The Art Of Swati Rastogi
Gallery Opening At Harry Street Coffee
695 Bergen Avenue
Jersey City, NJ
An Outpouring Of Art And Beauty
Several months ago I first saw one of the amazing artist Norman Kirby's fence art pieces when I was crossing 18th Street in Jersey City. I took a photograph and posted it on Instagram under the title "Unexpected Beauty" and added to the caption the attribution of Unknown Artist. I had never seen anything so wonderful before, and I was enchanted by the style and beauty of what I saw. I wanted to take a photograph not only to post it for the world, but also to have a record that I might be able to print and hang on my own wall some day. Ed Ramirez knows everyone who is wonderful and creative in Jersey City and beyond, and he commented on my photo with the tag @normkirby. I went to Norman Kirby's Instagram page so I could find out more about who this wonderful artist was and there are a few photos of him on his page, so I kept looking for him around town. One day when I was at Harry Street Coffee, I saw him and introduced myself, and when I was at Swati Rastogi's gallery opening, I had just seen another gorgeous post that he had made. When I saw him there and told him how much I loved it, he said it was right outside, so on my way out I was able to photograph it. A dear friend of mine who is a teacher of world religion had shared with me the many deep meanings in the figural representation of the word "Om", and it seems the perfectly fitting piece to be outside of Harry Street Coffee.
Norman Kirby - "Om"
On Instagram @normkirby
Mothers And Daughters
This week has been so rainy and cold that it feels more like March than May, and weather like this is more like New England than what I usually experience in the more temperate New York area that I now call home. My mother was a baker at heart, a wonderful cook whose parents both were from long lines of bakers, so making coffee cakes and scones and muffins was an every day occurrence in the house I grew up in. When the weather is chilly and the days are not sunny, the combination of my mother's example and my heritage from her German family and my father's German and English and Irish one, make baking something warm a natural and easy thing for me to do. This week I made scones from a recipe my mother gave to me years ago, and I add her recipe here as she wrote it out for me, with a few slight modifications I've made. I made them this week with whole wheat flour and cranberries, and you can feel free to use different types of flour and add spices or raisins or fruit. The recipe does not call for sugar which is something that I like about it, because it allows me to add honey or a sweet jelly or jam when I serve them hot with butter.
Scones
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Sift into a mixing bowl 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Using finger tips, work in 3 tablespoons of butter
In another bowl, beat 2 eggs and add to the flour mixture along with 1/2 cup cream or milk
Add a little more cream or milk if needed to make the dough just firm enough to handle but still soft. Knead gently about fifteen times. Cut the dough in half. Shape each half into a ball, press each down into a round about one half inch thick and cut into wedges like a pie. (Craig Claiborne says eight, I think I did six). Place the wedges on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until deep golden brown, about twelve minutes.
Warm Cranberry Scones For A Cold Gray Morning
Served With Spaghetti And Eggs
Another Simple Treat I Learned From My Mother
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Jannie Susan
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