Posts made in November 2020

In September of this year I put together what I felt was a pretty cool compilation of places to visit on the “ever evolving” north fork (NOFO) of Long Island. Keeping in mind phoodographsandfinds was developed back in 2010 to specifically talk about my restaurant food photos and recipes, Finds was all about cool places to visit off the beaten path…usually related to food…and more effective ways to navigate them for optimum enjoyment. Occasionally there would be a “Find” that was worth writing about that had nothing to do with food…and this entry is one them.

Let’s go back a couple of weeks to when Sandy and I started to watch an HBO series called “The Undoing”. Not really knowing what it was all about, I, for one,  was looking forward to a fun series since Hugh Grant, whose movies I enjoy (Love Actually, About a Boy, Music & Lyrics and Notting Hill)  was starring along with Nicole Kidman and Donald Sutherland.

What I/we wound up with was Hugh Grant’s character being accused of a brutal murder that grabbed our attention and where we are now looking forward to each episode. What I found just as unlikely…yet enjoyable…was Nicole Kidman’s singing of “The Undoing” title song.

(To see the vid click link…then click IMG 0743 (11).mov at bottom left of screen)

https://phoodographsandfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_0743.mov

OK…I just had to set the scene for the reason I wanted to write about this (what has turned into being) three-fold coincidence.

Coincidence 1:

While we were watching the episode before last, we found at that there was a scene filmed out on the NOFO in East Marion. Sandy and I commented to each other that next time we were out east (which is almost weekly throughout the summer and at this time of year) we would look around to see if we could find the house that was used in the movie. Sandy did a little research and during this day trip that started out in Orient Point and then through Greenport, we found our way around into routes that would lead us to the beaches of East Marion.

Sandy & I starting off in Orient Point

Really…a nice candy shop with a wonderful selection!

The first road we found was Stars Rd. which lead us into Aquaview Avenue which lead us into these wild cuties and then on to Rocky Point Road.

When we got to Rocky Point Road, a quick right turn led us to one of the typically steep stairway entries to many of the NOFO beaches and Boom!…Done! We were at Southold Town Beach at Rocky Point.

OK…so what next?

We got out of the car and no joke! The house that was used in the film was right there. Not an easy sight…but the way I/we recognized it was by seeing the outdoor deck through quite a bit of the foliage as you will see in this pic. I also recognized the rock formations on the beach.

 

 

Yup…this is the house with what was at one time a 19th century light house!

There just happened to be a local lady jogging and in a casual conversation with Sandy, she validated that this was, in fact, the house. Exciting times. We found it…ie…phoodographsandFINDS!

Coincidence 2:

So coooool! To find this spot for a movie we were enjoying and to know it was in an environment that we know and love and that simply never stops evolving was only compounded by coincidence #2.

Are you ready? As we were heading out down Rocky Point Road, we see 2 destinations that I have written about right here @ www.phoodographsandfinds.com On the left and literally just a few hundred feet from Main Road Route 25 is Marion Gardens and known as The Garden Fusion…home of phabulous organics  and home of my yearly grab of lettuce leaf basil and seen in my BetsaPesto 2020 entry.

Are you ready again?

As we hit Main Road Route 25…staring us in the face is Lavender By The Bay. Un-phriggin-believable!

Perfect Time for Lavender By The Bay in East Marion, L.I, N.Y.

So get this….Everything I’ve just written about above can be yours to view and enjoy on Rocky Point Road in East Marion on the NOFO!!

Ok…here’s the coincidences of all coincidences!

We discovered “The Undoing” scene set this last Friday, November 20th. This entry was scheduled for this weekend. So…are you really ready for coincidence # 3?

This morning, we get this email from North Forker Magazine!

Whew!

Not finished yet: Moving right along to December 6, 2020 from this morning’s Newsday newspaper article…

It’s not quite as crystal clear as seen in the above article…but yes…same spot!

OHHHHHH…BTW…Almost forgot: The New York Times was in on this too 🙂

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/arts/television/the-undoing-review.html

As always folks, I would love to hear from you with any comments you may have. Just click

“COMMENTS” on the HOME page!

Mangia bene’

Bert

 

 

I’ve never seen a dish that had sooooo many different possible recipes…NEVER! Perhaps this is why I’ve never really found success in formulating a cole slaw recipe that worked FOR ME…and why I haven’t posted one until today!

There is no way I can get into all of the variations and types of “Cole Slaw’ recipes and so I’ll focus on the one that impressed me the most but was never quite able to figure it out. This is one recipe  that was given to me about 15 years ago by ‘Aunt Bea’, whose cole slaw we loved but could never quite figure out the proportions because they didn’t come complete with them. I could never get a straight answer regarding proportions or specific brands or types of mayo, vinegar or sugar that were used and I would get results that were different every time based on ingredients I chose to use.

Here is the recipe I was given way back when…

AUNT BEA’S COLE SLAW 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
 
grated cabbage 
grated carrots 
mayonnaise 
vinegar 
sugar (you can use SPLENDA) 
 
Proportions: 
rounded tablespoon mayonnaise 
shallow tablespoon sugar 
level tablespoon vinegar 
 
Blend sugar and mayonnaise together 
Add vinegar…….Mix well 
Add grated cabbage and carrots 
Taste……if you have to add anything, make sure that it is in the same proportions 
 
I usually start with 3 tablespoons, and then add as needed. 
 
Refrigerate so that flavors will blend 

 

Ok…so here we are today (2020)…and after researching recipes with basically the same ingredients and after trying many different types of products…I’ve finally been able to narrow it down to the ingredients that make  cole slaw the way I like it. Simple and with only 5 ingredients.

So folks…here goes!

Note: To make sure this recipe works, prepare a day ahead of time and let sit in the refrigerator overnight!

INGREDIENTS

-1 4+ lb. head of green cabbage…quartered and core removed in each quarter

-4 large carrots…shredded with carrot peeler and then chopped coarse (center core of carrot is not used since the exterior portion of carrots are always sweeter)

-1 cup of organic turbinado sugar

-1 cup organic BRAGG apple cider vinegar

-2 cups Mayonnaise/50% Hellman’s Mayo & 50% Hellman’s Light Mayo

PREP

-Quarter your head of green cabbage and slice 1/4″ thick and some thinner. I like different thicknesses. Add your coarse chopped carrots

-In a bowl, stir sugar into vinegar until melted. Add mayonnaise and stir until you get a smooth dressing consistency.

-Add ‘dressing’ to cabbage and carrots and toss until cabbage and carrots are completely coated

-Let sit in refrigerator for at least 3 hours and then toss again. Let sit in refrigerator overnight for best results…according to me 🙂

NOTE: Ultimately, you can adjust this recipe to your taste and note that although there appears to be a lot of mayonnaise and sugar…remember there is over 4 pounds of cabbage and 1/2 pound of carrots. Additionally, if you are concerned about calories and/or sugar, it’s OK to leave the juices/dressing at the bottom of the bowl to reduce this intake. Either way, just make sure you let it sit overnight and tossing at least twice in the process to make sure the flavors are evenly distributed throughout before serving.

For maximum flavor and minimum calories/sugar, toss before serving and let sit for a few minutes so dressing can sink back down into the serving dish.

Yield: Approx. 4.4-5 pounds