now until May 1. Donations are accepted at the district office of Legislator Trotta located at 59 Landing Avenue, Suite 1 (first office), Smithtown.The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-854-3900.
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