How many people can say they were yelled at by Joan Rivers? Probably a lot now that I think about it! Add my name to the list!
In the early 80’s my sister Francine and I were crazy about Joan Rivers. We loved her on Johnny Carson, on her own show, and especially when she was in concert. We didn’t miss an appearance when she came to the Sunrise Musical Theater in Florida. If we were lucky David Brenner would be the opening act and our night was made!
I had just gotten a brand new camera for my photography class and brought it with me to the show. We were sitting in the house seats, just a couple of rows from the stage. Out she came with a shimmering white gown and started in on her routine right away. Through my laughter, I was snapping photo after photo until Joan walked over, stood over me and screamed “take the damn shot already!” I was so embarrassed, yet thrilled at the same time!
Everyone is posting tribute clips of Joan doing standup, and of her great one liners. I have posted a couple of her on the Martha Stewart Show. Two of my favorite things in one place… Comedy and Cooking. If you have never seen them before I’m sure you will love them.
Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It’s all funny! Joan Rivers 1933- 2014… May your memory be for a blessing
When I met Maya Angelou in Barnes and Noble on 86th street in NYC in 1996, she was standing in front of me on line. My son was 18 months old and holding a little board book that he loved entitled Corduroy’s Birthday. It was the first book he selected for himself. At that time, Sesame Street was our number one favorite program. As I stood there, trying to come up with something profound to say to this amazing Poet, Teacher and Inspiring Writer, all I could think of was the Name Song she sang on Sesame Street. There was one line that stuck in my head and played over and over until I mustered the courage to say something to her. If you know me, you know I sang the verse! “my name is Maya and I like it just fine” to which she smiled and said “it is a very catchy song you know.” I did know!
I had just finished reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings about a year prior so I could have mentioned that. I could have said something I heard her say on the Oprah Show changed my life. Instead, this was the first thing that popped into my mind. I told her that and she said, “I am glad to leave an impression on the young and hope by hearing that song they are happy with themselves. Everyone should be proud of their name, who they are and where they come from.” I stood there in awe. I was glad this is what I chose to say.
My blog is a cooking blog. It is also my journey in life as a Brooklyn girl to a Florida girl back to NY and landing in Ohio. It is a blog that I hope when you read it, makes you want to come back and hear what I have to say. Along the way I will share things I love, and don’t love whether it is cooking related or not. I will also share things that have changed my life in hope that it will touch you in some way. Today I share with you someone whose words impacted my life.
“I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that’s me.”
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
“When people show you who they are believe them – the first time.”
~ Maya Angelou
I am posting this to honor the life of Maya Angelou, may you rest in peace.
Sherri Lerner Glickstein happily baking in her Ohio kitchen in 2014!Edith Goodman Lerner happily baking in her Florida kitchen in 1994
Quite a resemblance right? I was told my whole like that I looked just like my mother. Even as I walked down the aisle at my wedding I heard a cousin say “oh my God, she looks just like Edie” and she was right, I did. My mother passed away April 7, 1997. I miss her every single day. She is the woman who gave me my beginning in life. She is the one who slept in my room after watching the scary movie Carrie with Sissy Spacek. She is the one who went out with me on a Saturday night when I didn’t have a date. She is the person I spoke to 10 times a day after I had gave birth. She is the person who sang to my son Jarred on the phone so that I could take a shower! She is the reason I love to bake and cook. That was her passion, her calling. If she couldn’t sleep at night, she would wake up and bake something! Who does that at 3 o’clock in the morning? I am proud to say my mother did, that’s who!
My blog is dedicated to my mother “Edie” and her passion for cooking which I luckily inherited. I recently wrote a cookbook for my niece that included many of her recipes and gave it to her at her bridal shower. When I got married 23 years ago (this coming May 23rd is my anniversary 23/23) she hand wrote me a small cookbook that included about a dozen recipes. Being newly married, I often called her for cooking advice and recipes and as she gave them to me I would type them up and glue them into the back of the book. She didn’t work off a recipe, it was all in her head so I’m glad I took the time to do that. I encourage you to do that as well sooner then later if you haven’t already. Being a graphic designer, I didn’t stop there. I decided to document as many of her recipes as possible and make little cookbooks for her and my sisters. That was 20 years ago so I thought how wonderful to create her recipes, photograph them and write a cookbook.
My wedding day… May 23, 1991
Fast forward 23 years and what started out as what I thought would be 20 or so recipes ended up including 70 recipes in a 134 page book with more waiting to be included. The odd thing is that there were originally 71 recipes in the book but one of them gave me such a difficult time and kept making all the other pages re-wrap so I omitted the recipe and figured I would add it back when I finish it this summer. It’s odd because my mother passed away at the age of 71 and I didn’t set out to include a particular number of recipes. It just happened organically. I’m sure this was her way of making sure I would have to keep writing.
First off, how beautiful is my niece? She was so happy that day, as she is everyday. The book I ended up giving her is only a draft as I had so many more things to include and honestly, you can’t write a book in 4 months without having to fix a few things. Plus, there are more stories and recipes waiting to be written. She was expecting a little cookbook that I made 20 years ago. When she opened it, her eyes filled with tears. At the last minute I put my parents wedding photo on the back cover; it was the perfect ending. This is the book that got me started on writing a blog. I enjoyed writing stories about her recipes, our family and her. She was a very funny lady. You never really knew if she realized that or not. She had an enormous database of funny sayings and idioms that when writing the book found that they were unique to her.
Researching where or why she made them opened dialog with my sisters; both excellent cooks by the way! We reminisced about so much. It turns out I’m the keeper of the flame, like my mother, I just love to cook. I cooked each of the recipes and took photos of them. Of course I found out that I should have taken them vertically, but live and learn! I realized that even though she wrote them down, her measurements weren’t always correct so I had to tweak them a little. It was a learning process and spiritually connected to her on a whole different level. A lot of her recipes left me questioning. Why did she rewrite them so many times? Why did she rename the same recipe? Where is her recipe for beef stew? And why after 2 tries already doesn’t her cookie pie crust turn out well? All the questions have me searching for my own cooking voice.
My mother ended every written recipe with the simple word “Enjoy” that’s all she wanted. She wanted you to just enjoy! Enjoy her cooking, Enjoy her baking, Enjoy life! She didn’t believe in what she called Hallmark card holidays. She said everyday is mother’s day and everyday is children’s day; life is too short to celebrate only one day a year. So today on the official Mother’s Day, whether you are a mother, grandmother, or great grandmother, take this day and Enjoy! Thanks mom, I love you.
It’s no surprise after reading my eating out section that this would be one of my favorite movies. However, it’s not because of the eggroll at all! Happy Birthday Doris Day! Born April 3, 1924, you are 90 years old today and I wish you a very happy birthday! You are one of my all time favorite actresses. I have watched almost everyone of your movies more than once. And, when I was a little girl I made my mother cry because I told her I wished you were my mother! It seems ironic that you were born in Cincinnati, Ohio and here I am in Columbus! It is time I head back to bed to continue the Turner Classic Movie marathon that is on television today in your honor today. Move Over Darling!
