One last gasp of cookies

I made the leftover Mrs. Fields dough into cookies (102 of them) and cut up 60 pieces of double-decker fudge to take to church today.  And now I think I'm due for a little cookie-making break.  Maybe I'll concentrate on eating the leftovers.

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PopLab and Picnic

Monday evening, a small group of PopLab (see here) participants had a picnic and talk in Washington Square Park.  We found an accessible place to circle our wagons, then dropped a lot of food inside the circle.



Several people had made dishes using CSA bounty.  Prinny cooked up bok choy with garlic; Kelly made a salad.  I had nothing to share, but I still felt welcome.  Even our conversation was sometimes delicious, as I'd hoped.


Sandals from Payless. 


p.s. These were good.

Agape Meal

[I wrote down the name of the artist who painted this striking installation, which she did for a video/dance collaboration, but I've lost the piece of paper!  Anyone recognize the artwork?]

On Agape Sundays at church (the first Sunday of each month), we share communion as part of a service-long meal of fruit, bread, crackers, doughnuts, cheese, etc.  Juice and wine are served.   I always try to pick a seat close to the cheese.

On this particular Agape Sunday, I forgot to bring anything to share (because I forgot it was Agape Sunday).  I'm embarrassed to admit I had only enough snacks for myself in my bag.  I tried to drink my pineapple juice and eat my Chex Mix "Turtle" Bar quickly, so as to not call attention to my thoughtlessness.



As it turns out, the Chex Mix bar makes a much better dessert than a breakfast. It's way too sweet and sticky for me to think of it as nearing "healthy."

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PopLab and Potluck

Here's where you go to buy the meat bread to take to a potluck lunch.  Vegetarians, fear not!  I also bought blueberries.

A few weekends ago, pepperoni and cheese "meat bread" in hand, I attended the inaugural PopLab event, held at Judson Memorial Church.  This was a (free) day-long interactive seminar or creative think-tank of sorts, in which participants explored our pasts, presents and futures in small groups -- through the lenses and intersections of faith, culture, politics, and activism.

Here is part of how the event was described by the founders:

Ever ask yourself why the progressive left doesn't do a better job at capturing America's political imagination?
Ever reflect on why life is so interesting and yet church can be so boring?

PopLab is the place for you.  Join us Saturday, April 10th for a creative workshop/retreat.  Join us for socializing, discussion, brainstorming games, and food. (Yes, FOOD.)  Our primary agenda is a very laid back one: reconnecting, free-associating, and talking smack about the future, progressive politics, and making a scene in order to make a point.  Maybe there's a more interesting (or just more fun) way to develop our collective voice and build the kind of future we all dream of?

Also: it was always our intention to have this be the first meeting of an ongoing conversation, a kind of "artistic and political think-tank for populist theology," so if you can't make it on the 10th, but want to be in the loop on what grows out of this, please let us know.  And please feel free to email us with any questions, concerns, or ideas...

You see how "FOOD" is written in all caps in the text above?  That certainly captured my attention.  And, yeah, the rest of it was intriguing, too.  I made sure to attend.

This first event was themed loosely around the idea of "superheroes," and all that might imply/encompass.  Over the course of the event, we were asked to answer the following questions on paper and in person:

• When was the first time you can remember being politically “activated,” (however you define this)? 
• What was your earliest moment of insight (or inspiration) in regards to the spirit, God, or religion (for or against, however you define this)? 
• What was the first time you can remember being truly moved by a work of art?  Could be a book, play, song, or painting, but what was it? 
• Name one superhero you have personally known.  Imagine what his/her icon might be.

• Where are you most “hooked” politically?  What are the issues that motivate you?  Wherever possible, push yourself to ask “what am I for?” 
• What are your spiritual values (however you define that), and how do they manifest themselves (or not manifest themselves) in your life today? 
• Give an example of artistic expression that truly moves you today.  This could be a song that’s stuck in your head, a movie you saw, or something you are creating yourself. 
• What is the greatest living super villain of our times?  And what might his/her icon be?

• What next step do you see yourself taking to actualize your ideal political future? 
• What action do you see yourself taking in your ongoing spiritual evolution? 
• What creative endeavor are looking forward to most?  Is it yours?  Is it someone else’s? 
• Describe what kind of super hero you’ll be, along with one element of your costume.

Have any answers in mind?  Much discussion ensued, to say the least.  At the end of it all, I found the day challenging, exciting, fascinating, inspiring, and delicious.  And just what was so delicious? Why, that aforementioned FOOD.  We enjoyed a buffet breakfast and outrageous potluck lunch.  Take a gander:


A welcoming breakfast table.  I committed one misstep and drowned my blueberry green tea bag (brought from home) in coffee.  I thought it was a hot water urn!  Strange as it might seem, I sometimes forget people drink coffee.


What to do when your breakfast clashes with your pants?  Eat quickly.  Also, I think it was Suresh who found the sea salt in the kitchen closet.  A thousand blessings upon him!  A little salt makes tomato slices so much more divine.


Incredibly incredible potluck spread.  Ah, deviled eggs.  How you bedevil me.


Grainy phone photo spotlight on my meaty meat bread.


My delightful lunch.

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I'm looking forward to future soul-searching, stomach-filling installments of PopLab.  If you're in NYC and you'd like to know when the next one happens, just comment below.  I'll make sure you get all the details.

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Maundy, Maundy

I attended a Maundy Thursday service last night. We observed communion using giant sheets of matzoh, but I broke off and ate only a small piece with my sip of wine/apple juice (I chose apple juice).

Dry and bland though it was, I just couldn't bear to throw away my uneaten polygon of matzoh square at the end of the service. I stuck the remainder in my bag and finished it at Peter's art opening.

Further Adventures in Snack Curation

[It's Poetry Tuesday, and I owe you one, but I'm so far behind in my blogging that I hope you'll forgive a couple of non-poetic posts today.]

A few weeks ago, the time came for me to curate (they say "host") the snacks during "Coffee Hour" (actually about 20 minutes) after church. I was instructed to bring enough light snacks for 40 people, milk, and juice. Cookies were suggested as the snack in the instructing email, but since I still had hundreds in the freezer from my holiday cookie party, I would have taken cookies as my offering even if they hadn't been given as the example.

The congregants in attendance ate over 160 cookies in about 15 minutes flat. I was glad I'd baked an extra batch of Mrs Fields with walnuts that morning. Sugar, peppermint snap, Nutella cranberry, and coconut Joe Frogger cookies rounded out my selection.

One of my favorite things about serving a variety of cookies to a large group of people is that everyone can have his or her own favorite. Each kind of cookie is "the best" to at least one person -- and usually to several. I think this is how attraction works in our non-cookie-oriented romances, too. Human hearts and attraction meters vary widely and wildly. No matter what you look or taste like, there's someone out there who is really into that.



P.S. Though I was the host and responsible for the treats that day, I appreciated the generosity of an unnamed churchgoer who dropped off two Trader Joe's tarts [one chocolate almond (my favorite and pictured above), one lemon] to bulk up the buffet.

We joined the club.

I have never hosted a big holiday meal, and have certainly never been in charge of the turkey for Thanksgiving (it's actually a dish I wouldn't miss, were it to disappear from the holiday's celebration), but I understand that some people are quite passionate about the bird at the center of many American tables on a certain Thursday in late November.

"Cook your turkey on a Weber Grill!" certain Grill-The-Turkey cult members proclaim. This year, we did.

The end result was tasty enough, and the preparation seemed to be low-fuss from where I was sitting.

What's your favorite method of whole turkey prep?

Congratulations, Eleanor!

When Ed made the announcement in church, his words were that we were all invited to "an Ecclesiastical Council - now there's a jawbreaker for you -- " for Eleanor Harrison (who has been going through the UCC ordination process). The phrase "now there's a jawbreaker for you" got stuck in my head on a little loop for a few minutes.

Jawbreakers...jawbreakers...

Well, as it turns out, there were no jawbreakers for us at the Council, which was held last night, but there were breads, cheeses, brownies, and cookies. Breaking bread seemed an especially symbolic reception action, given that Eleanor has shared several times (and beautifully) how meaningful the experience of communion has been for her during her journey.

By the way, she recommends this book very highly. I bought a copy but haven't read it yet.







Of course, the important part of the evening was the culmination of it in a unanimous vote to ordain Eleanor as a UCC minister. But the brownies Ed made ran a close second.



I had emergency snacks in my bag, just in case I came out of the meeting and was starving, but I didn't even need them.

p.s. I ate the almonds this morning. Not bad, but not bold enough. More chili and lime, please!

Frankly, it's the yeast of my worries.

Speaking of doughnuts, Paul sent me the link to this video (edited and introduced to the internet by Everything is Terrible). I am confused by carpenters wearing doughnut hardhats, but I do support the trend of millinery couture with food attached. However, I can only assume that the proselytizing pastries cooked up in the Wonder Oven are never consumed. I don't think it would be very Christian to eat sentient baked goods with eyeballs and religious beliefs.

As a side note, I don't like to see such obviously enforced swaying-to-music in kiddie videos. But it's alarmingly common.

A Passover Snack

David shared a leftover treat at work. These are matzoh crackers covered in caramel and chocolate. I call it "Matzoh Brittle" and I recommend you make some.

UPDATE (April 17th): I know this should have been a poetry Tuesday post, and, as you will see if you read my latest (at the time I am writing this) post, I did write a poem on a plane to Arizona (or, as it turned out, Cincinnati) on Sunday that should have posted with this entry. I'll post the thing as soon as I can get my luggage unpacked. It's in there somewhere.

UDATE'S UPDATE: The poem can now be found here.

Happy Easter!

I thought it would be appropriate to post this in time for sunrise services on the east coast...

I had another snackreligious experience this week, facilitated by The Journey church in NYC. A young woman from the church handed me a granola bar on the street last week as a promotion for their Easter services. I'm not able to attend, but I imagine they wanted me to enjoy the chewy treat either way.

I suspect this bar is more like candy than true granola, in terms of how healthy it might be, but it's heavenly.

Gobbled.

Another day; another potluck.

Today was the annual Thanksgiving Shared Meal at church. I had but a paltry plate and a half of food, yet was stuffed so full I feel I must have waddled home. What a way to kick off this holiday season of eating.



I was feeling good about my plate (knowing I'd saved a little room for dessert) when I realized there was a second, smaller table filled with salads and more sides. Eep.

This is an occasion on which you are better off skipping the bread (and I'm a plate mopper from a young age).



As for those desserts, I stayed away from the pie, figuring I'd have plenty of that in a few days. Instead, I went for the cheesecake and peanut-butter related items. This second plate also contains a few stray salads.



I could eat only half of an amazing, thick, peanut-butter mousse-y sort of tart or cheesecake piled with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and chopped peanut butter cups(with Oreo crust). My heart said, "Take a whole one," but reason prevailed.



The last bite is the hardest.

Even more religious snacking

I was raised in a strong church potluck tradition. One member of my childhood congregation called us the "Eat 'til You Die Baptist Church." I remain appreciative of good church potluck spreads.

But I thought that the ordination service I attended this past Sunday was only being followed by a basic "reception." You know -- nuts in a bowl, pillow mints, punch. I was wrong. That's not how this NYC church rolls. First, I saw that there were copious desserts. I ate a brownie immediately.



And then I walked to the other side of the table. Savory stuff, too?! Belinda Carlisle was right.


By the way, I had a lot of some sort of cheese ball with what I think was jelly or preserves in the middle (to be spread together on crackers). Wow. It was so weird looking I knew it had to be excellent.

Snack Religion!

No, this anonymous partygoer didn't watch a creepy, posessed video tape before I took his photo. But he did catch a thrown grape in his mouth on the first try as the shutter snapped. I offer this photo to you because what says "fun, casual cocktail party" better than a photo of someone catching a grape in his or her mouth?

Even better than a "normal" cocktail party, this was a theological cocktail party. Well, it turned out to be more of a political cocktail party (because it was the evening of Obama's speech at the DNC), but the event is to recur. I'll definitely attend again, and not just because this could be the most appropriate snacking event series ever for a weblog called Snackreligious.



Alas, photos without flash were just not working. But there was a lot of good snacking material there. I brought Whole Foods' Two-Bite Brownies for the group. There were also various chip, nut, cheese, and fruit options. Then, something magical occurred.



Just before Obama's speech, I noticed I had set a cup full of Coke down on the counter next to a container of honey-roasted peanuts.



Hey, how did those get in there?