Isamu Noguchi

One of the perks of needing new tires at Costco in Queens is that it happens to be right across the street from the Noguchi Museum, a place I’ve always wanted to visit and just never seemed to get around to it. But today was the day and boy am I glad I came! The museum is really beautiful, the art is totally amazing—almost felt like a brief trip to Europe smack in the middle of an industrial section of Queens…

Isamu Noguchi(1904-1988) was a sculpture and landscape architect—half Japanese and half American, growing up in both places. He had a complicated life and as a result, he never felt at home in either place and art played a role as his refuge.

Right away as you walk there are big signs saying not to touch. I thought that was a little strange and it felt off-putting but now I realize why—the textures are so exquisite that you can't resist putting your hands on them. I love the contrast between the smooth and the rough, the chiseled and the mottled, the shiny and the matte…the many varieties of stone—all feels like poetry to me.

Winter Songs

***Courtesy Getty Images, photo by Lawrence Toscano***

Courtesy Peter Ralston, Peter Ralston Gallery, Rockport Maine. To purchase, contact them at ***(207) 230-7225***

Blizzard, Courtesy Peter Ralston, Peter Ralston Gallery, Rockport Maine. To purchase, contact them at ***(207) 230-7225***

Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne

I Am A Rock by Simon and Garfunkel

Reindeer King by Tori Amos

Winter Song by Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson

Brisket Recipe by Joyce Nathan

***Courtesy Joyce Nathan and the New York Times Cooking App, Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.***

I am pretty good at keeping in touch with people—in fact it is the pride of my life that I have many friends that go back to when I was five or six years old. And lots of high school friends, one of them being Nick Fox, who I met in tenth grade. Aside from being on the editorial board of the New York Times, he is also an awesome cook and I had the pleasure of having dinner at his house the other night. He even gave me a couple choices about the menu ahead of time. At first he asked me how I felt about borscht, to which I replied "that sounds fine" (but secretly thinking maybe it didn't sound so fine) and he picked up on that right away and said it had to garner a better than just fine response. So then he mentioned brisket to which I responded "that sounds much better." Well, it was much better! In fact it was by far the best brisket I ever had and the only problem is that I overate because it was so good. His wife Cielo is a lucky person. She doesn't cook at all and to have Nick in the kitchen providing all the meals is a truly wonderful thing. Hopefully I will get invited again soon. Here is Joyce Nathan's Brisket recipe that Nick adapted and his own mashed potato recipe to accompany it…

INGREDIENTS, Serves 12
1 first-cut brisket, 6 to 7 pounds, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry 1 medium onion (Nick adds a large instead), peeled, cut into and quarters
2-inch piece fresh ginger (Nick uses a 3 inch piece), peeled, cut into chunks
6 large cloves garlic (Nick used 9 cloves)
1 cup ketchup (Nick adds a half cup of gochujang with the ketchup
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey (he skips the honey)
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1½ cups Coca-Cola or ginger ale (he used coke) ½ cup olive oil

Step 1
Heat oven to 300 degrees
 Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
Step 2
 Place all ingredients except soda, olive oil and brisket into a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in soda and olive oil.
Step 3
 Place brisket, fat side up, into a heavy baking pan just large enough, and pour all the sauce over it. Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours. Turn brisket over, cover pan, and bake 2 to 3 hours more or until fork-tender. Cool, cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.
Step 4
 The next day, transfer brisket to a cutting board, cut off fat and slice with a sharp knife against grain, to desired thickness. Set meat aside. Remove any congealed fat from sauce and bring to a boil on top of stove.
Step 5
 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Taste sauce to see if it needs reducing. If so, boil it down for a few minutes or as needed. Return meat to sauce and warm in oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

MASHED POTATOES
Cut yukon gold potatoes into large chunks of the same size Simmer until skin starts to come off. Better to just slightly overcook Cool, peel, set aside Roast unpeeled garlic cloves at 350 degree until soft. Cool and peel. Mash in a bowl Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Heat the potatoes a couple minutes to try to get out more moisture. Add garlic and buttermilk. (Use enough buttermilk that would seem to easily incorporate into the mashed potatoes and add more if needed.) Heat until buttermilk starts to simmer, then start mashing. Add a good amount of black pepper and parsley before serving and check for salt.

Painting of the Week

Gert Mathiesen, Untitled, Linoleum Plate, collection of Power Station, New York, NY

Charity of the Week:

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing 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 and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.