Friday 5ive- October 27, 2023

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. Like the fact that as I write this, it is 75 degrees in NYC. It was a busy week, we were out everywhere.

1) The ArchCare Gala was held this week and they raised over $2 million to care for the frail and vulnerable in the archdiocese of New York. It was a fantastic evening, with Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto once again emceeing, and she had a terrific interview with New York Giants legend Eli Manning. Everyone was excited to meet and get a photo with Eli (who is very tall). Nick Fradiani, who now plays Neil Diamond  in Broadway's A Beautiful Noise- The Neil Diamond Musical, performed four songs-America, I'm A Believer,  I Am I Said, and of course Sweet Caroline. We saw Nick in A Beautiful Noise earlier this year and he is phenomenal in the show. If you get the chance to come to NYC, definitely go see it. 

Our team with Eli Manning

Nick Fradiani, my husband Scott and myself

You can see some of Rosanna's interview with Eli Manning here.

You can see some of Nick's performance here.

2) We had dinner with two friends this week at Sartiano's in the Mercer Hotel in New York and it was quite an experience. Apparently it is the hot spot, drawing lots of celebrities. It's a gorgeous restaurant, and the food was amazing. I had the Agnolotti, made with sweet corn, chanterelles, and pecorino cheese. It was the best pasta I've had outside of Italy. It's a special treat dinner, and I highly recommend it. 

Photo from Sartiano's website

3) After dinner we attended a talk at the Sheen Center featuring television producer Matt Williams reading from his memoir Glimpses- A Comedy Writer's Take on Life, Love and All That Spiritual Stuff. Williams, who co-created and produced Roseanne and Home Improvement, two of the biggest sitcoms of the 1990s, also teaches at Columbia University, so he knows how to speak to an audience and keep us engaged. Author Adriana Trigiani came onstage after the reading to discuss Williams' book and career, and I found the talk so interesting. Williams' book talks about how throughout his life he has found glimpses of grace and goodness when he needed it most. In the scary world we find ourselves in, glimpses of grace and goodness are so important. I'm looking forward to reading Glimpses.  

4) It was a week of bookish lunches. The first was with a new friend, Alexa Weijko, an editor at 

Soho Press. I've seen Alexa on Zoom presentations with publishers speaking about their upcoming books, so I was excited to meet in person this week. We talked books we like, my work at the Book Cellar, and I learned all about the job an editor does (which I found fascinating). We're also from the same hometown of Auburn, New York, so we caught up on all things Auburn. I can't wait to hunker down with these terrific upcoming Soho Crime books, they're always intriguing reads.

My second bookish lunch was catching up with two of my Book Cellar friends. We talked books we've recently read and loved and books we're looking forward to reading, as well as new restaurants and shops in the neighborhood. I even stopped into the recently opened Caroline's Donuts and picked up a few treats for me and one doggie treat for my son's dog Otto. Mmmm, donuts as Homer Simpson would say.

5) I read two good books this week. The first is Jean Kwok's The Leftover Woman, the story of two women whose very different lives intersect in ways they couldn't imagine. Jasmine secretly leaves her home in China for New York City to look for the daughter she was told by husband had died at birth. Rebecca works in publishing and lives in a beautiful New York City home with her handsome and charismatic husband and young daughter they adopted from China. Jasmine deals with the challenges of being an impoverished immigrant while trying to find her daughter, while Rebecca's carefully manicured life is becoming unglued with problems in her marriage and her career in her father's legacy publishing house crumbling. Kwok masterfully manages to keep the story suspenseful while at the same time throwing a light on the intensely competitive publishing world, the invisibility of immigrants, and the repercussions of the one child policy in China. It's just brilliant. 

The second book is Tess Gerritsen's thriller The Spy Coast. Maggie Bird, a retired CIA spy moves to a quiet coastal town in Maine where some of her former colleagues have already quietly settled incognito. When someone from Maggie's past comes looking for her, the team, who calls themselves The Martini Club, band together to find out who is after Maggie. They also have to deal with Jo, the new chief of police of this quiet town, who wonders what is the deal with this so-called Martini Club of older people who keep insinuating themselves in her investigation. It's a fast-paced story with terrific characters and I'm happy to see that this is billed as the first in the Martini Club series, I will be impatiently waiting for the next book in the series. Gerritsen got the idea for the book from the fact that she discovered the little town she lives in in Maine has a group of retired CIA agents living there. 

Stay safe and healthy all. Until next time.

Friday 5ive- November 5, 2021

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly(-ish) blog post about five things that caught my eye this week.

It's been a busy time, with a lot of things happening this first week of November.

1) We attended the ArchCare Gala on October 28th. My husband is the CEO and President of ArchCare, and each year a gala fundraiser is held at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. This year, $1.5 million was raised at an event that featured author/director/filmmaker/playwright Adriana Trigiani as the event's emcee, Broadway star Mary Testa performing four songs, and Dr. Deborah Birx as the featured speaker. The evening was a great success, and the crowd of 350 people adored all three of the incredible ladies. 

2) I found this Little Free Library on my walk in Longboat Key, the first one I have seen in our neighborhood. 

3) Our older son has been an Atlanta Braves fan since he was seven years old and they won the 1995 World Series. This week, the Braves won the World Series and so many of our family and friends were very happy for him. Nobody thought they had a chance since they had a losing percentage at the All-Star break. Way to go Atlanta!

4) I watched the 92Y event with Samantha Barry interviewing Hillary Clinton and Huma Abdedin about Abedin's memoir Both/And . Abedin, born to Indian parents, spoke of traveling all over the world as a child with her family, and she spoke very lovingly of her father who passed away. She and Secretary Clinton shared stories of Abedin's rise from White House intern during the Clinton administration to her working as Hillary Clinton's chief aide while Clinton was a Senator, Secretary of State, and Presidential candidate. Adebin has led a fascinating life, and she is an excellent role model for young women. (The stories she told were quite amusing too.) I can't wait to read her book. 

5) I read two books this week. Indian author Thrity Unrigar's new novel, Honor, (which publishes in January) was suggested to me by someone who knows good books. It tells the tale of a young Indian reporter who has lived in the US since she was a teen. She returns to India to cover the story of a young woman whose Muslim husband was killed by the woman's brothers as revenge for marrying their Hindu sister. The brothers then burned and severely disfigured their sister. It's a stunning novel about revenge, honor, courage and the dangers of tribalism which unfortunately resonates in our society today as well, and Umrigar's best book yet.

I also read Jenna Blum's Woodrow on the Bench, a memoir about the last year in the life of Blum's beloved 15 year-old dog Woodrow. Woodrow was Blum's faithful companion, popular with all those who met him and his fans on Instagram. (He had his own account.) Anyone who has ever had and lost a dog will relate to this touching book, and Blum does not shy away from the bad things that happened to Woodrow as he became more and more infirm and ill. It's a true love story, and you will cry. 

Stay safe and healthy everyone.

Friday 5ive- October 23, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my eye this week.

1) We made a quick visit to Boston on Sunday and saw this yacht docked outside our hotel room. Below Deck is the rare reality show we watch, about the crews that work on luxury yachts, so we always find this fascinating. 

2)  Rosanne Cash is one of my favorite singer/songwriters and she released a new song this week, Crawl Into the Promised Land, and it's phenomenal. The video for the song is fantastic too, and it features a photo of Harriet Tubman taken in my hometown of Auburn, NY, where she lived for many years. You can find the song here. 

3) Carol Fitzgerald and her team at BookReporter.com hosted Bookaccino, an afternoon program which features Carol discussing books that will be published in the upcoming month. She always adds to my To Be Read pile as I listen to her describe books I know I will want to read. There is a PDF takeaway of all the books discussed, the next one is November 11th and you can sign up here to join.

4) We have been working on a virtual gala for ArchCare, the organization my husband is the CEO/President of, and it was held Thursday night at 7pm. It was a big success, raising nearly $1.2 million to help the frail and vulnerable in the archdiocese of New York. Called A Toast To Our Healthcare Heroes, it highlighted the work of the many people who showed up everyday at ArchCare during the pandemic, in nursing homes, hospitals, PACE centers and individuals' homes, placing themselves in jeopardy to do so. There was entertainment, and special guests like Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan, Tino Martinez, Mike Piazza, and of course Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan made an appearance. Thanks to all who watched and donated, it is so appreciated. It's online at www.ArchCareGala2020.org if you want to check it out.

5)   I did not have much time to read this past week, with travel and gala work. I started Crissy Van Meter's novel, Creatures, which came out in paperback this week. The novel made many Best of 2020 Lists already, and it's a coming-of-age story set on an island off the coast of California. On the eve of her wedding, Evie comes to terms with her relationship with her often-absent mother and pot dealing, neglectful father. It's very atmospheric, and the writing is descriptive and vivid. A full review posts here on October 29th. 

Stay safe and socially distant, wash your hands, wear a mask, and prepare to vote if you haven't already. Early voting starts tomorrow, October 24th in New York.

Friday 5ive- October 16, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week. It's been a pretty quiet week here, we had three rainy days which we needed.

1)  Every year ArchCare, the organization of which my husband is president and CEO, hosts a gala that raises funds for their foundation to help the frail and elderly people they serve. The event is usually held at Gotham Hall, which is so spectacular, but this year because of COVID, the event is a virtual gala. But the good news is that now anyone can watch it online! This year's theme is a Salute to Our Healthcare Heroes, and will feature stories about the brave and dedicated people who work in ArchCare's nursing homes, home care agencies, and assisted living facilities, and who did heroic work this year.  Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto hosts, and we've lined up some terrific entertainment- Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan will share some laughs, jazz singer Nicole Henry performs, as do the New York Tenors. Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan will share some inspirational words, and for the baseball fans, we have New York Mets Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and former New York Yankee Tino Martinez. You can join in our sing along with Broadway performers from Sing For Your Seniors, as they close the show with a special performance. Join us Thursday, October 22nd at 7pm right here- at ArchCareGala2020. 

2)  You never know what you'll see while walking doing errands. On my way to the grocery store I saw this Sukkah, which according to the helpful information sheet is described as "a temporary shelter covered in natural materials, used especially for meals during the Jewish festival of Sukkot." You can find more information about Sukkot here. 

3)  Hispanic Heritage Month ended yesterday, and so it is appropriate that I began watching the updated version of One Day At A Time, which ran for three seasons on Netflix, was cancelled, and then picked up by Pop TV (the first American home of Schitt's Creek), and now CBS is running the first season episodes on Monday nights at 9pm. The original show starred Bonnie Franklin as the divorced mom of two teenage daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) and was a ratings hit. I fondly remember watching it. This version stars Justina Machado as Penelope, a divorced mom of a smart teenage daughter and fashionista tween son. Her lively mother, played by the legendary Rita Moreno, lives with them. Penelope served in the military in Afghanistan, and now works as a nurse in a doctor's office. It's wonderful television, celebrating family life through the eyes of this Cuban-American family, and yes, handyman Schneider is here as well. I highly recommend it.

4)  You've all seen TV commercials, received emails or texts, all encouraging everyone to vote. The cast of the TV show The West Wing teamed up the organization When We All Vote with a special on HBOMax. The cast- Martin Sheen, Dule Hill, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Janel Maloney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford- recreated a classic episode of the series- season 3's Hartsfield's Landing- as a staged play at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. It was so good to see this iconic cast back together again. John Spencer, who played Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, passed away during the last year of the series, and was sorely missed. Sterling K. Brown from This Is Us had the unenviable task of stepping in to play Leo, and he was reverent as he put his own stamp on the role. Martin Sheen and Richard Schiff pretty much look the same nearly 20 years later, and Bradley Whitford looks better than he did back then- his silver hair makes him look distinguished. I always loved The West Wing, and this is one of their best episodes. If you have HBOMax, this is must-watch TV. I wish they had made it available on broadcast TV so everyone could see it. (HBOMax is having a free trial, so you could sign up for that and watch.)

5)  It was a busy week, so I only got around to reading two books, for which I am on blog tours. Sarah McCraw Crow's The Wrong Kind of Woman is set in 1970's New Hampshire, at a men's college. Virginia's professor husband tragically dies in front of their 13 year-old daughter. Virginia discovers how difficult it will be to make a living, and becomes friends with the few female professors at the college, whom the men openly disdain. It's a time of upheaval in the country, and anyone who enjoyed FX's Mrs. America may want to put this on their reading list. 

Elysia Whisler's upcoming novel Rescue You is about Constance, a young physical therapist who helps her sister run a dog rescue organization. She becomes involved with Rhett, a former Marine who runs a local gym. Rhett is wary of getting involved with anyone, but he is drawn to Constance. If you like dogs (especially pit bulls) and are into weight training, this book has your name all over it. (I know a few people like that. )

Stay safe, socially distant, wash your hands, wear a mask and VOTE. It's the best way to build the world you want to see for your children and grandchildren.

ArchCare Gala Tasting

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

Each October my husband hosts the ArchCare Foundation Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City. The foundation provides services for the frail and elderly in the archdiocese of New York. This year they raised over $1.4 million that evening, a huge success.

Before the gala each year, we attend a tasting at Gotham Hall to choose to menu. We begin with the floral centerpieces, and this year we chose this beautiful autumn arrangement.

We tasted some of the appetizer choices, including a clever meatloaf & mashed, a white truffle mashed potato ball topped with meatloaf. Our other choices included a confit of duck on a crispy sweet potato hashed brown topped with aleppo pepper- orange jam, coconut shrimp beignets, with a carrot-ginger puree and bonito flakes topping, and for the vegetarians, eggplant "meatballs", and figs in a blanket with goat cheese and poppy, coriander-maple topping.


For our first course, which was plated when we sat at the tables, we chose a salad with citrus (clementine and blood orange slices), cucumber oil poached tomato and goat cheese bon bons (so tasty!)  drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette.

Our entree was grilled filet mignon & butterflied lobster tail, served with a tiny twice stuffed baked potato, asparagus, crispy onions and a bordelaise sauce.  Our vegetarian choice was a delicious pumpkin and wheatberry "risotto", that had roasted apple, thyme, goat cheese, wild mushroom and spiced pepita. I thought it was fantastic.

For dessert, we had a flourless cocolate fondant cake, with burgundy-macerated currants and topped with a vanilla chantilly.

A view of Gotham Hall from the balcony

The table