I Scream, You Scream...

We all scream for Ice Cream!

The heat way has returned to NY this weekend and after a morning running errands in 90 degree plus weather stopping at my new favorite Bayridge ice cream parlor & pastry show, Cedars Pastry, was just the thing I needed to cool off.

Their ice cream is so thick, so creamy, so rich that all you need is the single $2.00 scoop to satisfy.Try my favorite the Kashta (the Lebanese name for a heavy cream obtained by simmering whole milk) Pistachio or any other of the 10 flavors offered up daily.

7204 5th Ave, Brooklyn NY 11209

www.baklavastore.com

Movie of the Moment

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_and_Tonto)

Have I recently

told you how much I love Brooklyn?

(Eastern Parkway, June 2012)

All Images © Simone Rene 2012

Tuesday's Mental Musings....

In an ideal world we would be individually responsible for our behavior with the understanding that what we do isn't just about ourselves. We would understand that our actions create waves with ripples of affect and response. We would know that our words and deeds manifest a reality that others must also live in.

There was a time when I allowed the misbehavior of others to go unchecked. I didn't confront or react to someone when they chose to dump their emotional baggage. Instead I watched as they threw tantrums and spewed all manner of negativity without any regard to how it made those of us in the immediate vicinity feel. I believed that by ignoring and distancing myself from their behavior I wouldn't be affected, which is so untrue.

How others treat us isn't the lesson; it is how we let others treat us that is. Our acceptance and/or refusal to conform to the conceit of others helps define who or what we believe we are in this world. When we allow others to speak to us with disregard for our emotional welfare we begin to believe we don't deserve the basic respect all beings should be given. When we accept being treated as if our sole purpose is to serve those selfish enough to demand rather than ask we begin to see ourselves in roles that can and often do stifle our sense of self-worth; we become servants to the intent of others which can leave us impotent in all aspects of our lives.

Eliminating the brats in our lives is easier said than done. Most of us shrug at their misbehavior pacifying the hurt with the belief that "that's who they are", "they'll never change", "either you accept them for who they are or let go". But something must be wrong with that acceptance because most of us continue to bitch and moan about it all and distract ourselves from our hurt and shame with how it should have been handled instead of just confronting the misbehavior at the source of incident.

The word confrontation makes us uncomfortable; with it we sense aggression and other negative innuendos. Though it can be all those things, especially when we are new to dealing with it, it can also be a cathartic beginning to new level of self-definition and understanding. We choose to define how we confront others, whether in a calm and direct or passionate and direct manner the choice is ours. When we choose to address those who have wrongly decided it is OK to dump on us we teach them how they can or cannot treat us but more importantly we teach ourselves who and what we are in this world.

Grapes of Wrath...

I know it's not Autumn but I had a craving for  A Torta D'Uva.

It's a grape pizza/focaccia usually made and eaten during the picking season.

It's easy to make and enjoy any time of the year.

I let the Tradder Joe's pizza dough sit out  for about half hour plus 

until it reached room temp and then while the oven preheated (400 F)

I kneaded the dough for a bit,  adding a teaspoon or so of chopped fresh Rosemary

before rolling it out on a floured surface to a 10" x 14" pie size.

(I like my crust fairly thick)

I transfered the dough to a cookie sheet that I had greased

with a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil. 

(pssst I heated the oiled cookie sheet before transferring the pie)

(now is the fun part)

Using about 2 cups of clean/dry small purple grapes I  decorated it,

pushing the grapes as deep into the dough as possible,

squishing some so that that juice soaked the dough a bit.

(I ended up using a lot of grapes!)

I sprinkled the top with some more chopped Rosemary,

a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

and a liberal sprinkle of white sugar

(when baked it carmalizes and adds a nice crusty crunch)

The pie baked for about 30 minutes

(until the edges were brown and the grapes collapsed)

I could barely wait until it cooled to eat it.

Yes, I burned the roof of my mouth!

Enjoy! 

Movie of the Moment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Group_(film)

Music Video Break

Music Video Break

Swinging In The Plaza!!

On Wednesday, June 13, 7:00 PM, there will be Western Swing at
Grand Army Plaza

Can't dance? Come at 6:30 PM and take swing dance lessons with Eve Polich
The bank starts swinging at 7! 
http://catalog.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/record=g1004862&searchscope=63&SORT2=R