I remember my first eureka moment about the internet. After years trying to reproduce (unsuccessfully) a cup of deliciously sweet Moroccan mint tea I had so enjoyed in Marrakesh many years prior, I discovered maybe I could look it up. Through my search, I found that I had been leaving out a key ingredient: green tea. Mystery solved after wondering about it for quite a few years! Sounds trivial but I am struck by how much we take for granted regarding access to information: we have a full expansive library literally at our fingertips 24/7. Technology has its good and bad sides, but for this endless access to resources, I am eternally grateful...
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY from me (and courtesy Jill Biden)
three things we love
Great American writer James Baldwin
Without leaving my desk, I have spent the last few days with the great American writer James Baldwin. Two things I choose to share with you here are a letter he wrote to his nephew in 1962 and an interview he did with the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) entitlted On Being Black in America, both still, sadly, very relevant today almost 60 years later. For those who want to delve deeper, he has written many books and essays, and the internet affords many other opportunities to hear him in his own words, including a notable debate between Baldwin and William F. Buckley at Cambridge University in 1965.
Recipe for Challah Bread
"With bread, all sorrows are less" words spoken by the character Sancho Panza in the novel Don Quixote.
One of my favorite childhood memories was a bread "bake-in" I attended at the local library in Katonah, New York, where we built an outside oven and sculpted bread dough into animal shapes before baking. I made a snail. The pandemic seems a perfect time to try this again (minus the outdoor oven). Everyone should make bread at least once in their lifetime! Here is a SIMPLE RECIPE FOR CHALLAH, a good and easy place to start:
Ingredients: 1 stick melted butter/1 pkg. active dry yeast/1.5 cups warm water/pinch of sugar/3 large eggs/1/2 cup honey/5-6 cups flour (1-2 cups of which can be whole wheat)/1 tbsp salt/1 egg lightly beaten with a little bit of water/sesame or poppy seeds (optional) Instructions: Melt butter in sm. saucepan, set aside to cool a bit/Pour approx. 1 tbsp butter in large bowl and swish around to coat sides/dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water, add pinch of sugar and set aside. In large bowl, beat together eggs, honey and melted butter. Add remaining 1 cup warm water and mix well. Add yeast. Add flour, with salt, 1 cup at a time, blending well after each addition cup until dough is thick enough to work by hand.
Spoon dough onto floured work surface and knead for several minutes. Add 1 cup raisins here (optional). Add more flour to make a smooth elastic dough. Rub top of dough in the buttered bowl , then flip dough over and nestle inside. Cover the dough with clean kitchen towel and place in warm place until doubled in size (approx. 5 hours). Divide dough into three pieces and roll each into a long rope. Braid them and curve into circle, pinching ends together. Or divide into two smaller braided loaves. Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place again for 40 minutes. Brush top and sides of challah with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds (optional). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven 30-40 minutes depending on loaf size, until golden brown.
The film Searching for Bobby Fischer
There is a resurgence of interest in the game of chess these days, probably brought on by the popular series "The Queen's Gambit," which if you haven't seen, is well worth watching. Here I take you back to a family movie I enjoyed many years ago which is currently available on netflix, Searching for Bobby Fischer," about a young chess prodigy. It is a real New York story, full of wonderful scenes of Washington Square Park, based on truth and the life of Joshua Waitzkin. It is also a touching story about parenthood and misguided expectations we often have for our children.
painting of the week
Pam Smilow Pink Composition with Purple Ladder mixed media on canvas 54” x 80” approx.
My favorite pink painting which hangs in the entry of a beautiful home in Northern California. Perfect for this Valentine's Day.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr
photo by Johanna Resnick Rosen
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.