Helene Stapinski (WSC Alumna) Explores New York Playgrounds

Are you tired of taking your kids to the same old playground? Maybe you've run out of topics to talk to the other parents about? If so, and you like being adventurous, be sure to read Helene Stapinksi's recent piece in the NY Times, New York's Big Backyard. The article takes the reader on a tour of the great playgrounds in the five boroughs which she and her children have discovered.

"There are nearly 1,000 playgrounds in the five boroughs run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and picking your favorite is as personal as deciding a name for your child. We love so many, it’s hard to choose. There’s the little playground on the beach at Coney Island with the palm-tree sprinkler; the Vesuvio Playground in SoHo, named after the nearby Italian bakery, with its long jungle gym that’s great for chasing one another. But there are a few that stand out, not just for their newfangled playground equipment, but for their shade, their vibe and the history that surrounds them."


If you take your kids to any of the playgrounds mentioned in the article be sure to let us know by commenting on this post! Do you have a favorite place where you like to hang out? work? people watch? Send us your favorite places and we'll put together a blog tour.

Ted Allen (GSAS '90), Food Detective.

We were thrilled to learn that Ted Allen's new series, Food Detectives will premier on The Food Network on July 29th.

"The half-hour, primetime show mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from Popular Science magazine, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths and questions. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer such questions as: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an “apple a day” really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments"

If you want to learn more about this new show and see what else Ted is up to, check out his website. He keeps a great blog which even features some great recipes. Spicy grapefruit margaritas anyone?

Janelle Nanos- Can One Sibling Pull the Plug If the Others Don’t Want To?

Here's a link to an interesting article in the current issue of New York Magazine written by GSAS Alumna, Janelle Nanos, who received her MA in Journalism at NYU.

Bethenny Frankel (WSC '92)

You may know Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York City on Bravo, but did you know that she is an NYU Alumna as well? Bethenny formed her company, Bethenny Bakes which provides wheat, egg, and dairy free baked goods, meals for private clients, and a custom meal delivery service. Bethenny also has some delicious recipes on her site such as the one posted below.

Goat Cheese/Sundried Tomato Chicken Breasts Serves 6

Ingredients:

* 6 boneless chicken breasts
* 1 cup goat cheese
* 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
* 1 tsp. minced fresh Italian parsley
* Salt and Pepper
* ½ C finely chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)
* 1 C heavy cream
* 4 cloves minced garlic
* 4 T olive oil

Combine goat cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper. Make slit down the side of each chicken breast creating a pocket. Spoon a layer of goat cheese mixture inside each chicken breast. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Using sauté pan on med/high heat, layer bottom with olive oil and place chicken breasts facing up in pan until browned. Turn over and brown the other side then heat until fully cooked. Remove chicken breasts. Add minced garlic, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream to the pan. Add salt and pepper, and scrape all bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken (you may slice to increase portions)


Have you started your own business? Are you traveling for the summer? Do you have a special recipe you'd like to share? We want to hear from you!! Send us an email letting us know what you are up to and we'll feature you on this blog.

NYU Creative Writing Program Events

If you haven't been to the Lilian Vernon Creative Writers House, I suggest you check out the many wonderful events planned.

The New York University Creative Writing Program is hosting The Paris Review Summer Salon reading series in June featuring writers who have been published in The Paris Review. Readings, which are free and open to the public, take place at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 W. 10th Street. For further information, call 212.998.8816.

Here are some of the upcoming readings:

Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. Fiction reading: novelist Gish Jen, author of three novels, most recently, The Love Wife; J. Robert Lennon, author of five books of fiction, and co-editor of the blog, Ward Six; and Ryan McIlvian, a student of fiction at Rutgers University, are hosted by Radhika Jones, managing editor of The Paris Review, and Nathaniel Rich, senior editor of The Paris Review.

Tuesday, June 24, 6 p.m. Non-fiction reading: author Mark Dow, who wrote American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, and who is co-editor of Machinery of Death: The Reality of America’s Death Penalty Regime; Uzodinma Iweala, whose first novel Beasts of No Nation won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for fiction, and who edits the Nigeria-based Farafina Magazine and is completing a book on HIV/AIDS in Africa; Andrew Rice, whose first book about a murder trial and the legacy of Idi Amin will be published next spring, and who has had his reporting from Africa appear in many publications including The New Republic and The New York Times Magazine; and Said Sayrafiezadeh, who is writing a memoir about growing up in the Socialist Workers Party in New York City and has published stories and essays in Granta and Open City, will be hosted by associate editor of The Paris Review Christopher Cox and deputy editor of The Paris Review Matt Weiland.