I have taken a rather long break from working on this site. I really don't know why...maybe life just got in the way! So much going on...but time does not stand still and the time that passed was filled with events, some good and some not so good...perhaps the most major having been Hurricane Sandy. Such a devastating storm. Places I have known and loved so were badly damaged...people I know were displaced or worse, rendered homeless. Some of my children were without power for two weeks...no school...offices closed...impassable roads strewn with trees and debris...and that was the small stuff! New York City was dealt a blow to its transportation system and lower Manhattan was powerless for days, but it was the place I spent my youth, the place that my parent's retired to that suffered such great devastation that I weep most for... this community that lives in my heart...how I pray for its' recovery.
In an earlier post I described bucolic summer picnics at my parent's beach house Sun...Surf...Sangria http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1466927220843450043#editor/target=post;postID=1959311057180536053...today that entire community is practically gone! I also mentioned my parent's synagogue, The West End Temple. My memories of this place are warm and comforting. My parents became involved there as soon as they moved to Neponsit, and our family's association with the Temple was loving and cordial. When each of my children became a bar (bat) mitzvah at our New Jersey temple, Rabbi Joseph Weiss would invite our family to West End the following week and call my child to read during the service...such an honor (and such bragging rights for my parents!) In turn, my mother and I would prepare a huge oneg shabbat following the service...cakes...cookies fruit...drinks...to be shared with the congregation
My dad, never an overly religious man, became an active participant at the temple. He belonged to the men's group, attended services, supported my mother's many activities there and seemed to love this sense of belonging. When he died we called Rabbi Weiss to have him conduct the funeral. His wife informed us that the rabbi was away on a ski trip. We were upset, however we realized that even a hard-working clergyman needed a vacation...but before we could even locate another rabbi, Rabbi Weiss was on the phone informing us that he had cut short his vacation and was on his way home to officiate at Daddy's funeral.
When my mother turned 90 she was called upon to read at the service, and I remember her her beautiful voice ringing strong and clear through the sanctuary as she read the sacred passages...and when she died, Rabbi Weiss honored her by having her funeral service at the Temple. Several months later my sister, daughter and I hosted a celebration of my mother's life at West End Temple. After the showing of a video about her, made for her 90th birthday, we served a lunch that we had prepared ourselves and finished it off with all of my mother's favorite dessert recipes which we baked in her memory. Afterwards we had a pianist who led a sing-along of Mommy's favorite songs. Over 125 people attended...friends ...family ...congregants ...clergy...all like a family to our family!
And now, that place of my heart is in ruins. The waters of the bay and the ocean poured through it...tearing the pews away...soaking the prayer books and sacred readings beyond repair... windows smashed by the combination of winds and rushing water...children's programs simply washed away in the storm....
But there is hope...there is always hope...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iLvYYbRk85Q#
My memories of preparing desserts to bring to West End Temple include the following recipes:
Sour cream Coffee Cake
2cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. butter
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
TOPPING
2 tbsp. sugar (white)
3 tbsp. sugar (dark brown)
1/3 c. chopped nuts
1 + tsp. cinnamon
1/2 bag of mini chocolate morsels
2 tbsp cold butter
blend all topping ingredients with your fingers ibcorporating the butter well into the mixture...set aside
1- pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2-spay Pam ( or grease ) tube pan
3-Sift salt, baking soda, baking powder, flour together
4-In another bowl cream butter and sugar until blended
5-add eggs one at a time
6-beat in flour and sour cream alternating but beginning and ending with flour mixture
7-add vanilla
8-spread 1/2 of batter into the greased tube pan...sprinkle 1/2 of topping over the batter...spread remaining batter over the topping and sprinkle remaining topping on this layer of batter
9- bake for 45 minutes...cool...serve
Quick almost from scratch Lemon Chocolate Cake
1 box lemon cake mix or yellow cake mix
1 package lemon pudding (instant)
2/3 cup sour cream
4 squares grated bitter chocolate
3-4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
juice and rind of 1 lemon
1-preheat oven to 350 degrees
2-spray a bundt (or tube) pan with Pam
3-Follow instructions on the box for pound cake
4-add to the pound cake ingredients called for on the box, the sour cream, lemon juice and zest...mix until smooth
5- mix together grated chocolate and confectioner's sugar in a separate bowl
6-Pour 1/2 of batter into the tube pan...sprinkle about 2/3 of chocolate/sugar mixture over batter and cover with the rest of the batter and bake about 5-8 minutes longer than box instructions tell you to...watching it carefully...when done, cool in pan...when still slightly warm sprinkle remaining chocolate/sugar over the top.
Such sweet memories...Please pray for this community and if you want to do more there is a way...http://www.indiegogo.com/helprebuildwestendtemple
ahhh . I live your stories and the sour cream as m cake sounds delish!!!
ReplyDeletexoxox