Gotham Gal

Kickstarter

I met Tanya Monteiro when I was in London this past autumn.  She came in to London to meet with me after reading my blog.  I was such a delight to meet her as well as I was seriously thrilled that someone would want to come and meet me. 

Tanya made a major life change a few years ago.  She dropped out of the insane business world of NYC and headed to Portugal to reconstruct her life.  This particular project, making a documentary about Surviving or Thriving was something she passionately wanted to do.  The topic is interviews with 6 people around the world who have been sexually abused as children and are now thriving.  It is something she is passionate about.  She is interested in making this particular topic, which is swept under the carpet, become something that people can begin talking about.  To take it out of the closet. 

Her dream is up on Kickstarter where she is hoping, like everyone in the Kickstarter community, to get people who are interested in what she is doing to make a donation towards her goal.  I just gave her a nice kick.  Hope she gets there.  If you like what Tanya is doing, give her a kick. 

the actual buffalo chicken wings

I busted out the deep fryer.  I bought one years ago when they were seriously on sale and felt it was just one of those things I needed to have as part of the kitchen appliances.  I am embarrassed to say how many years it has been since I pulled it out but today I was damn glad that I owned it.

When the oil heated up to 320, I put the wings in.  They hung out in the oil for about 8-10 minutes until they got super crispy. 

Took them out, hung them over the oil for a few minutes.  I felt so professional!  Then tossed them into a bowl and mixed with the hot sauce I made earlier. 

A delicious treat. 

My father has a blog

Fred egged him on and now my father has a blog.  Truth is my father has always had a lot to say.  I could say a lot of things about my Dad but the one thing that I find incredibly impressive is that he is probably one of the most tech saavy 70 years old that I know.  Not that I know that many 70 year olds but my Dad is all over the latest and greatest in technology.  Gotta love it. 

This is his first post.  Gives you a little insight into the man himself....starting with the name of the blog.

The Wisdom Of Solomon

February 7, 2010

Introduction of Louis P. Solomon

My name is Louis P. Solomon. I am beginning this blog at the suggestion of my family. They are all inveterate bloggers with large followings. They know that I have written on many different subjects for many years and have strongly encouraged me to express myself in a way that essentially did not exist 10 years ago. I accept their challenge. Social networking is a new method of establishing networks for professional and social contacts and, while retired from previous career, I still am deeply involved in a large variety of different areas of interest to me.

My writings have focused for many years in several different areas. I wrote technical reports and technical articles which appeared in refereed technical journals. At the instigation of my Mother I began to write books. It was an amazing request, essentially a bolt-from-the-blue. With her usual tenacity she forced me to write my first novel (The Third Legacy). More books followed. These books are non-fiction and fiction. I was approached by the publisher of an Ezine who requested that I write a monthly column on different topics. I accepted her offer and have been writing columns for the past 5 years. These columns (called Viewpoints) are on (www.maryland20878.com).

While I write and enjoy it, I also run several different businesses. I am the founder of a very unusual consulting company (www.lpscolg.com) which focuses on solving unusual, non-standard problems using out-of-the-box approaches. My colleagues and I believe that there is no problem in the management, technical, economic, and administrative arenas which we cannot solve.

In addition to consulting, I also have founded a publishing company (www.pearlriverpublishing.net), give speeches to interested groups (www.lpsseminars.com) build web sites for special purposes (www.chelseatcondo.com), and operate ham radio (N3EXW): a hobby that I have engaged in since 1957. I use digital modes exclusively (operate mainly on 20 meters) using PSK31. This is an amazing technology which allows me to connect to people over most of the world, digitally, using roughly 30 watts of power. Think about that!

I will be posting comments on this blog frequently. I look forward to discussions on subjects which are of interest to me as well as responding to those of you who will make comments. Let me hear from you as the mood strikes you.

Second Dan

Last night, in the bitter cold, we ventured out to Rockwood Music Hall to see our friend play.  His band is called Second Dan. 

I can't remember when we met Dan Rosen but he has one of those big warm-hearted personalities that make you feel as if you have known him all your life.  Super smart Aussie from Melbourne who not only has a band but works in the technology industry too.  Love him!

Rockwood Music Hall is a tiny venue on Allen Street right off of Houston.  One drink minimum.  Packed to the gills with a string of musicians that play hourly.  The girl sitting next to me, so lucky we scored a seat, told me she comes here regularly because you know that you will always hear good music.

Dan's band has great stage presence.  The songs are catchy.  Really fun to see him perform live.  His new album is being released in the next month. 

Gift Show

I did the Gift Show this week.  I went with someone so it was fun to look at the show with a completely new set of eyes.  We both actually came to the exact same conclusion.

The place was empty.  Years past, you can barely move going up and down the aisles.  The other thing is that there wasn't anything new and different.  Everything looked tired.  It has been a few days and I have heard that consistently from everyone that I know who went.

The only booth that had a lot of new and interesting stuff was Jonathan Adler.  He has really created quite a brand.  Impressive.

I have been a trooper in years past where I walked everything.  It didn't take long for us to cess out the situation.  We came, we looked and we left.

Nobody is going to be buying new goodies when they look like purchases of yesteryear.  

A Lie of the Mind

The New Group's current production is A Lie of the Mind directed by Ethan Hawke.  The play was written by Sam Shepard in 1986. 

Ethan Hawke is part of the actors in NYC who are interested in using their talents to find intriguing, thought provoking work.  Not only is the production incredibly well directed, the performances are pretty stellar. 

The play is long 2 1/2 hours.  The acting was incredible, that alone pulls you in but when the play ended, I wish I had known what exactly Shepard was trying to tell us.  So, I did a little research on the net today.  Certainly cerebral with many underlying symbols.  Worth reading what the play is about before going.  The scenery sets the tone.  The walls of the stage set are lined with lamps, desks, windows, layers of clutter.  Conceptually, the clutter in your brain. 

A Lie of the Mind is a story of 2 families who begin to unravel even more after a violent incident between a husband and wife, the only connection between these 2 families.  Each spouse returns to their family for support.  The wife is brain-damaged and the husband has so much angry baggage that has been internalized and long forgotten in his mind.  Neither of these families have traditional family structures although they might think they do.  We see how everyone's role changes as they begin to unravel.  In essence, the characters each explore lies inside their mind or what lies inside their mind.

I was looking for some closure as the play wound down but found absolutely none.  Not sure there is closure but more continuation of complete dysfunctional world where one family remains and the other one just flees.

Regardless of all the intensity of the play, the acting is fantastic, almost riveting.  Also, when we left, Channing Tatum was walking in to probably hang with his buds and that was worth the ticket.  He is so incredibly good looking that it is easy to see that even without his talents why he should be on the big screen.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

In college, I made these constantly.  The Buffalo chicken wing craze was making its way through out the country.  Didn't hurt that we had some friends from Buffalo and Fred had actually been to the original place where the recipe was born.  We were all addicted.

My recipe is pretty simple and probably the same as you would find anywhere on the web.  I usually cook the wings at 420 in the oven, high heat, to get them super crispy.  But, if you are so inspired, and want to do it right, they should really be deep fried in vegetable or peanut oil for about 10 minutes.  You can also broil the wings but I prefer to bake or deep fry.  I might have to suck it up for Superbowl Sunday and take out the deep fryer.  If you don't have a deep fryer, just use a very deep pan on the stove and put the oil in about 6 inches deep, get it super hot and deep fry that way.

3 lbs. of wings, divided into 2 pieces and discard the tip.  Get your butcher to do it for you.  Believe me you can do it with the wings whole too.  Salt and pepper for seasoning.  No dipping in flour or anything, just plain.  Once you have made the wings, however you choose, here is the recipe for the sauce.  Take the sauce and mix, when hot, on the wings. 

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 - 5 Tbsp. Louisiana Hot Sauce or Franks Hot Sauce (more if you like them super spicy, less if you like them mild)
1 Tbsp. white vinegar.

Melt the butter, add the rest.  Taste and mix over the hot wings.  Done.

On the side, serve celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.  I used to make it.  Here was my recipe.

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar
salt for tasting

Mix and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.  It it is too thick, add either a little bit of milk or buttermilk or more mayonnaise.

I don't think I have pulled out this recipe in years.  Pictures will be up on Sunday night before or after the Super Bowl.

On the side serve blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.  Truly a treat.

return to colicchio and sons

I went back to Colicchio and Sons last night and ate in the tap room.  The tap room is the front room, no reservations, and a smaller menu.  Actually, not only is the menu smaller, it is much less expensive.  They continue to change the menu in the tap room too.  The difference is big. 

There is more of a casual feel in the front room that just seem to work better.  The grown up stuffy feel in the back room, imho, is not what people are looking for these days.  The space is so big but perhaps Colicchio should think about turning 80% of the space into a tap room and leave 20% for a fancier menu.  Flip what is happening in there now.

We shared everything.  Starting with a whipped ricotta served with a few roasted vegetables that had just a hint of honey.  With that we had a roasted onion pizza made in the wood fired oven.  Really delicious pizza, crusty on the sides and soft and thin in the middle.  The restaurant does pizza night on Sundays.  Might have to check it out.

For our second course we split a scrumptious baked pasta dish.  Zitti loaded with a rich gooey cheese and pieces of crispy sausage and black kale.  Excellent.  We also had a piece of branzino.  Crispy skin, a tad undercooked but the right size portion with a little bit of a spicy red sauce on the side.

Dessert was fun.  Tubular deep fried cream filled donuts sprinkled with sugar and served hot.  On the side was a gelato ( can't remember the flavor ) but we also had a scoop of caramel butterscotch gelato which was really delicious.  But the best was the rosemary gelato.  The intense flavor of the rosemary was really different and fantastic.

A really nice evening.  Good food.  Not the easiest location, 15th and 10th but I do like the atmosphere...particularly the tap room. 

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• Collichio and sons (gothamgal.com)

oatmeal golden raisin cranberry cookies

Got this recipe off of lisi's luscious desserts for oatmeal raisin cookies.  chewy, tasty, buttery and just plain delicious.  made a huge batch an added dried cranberries to the mix. 

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups rolled oats (not quick)
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a mix master, with a paddle attachment, mix together butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.  Mix really well until creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each egg.  Put the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and either sift or use a fork and mix well.  Add to the sugar/butter mixture.  Mix well.

Add the oats, cranberries and raisins.  Mix at a very low speed until mixed together.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes on lined parchment paper cookie sheet.

Voila.

Valentines Day is around the corner

I am usually prepared in advance but for those that aren't,  you can now send virtual valentines from red stamp.  your favorites can come to you the old fashioned way, snail mail and then you can send them out to your valentines.  or you can buy a digital valentine that can be sent to you through email and you can print it our yourself at home and last but certainly now least you can send a few freebies through any of your social networking sites.  red stamp is covering their bases....for planners and last minute valentines. 

check it out.  would love to hear feedback.  red stamp is also using disqus to get feedback on from their customers on their favorite artists, cards, etc.  social community is even at the destination location for your social correspondence.  love that.