You Really Got a Hold on Me

Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

Stuffed vegetables are never not great.  It's a wonder we don't make them more often. Cubanelle Stuffed Peppers are smokey without the heat, more delicate than the bells or poblanos, and the right size for stuffing. And because they are not as thick, they roast up fairly quickly.

Honestly, I don't know of a pepper that I didn't love roasted and stuffed.  They are still cheap, so bake up a whole pan and they work really well for lunch box meals. 

This time I simply stuffed with ground turkey, onions, garlic and cheddar but topped them with green onions, sour cream, tomatoes and cilantro and served with beans and rice.

The colors of Fall

Phoned in Halloween decorations around the hood

Baby Let's Cruise, Away From Here

Broccoli Bar Platter from the night before, when things were swell

He sat like a gargoyle at the edge of the hospital gurney watching everyone.  His shaved head darting right and left.  People were screaming and moaning in layers of sound from multiple directions.  Let me out of here or I'll kill you!, a man threatened at the other side of the room.  Brother!  Brother! A woman screams every two minutes, who sounds just like Fran Lebowitz.  We are in the emergency unit of Maimonides Medical Center in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.  The scene is straight out of a Scorsese film. It's overcrowded and chaotic, probably a typical Friday afternoon.  My side-eye glances reveal blood on gowns, limbs are cock-eyed and assorted other attrocities as we pass the first room of triage.  Some people are in extreme pain, others are very old, and I imagine them dying quietly alone. P tells me not to look.  Now we're further in a packed holding room, and they're parking me sideways in the hall.  I get moved a few times, finally to the corner.  I'm at the emergency for the second time in a week.  This time because I passed out and then my body went into some sort of mangled shock.  My hands, arms and legs froze contorted and it felt like a solid wooden board replaced my bladder.  Later it would be revealed I had COVID again.

But this story isn't about me, it's about the day my partner transformed into one of our most treasured icons.  Yes, P Tom Cruise'd the shit of me in the hospital.  A very intense Nigerian doctor came to take my symptoms but had zero patience and difficulty understanding my phrasing, which he seemed to hold against me.  I was having a hard time getting my words out and the good doctor was basically yelling at me for not being clear.  He didn't know what teeth-chattering meant, so I finally had to lift my mask to show him.  With eyes the only visible tool, I looked to P for help and he seemed to take the side of the doctor, mansplaining my symptoms.  The intimidating man (who I found later was in training) walked away and P was 5 inches from my face within seconds.  I swear his voice was that of Mr. Mission Impossible himself.  'We... are... managing them!' he said to me with an equally intense urgency.  'Stay with me here!  We need this man on our side, this place is insane right now."  And I complied immediately.  He was right, there was nothing to be gained by splitting hairs on bowel movement descriptions or what constitutes falling with this giant hothead.  Besides, we will most likely get sick IN here, so the best thing to do is manage out of it and quickly.

A tough nurse said I wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom but my bladder had been the boss this week, so we defied her rules and she simply stopped and yelled "Support her!" to Patrick.  An older lady came to take my blood and set up an IV as if she was a short order cook preparing the breakfast special on the busiest day of the year.  She poked and taped and was finished in less than a minute.  The IV came undone but no one noticed as my arm turned to ice. Another woman frantically handed me a pee cup that everyone made mention of but no one ever collected.  Others came, all asking similar questions yet somehow each one repeated back some inaccuracies and for some reason everyone called me a smoker.  Hours later we were double masked, and even more critical folks were wheeled in.  An elderly man walked by several times, pulled down his mask and hacked up a boatload of phlegm in our general direction.  

A tough looking drunk  guy that possibly came out the wrong side of a bar fight was put right in front of us and I prayed he wouldn't wake up.  P focused on his movements.  I wanted to get out of there.  He continued to stand guard and after a few tests and pokes, and two COVID tests, I was released.  P got us out of there and into an Uber.  It was now dark, late and very cold.  

The next morning the urologist would call and tell me I had COVID.  He said to get an Oximeter, and to return to the hospital if anything gets worse.  Worse? I thought, What would that look like? 

The Tears of a Clown

Orange and Cajun spiced baked chicken thighs. Super juicy, super tasty. Great for a weeknight meal with wild rice and brussel sprouts. For us its a slice of normalcy from the whole Sandy fiasco.

The water's gone down, I've returned to work, some of the town has recovered, but for so many the real hardships are just sinking in. The mold, the permanent damage, the inability to return to their homes, the lost personal treasures. There is a very solid funk built up around town and you really can't avoid it. It's the weekend but it doesn't feel like any particular day of the week. Probably best to turn off the news and quit watching other people's tragedies. It's not entertaining, you just feel like you should understand the scope. But at some point, its no longer necessary.




Yesterday the vibe in the city was more upbeat. You began to see how strangers were really reaching out to each other, helping in small ways. They were giving away dry ice at Union Square park. People lucky enough to have power were offering free cell phone charges. Bodegas were burning candles and trying to open as normal without power, selling what they could.


The food trucks were out in full force but that provided much needed eats for the stranded trustafarians and visiting workers from all over the US. Various trucks from every state were seen parked and ready to help.




PathMark looked like a bomb had hit it and they were out of a lot, some of their power was off and somehow their staff showed up to work or at least to get paid for working.

Red Hook has never been an attractive neighborhood, so you can imagine what it looked like after Sandy. She was not kind. All along Van Brunt every business was shut down and may not reopen from what I could see without full renovation. There was a boat in the middle of the street. I mean it was not good.



The food this week, like our mood has been modest and humble. Trying to keep it light, or bring some light. I'm pretty much a numb-nut. I just like to make stupid jokes about P being gay or comment about people's balls or penis size. I'm not sure how to process all this hard stuff, so I'm just gonna keep cookin'.

You Really Got a Hold On Me

When I try not to eat something, I become hyper aware of it. I've been cutting down on breads during the week. So of course this week I've noticed nothing but these crusty baguettes,seasoned loaves, rolls, biscuits and wraps. At the fifteen dollar store (I call because you have to spend $15 to use your debit card) I found this great rectangular Flax seed thin bread, almost tortilla or pita-like but grainier and tastier.

I bought everything fresh so it would be at the peak of flavor. A thin layer of mayo/yogurt spread on the bread, then the jack cheese, sprouts, corn off the cob, tomatoes, avocado, thin red onions and rolled tightly.

I had some sweet strawberries, yogurt, bananas, ice and orange juice to make a thick shake.

I made a quick salsa with the left over avocado and threw in a ripe peach. Served that up with some black bean baked chips.

Its impossible to stop eating breads, especially all the beautiful fresh baked goods we have here in the city. Its almost a sin not to eat them. This high fiber, low carb flax seed roll up is still 120 calories but its better than a thick white flour tortilla at least.

Light and delicious!