Best Cheesecake Recipe - McCalls

This is from a 1975 issue of McCall's magazine.
I haven't found a better recipe for cheesecake.

Crust
1 C. sifted flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg yolk
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
I usually double these amounts so I have enough.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease the inside of a springform pan.
In a medium bowl, combine everything except
the egg yolk and butter.
Make a well in the center, and add the yolk.
Blend, then add butter, and blend.
On the bottom of the pan, roll out 1/2 the dough.
Bake 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Roll out remaining dough.
Cut it into 3 inch strips.
Press it around the side of the pan.
Don't bake the side strips.
Assemble the pan.

Filling
5 packages of 8 oz. creamed cheese
1 3/4 C. sugar
3 T. flour
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 1/2 grated orange peel
1/4 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1/4 C. heavy cream

In a large mixing bowl, blend cheese,
sugar, flour, peels, vanilla.
Blend until smooth.
Add eggs and yolks, one at a time.
Scrape the sides often.
Pour into the pan.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Lower the oven to 250 degrees,
and bake for one more hour.

Honolulu Traffic Webcams

I love this site. It runs for five minutes, showing a whole bunch of traffic hotspots in Honolulu.
I think I like it even more than the Waikiki beach webcam, tho that one can be interesting at 5:00 or 6:00AM. You can access the beach cam from this site, too. Fun.
http://www.honolulu.gov/multimed/hotspot.asp

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

My favorite book is now a movie.
Ages ago, I'd read that Johnny Depp was going to play Jean Dominique Bauby, but wasn't able to.
I can't wait to see it.
Read about it here:

Premiere
http://www.premiere.com/cannes/3838/ringing-his-bell.html

Screener
http://nbm.typepad.com/screener/2007/10/nyff-the-diving.html

P.S. One year ago today, it was raining. At the moment, it's about 12 F degrees, and there's snow on the ground.

101.5 FM The Point - Tampa

This is the best radio station! I can listen to it all day without even being at Camp Largo, and .... they list the songs as they're played. I need new, really good speakers.
These headphones are a tad confining.
The only problem is - after a day, they play the same songs over again.
http://1015thepoint.com/

Shopping List

Amazon Christmas shopping list:
Raising Sand - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; Audio CD $8.99
Live in Japan - George Harrison; Audio CD $26.99
Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr - Ringo Starr; Audio CD $13.97
Still on Top: The Greatest Hits - Van Morrison; Audio CD $7.99
The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon) - Daniel Silva; Hardcover $15.57

Now all I have to do is figure out who to give them to.

Two Turkeys, Maybe Even Three

Onondaga Free Library

Referendum

Onondaga residents will vote Nov. 6 on a referendum that would increase the town's annual contribution to the library from $200,000 to $475,000. If it passes, the plans for the 14,300-square-foot addition will move forward.

I hope this passes. Their library needs serious work.

Update: It passed!

Across the Street a Little While Ago

Syracuse Wedding Vendor Reviews

A Syracuse Wedding

photo by Steph

Salina Shoes
2809 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13205
(315) 475-2735
Salina Shoes to the rescue!
It was August. None of the mall stores had any dressy white shoes left.
No way did anyone want to spend beaucoup bucks for cheap, uncomfortable shoes they sell at the bridal salons, and online.
The bride's first baby shoes came from Salina Shoes, so it was fitting that her wedding shoes also be bought there.
They had three pairs to pick from! Bellini was the first choice.
The manager couldn't have been more helpful.
Rating: A++
Best Shoe Store in Syracuse

Westcott Florist
548 Westcott St., Syracuse, NY 13210
(315) 474-1283
http://www.westcottflorist.com/
- We were told the cake flowers would be delivered to the bakery on Friday. When we found out they hadn't been, we called the florist to ask why, and they said they never delivered cake flowers the day before. Ok, so don't tell us they'd be delivered on Friday.
- One of the Mother's corsages was baby pink roses, with bright pink ribbon. We specifically asked for a deep, or dusty/antique pink color for the roses, and ribbon.
- About 6 of the corsages and boutonnieres had no pins. We had to do some major scrounging around the house for some floral pins, with no time to spare.
- One of the gerbera boutonnieres fell apart.
- Two items were labeled incorrectly, tho they were correct on the order form.
- They did arrive on time.
- Do the flowers on the cake photo look like they're worth $50.00?
Rating: C -

Industry Salon
121 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 476-0015
Best hair salon in Syracuse. That's what many people think.
The story made the rounds at the wedding and reception.
The bride had a 7:30 am appointment on the morning of the wedding.
The photographer would be arriving at the house 9:oo am.
She made the appointment months in advance.
She's a regular customer at the Industry.
She had just been there several weeks prior to go over the wedding 'do'.
At 8:00 am, she asked the receptionist to call B_____ at home to see where he was.
He was at home. He had forgotten her appointment.
She made it back home at 8:45 am, leaving her 15 minutes to get dressed and do makeup.
Major scramble. Not a good start to the day.
He charged her 1/2 his usual fee.
What? Half price?
That would be my last visit.
Rating: F

Fremont Bakery
119 E. Second St., East Syracuse, NY 13057 (315) 437-5683
http://www.fremontbakerycny.com/

The Fremont Bakery has closed.
You can read about it here:
http://deskdiva.blogspot.com/2012/01/fremont-bakery-has-closed.html

Outstanding wedding cake, delivered on time, and in perfect shape.
Fremont Bakery has been making the best wedding cakes forever.
Mention the name to anyone, and chances are they, and/or their mother had Fremont do their cake.
People snapped up unattended & unfinished pieces.
I've never seen that happen before.
The best people to work with.
It was a beauty.
Rating: A+
Best Wedding Cake Bakery in Syracuse


Photography by John Farnach
Manlius, NY
Five years ago, the other bride interviewed quite a few photographers, and decided to go with John Farnach Photography. We'd seen his work, and his price includes all the proofs. This time around, we didn't even bother shopping around. He's easy to work with, pleasant, and can be very funny in an understated way.
At the church, you hardly know he's there. Two suggestions: make a list of photos you really want him to get, and give him a schedule so you don't miss your reception. It's a great opportunity to get an extended family photo. We did a couple college alumni photos - very fun.
Update: The albums and single prints that were ordered were done BEFORE Christmas in time for gift giving!! Excellent.
Rating: A+
Best Photographer in Syracuse

American Limousine
701 E. Hiawatha Blvd. Syracuse, NY 13208
(315) 473-2000 (800) 611-9572
http://www.americanlimousine.net/
The white Town Car arrived on time! The driver was pleasant and courteous. We've got a cute photo of him holding the bride's bouquet as she was getting out of the car.
The car looked brand new. There wasn't the promised champagne in the car, but the driver went and got some during the wedding ceremony.
Perfect.
Rating: A
Best Limo in Syracuse

Syracuse Card Company
1632 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, NY 13217
(315) 472-4496
For wedding invitations, it doesn't make that much difference where you get them. When you order from an album, all the stores 'discount' them. It's like ordering from a wallpaper book.
Make sure you spend the extra for a proof of the invitation. It was worth it here, because there were several errors, even though the information on the completed order form was correct.
Come on. It can't be that hard to copy information from one place to another.
Rating: B

Just Rosie's Boutique
105 Caroline Ave., Solvay, NY 13209
(315) 468-4313
Just Rosie's isn't really a wedding vendor, but if you're the mother of the bride, or you need something dressy, be sure to stop in. It's right around the corner from Solvay Bank's main office. Some of the dresses are the traditional MOB heavily beaded ensembles, but if you're looking for something elegant, simple, and comfortable, she'll have it. Very classy. She also carries Ursula of Switzerland - a beautiful line headquartered in Waterford, NY. The Ursula dress I bought was made in the USA. Surprise! It's also nice to have personal service without it being pushy. I need to visit again.
You can return an item for store credit.
Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 - 5:00pm - except for Tuesday - opens about 2:00pm
Saturday - 9:00 - 3:00pm, Closed Sunday
Rating: A+
Best boutique in Syracuse

Highland Forest
Box 31, 1254 Highland Forest Rd.
Fabius, NY 13063
(315) 683-5550 / 683-5147 fax
http://onondagacountyparks.com/parks/highland/
The wedding reception was at Skyline Lodge at Highland Forest, one of the Onondaga County Parks. Orchard Vali Golf Club is the exclusive caterer.
Directions From I-81 S (from Syracuse) Take Exit 14, make left off of exit then left onto Route 80. Highland Forest is approximately 12 miles, entrance is on the right. Follows signs to Skyline Lodge.
The facility is described below:

Orchard Vali Golf Club
4693 Route 20, LaFayette, NY 13084
(315) 677-3303
http://www.orchardvali.com/
Sandy and Melanie were great to work with. We only had to meet with Sandy twice, and do a few phone calls. The food was excellent. They did a beautiful room arrangement. The coffee and tea station was nice (our idea), and they even had green tea. A lot of people like to have coffee right away instead of waiting for dessert. Having it set up throughout the reception, gives people the opportunity to get up and move around. We've been to too many receptions where once you sit down at your designated table, you're there til the end.
The restrooms are VERY nice, and large.
The table linens are heavy and nice - we went with white.
The floor is stone, and there's no wooden dance floor, which didn't present a problem. You can rent a wood dance floor on your own if you want. I'm glad I brought along comfortable flats to wear at the reception. The floor IS hard.
The punch was warm. Bummer.
I wish they'd asked us if we wanted the fireplace lit.
Overall, we'd choose Orchard Vali again. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the views are spectacular.
Rating: A

Plaza Wine and Liquors
104 Kasson Rd., Camillus, NY 13031
(315) 487-3680
Little bottles of wine make great favors. Not many wineries offer them, and none are from New York. We chose Glen Ellen. Plaza Wine & Liquors had the best price, which included the date / name labels. We were hoping they'd have the best price, because it's a very fun store.
They also carry Taittinger - the only champagne worth drinking.
Rating: A+

Sharon's Sewing Service - wedding dress, bridesmaid dress alterations, seamstress
101 Inwood Drive
Syracuse, NY 13219
(315) 382-1669
http://www.sharonsewingservice.com/
Sharon is extremely easy to work with. We were pleased with all of our alterations, and her work is top quality. Her rates are reasonable, especially when you consider what you'd pay for in house alterations. I saw an ensemble she made for a mother of the bride, and it was spectacular. She's located just east of Fairmount Glen Mini Golf, on the corner of Inwood Dr., and Onondaga Rd. We loved working with her. We now take everything to her - even slacks that need a little shortening. That's not a photo of her on her website!
Rating: A+
Best Alterations / Seamstress in Syracuse

Don't Forget The Veil
We couldn't believe the prices of veils at the bridal stores, so the bride's veil came from eBay. It came to just about $20.00, including shipping. It was a two tier shoulder, or 'blusher' length with a pencil ribbon trim and some little crystals. I'd heard that the reflection from crystals can ruin photos, but these didn't. It had a comb already attached. I think it was definitely the way to go.

For bride #1, I made the veil, using these directions - the best I found online, or off.
Making a Veil: http://www.wegotgame.net/jen/veils.html
I bought twice as much fabric as I needed in case I botched it the first time. I also made a mini veil for practice. The tulle, and everything I needed, came from Cazenovia Fabrics - http://www.cazfabrics.com/

The Green Gate Inn & French Kiss Restaurant
2 Main St.
Camillus, NY 13031
315-672-3606
http://www.thegreengateinn.com/index.htm
We had 20-25 people for the rehearsal dinner. For one reason, or another, we settled on the Green Gate. It wasn't our first choice - other places were already booked. We would have gone to Cora D's in a heartbeat, but they didn't have room. The goal was to have a simple supper, served quickly in a restaurant not too far from the church.
That shouldn't be too difficult. Right?
The prices on the Main Dinner menu were pricey.
We weren't allowed to order off the Pub Menu, but they did allow us three off menu choices, which were not on the menu: a 1/2 roasted chicken, a fish dinner (it was Friday), and a salad thing with chicken strips, or something.
They had the count of who wanted what a week ahead of time.
Everyone was seated on time, yet we waited over 45 minutes to get the salads and bread.
The waiter kept saying the food would be out 'shortly'.
When it finally did come, the food was pretty good. The salads were so-so.
We skipped dessert - good thing, or we would have been there another two hours.
We should have had our own waiter - he had all of us, plus other tables.
The wallpaper is pretty, but old. The chairs have been there forever, and are getting rickety.
The place doesn't have central air conditioning, and the large window unit was blasting cold air directly on two of our tables.
Early on in the planning, they lost the deposit check, and another had to be written.
Rating: C-

Fairmount Cleaners

3508 W Genesee St Ste 3

Syracuse, NY 13219

(315) 488-1131

The care instructions label for the wedding dress said, "Do not wash. Do not dry clean."
I wrote to the dress manufacturer asking them what to do - they emailed back, and said to use Spray n Wash, and distilled water. Really? That's a scary thought.
The bride, and Sharon, the seamstress talked to the owner of Fairmount Cleaners, and he said he'd wash the whole dress in special soap and regular water.
Still a scary thought, but we crossed our fingers, and let him do it.
It came out perfectly - it hardly had a wrinkle.
I couldn't believe it. He's great. He also did a fantastic job on the other bride's dress.
Rating: A+
Best Dry Cleaner in Syracuse

It's Official

Upcoming event

The church

The view at the reception

My dress

Hormone Products Chart

A good chart -

Hormone Products for Postmenopausal Use
in the United States and Canada
http://www.menopause.org/edumaterials/htcharts.pdf

Change isn't Always Good

Wegmans now bags the spring mix. Their macaroni salad is mostly slop - all elbows and goo.
Byrne Dairy doesn't put those plastic covers on their yogurt anymore. Now, you have to eat the whole thing, or find something to cover the container with.
Zest soap bars are now curved, more narrow, and harder to hang onto.
Walgreen's is nice, but Agway Gardens was a lot nicer.
Bon-Ton doesn't have anymore Joy Coyote earrings, Sag Harbor, or Burnes of Boston photo frames.
Salamino's Florist has been gone since January. They were great.

P.S. I just filled out the Blogger survey, and there's no Submit button! I looked everywhere. That's the last time I'll do that.

Happy Birthday, Tampa!

"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own;
and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave,
is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress."
- Charles Dickens

BH-BL Reunion Info

Nice site - no need for Classmates.com
http://www.bhbl.org/alumni/reunioninfo.htm

General information for Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake Central School District
http://www.bhbl.org

Birthday Evening in Manhattan

this is from the RIOT webcam on 5th Ave.
www.rioting.com (then look under contact)

Good Day for a Camera

It was a good day to have a camera. I think I like tulips after all. They behaved very well. The rain we had later on made for some great raindrop shots. This size doesn't do it justice.

BH-BL High School Reunion 1986

I'm not quite sure where to put this, so I'll pop it in here til a better place comes up. This is a photo of those who attended the Burnt Hills Ballston Lake High School Reunion in 1986. It was held at Kaydeross Park, which closed in 1987, at Saratoga Lake. It was hot and humid, but it was nice to see everyone.

Another Good One

I'm weeding. Here's another good one, but it has to go. Shoot, it's no longer available in hardcover. It might get to stay. LaPlante's other books starring Josef Tanaka are also good.

Weather War

If you haven't read this book, look for it. It's out of print, but there are still some out there. The authors are Paul Posnick and Leonard Leokum. Sadly, I don't think a hardcover was ever done, and the paperback paper is lousy.

Trout Season Opens Today

Trout season opened today in New York state.
I took this pic somewhere near Elbridge.
Here's a good link:
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/index.html

Ward's Seafood Market

One of the very best things about Florida is Ward's Seafood Market in Clearwater.
I could go there just about everyday. I think my favorites are the red snapper and the salmon from Alaska. www.wardsseafood.com

Favorites and AOL

AOL has done it again.
My Favorites are all messed up. There aren't any from 2006 or 2007. The ones that are there are all out of order. There are many there from before 2004 that I know I deleted ages ago.
When I was using my notebook recently, all my Favorites completely disappeared. They never returned. I went to AOL's live Chat Help for assistance, and the tech person e-mailed me instructions on how to get them back. It didn't work, so I uninstalled AOL and used Firefox and Google for everything. AOL is supposed to store your Favorites on their servers.

I don't know why I continue to even sign onto AOL. It must be a nostalgia thing, or something.
I started out with AOL in 1994 with version 1.0.
I do like their e-mail, even though it has always gotten terrible reviews.
Even on the desktop, I use Firefox and Google's homepage most of the time.
Most of my really important bookmarks I've stored at Save This. Some I've e-mailed to myself.
Save This is nice, because you can drag a SaveThis thing to your Firefox toolbar, log in to your account and automatically have your sites bookmarked directly to them.
It's nice, and it's free. www.savethis.com

Belleair Beach

I love this photo.
It's a little beach in Belleair on Gulf Blvd.
If I ever win the lottery, I'll get a place here.
http://www.cityofbelleairbeach.com/

Largo makes AOL's Welcome Screen

Way to go, Largo.

The Steve Stanton story has put Largo, Florida on the map, but for all the wrong reasons.
Largo's motto is City of Progress. Maybe they should change it.

I was pleased to see the story on AOL's Welcome Screen, including a poll.
So far, 73% say he should not have been fired - with 10,059 votes.

Here's the story on AOL's Welcome Screen:
http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/city-likely-to-fire-manager-over-sex/20070301091909990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

We watched the four hour meeting Tuesday night on tv. Citizens were allowed to speak, then the Commissioners, including the mayor, spoke. I was surprised and dismayed at the Commissioners' remarks. Only the mayor, Pat Gerard, and Commissioner, Rodney Woods spoke in favor of Stanton.

For more articles, go to www.sptimes.com
Also - St. Petersburg Times Columnist Howard Troxler's Blog at: TroxBlog

Tacky Turtle Restaurant - Indian Rocks Beach

The Tacky Turtle on Indian Rocks Beach is gone!
We were over at the beach a few weeks ago, and thought we'd pop in for a Cuban.
The new proprietor said the Tacky Turtle had been gone for a long time - at least three months.
Three months must be a long time in Florida.
We were so disappointed.
It's now the Kooky Coconut.
The decor is all new, and the outside is painted to look like bamboo.
There wasn't a very good selection of ice cream - some of the tubs were sitting empty.
I hope the new guy makes it, but I don't think I'll be making a special trip over.
At least I have my photos of the place, and the ones I had in my last exhibit were a big hit.
I wish I'd bought a t-shirt last year, or a hat. Did they have hats?

Update: June 11, 2008 The site for the Tacky Turtle is also gone.

Best Grammy Performance Ever

I always thought it would be nice to be able to see this again.
Who knew You Tube would have it.
It's still as good as it was watching it live back in 1979.
You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Article from PC World

This article is a must read, especially for computer novices who work with computers and the public.
It's about a substitute teacher in Norwich, Connecticut, who was convicted of impairing the morals of a child, and risking injury to a minor by exposing as many as ten seventh-grade students to porn sites. The incident occurred in October, 2004. Her sentencing is March 2, 2007.
Here's the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070207/tc_pcworld/128672

Monday

So, here we are in Florida.
The new neighbor was outside this afternoon for a few minutes, so I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself. She had just come home, and was getting out of the car with, what looked like, a cake sized box from a bakery. I was wondering what kinds of baked goods were inside.
She set the box down on the doorstep and came over to meet me. She's from the mid-west.
After we exchanged names, she mentioned that her brother had recently died, and that she had just gone to pick him up and bring him home.
So much for a cake being in the white bakery box.
I wonder where she put it when she took it inside.

I hope the sun comes out soon.
It's gloomy enough here to be Syracuse on a spring day.

Today's room with a view

Syracuse China Handpainted Adobe Ware

I've got a bunch of this Syracuse China Adobe Ware, and I can't find any information on it.
It's marked: Adobe Ware, Handpainted, Dogwood, O-11
It's not the heavy restaurant china, but it is heavier than the fine china.
Here are two photos: