Sista’s Helpful Tips

PrintHands down, some of the most commonly asked questions I receive is about frying. What oil do I use? How do I fry ? How do I get my foods thoroughly cooked, crisp and golden in color without burning it? Do I use; vegetable oil, lard, canola oil, or olive oil when frying ? What is my secret? With the holiday season knocking at our doors, I thought It be best to clarify the answer to this big question.

I always fry using La Spagnola Vegetable and Olive Oils Blended Oil. You may have noticed La Spagnola’s large tracker trailer trucks pulling in and out of  Gorton’s packing plant here in Gloucester on Roger Street. The big joke in our family is that I use so much of this product throughout the year, that I too should make arrangements with the La Spagnola Company, and like Gorton’s request to have weekly home deliveries of their product delivered right to my door step. I use it when frying, chicken, steak, fish, Arancini, Italian Donuts, Pinulata,…ect. It simply doesn’t matter what I am frying, it matters that when I am frying I only use this product. Why? … because without fail it always gives me the best end results of perfection!

oil to fry

Get to the market look for the large bright yellow gallon jug, usually located on the bottom shelf in the oils section, and stock up for the holidays. I know I will be stocking up, after all, I am Sicilian…and we Sicilians are known to do a lot of frying during the holiday season!

Don’t forget to send your Sista Felicia Recipe photos in to GMG and join the GMG FOB Cooks club! I will personally post them once per week.

The Oceanside Hotel, Magnolia, circa 1900

The Oceanside Hotel in Magnolia was built in 1878. With its 400 rooms, it was the 2nd largest hotel of its type in New England. Shore Road with a carriage underway is in the foreground. Sadly, the Oceanside burned to its foundation in 1958.
The Oceanside Hotel in Magnolia was built in 1878. With its 400 rooms, it was the 2nd largest hotel of its type in New England. Shore Road with a carriage underway is in the foreground. Sadly, the Oceanside burned to its foundation in 1958.

Max De Pree Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

November 15, 2013

“We cannot become who we want to be by remaining who we are.”

Max De Pree (1924- )

A Michigan native, Max De Pree is the son of D. J. De Pree, who started the very successful Herman Miller furniture company. Max and his brother Hugh ran and expanded the company from the 60’s up into the 90’s. He has written extensively on leadership in both the business and non-profit communities and his Leadership is an Art was a best seller. In the mid 1950’s he commissioned Charles and Ray Eames to design a home in Zeeland, close to corporate headquarters. It remains an icon of modernist architecture and interior design.

Community Photos 11/18/13

Hello Joey , The beauty of the Schooner Adventure takes many forms. Even the rigging has elegance .

Pictures by Bruce Slifer

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Took this at sunset at Smiths cove tonight. I saw Homie and couldn’t resist taking his picture.

What a great sky!

Best,

Katherine Richmond

Seagull sunset LRZ


Rick Isaacs submits-

After Thursday’s Great Marsh Symposium we had a tour to view the Marsh from the roof of the Crane Estate Great House!

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Community Stuff 11/18/13

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport is sponsoring a Holiday Fair on December 7th from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the  church vestry, 4 Cleaves Street, Rockport. Among the featured hand-made items will be baked goods, calendars,  greeting cards, sea glass mobiles, jewelry, hand-knitted items, and a large assortment of themed gift baskets.


Hello Everyone,

Coming up on December 9th, two very special events in one evening at the Cape Ann Community Cinema. This is going to be a great night. Please share the attached flyer with any parents, teachers, kids, or others who care about reconnecting kids with nature, love wildlife, or enjoy humorous british documentaries.

SHORT NATURE FILMS FROM CHEBACCO WOODS: First, our 7-10 year old Nature Film Making Students will introduce and present the films they have spent many hours tromping through the field with cameras to make. They’ve worked on learning camera handling skills, wildlife sneaking and nature awareness, story creation, and technical editing skills. Their movies feature an array of wonderful footage, woven together to make stories that could only happen in Chebacco Woods. You will see footage of underwater snakes, talking fish, under – log creatures, the elusive pickle frog, and a restless coyote.

PROJECT WILD THING: This BRAND new documentary from Great Britan amuses and changes your world with frog kissing, climbing from trees, ridiculous irreverrence, and a new way to tackle a growing issue. I believe (though can’t confirm just yet) that this will be the first North American showing of this film. We had to pay the screening fee in pounds!

BOTH SHOWS ARE ADMISSION BY VOLUNTARY DONATION AND WILL SUPPORT NATURE CONNECTION IN CAPE ANN/NORTH SHORE AREA. WE’D LOVE A MILLION DOLLARS BUT WILL LET YOU IN FOR ONE DOLLAR, OR NO DOLLARS. JUST COME ON OUT!!!

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GloucesterCast 11/17/13 With Host Joey Ciaramitaro and Guest Toby Pett

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GloucesterCast Taped 11/17/13 With Host Joey Ciaramitaro and Guest Toby Pett

Topics Include:

Power Outage In East Gloucester, Square Reader, Live Blogging Butt Wipes and The Dollar Shave Club, Butternut- Comes From A Tree Or a Bush?, J Pace and Sons, Thai Choice, Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito Hazing, Was John Farrell Robbed Of The MLB Manager of The Year Award By The Major League Baseball Sports Writers?

 

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Anyone Know Of a Mass Save Energy Program That Advises On Lighting For Industrial Spaces?

A lot of our lobstermen have been switching over to LED lighting and I know it’s uses less energy and the initial costs for the lighting fixtures are  more but I wonder if there are programs out there where you get credits toward the project for using energy saving fixtures.

Basically the dock here is like a big barn that needs to be lit up inside.  The old lighting fixtures just aren’t cutting it.

On the boats that have switched over to LED there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the light that they throw off.  Across the harbor you can see on the decks of their boats much better.

I think when we changed our cooler fans over to a more efficient system we got a credit.  I wonder if they do the same for lighting.

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New Video: Sefatia and Friends Cooking for a Cause!

City Councilor At-large Sefatia Romeo Thekn and friends help raise funds to support Megan Cole’s participation in the Boston Marathon to benefit the Hoyt Foundation. She and her commares cook breakfast and lunch for Jack Ventola and his employees at National Fish & Seafood.

Congressman John Tierney, Mayor Carolyn Kirk, and State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante join Sefatia and friends. Wicked Tuna Captain Dave Carraro and First Mate Paul Hebert stop by to share lunch.

~ Starring ~ Sefatia Rome Thekan

~ Featuring ~ Megan Cole, Congressman John Tierney, Jack Ventola, Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Dave Carraro, Paul Hebert

~ Commares ~ Giovanna Margiotta, Gus Margiotta, Liz Margiotta, Rosalia Favazza, Pietra Locontro, Maria Cannavo, Rosaria Floyd, Lia Romeo Oliver, Tonianne Enes, Domenic Enes, Megan Cole, Mark Cole, Jane Fonzo, Frances Ferrante, Jennifer Arson, National Fish Employees

~ Music During the Event by Torianne Enes

~ Pastries and Bread Donated by Jim’s Bagel and Bake Shoppe, Sclafani Italian Bakery, Cafe Sicilia

Opening Credit Music: “Fritto Misto;” Closing Credit “Music: Don Pietro.”

A note about the song “Fritto Misto” ~ Searching for fun lively music for the video, I came across the song “Fritto Misto.” Google search led to many recipes for Fritto Misto, which loosely translated means ‘fried seafood and vegetable medley’–how perfect for this little film about cooking seafood with Sefatia and friends!

Filmed at National Fish and Seafood, March 25, 2013.

A little spash over on the boulevard

As I watched this small splash over began to think of the storms and how much fun it is to watch the ocean and of course to take some photos.

November 1, 2013 little splash over on the blvd.

Artist Spotlight Series – Jenny Rangan

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Spotlight on Jenny Rangan

Jenny grew up in Northern New Mexico in an adobe house with a woodstove, an outhouse, and a well for water, so her first experience of clay was living in it, with all its colors and curves and glorious decay.

Jenny officially fell in love with clay in college and earned a degree in Fine Art from UNM with an emphasis on Ceramics. Following graduation she created outdoor sculpture from adobe, apprenticed with Avra Leodas (current owner of Santa Fe Clay) in Santa Fe, NM, and made pit-fired pots from micaceous clay with Felipe Ortega in La Madera, NM. She then spent 20 years as a Bodyworker and Counselor, barely touching clay.

Inspired by classes at Cynthia Curtis’ Studio in Rockport, she has re-emerged over the last four years with full passion. Jenny loves to work sculpturally, combining thrown and handbuilt elements, aspiring to a combination of spontaneity and grace. Currently she enjoys creating functional art that can bring beauty, pleasure and meaning to everyday life.

This past August Jenny co-created and co-curated the first Cape Ann Ceramics Festival with Susan Hershey and Seyrel Williams at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, an amazing and very successful event.

Over the holidays her work will be in the Rocky Neck Holiday Art and Fine Crafts Festival 11/30-12/29, in Feast at Flatrocks in Lanesville through 12/29, in the Wearable Art and Home Décor Show and Sale at the Sawyer Free Library 12/14-15, and at Cynthia Curtis Student and Studio Pottery Show 12/13-12/22. Jenny’s work can also be seen at Artitudes in West Newton, MA

http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php

E.J. Lefavour

Man Supports the Arts With Statement to His Ex…

Amazing lengths some people will go to.. Perhaps this guy should have moved on long ago, but no. He buys a house next-door to his Ex and  installs a work of art for her to admire.. A very expensive hand gesture. Click the article to read more! Jeez, can you believe this?

Saturday, November 16, 2013 is for lighthouses

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Eastern Point Lighthouse, current structure built 1890
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Thacher Island Twin Lights, current structures built 1861

nb. Click photos to embiggen. The Twin Lights show the flaw of shooting with a tiny lens in the iPhone 5. I can straighten the horizon but the towers are leaning towards each other. Larger cameras, more glass in the lens, and shooting with the camera straight on and not pointing up can eliminate most of this convergence. Last ditch there is always Photoshop to straighten out structures leaning in.

Holiday Boutique Winthrop School Hamilton, MA Saturday, December 7, 2013 9am-3pm

This festive event features over 47 local vendors selling holiday gifts. Stock up on cookies at the Cookie Walk, bid on great Silent Auction items, pick up great gifts at the Scholastic Book Fair, and enjoy a tasty breakfast or lunch at the Winthrop Café.

Children will delight in doing their own holiday shopping with the help of friendly elves. All gifts in this Children’s Secret Shop cost $5 or less.
 
And, of course, Santa will be on site!

For more information, contact Barbara Vanderwilden at: barbaravanderwilden@comcast.net

Admission: $2.00 Adults $1.00 Children & Seniors

Found on Ebay

Auction ends in 4 hours great deal for a 16×20″

Photos don’t show the vivid colors

Paul Frontiero Sr. “Lanes Cove”

ebay

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Famous-Gloucester-Artist-Paul-Frontiero-original-signed-oil-painting-Lanes-Cove-/151163367771?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item233209f15b

Left Brained? Right Brained?

Studies say creative people tend to be more right brained, take the test and see if it’s true!

Click Here To Take The Brain Test

Share your results in the comment section

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A view from the Star

As Rick and I were coming back from breakfast, saw the beautiful Christmas tree at Kent Circle. Talked to Ringo Tarr and Joe N. and they asked me if I would like to go to the top to take some photos, of course I said yes even though I do not like height. This tree is 38 feet. Thank you Ringo and Joe.

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The Gift That Keeps On Giving

PrintThe GHS Photography Class Fundraiser hosted by Lillian LoGrasso and her daughter Alessia on Friday evening was a smashing success. The Cruisport Gloucester ballroom was bustling with shoppers and dancers all night!  Lillian writes,”I don’t have the grand total yet because money keeps coming in…. but I can tell you that each kid will get a nice dent in their trip due to all of YOU!

Today I thought I share a personal highlight from Friday evening’s event. My daughter Amanda, and mother Pat were  busy handing out samples of  my Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Dip recipe from my cookbook  to shoppers, while I personally signed copies of my newly released “Gifts Of Gold In A Sicilian Kitchen With Sista Felicia, Harvest.” A handsome man sporting a hat very similar in style to one my grandfather once wore(Cappedu hat) caught my eye while waiting in line at the GMG/Sista Felicia Table….I was experiencing a moment when someone looks familiar, but you just can’t put a name to the face at that very second. He stepped up to the table, picked up a copy of the cookbook, and asked to see page 86 & 87. My daughter Amanda assisted him in finding the page, and he pointed to a gentlemen’s photo on page 86 and said “That’s me!”  I couldn’t get around the table fast enough to give him a big hug. I asked him if he knew my grandfathers,  he chuckled and replied “my name is Sam LoGrasso, and I know all your family and your father Libby too.” Fighting back tears, I asked if he would be willing to take a photo together. He kindly agreed. Thank you Sammy, you made my night!

Italian man photo thats in the cookbook

Now You See It, Now you Don’t.

July 24, 2013. This is the Cape Ann Tool Company in Pigeon Cove, Rockport. The defunct industrial site will be made into single family housing and incorporate a public harbor walk.
July 24, 2013. This is the Cape Ann Tool Company in Pigeon Cove, Rockport. The defunct industrial site will be made into single family housing and incorporate a public harbor walk.
Photo taken November 16, 2013. It took months for workers to jackhammer the tower down to a height within reach of the excavator (foreground), which finished the job in short order.
Photo taken November 16, 2013. It took months for workers to jackhammer the tower down to a height within reach of the excavator (foreground), which finished the job in short order.