The 11th annual Evening of Hope Gala, sponsored by and to benefit Operation Hope of Fairfield, will take place at 6:30 p.m. May 17 at the Patterson Club and will honor Cindi Bigelow, the president of R.C. Bigelow, and her family for all they do for Operation Hope and the community at large.
Operation Hope runs homeless shelters, a community kitchen, a food pantry, transitional housing and associated services for people who are homeless and hungry or at risk of being so.
The event, featuring a Southern style to replicate the charm of the Fairfield-based company’s South Carolina tea plantation, will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and an auction. Tickets are $200 per person. For information, contact Paula Morthanos at pmorthanos@operationhopect.org; call 203-292-5588, Ext. 246; or visit www.operationhopect.org.
In addition to supporting Operation Hope in many ways, the Bigelow tea company, the headquarters for which are on lower Black Rock Turnpike, has organized the Bigelow Community Challenge, a one-day road race every September. According to the company website, www.bigelowtea.com, more than $600,000 has been distributed to local charities, including Operation Hope. Additionally, the company and its employees have supported the Connecticut Food Bank, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, the Kennedy Center, Junior Achievement, the Bridgeport school system’s Read Aloud Day and Mentor Program and the American Red Cross, among other agencies and programs.
“As good corporate citizens,” says Cindi Bigelow on the website, “we feel an obligation to support the local communities where we reside so as to build a good working relationship as well as to contribute to worthy local and national causes.”
I, for one, am glad they do.
Archive for April, 2012
Good corporate citizen
A call to march
Without a doubt, Fairfield has the best Memorial Day parade in Fairfield County. One of the largest, the parade features school and area bands and fife and drum corps, Boy and Girl Scouts, Police and Fire department members, floats, nonprofit organizations and, of course, veterans.
The parade, by the way, is organized by veterans with the help of a few civilians. The Fairfield Memorial Day Committee is inviting all veterans who served Feb. 28, 1961, to May 7, 1975, to march in this year’s parade. All veterans will march as a unit in the first division. No uniform is required. To participate, contact the Fairfield Memorial Day Committee via fairfieldmemorialday@yahoo.com or call 203-414-0246 no later than May 20.
The Memorial Day parade will step off at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 28, rain or shine. The theme of this year’s parade is “We welcome home our brave Vietnam veterans who served so well, with heartfelt thanks, respect and honor this 2012.”
The best of the best
Maybe it’s because I’m a gardener, but my favorite program in town is the Pride in Our Homes Contest, sponsored by the Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors.
The board is accepting nominations for its 26th annual contest. Winners in three categories will receive prizes. The contest is for amateurs only. Nominations are being accepted through May 18. The winners’ properties will be profiled in the Fairfield Citizen, which is a co-sponsor of the contest. A nomination form will be published in the Fairfield Citizen on April 25 and 27.
Residents may nominate the gardens and other plantings of neighbors, friends or their own homes. Homes must be in Fairfield.
The categories are:
Front of Home Appearance: The house whose landscaping gives it the best curb appeal.
Home Landscaping: The best landscaping across the entire property.
Outdoor Living “Sanctuary” Room: The best outdoor living space, including patios, outdoor kitchens, container gardens and arbors.
The preliminary contest judging is planned for May and the final judging, done by landscape professionals, takes place in June.
For more information, call the Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors at 203-255-0497.
Setting sail
I remember when Community Sailing of Fairfield was first proposed. Some people were skeptical. So was I. But it has turned out to be one of our town’s finer features. Community Sailing of Fairfield is run by its members but is under the Parks and Recreation Department and based at Southport Harbor. Two fixed-keel, family-size Ideal 18-foot daysailers, four two-man kayaks and two one-man kayaks are available to members. Certain rules and guidelines apply and membership information can be found at www.communitysailingfairfield.webs.com.
The program offers weekly racing opportunities hosted by the Pequot Yacht Club and the option for members to race our boats in area regattas.
Additionally, the group has planned a seminar for potential new members, plus three boating-safety seminars for potential members and seasoned sailors alike. All four sessions are free and open to the public in the community room of the Eunice Postol Memorial Recreation Center, 75 Mill Plain Road. The introductory session, on Friday, April 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., will provide an overview of the organization, membership, sailing techniques and reserving boats. The safety seminars will be offered from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 23; Friday, April 27; and Monday, April 30.
More information about Community Sailing of Fairfield, visit http://cal.fairfieldct.org/content/2765/2785/3044/default.aspx.
Earth Day celebration in the works
Mark your calendars now for the 14th annual Fairfield Earth Day Celebration, which takes place on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fairfield Warde High School. Admission is free.
The organizers have planned food, entertainment, presentations, roundtable discussions and exhibits on recycling, clean and renewable alternative energy choices, including affordable solar choices for homes, conservation, our environment, organic and sustainable methods of gardening, cleaning, safe organic food, products and services, electric and hybrid cars on display, and Warde’s FCCLA club with Burr’s Roots and Shoots strutting their Trashy Fashions.
For more information, visit www.FairfieldEarthday.org. The list of exhibitors, presenters and entertainment is updated daily. Also, the event can be followed on www.facebook.com/FairfieldEarthDay or Twitter at #FairfieldEarth.
An interesting question
The Connecticut Audubon Society will conduct a community forum from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight, April 12, at Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr St., to answer the question “Where Is the Next Generation of Conservationists Coming From?”
The panel discussion is a follow-up to the society’s recent Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report, which can be found at www.Ctaudubon.org.
The panelists are Milan Bull, the society’s senior director of science and conservation; Michelle Eckman, the society’s director of education; Pamela Iacono, chairwoman of the Fairfield Board of Education; David Brant, executive director of the Aspetuck Land Trust; Tom Ellbogen, director of the Webb Mountain Discovery Zone in Monroe; and Mary Hogue, former president of the Fairfield PTA Council. The panel also will include Caroline Hron Weigle, a student at Monroe’s Masuk High School who volunteers for the society’s Animal Care program, and Laura Magnotta, program director for Wakeman Boys and Girls Club.
For information, call the center at 203-259-6305.
Mama Jeanne
On Saturday at Greenfield Hill Congregational Church, I bid farewell to “Mama Jeanne,” who died April 2 at the age of 80.
Mama Jeanne was Jeanne Elsasser, one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. For those of you who are longtime readers of the Fairfield Citizen, perhaps you remember her. I certainly know that many in the real estate community recall the round-faced, tall woman who handled their listings, which appeared every Friday in the newspaper.
Since the early 1980s – in the office on South Benson or the temporary one at Heritage Square or the permanent one on Carter Henry — Jeanne handled the customer service for the classified and real estate ads. In those days, customers regularly stopped into the office to place their ads, unlike now where everything is done over the phone. She eventually became the manager of the real estate directory, working closely with the agents and with the newspaper’s production department. I remember vividly seeing her hunched over her desk placing copies of photos and text on the dummies or mechanicals, as they were called. But prior to getting even to that point, Jeanne met with the majority of the realtors, who would sit beside her desk, go over their ads for the coming week and then relax and catch up on family, gossip and town affairs.
And that was the best part about Jeanne – she always made you feel important because she was interested in your life.
My relationship with Jeanne was like that of mother and daughter. I think she was a little unsure of me when I was appointed the editor of the newspaper in 1986. But as the years went on, we became close and I often turned to her for help or advice. And we had a lot of fun – and laughs. Jeanne loved to laugh, and if you got her going, well, look out. She would go into uncontrollable laughter if something struck her particularly funny.
We also were lunch buddies, especially if we had a craving for something off the menu at Breakaway, where Martel is located now. I regularly ordered its grilled chicken sandwich with pesto mayonnaise and Jeanne always got the chicken wings. I usually did the pickup and delivery after Jeanne would place the order. I can hear her on the phone saying she wanted the chicken wings – “the part that flies.” I smile as I think of that memory. And here’s another interesting tidbit about Jeanne – she loved pretzels. But as I came to find out later, she rarely ate the pretzel and instead just sucked the salt off of them. Dozens of pretzels could be found in the waste basket at her desk.
Jeanne was a great cook – and hospitable. She and her husband Art often opened up their Fallow Field Road house in Greenfield Hill to the newspaper staff. Their beautiful home with the built-in swimming pool was the scene of many a party, and Jeanne made all of the food. Oh, and they also had a boat, which they used regularly, including watching the annual Fairfield fireworks display from Long Island Sound.
When the process of coordinating the real estate advertising section changed – Jeanne was going to have to actually go out and sell ads – she and Art decided it was time to retire. So they sold their Fairfield house and headed to Sanibel Island, where they lived for a number of years until returning to Connecticut and living with their daughter and son-in-law in a specially built apartment for them.
That hospitality that was at Jeanne’s core continued when they moved to the island. One time when my friend Cathy and I vacationed in Naples, Fla., we decided to take a side trip to see Jeanne and Art. We expected to spend a few hours with them, but it ended being an overnight stay. Jeanne made us dinner, then provided us with our own accommodations in a wing of their house – separate bedrooms and bath. What a treat. I will never forget it.
The memorial service for Jeanne on Saturday was a simple tribute to a woman who lived a simple life – family, friends, fun. And lots of love.
An Easter treat
For a number of Easter holidays now, I have been asked to make lasagna. I’ve made it for Christmas too. Holidays are the only time of the year that I endeavor this. It is a time-consuming task and takes more than one day to complete. I have, however, made it for my neighbor, albeit a small casserole, after he has cleared my driveway with his snow blower as a thank you for his kind effort.
The recipe, included at the bottom of this blog entry, was handed down to me by my mother. She got it from an Hungarian neighbor, but Mom altered it some. I have since tweaked it myself. For instance, I find it a lot easier to brown ground pork than sausages, and the flavor is nearly the same.
For the past few Easter holidays, my mother and I have been spending the day and having dinner at her assisted living facility. In the past, we invited my aunt (Mom’s sister) and my cousin to dinner. But my aunt passed away just a few weeks ago and my mom and my cousin were not up for the usual. So Mom and I decided to join the rest of our family at my sister’s house, where there will be upwards of 25 people and lots and lots of food. My lasagna too.
So in the spirit of the holiday, I am sharing the recipe. Enjoy it and Happy Easter.
Lasagna
Ingredients:
For sauce:
3 pounds of ground beef (85-90% lean)
2 pounds of ground pork
2 large cans of tomato juice
2 large cans of tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato paste
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
Black pepper
Oregano
Basil
For casserole:
Medium size part-skim ricotta cheese
1-2 bags of shredded part-skim mozzarella
Grated cheese
2 boxes of Ronzoni lasagna noodles
Hefty EZ Foil All-Purpose Pan 13 1/2″ X 9 1/2″ X 3″
Put all the liquid ingredients (juice, sauce, paste) into large pot and start to simmer. Brown the ground beef; drain, put aside. Brown the pork; drain, put aside. Brown the garlic and onion in the remnants of the pan from the browning of the beef and pork. Do not over-brown because the garlic will get bitter. Dump the beef, pork, garlic and onions into the sauce. Add black pepper, oregano and basil to taste. Stir. Do not add salt because the cheeses will be salty enough once you put the lasagna casserole together.
Simmer the sauce for 6 to 8 hours.
Two sauce notes:
1. Make the sauce the day before you put the lasagna casserole together because it will taste better after it sits in the refrigerator overnight and then is reheated.
2. When you put the lasagna casserole together, make sure the sauce is hot; otherwise, the ricotta won’t blend.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lasagna Casserole Layering:
Boil the noodles following the instructions on the box. The noodles should not be cooked all the way. Rinse them in cold water, let them dry. Careful: The noodles may be hot to work with.
Follow this pattern:
Cover the bottom of pan with sauce, place layer of noodles, more sauce, place teaspoonful dollops of ricotta (about three in a row) and mash with fork until blended, sprinkle layer with grated cheese, then mozzarella (lightly).
Next row: noodles, sauce, ricotta, grated cheese, mozzarella. Follow the preceding until you reach the top of pan. Add a good amount of mozzarella at top.
Baking:
Bake the lasagna casserole for 30-35 minutes in 350-degree oven uncovered. Make sure the mozzarella on top is melted. Take out of the oven and let sit about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Final notes:
This recipe makes two casseroles of lasagna. Lasagna making is so labor-intensive that it is a good idea to make two casseroles at a time and freeze one of them.
You will be tempted to use the no-cook lasagna noodles because they are “easy.” Don’t. They do not have the same flavor or texture once you put the casserole together.
