Calling all foodies! You will love this show of over 60 delectable paintings and prints – 90 if you count all the little mounted 5 x 7 and 6 x 6 panel paintings. In a way, it feels like a retrospective. You’ll see everything your heart desires – from cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, candy, vending snacks, fruit, vegetables – except meat (I’m working on that…)
Here I am at the Scarsdale Public Library, enjoying the fruits of my labor.
Thank you to Webmaster Laura for taking this lovely photo when you visited the Scarsdale Public Library last week! When Laura walked in and looked around the big room, she was visibly surprised, almost stunned (which surprised me!). She exclaimed, Wow, Mom! This is great…. This is a giant room and you filled it! …It’s like seeing old friends.
Laura was happy that she came up from the city (she was virtual for the May 7th talk). And you can’t help but be happy at this show. Everyone walks away smiling! 🙂 Especially little kids.
Webmaster Laura with one of her favorite paintings, Patisserie (oil, 36 x 48 inches).
This is a family friendly exhibit. Bring your kids and grandkids, who will be captivated. What smiles they had! Wish I had taken photos. However, permission would have been needed to post them.
Logistics
Additionally, the flyer below has all the details. The library is open 7 days a week, and until 9pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Finally, parking is plentiful. Just in case you want more information, click here for the Scarsdale Library website.
So please stop by to take a bite! The good news is that you have 6 more days to visit. If you would like, I can meet you at the library. Just let me know when.
P.S. This has been a wonderful few weeks. My only regret is that the show has to come down… as all shows do…
It gives me great pleasure to present Chef Bonnie and her extraordinary Thanksgiving extravaganza.
This feast is a labor of love that is several days in the making, but much longer than that in the planning. As a result, we enjoyed this fabulous, mouthwatering spread of 17 dishes that makes me salivate for more… although I admit I already stuffed my face with leftovers twice today…
There are 14 main dinner dishes – Lemon Turkey Breasts Stuffed with Herbs, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans, Cauliflower Puree, Pears with Goat Cheese and Cranberries, Green Bean Casserole in Cashew Sauce, Cranberry Orange Sauce, 2 versions of Popovers and 2 versions of Bonnie’s Signature Stuffin Muffins (Gluten Free and Gluten Full).
Plus 3 homemade desserts – Apple Pie, Sour Cherry Tart, and Pumpkin Cheesecake that is both gluten free and dairy free – but you would never know it!
And did I mention this whole dinner is gluten free and dairy free – except for one set of Stuffin Muffins and Popovers for the Chef herself? With 15 dishes/desserts to choose from, I’m in heaven! Bonnie thoughtfully separates the two gluten items on the left and the equivalent GF items on the right.
Planning and Grocery Shopping on Tuesday
For the last few weeks. Laura, Bonnie and I have been talking about the menu.
After reaching a consensus, Bonnie made a detailed ingredients list. Since she was cooking in my apartment starting Wednesday, she sent me the list and I started pulling out items that I already had. That way when she wouldn’t come back from the grocery store on Tuesday night with duplicates.
In preparation for Thanksgiving, I ordered a new table protector, and made a Vegetable Ikebana table arrangement during my Monday class. In addition, I made several trips to my storage unit to return artwork from my recent Studio Tour. It was the least I could do.
However, the table stayed like this for all of 10 minutes before I pulled out all my pie pans and utensils, serving dishes, and more – which I am deliberately not showing you. I would rather you remember these two images.
Vegetable Ikebana. The concept in my head was an Ikebana version of a cornucopia.
Prep and Pie Night
Pie Night on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has been a family tradition going back many years. It’s Bonnie’s time to focus on baking at least 2 desserts. You can read more about Pie Night at Bonnie’s Thanksgiving Feast Challenge 2020!, when she baked and cooked in her own apartment during the pandemic and brought everything here.
This year she made a Sour Cherry Tart and Apple Pie for Pie Night. She started by making the pie dough for both desserts from scratch. The dough quickly went into the refrigerator to firm up for rolling.
Early on she strained the tart cherries, thickened the cherry sauce, and then filled the pie crust.
The Apple Recipe called for Granny Smith Apples. I love tart apples, and cherries too! They make the best desserts.
I wish Mom were here to see this masterpiece of a pie. It looks as good as the ones she and I used to bake together. Our secret was lots of lemon and cinnamon, which has now been passed down to Bonnie and Laura.
Here is the Apple Pie with the top crust on. For the sake of time, she passed on doing a lattice pie crust.
Into the oven they go.
While waiting for the desserts to bake, the Chef made Cranberry Orange Sauce and Butternut Squash Soup to give herself some breathing room on Thursday, the big cooking day.
It’s so interesting to watch as Bonnie cooks and bakes – and posts along the way on her Instagram account @bonniesbitesoflife. There’s a certain rhythm to it all.
Then she put the butternut squash and Granny Smith apples in the Vitamix blender to give it the smooth, creamy texture.
Bonnie also slipped in a quick rejuvenating nap (with all the lights on!) while the pies were baking. This nap was well deserved since she had been teaching in the morning and was already up for 16 hours.
What a difference a nap makes! And what a delicious-looking tart she just took out of the oven! I’m salivating….
Here comes the apple pie.
Now it’s time to clean up for the Big Day before going to sleep. I hate waking up to a bunch of dirty dishes in the sink.
Thanksgiving Day
Bonnie always begins the day by turning on the Thanksgiving Parade. Then she started cooking by soaking the cashews for the Green Bean Casserole from @daniellewalker. Ah, she’s sure got the art of multitasking down as you shall see..
I could barely keep up with Bonnie as she moved from one dish to another, with hardly anything written down.
One could say I was her sous chef, which I like the sound of. In reality, my job was to help her avoid logjams at the blender, mixing bowls, pans, sink and utensils. Thus I hunkered down with rubber gloves and did a lot of washing and scraping. Not as sexy sounding, is it?
Somewhere along the way, this tray of cauliflower florets showed up roasted to perfection for the Cauliflower Puree. I couldn’t resist a taste test.
Then Bonnie turned her attention back to dessert, and to getting the Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake into the oven. Thus I got to sample the leftover batter, once I got it off the blender, that is. I savored every minute of this task!
The Turkey
This year, Bonnie bought a 4th turkey breast vs. the usual 3. I admit to being skeptical about whether it would fit in the roasting pan. She was confident it would fit, and it did.
I love the expression on her face as this picks up this slippery turkey breast.
The recipe called for herbs to be stuffed under the skin. She used fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and basil.
Lastly, she added some dijon mustard to give the turkey a pop of flavor.
Then Laura was recruited to mash the sweet potatoes before they could move on to the next stage – the hand held mixer.
Often I forget how many steps there are to these recipes. Below Bonnie is adding the chopped pecan topping to the sweet potatoes to finish off the dish before it does into the oven with the turkey.
After a few hours, and several checks of the meat thermometer, the turkey is ready. Bonnie reports the pan is heavy (“Mom, take the picture already!“)
She took a brief break to pirouette around in her favorite apron (wish I had a video of that!). Bonnie loves the deep pockets. Don’t we all?
Joy!
Look at the absolute joy on Bonnie’s face as she take the popovers out of the oven and assess’s how much they popped! This was one of the best batches ever. They are really tall and fluffy. Success!
Maybe there’s not so much joy in the photo below. Can you guess which popovers are the gluten free ones?
Although this batch didn’t pop like the other one, these little muffins taste fantastic! You would think that they have butter in them when they don’t. These popovers remind me of the Bloomingdales ones I craved for years. When I got up the next day, they were the first thing I ate.
We’re getting closer to dinner! Hurrah! Bonnie is carving the turkey. I took this photo since it reminded me of a Wayne Thiebaud painting where he stuck a big black knife into a roundel of cheese.
It was surprising how fast Bonnie could carve the turkey. Clearly her knife skills are superior to mine.
Once the turkey was plated, it was a signal to start unwrapping the other dishes and place them on the buffet counter.
Photo op time!
“Only be quick about it so we can take our food while it’s still warm!”, says Bonnie. (Note: Besides removing the garbage bag, please remind me to take the sticky notes off the door next Thanksgiving…)
Bonnie always likes photos from up high. Hope she sends me this shot.
Soup’s On!
We started with the Butternut Squash Soup, which was simply delicious!
Dinner Is Served!
At last it was time to dig in for the main course. Very serious stuff…
Well, maybe not so serious….“Mom, enough pictures already! It’s time to eat.”
Menu
Here’s a photo of each dish so this blog can double as a 2023 menu planner:
Lemon Turkey Breast with Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Basil)
Quinoa with Apples, Broccoli and Braggs Vinagrette Marianade
Lastly, we come to my two contributions.
Roasted Broccoli with Rosemary and Thyme
Long Grain Rice with Fresh Dill
And here she is, the satisfied Chef.
The Chef’s Plate.
What a big hand I have! That’s a good thing for a sous chef…
The Finale – Dessert!
The unveiling of the Pumpkin Cheesecake.
What an amazing taste and texture this Cheesecake Pumpkin pie has!
I won’t say that Bonnie, Laura and I fight over the this addictive GF dessert, just that we’re on the honor system not to take more than our fair share. But it’s so tempting… I’ve been eating the teeniest slices since Thanksgiving to make my leftovers last as long as possible.
Finally, I have to close this blog with our annual Thanksgiving family selfie. It’s a tradition. As you can see, our Thanksgiving family motto is Let’s Get Stuffed. And so we did. The best tradition of all.
In addition, the tradition continues as we stuff ourselves for several days with leftovers. That could be the highlight of this holiday season… eating so well and not cooking for several days afterwards.
Food for Thought
After looking over the photos and thinking about all the dishes, I realize what an extraordinary meal this is. I know I’ve said this before in Mother’s Day: A Ballet of Flavors, but watching Bonnie put this together is a unique experience, like watching a choreographer arrange a dance. This is described more eloquently in the blog.
Bonnie, now I’m talking directly to you. You performed like the veteran food artist you are, and are in control of every step along the way. Even when things go awry, you calmly make adjustments but don’t lose your cool. These impressive character traits serve you well in cooking, teaching and, most importantly, in life.
This is truly a fabulous feast – and fabulous feat too! Thank you, Bonnie, for making this day so exhilarating and memorable.
This past week I was talking to my Uncle Melvin in Georgia and we both agreed that we didn’t have any real news since we don’t go out much during the pandemic. We chatted a bit and hung up.
And then I remembered – I did have big news! Even fun news! I immediately called Melvin back and reported that Webmaster Laura (my daughter, his niece) won the March Madness Basketball Pool and $2,000! (Ok, ok, not exactly. It was $1,970. or 70% of the entry fees.) He immediately commented that Laura was following in her Grandma’s footsteps, and he was proud of her! Mom won the pool in 2013 and $1,600, which you can read about at http://A Mom Who Loves Sports
FYI. Laura won the pool in 2009 with her UNC pick, so this is her second win. Both Mom and Laura also took 3rd place in other years. Mom was usually up near the top of the rankings. I don’t know how she did it year after year. And I won once with a Duke pick. How’s that for Girl Power?
Mom indoctrinated my girls with her love of sports at an early age. Here Mom is in 2004 with a youthful Bonnie and Laura, wearing a Michigan block M hat her Grandma gave her (courtesy of a garage sale, of course).
We all entered the March Madness pool run by our accountant’s office every year, a family tradition. I can feel Mom smiling down at Laura, as she reads this screen shot showing there were 140 entries with Laura at the top. It’s something we all aspire to.
This screenshot below shows Laura’s #1 entry with 314 points, 15 points ahead of the #2 entry. It’s noteworthy that Bonnie placed #20. Good job, Bonnie! I get a particular kick out of seeing Laura’s name at the top of the heap, ahead of so many macho men who are self-proclaimed sports experts.
Given that we are Michigan and not Baylor fans, we didn’t have any t-shirts, stuffed animals or pennants to cheer Baylor on to making history. Instead, Laura started her lucky sheet below with her predictions before key games. Ok, so Michigan flamed out to UCLA in the last few seconds, as did my entry. And UCLA lost to Gonzaga. But we have to thank UCLA for wearing Gonzaga down in overtime on Saturday, April 3rd, just in time for the Monday night championship game against Baylor two days later.
Laura didn’t want to jinx Baylor by being overconfident before the game started. But after Baylor had a consistent lead in the second half, she wrote Baylor in large caps on her prediction sheet to cheer them on. Whoever thought the game would be such a lopsided win for Baylor over undefeated Gonzaga?
The tournament’s name – March Madness – was especially fitting this year. Since 2020, when the tournament was cancelled altogether, we’ve seen defining upsets and victories, both on and off the court. We are so grateful to the players and their support staff for bringing the tournament, and our spirits, to life.
Webmaster Laura, congratulations on your second exciting March Madness win – although you’re always a winner in my book!
Happy Valentine’s Day Weekend! There’s no better time to look at boxes of delectably rich chocolates, is there? As I went through the series of three paintings, I was somewhat surprised by what I found.
This blog was triggered by this painting that I basically forgot about since I didn’t have it in hand. I never took a photo of it to put in my digital painting library. After an extended Michigan “art tour”, this Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates painting (oil, 11 x 14 inches) recently made its way back to me.
Mom had this painting hanging in her condo for more years than I can remember, and loved it! Isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about – love? It all fit together for her given that hearts are symbols of love. Out of all the paintings I had, she chose this one for her Valentine’s Day present.
It hung to the left of that patio door for more years than I want to remember.
When you get close, you can see the impasto technique that I was experimenting with. It was very loose and free and all about the paint texture.
Impasto Detail of Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates, 11 x 14 inch
While I always liked it, and am pleased to have it again, at the time maybe I felt it was a little rough around the edges compared to the vision I had in my head. I do love revelling in the luscious, thick paint of the impasto style, and return to it every so often.
That realistic vision came to fruition in this Large Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates (Oil, 16 x 20 inches) that preceded Mom’s impasto painting. This composition had so much detail with its 30 chocolates, and back then I had so little time when the kids were little. I confess that my patience was running thin during the execution phase.
Large Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates, Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches
I’m actually surprised that I chose such an ambitious, complex composition as my first painting on this subject. Usually I start more simply and work up to the more complex.
The end was worth it though. I can feel the love that went into it! Apparently the couple that bought it from my Freelance Cafe show in Piermont, NY thought so too. They bought it right away, along with a complimentary comfort food Carrot Cake of the same size to hang as a pair.
Later that year, I explored painting a square mini-sampler box of chocolates. I experimented with different shades of white, always a challenge as you fellow artists know. You can see one of my first crumbs next to the half eaten chocolate.
A few years later, I returned to a smaller version of the Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates (Oil, 9 x 12 inches), also in a mini-sampler. After playing with whites, I was attracted to the contrasting bright red box and its distinctive heart shape.
Since it only had a few pieces of chocolate, I took my time and painted in more detail. The crumbs are bigger and play a more prominent role in the composition. While the texture of the paint is still important, especially in the background, my technique is much more refined. I like the light and cast shadows, and the translucent wrapper. There’s something to be said for practice.
Small Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates, 9 x 12 inches, Oil on canvas,
This little gem was exhibited in the I Want Candy: The Sweet Stuff in American Art at the Hudson River Museum (HRM, 2007-2009), along with Bonnie’s Carrot Cake (in 4 panels). Being a traveling exhibit that lasted several years, this painting saw parts of the country I may never ever see.
Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates also had the honor of being placed next to one of Wayne Thiebaud’s pastels in the catalog.
Afterwards when Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates came home for one of my Open Studios, it found an admirer in my friend Sarah, who remembered it from the HRM show. For many more years, she raved about it and enjoyed it from afar. Finally, several years ago it spoke to her during my Open Studio and she bought it for her collection.
It’s funny because I recently saw this painting hanging in her house. Sarah and I were on zoom with some friends, and the next thing I knew she turned her computer around and showed us Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates. It was like seeing an old friend!
As I write this post, I realized how much pleasure I got out of working on this subject. Maybe it’s time to return to a image with so much HeART.
Finally, Happy Valentine’s Day, Mom! With your painting on display in my apartment, I can’t help thinking of you. You’re in my HeART, especially since you’ve always been such an ardent supporter of my art.
I had a fabulous time on Thanksgiving 2020 – despite eating with my kids over Zoom – thanks to Chef Bonnie’s extraordinary culinary and planning skills.
My family and friends were almost afraid to ask about my Thanksgiving since they knew I would be eating alone. But the thing is, I didn’t feel alone at all! It was actually fun! I had plenty of company… starting with our traditional “Let’s Get Stuffed” family mascot… who was soon replaced as you can see here…
My Tablemates – Flat Laura and Flat BonniePLUS their zoom equivalents!
You might be wondering why the chairs say Flat Bonnie and Flat Laura. This was inspired by the Flat Stanley series of books, which Teacher-Chef Bonnie told me about, and Flat Stanley’s worldwide traveling adventures. The concept fit Bonnie’s 2020 Thanksgiving Feast very well since it was a traveling event. FYI. Here’s the official Flat Stanley 50th Anniversary template, if the spirit moves you to make your version.
Bonnie was determined to cook her usual feast, without any compromises – especially when it came to her signature popovers. She willingly undertook the challenge of cooking in her Manhattan galley kitchen and bringing the entire meal to me, with Laura’s help.
There were 4 basic phases to this traveling Thanksgiving event, both in Manhattan and Ardsley, N.Y. 30 minutes north of Manhattan.
Baking on Pie Night
Cooking the feast in Manhattan, which actually started 2 weeks earlier with a few side dishes (soup, cranberry sauce) that were frozen in advance.
Delivering the entire dinner to me in Ardsley, and sampling the desserts (yes, this is backwards, but it’s 2020 and the chef needed her sugar fix)
Driving back to Manhattan, baking more popovers, warming up dinner, and zooming with me. And taking lots of photos along the way!
Now for the details, and the devil is in the details.
Here’s Bonnie in 2020 rolling out one of the pie crusts on the big folding table that functioned as Bonnie’s living room work station, on loan from sister Laura for the big event. And then we can see the fruits of her labor.
Bonnie’s extended kitchen for the dayPumpkin Cheesecake Fresh Out of The OvenCherry Pie Filling on Bonnie’s New Non-Stick Miracle Pan from Our PlaceBonnie putting the finished almond touches on the Cherry Pie
Plus she made a Lattice Apple Pie. Bonnie always did like weaving loop potholders as a kid. Now she’s moved on to bigger and better things!
Phase 2 began on Thanksgiving Day, when Bonnie moved into high gear to cook her signature side dishes like Stuffin Muffins (3 versions this year!), which she had started prepping the night before. It’s a good thing Laura brought over such a big table!
Bonnie made the popovers in 2 shifts, which didn’t hit me until I saw these photos, the first round below being the GF popovers for me in Ardsley. I had just assumed the cooking was finished before they left. Wrong!
Then she got to work on the Stuffed Pears with Goat Cheese and Cranberries..
For the main course, Bonnie made her Lemon Herbed Turkey Breasts, which are amazing leftovers that seems to get more flavorful with age – if that’s even possible!
I’m always impressed by Bonnie’s ability to stuff all these herbs under the skin without ripping it. I don’t know how she does it! I tried it… once….
Usually I’m in the kitchen cleaning up after the chef, but this time I was home watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (surprisingly good for a pandemic event without spectators!) and reading a book, far removed from all the action.
All day I was salivating at the prospect of getting a home-cooked Thanksgiving Day Feast delivery from Bonnie and Laura.
Finally, after a whole day of cooking, Bonnie shifted into Phase 3 and loaded up her cart full of food, and drove the 30 minutes to Ardsley. Where did all this energy come from? Ah, to be young again!
Finally, they arrived with food in hand!
Here’s she comes!Bonnie jumping the fence to get to my patio. I always chuckle when she does this.
I introduced the girls to their dinner stand-ins for the first time. Laura conveniently dressed in teal to match Flat Laura and make it feel more real.
Bonnie and Laura meet their doubles.
Bonnie started unloading all my Pyrex containers that she picked up two weeks ago. This time they were full of delectable food! I don’t know how I stopped myself from doing a tasting right then and there.
She arranged everything on my kitchen counter, with the side dishes appearing one by one.
Butternut Squash SoupSweet Potatoes Casserole with Pecans Green Bean Casserole with Crispy ShallotsRoasted Garlic Mashed CauliflowerStuffin’ Muffins (Gluten Free Version)Brussel Sprouts with GrapesThe Lemon Herb Turkey EntreeHomemade Cranberry SaucePopovers (Gluten Free Version)Sour Cheery-Almond Pie recipe from the Food Network Magazine, with a GF pie crust from Danielle Walker.Pumpkin Pie “Cheesecake” (which I savored for a week afterwards!)Lattice Apple Pie from Against all Grain (the flakiest crust yet!)“Here it is, Mom. Happy Thanksgiving!”Bonnie carefully documenting everything for her Instagram @bonniesbitesoflifeThe desserts before they were attacked…
Then Bonnie surprised me by unexpectedly announcing we were sampling the desserts before she and Laura drove back to the city. The chef said she was hungry and couldn’t wait any longer to sample her wares. Besides, it was already 7pm.
Bonnie served all 3 desserts to each of us, and we ate in different corners of the apartment – with the windows and the patio door completely open, fans on to get the air flowing, and the diffuser running with powerful anti-viral essential oils. I am proud to say we were CDC compliant.
While Bonnie was serving, I greedily gobbled my plate up. How’s this for a future painting?
They left me my one-third share of each dessert, which I used as a reward after walking every day the following week.
My hunk of the Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake. Wish I had that now!
Of course, I had to take photos of the partially eaten desserts for future paintings.
You can tell that leftie Bonnie cut this pie.Here’s my potential composition.
Then the kids packed up the remainder of the desserts for the trek back into the city.
And I waited patiently… sort of…
We’re now into Phase 4, where the kids did a repeat set-up in Bonnie’s apartment. Little did I realize how Bonnie had so thoughtfully choreographed the entire evening. I was given permission to eat the soup while waiting for the formal dinner festivities to start.
The kids set their table with soup at the same time.
Then silliness began.
After the soup course, Bonnie made two more rounds of popovers, one GF for Laura and a gluten pan for herself. FYI. My popovers were GF and dairy free.
Admittedly I was a bit sad that I was missing the real life big reveal, the moment when Bonnie pulled her signature popovers out of the oven – until I saw these epic photos around midnight. Even now looking at this photos, Bonnie’s unbridled popover joy shines through, and I get my warm fuzzies.
At the time, I wouldn’t figure out why I was being asked to wave.
Finally, dinner is served! We were all instructed to load up our dinner plates with each dish.
Bonnie’s dinner plate in ManhattanMy dinner plate in Ardsley
We sampled many of the dishes together, from the pecan sweet potato casserole, to the moist turkey breast with cranberry sauce with just the right amount of tartness (Bonnie has it down to an art), to the second round of desserts.
Bonnie’s Instagram story at @bonniesloo told it all. Here is her summary of the 2020 Thanksgiving Challenge in a nutshell:
And eat together we did – joyfully and gratefully. I am so lucky the girls are both close by.
What I’ll always remember about 2020 is that Bonnie took the Thanksgiving Challenge and excelled on so many levels – the initial idea, the planning, the execution, the humor and the love. So much thoughtfulness and love went into this 2020 Thanksgiving that I felt like we were together the entire time – even though we spent less than 30 minutes in my apartment!
It was the most unique, creative, clever Thanksgiving ever, while maintaining so many of our family traditions. As the same time, we were CDC compliant! I will always remember how happy we were despite the health challenges of the times.
Of course, I’ll end this blog with our Official 2020 Thanksgiving Day Photo.
2020 Thanksgiving Day Challenge Photo
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was the best day of 2020.
Thank you, Bonnie, for willingly, lovingly, and so skillfully taking up the 2020 Thanksgiving Challenge!
Tonight is the night before Thanksgiving, Bonnie’s traditional Pie Night when she bakes 4 Thanksgiving desserts, including an apple and pumpkin pie, of course.
I can’t stop thinking about a year ago tonight, when she made her sweet creations in my new apartment for the first time. It’s an annual tradition that I look forward to every year, and it feels strange, almost surreal, not to be her sous chef instead of Laura right now.
For some reason, I keep thinking that the spirit of Jacob Marley and his Ghost of Thanksgiving Past (ok Christmas, I’m taking creative license) are going to appear tonight, just like they did to Ebenezer Schrooge in Charles Dickens’ novel. At first I attributed this thought to covid brain. Then I realized the Ghost appeared to Schrooge to help him relive past holidays, and learn that he has to change. That’s what 2020 is all about – change. The idea actually makes sense now.
So lets revisit Thanksgiving 2019 when Bonnie enthusiastically cooked much of the main gluten free meal on Thanksgiving Day – before we start talking about change in 2020.
Maybe you caught the gluten free (GF) part and are less than enthusiastic about the feast. But who says you can’t have a delicious gluten-free Thanksgiving meal? Gluten free food often gets a bad rap. Doesn’t taste good. Lacks flavor. Last year, Bonnie plowed ahead with her GF Thanksgiving concept, and never looked back.
She disproved all the naysayers by delivering such a flavorful meal that we didn’t even notice it was gluten free!
Thanksgiving 2019 tested Bonnie’s organizational and cooking skills on many levels like never before.
Did you ever try and put together an ambitious GF Thanksgiving dinner menu of 2 main courses, 10 side dishes, plus 4 desserts, for a total of 16 dishes – in a small, strange kitchen without the utensils or pots & pans that you need to make a meal?
How did Bonnie handle that? She showed up with her strategically packed red suitcase that functioned as a traveling kitchen cabinet – with a rolling pin, baster, spatula, pie tins, honey packets and a popover pan!
That was the challenge Bonnie took on in 2019 as she prepared her menu, shopped, and cooked in my downsized, ill-equipped apartment of less than 2 months. To top it off, Bonnie was used to cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a huge kitchen, on large counters, and in a double oven.
I confess to being antsy beforehand since I was having a hard time finding kitchen items and serving plates from previous years that I suspected were still in storage, but Bonnie was undaunted. She eagerly started planning the menu weeks before, I helped gather up her ingredients.
Along the way, Bonnie and I realized we were missing a few things, and that more boxes of kitchen items were in storage than we thought. After looking around and comparing notes, I made a quick trip to Bed Bath & Beyond for a potato masher and a few plastic mixing spoons (I melted the only large plastic spoon I had in the dishwasher….great way to make an impression on everyone in the building by smelling up the whole floor….). Then we had to retrieve the big soup pot and 2nd muffin tin from storage, with the rest of my kitchen. (As you can see, she threw a few other boxes on the cart to help me out.)
Bonnie summed it up by saying this wasn’t her most elegant meal prep effort. Certainly things didn’t go as smoothly as in previous years. But she did end up making all 16 planned recipes last year. Here goes:
Butternut Squash Soup
Lemon Herb Turkey
Stuffed Mushrooms
Her Signature Popovers (that didn’t pop as well this because Bonnie tried a different Bob Red Mill 3-in-1 GF flour…oops!)
Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Shallots
Sweet Potato Casserole
Brussel Sprouts with Grapes
Stuffin Muffins (GF and Regular – only gluten item on the menu)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Goat Cheese Pears
Cranberry Sauce
Here are the three GF desserts:
Apple Pie from Against All Grain
Sour Cherry-Almond Pie from the Food Network Magazine Pumpkin Pie (and this extraordinarily spicy version froze so well it lasted well into 2020!) from Bakerita
It was a fabulous, flavorful feast! Full disclosure: Bonnie made the gluten pumpkin pie in her own kitchen for her dad.
This year we are adapting our plans because of the pandemic. Bonnie is preparing the entire Thanksgiving Dinner in her Manhattan apartment for the first time. She and Laura are bringing dinner to me (masks and all, windows open) on Thanksgiving Day. After they return to Manhattan, we’ll eat dinner together on zoom, like so many people around the country in 2020.
During the week, Bonnie picked up my all my empty Pyrex containers and Mason jars. (Didn’t think to take photos.) The plan is to deliver them back to me filledwith her delicious feast food tomorrow. And it will all be gluten free and dairy free so I can eat everything. Am I lucky! I’m salivating just thinking about what awaits me tomorrow.
Now it’s after midnight and I just spoke to Bonnie. She finished the 3 gluten free pies with Laura’s help, and they decided to bring the finished desserts in tact tomorrow. We’ll have the dessert table unveiling (I better move my paintings off the buffet before they come!) like we did last year only with masks, and cut them together. I’ll get my share, and Bonnie and Laura will take the remnants back, if I leave them anything…. With 3 pies, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanksgiving 2019 seems like an eternity ago. When I thought about it last week, it felt rather ethereal and unsubstantial, like it was a ghostly dream. But after looking at all these photos, the entire fantastic eating experience is coming back to me. And I remember how Bonnie certainly debunked the gluten-free myths about Thanksgiving. I’m sure she’ll do the same this year.
It’s an understatement to say I’m eagerly awaiting the delectable food Bonnie and Laura are bringing tomorrow. In preparation, I started setting the dining room table that has my first Thanksgiving Ikebana spreading arrangement on it (my new obsession, more on that another time).
The familiarity of the tradition kicked in, and my mood shifted into full celebration mode and gratitude, a welcome change of pace.
And to think I’ll have a hiatus from cooking, with lots of leftovers.
Now it feels like the Thanksgiving holiday we all know and love. To Jacob Marley and your Ghost, I say, “Stay home!” I got the message. It’s time to enjoy ourselves in the present moment, and embrace our family motto, “Let’s Get Stuffed”.
It was a gorgeous day on Saturday, so let’s begin my 2020 Virtual Studio Tour outside, with three of my favorite cake paintings in contrasting styles and compositions.
I was lucky enough to have Bonnie, my very own Vanna White, to showcase my paintings as she has in the past. (See Getting Ready for the Virtual Studio Tour). Only this year she is outdoors for a change of pace – and social distancing.
“Bundt Cake”, My first cake painting. Oil on canvas. 16 x 20 in. Beverly Shipko
Lets begin at the beginning with my very first cake painting, Bundt Cake, from my favorite bakery, Riviera Bakehouse, right here in Ardsley.
This work uses thick paint throughout. Back then, I experimented with a palette knife, and caked on (pun intended) the heaviest paint layers to depict the powdered sugar topping.
The subject is almost the paint itself.
Detail of “Bundt Cake” showing impasto
Notice that this painting shows a slice of cake taken out, as if it is ready to be served. I took creative license by eliminating the plate it was originally on. That way the cake is larger, and the paint texture of the cake could pop. Hardly anyone noticed the awol plate…
Thick paint texture on detail from “Bundt Cake”
Contrast the earlier Bundt Cake painting with this more recent blueberry cheesecake, titled Falling Blueberries. I painted thisfor my solo show in Rockland, Maine at The Michael Good Gallery – where the wild blueberry (vaccinium angustifolium, aiton) is the official state fruit.
“Falling Blueberries”, Oil on linen, 15 x 20 inches
However, I must confess that these berries came from… drumroll…. Riviera Bakehouse. Not a surprise, is it? BTW, Riviera is open and my friend and owner, Liv Hansen, would appreciate your business.
I spent a great deal of time painting these blueberries, and am proud of this painting. The composition is frontal and bold as cake paintings go. While a few pieces of the cheesecake are missing, they are not shown.
I think of it as my in your face approach to painting a fruited cheesecake. The plate hangs right over the front edge of the table, daring you to pick up those loose blueberries with your fingers.
Finally, I give you Blueberry Crumble Pie, unfinished at my last Open Studio. Unlike the rather pristine Falling Blueberries, Blueberry Crumble Pie is just that – crumbling, in a big way.
One of the challenges was to accurately depict the cake tin with all its little crevasses and crinkles, vs. the smooth metal fork.
You can see how the cooked blueberries turned into a rich, reddish blue color. The crumble crust oozes wine colored filling.
Lots of crumbs here – and you all know how much I love painting crumbs!
I took about 100 photos of various permutations of this pie over a period of 2 hours as we devoured it. There were photos with a pie server, 1 fork, 2 forks, 3 forks, no forks or pie servers. Then there was a 3/4 view of the pie, half a pie, a piece of pie, and no pie at all – just a god awful mess!
In the end, I decided to go with more of an action view – and leave you salivating over the forkful of pie you’re about to eat.
So are you hungry for more? You’re invited to come back soon.
P.S. WordPress updated their online program in the middle my 2020 Virtual Studio Tour, and the learning curve is steep. There are so many new options, and several of my favorite buttons moved or are hidden. I’ll have to seriously study the online manual. It took me way too long to get this posted. My apologies for the delay.
In yesterday’s post, I neglected to mention that my Open Studio preparation always included fresh flowers (see Two Flower Artists) to greet you at the front door. Typically I bought pansies since it’s still cold at night in late April. This year I simply forgot about flowers until it was too late. Since I haven’t been going out much, I was resigned to do without them.
Then these beautiful pansies magically appeared at my door this morning, courtesy of my friend and neighbor Regina and her daughter Tori!
Thank you Regina and Tori! What a beautiful way to start the day! They didn’t even know it was my Studio Tour weekend. To top it off, Bonnie was coming to visit, mask and all, and her favorite color is purple.
Here she is right now! My first (and only) guest is contemplating her strategy on how to get from the street to my apartment without opening multiple doors.
Looks like she figured out a plan!
She’s carrying something. Let’s take a closer look…
I see tulips on the right. And is that toilet paper in the other hand? Is she really bringing me TOILET PAPER??? What a daughter!
Needless to say I was delighted to receive a gift that was worth its weight in gold. You can see the big grin on my face…almost.
I went inside to put the tulips in water for (all) my guest(s). They look gorgeous! Thanks, Bonnie.
While I was busy with the flowers, Bonnie went back to her car to get her lunch. I returned just in time to see her elegant entry. Looks like she’s getting the hang of it.
After that workout, she sat down to enjoy her lunch from Riviera Bakehouse and “her” purple pansies – while practicing proper social distancing.
Then she surprised me by pulling a container of treasured alcohol wipes out of that big bag! It was an amazing day.
After tossing around options to properly display my paintings for the 2020 Virtual Studio Tour, we finally decided on an approach.
Thanks to popular demand, I am posting photos from my Open Studio. The original post never made it up since it was scheduled for 2019… (my bad).
It was a glorious weekend! The weather was great, as was the turnout. The week leading up to the Studio Tour was less hectic too than in previous years; we learned from past experience.
This year’s guests were greeted by this Oreo themed display, including oil paintings, pencil drawings and original giclée prints, covering a span of over 15 years. Thank you, Bonnie, for putting together this visually pleasing retrospective. It made quite a first impression, especially for first time visitors.
My studio never looked so clean! I had plenty of room to show my latest vending machine paintings. I discovered I could fit eight 20 x 10 inch panels over the fireplace, which turned out to be the most requested spot for picture taking.
Vending Machine Series by Beverly Shipko
Husband Jay Sloofman, Beverly,our friend Rhonda, Daughters Bonnie and Laura
My friend Linda
Annette and her students
Work was scattered all through the house. At times, it was really packed with visitors. We somehow never get photos of those moments since we’re all so busy… It would have been smart to ask other people to take photos. I guess there is always more to learn…
The Three Muskateers from Central School
Desserts waited in the dining room for guests who were craving sweets after looking at so many food paintings.
The dessert table from Riviera BakeHouse in Ardsley
The very first arrivals
A lot of the fun comes from being surprised by who walks through the door, from different times and places in all of our lives. I’m happy to say the Shipkos were represented by my first cousin Robert, who I grew up with in Detroit, and his son Harrison, who grew up in New York like my two daughters.
Every time I looked at Harrison, I kept seeing my brother Stuart in my minds eye at the same age. It’s funny how strong familial resemblances can be. I was delighted that my Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates found a happy home with Sarah, who had been admiring it since first seeing the painting in the Hudson River Museum exhibit called I Want Candy.
And I can’t end this blog without moving into the kitchen for the annual Oreo Cookie Contest – where we had the unexpected pleasure of being entertained by Samantha’s amazing flexibility.
Finally, this year was a first when Charli and Jack brought their own work – and gave me an art show! That was just plain fun. I look forward to seeing more of their creations in the future.
As usual, I enjoyed Studio Tour weekend. Thank you all for coming!
Thank you to the team – my daughters, Bonnie and Laura, husband Jay Sloofman, and friend Maritza – for helping make this event a success. I could never do this without all of you! A special shout out to Doug Marouk-Coe and RiverArts® on the 25th Anniversary of the Studio Tour.
P.S. Despite our best efforts, there were several surprises that were out of our control, creating some concern in the weeks leading up to the Open Studio (an understatement…). I leave you with these two photos, when we were working on Plan B, just in case…
Chef Bonnie outdid herself for the family 2018 Super Bowl Party. Since the entire menu was paleo, I could eat everything. So could Laura (except she hates mushrooms…).
You can get the idea of how thoughtfully Bonnie planned the menu from her Super Bowl Whoopie Pies, which she served in the 4th quarter for her showstopper. I’m salivating as I think about them. What’s impressive is the Whoopie Pies taste so fantastic and are paleo. Thank goodness for leftovers!
Super Bowl Whoopie Pies
Super Bowl Whoopie Pies
Bonnie lived up to her Instagram handle @bonniesbitesoflife by proudlydelivering flavorful bites in such complementary menu combinations that we couldn’t stop eating! Our family’s Thanksgiving motto, “Let’s Get Stuffed”, certainly applied to this year’s Super Bowl.
Part of the fascination of the day is watching Bonnie’s orchestration of the game day meal so she serves new recipes for each quarter. She has a plan in her mind and just systematically works to execute it. And that was after baking brownies for her school’s Super Bowl Pizza Party the following day!
When I came downstairs Sunday morning, I found Bonnie standing on her favorite step stool working on the Whoopie Pies, which had to set before doing the piping later on. Bonnie also sliced the zucchini to get it into the oven for her Zucchini Pesto Roll Ups. She looked relaxed and happy, like she was having a great time!
Starting with the Whoopie Pies
Zucchini for the Zucchini Pesto Rolls Ups
Once Laura arrived, the food started appearing during the Pre-Game Show.
Bonnie’s opening bites included 4 different chips, 3 dips (salsa being the only store bought item), and Zucchini Pesto Rollups. One at a time, each item magically appeared on the table.
Trader Joe’s 3 Seed Beet Chips and Sweet Potato Chips
Our two favorite Multigrain Chips by Food That Tastes Good
The color combinations were striking, and I had fun arranging my first of many plates.
My Dip and Chip Sampling
At this point, I didn’t have the heart to take a Zucchini Pesto Roll Up, one my my favorites, and ruin Bonnie’s artistic design. I made sure to get this photo first. (FYI. My contributions were the pesto for the Roll Ups, and the template Bonnie used to pipe the Whoopie Pies.)
Zucchini Pesto Roll Ups
More delicious bite size morsels came along in the 2nd Quarter.
Butternut Squash Fries
Baby Pizza Bites
Sweet Potato with Guacamole and Pomegranates
Bonnie kept telling us to pace ourselves. Did we listen? No. We were busy stuffing our faces way too early. This became clear as we watched Bonnie prepare her protein bites for the 3rd Quarter. We realized we were filling ourselves up, and slowed our eating pace down since the best was yet to come.
In the 3rd Quarter, Bonnie finally sat down with her own plate to dig in. It didn’t take too long before a smiling Bonnie became a member of the clean plate club, and posted her bites of life on Instagram.
The Chef’s Tasting Plate
Bonnie earned a well-deserved break. She was a dynamo all day, moving around the kitchen all day. She developed a rhythm as she moved – leaving numerous pots, pans and ingredients in her path. That’s where Jay and I came in. Cleaning up was a small price to pay for such a unique eating experience.
But wait – there was more to come. The surprise of the evening was the Skillet “Corn” Bread – that didn’t use any corn. I saw Bonnie mixing up the batter, but I couldn’t figure out what it was since she poured it into a skillet.
The skillet went into the oven – something I was concerned about since I had never done that before. I was afraid the whole thing would explode and blow up our double oven! However, Bonnie assured me that our All-Clad skillet was built for this. To my relief, Chef Bonnie was right.
Skillet “Corn” Bread
To my amazement, this Skillet (Non-Corn) “Corn” Bread actually tasted like corn bread, texture and all. And of course, let’s not forget the showstopper, The Super Bowl Whoopie Pies. Their delicious taste and textures brought back memories of times gone by. Bonnie and Laura both insisted they tasted like Hostess Devil Dogs – despite the fact that the Whoppie Pies were made from healthy ingredients. Quite an accomplishment, Bonnie!
Super Bowl Whoopie Pies
At this point, I was having so much fun eating that the game (as exciting as it was!), the commercials, and even Justin Timberlake took second place to Bonnie’s super food – at least in my eyes.
This is the first time I’ve posted about Bonnie’s Super Bowl extravaganza, clearly an oversight on my part. I’ve talked about Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving (2017, 2015, and 2014) but never the Super Bowl. I won’t make that mistake next year.
Now it’s time to go downstairs and have “leftovers”, but that term doesn’t do justice to the all super food I’m about to eat.
Don’t be jealous….Maybe next year you’ll score an invitation!
Holiday time is always a joyous time, when we renew our relationships with friends and family over tablefuls of food, surrounded by the lights of the season.
We recently spent an afternoon with my long time friend Noelle (from my Maxwell House days), her husband Michael, and two kids, at their home for our annual holiday lunch. (Ok, one kid is was still finishing up a basketball game…)
After checking out the Christmas decorations and dropping Bonnie’s Nicoise salad in the kitchen, I wandered into the family room and discovered one of my favorite landscape paintings hanging in a place of honor over the fireplace.
I was delighted that this pre-dessert oil painting, Provence, had found such a beautiful home in this bright, cheery, elegant room!
As an artist, after you part with a painting, you wonder where it’s going to hang. While I frequently ask for photos, it isn’t often that I receive them. In this case, I just walked in, and found my Provence cityscape in this perfect setting. Somehow it’s very satisfying to see, and brings the whole process to closure.
This landscape (or should I say cityscape?) painting of a village in Provence was inspired by our trip the south of France a few years after we were married.
Believe it or not, I had forgotten about the painting in the excitement of inspecting the holiday decorations. When we first arrived, I simply had to check out the Christmas decorations. Michael erects a beautiful village on the piano every year. I am always mesmerized by the tiny, glowing buildings he carefully arranges.
Then I was distracted by the plethora of food being prepared in the kitchen. (Maybe there’s a future painting in that colorful platter… Noelle’s inner artist came out.)
And of course I couldn’t resist trying to get a decent photo of Max and Chloe (trying is the operative word). Both English Bulldogs are much cuter in person.
It’s not surprising that I forgot about my landscape painting with all the wonderful distractions. Back to the painting for a moment. Provence was painted in the early 80s when I was experimenting with a palette knife together with brushes. The palette knife gives the painting a whole different feeling, and enriches the surface with texture.
You can see how loose my brushstrokes were back then too. So those of you who wondered what some of my pre-dessert days looked like, now you have a sample.
While I was communing with my painting, lunch preparations were completed and we sat down to this bountiful table. We stayed there for a few hours while downing delicious food and enjoying very lively conversation!
During the holidays, there’s nothing like getting together with old friends. This time I’m talking about the people and the painting!
I know I say this every year after my Open Studio, but I could never do this alone. There are always so many moving parts. This year felt more rushed since I repainted my studio and tried a new display system for my small panel paintings.
Here is the family crew, Bonnie, Jay, Laura and I. We sure do clean up well!
From previous years, you probably know our friend Maritza, who is an indispensable part of the team. Somehow she just knows what I need to do before I do! Maritza, I am grateful for your friendship and your ongoing support.
Here Maritza is with Bonnie putting the finishing touch on the dessert table.
And here’s Bonnie’s handiwork. If Bonnie ever wants a second career, I think there’s a place for her in the food world.
And a special thanks to my friend Eve, who spent hours here in the two days leading up to the event helping me velcro, label and arrange 60 panel paintings.
Eve and I were so busy that I didn’t even think of taking photos of her and the process, which would have been interesting for all of you to see. What a mess the dining room was! In fact, I would have liked to see the pics so we could all give ourselves a pat on the back for getting everything together in record time. Next year.
Art isn’t just for the canvas today – it’s for the flower pots.
Webmaster Laura came home for the weekend, and was kind enough to help me plant these pansies before my Open Studio this coming weekend. We dressed the part in our matching Mickey shirts. (Aside: Laura’s first word was Mm-key)
This year I went to Carlsen’s for flowers before Easter so I could handpick my favorite pansies with the little “faces” on them before they disappeared.
Jay went out and bought topsoil – an important tool of the trade. One of the perks of participating in the Studio Tour is that everyone pitches in so the outside and inside of the house look good. The landscaper is on the way this week too.
Here I am in action, starting with the vinca and then moving on to the pansies. It actually felt great to garden again.
As we were arranging the pansies. Laura commented that we’re flower artists. And that we were.
The artistry comes in here – more white or purpose? Or maybe we need to go buy more yellow? Should we add more topsoil so the flowers are visible from the street?
While you can see we were having a good time, all was not a bed of roses. There was a little complication.
With the help of Jay’s giant Pepsi umbrella, we powered through this minor setback, and finished the job. Here’s a sample of our handiwork, which you can see for yourself next weekend.
Our four planters are good to go for the Open Studio. Laura asked me if they spark joy. Yes, they do. And lots of it.
Being obsessed with cake, I couldn’t resist posting this picture of a partially consumed photo cake from this past weekend’s celebration.
You may recognize Web “Master” Laura from my May post about her graduation weekend in Urbana, Illinois. She has since moved into her first apartment and started her new job as a Biomathematician at Mount Sinai Hospital. We decided to commemorate this special occasion with a photo cake.
After years of ordering photo cakes (this one is from Stew Leonard’s), I am still amused by seeing my original photography on a cake. It’s quite a change to have my art temporarily appear on a cake, rather than from an arm’s length perspective on a permanent canvas. Then I watch the evolution of its disintegration (brings to mind Dutch 17th century vanitas paintings with decaying fruit and flowers).
But I’m even more amused by how people cut these cakes. They tend to avoid the photo, especially the face and eyes, and frequently the words, until the very end.
Of course, there is the occasional oddball who decides to decapitate the head for dramatic effect… who may never be asked back again…
By now you may be wondering why I didn’t just post the whole cake. So here it is.
Ah, isn’t technology wonderful? It looks like all my own childhood cakes full of beautiful pink roses are ancient history. (Both daughters don’t even like pink. What is this world coming to?)
I have to give credit to Bonnie who ordered the cake (and balloons) with the Fighting Illini’s school colors, and wrote the line, “Welcome to the Real World” to mark Laura’s entry into the job market and the Manhattan apartment scene. There’s nothing like the sticker shock of moving from inexpensive Midwest rents to exorbitant New York City prices, something I experienced first hand in 1979.
While we had a spare moment, Laura re-enacted the photo on the cake.
Now I’ll close with the traditional family cake photo, without which any event would not be complete.
We look forward to celebrating many more happy occasions with photo cakes.
But maybe I spoke too soon… I have this nagging feeling we might be celebrating with video cakes in the future…!
My Webmaster and daughter, Laura Sloofman, was officially awarded her Master of Science degree in Biophysics and Computational Biology last weekend at the University of Illinois (UI) in Champaign/Urbana. Congratulations, Laura!
It was an action packed 5 day weekend for Jay and I, starting with a barbecue Thursday night at Sarah and Erik’s (oops! photo didn’t turn out), where I caught up with Laura’s friends, like Vishal.
Plus I met one of my most loyal blog readers, Pei-Chen. Here she is with Casey helping Laura prepare for our Friday dress rehearsal photo session.
So how many graduate students does it take to figure out how to put the hood on a graduation gown without the directions? At least 3 (4 if you include me!) plus the internet. Thank you Pei-Chen and Casey (shown searching for the answer) for your help – and patience!
Here we are on the plaza of the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB), one of the two places where Laura works on campus. For some reason, I love these sculptures, which are open to much interpretation. What do you think they are? For those of you who may be curious, click here to read the answer.
Friday night Bonnie (Laura’s sister in the pink scarf) arrived for the weekend festivities, and we got to meet more friends at Laura’s apartment.
Somehow Laura found time to make a delicious gourmet dinner for the four of us, including homemade noodles. The fresh pasta with pesto sauce was amazing! I’m salivating just thinking of it.
Saturday we got up early and spent almost 4 hours outdoors at the university-wide ceremony at Memorial Stadium, home of the lackluster football team. It was surprisingly emotional for me to see Laura in this setting. I kept searching for her on the big screen, but alas, she never showed up. I had to settle for more intimate photos.
We had never heard of the keynote speaker, Jeff Huber (formerly of Google) who recently founded his own firm called Grail to discover an early detection blood test for cancer that might have saved his wife. He gave such an inspirational speech that we momentarily forgot we were shivering from the 35 degree temperatures (not to mention the wind)!
Jeff Huber challenged the graduates to find a better way, a powerful theme he skillfully wove together in the tapestry of his carefully crafted message.
On Sunday we went to the indoor Convocation Ceremony for the Department Molecular Cellular Biology at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. This was Laura’s big moment walking across the stage. Can you find her? Fortunately, there was a professional photographer close by.
Afterwards we mingled outside with the other graduates and their families – and naturally took more photos. There’s no such thing as too many graduation photos, in my humble opinion.
For our final family photo, we scoped out the University of Illinois Quad, a setting that reminded me of Laura’s alma mater, the University of Delaware.
Speaking of alma mater, we went to take Laura’s photo by the Illinois campus iconic sculpture called Alma Mater, which was dressed for the occasion
Several hundred other people beat us to it. Apparently this is a long-standing university tradition since the 2 hour line kept getting longer and longer all weekend!
We never even considered standing in this line, and were amused by it the entire weekend. This is what we settled for.
Laura, we’re excited about having you back in the New York Area, and seeing you more often. We are all so proud of everything you have accomplished! Good luck with your new job at Mt. Sinai. Having said that, I’m not sure luck has as much to do with it as the brain power, hard work, and motivation that went into getting your degree and forging a new path for your future bioinformatics career.
We wish you all the very best that life has to offer!
