Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 26

We hope everyone had a happy, and delicious, Thanksgiving! Here are some Bronx news headlines from the past few days:

Students from P.S. 51 on Jerome Avenue watched a live re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving dinner, transmitted via webcast from Plymouth, MA, and broadcast across the country. Bronx student Stephen Molina told ABC he learned "that the pilgrims didn't have any refrigerators," back then.

While our Thanksgiving predecessors were able to break bread in peace (even without a fridge!) a poll released this week says the majority of New Yorkers would refuse to share a turkey dinner with Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He's the least welcomed in the Bronx, where 60 percent of those asked said they wouldn't share a meal with the mayor.

Shoppers across the city are hitting the stores today in hopes of some Black Friday bargains, as the holiday shopping season officially kicks off.

While overall crime in the city is down this year, the number of violent crimes--muggings, rapes and murders-- is up. Nearly half of the robberies that took place in the city this year happened in the Bronx.

The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal offer different profiles of Corey Fisher, the Bronx native who's now a star player for Villanova's basketball team. As a teenager, Fisher once scored a stunning 105 points in a single game, according to the Journal. The Times contrasts Fisher to his infamous great-uncle of the same name, a Harlem crime boss during the 1970s. 

A new report released this week says the demand for food in the Bronx has increased this year by 74 percent, while stimulus funding upped the amount of money for food stamps in the city by $458 million.

Merchants around 161st Street say business is still in the slumps since the new Yankee Stadium opened a few years ago.

Local bodega owners are still buying untaxed cigarettes from illegal vendors for their cheaper prices, despite the city's efforts to crack down on the trade.

Ongoing inspections of the dilapidated and now-infamous Bronx Milbank properties found 1,200 new violations in the 10 apartment buildings, according to HPD--that's in addition to the 3,577 open violations that were already on file.

A Bronx sanitation company says celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey owes them $25,000, the bill for several months of garbage removal at Ramsey's Manhattan restaurant The London.

A pregnant woman is suing the NYPD for what she claims was a false arrest and three days spent in jail. Stephanie Badillo, 19, was arrested in Tremont earlier this month in what police said was a drug bust; she was kept at the 48th Precinct station before later being released because of insufficient evidence.

Community Board 11, which includes Bronxdale, Pelham and Morris Park,  is looking for a new district manager. 

Two buildings in Riverdale--Cambridge Mews on Cambridge Avenue and the unfinished Tulfan Terrace on Oxford Avenue--were built by developers with ties to the mob.

Note: start a discussion about any of these stories, or anything else on your mind, in our readers' forum.

Bronx Foodie: Thanksgiving Pies

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Last week we posted some classic Thanksgiving dinner recipes along with some shopping tips. This week we're showing some love for Thanksgiving pies. If you're looking for a last minute recipe, we've got you covered.

Check out apple pie recipes here, here, and here. The last one is by Paula Deen, the mistress of all things butter and deep-fried. Her recipes should be reserved for special occasions, since you'll want to share your creations with about 10 other people.

You can find a couple of pumpkin pie recipes here and here.

Here's another recipe by Paula Deen for sweet potato pie, and Epicurious has a recipe for "Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie."

Enjoy!

Local Group Gives Turkeys to Bronxites in Need

Merengue singer Hector Acosta (aka El Torito/The Little Bull) was the event's sponsor (Photo: J. Fergusson)

With Thanksgiving approaching, a number of Bronx organizations and elected officials have been giving out free food.

Last night, at the Monte Carlo Room, a nightclub in the shadow of the Kingsbridge Armory, a small non-profit called Hands On New York gave away more than 100 frozen turkeys.

"Now I have a low income, so this is very helpful," said Flavio Goday, one of the recipients, who lives in Fordham with his wife and children. Goday said he's a jeweler by trade, but that the economy and the rising price of gold means sales are down, and he was forced out of work.

Hands On New York gave another 40 turkeys to local churches. The organization was founded by Haile Rivera, a University Heights resident who worked on the Obama campaign. (Earlier this year, Rivera was hired by State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., but found his services no longer needed when Espada's unsuccessful primary campaign was over. As election season approached, Espada had doubled the number of staff on his Senate payroll, raising a few eyebrows in the process.  Many staffers, Rivera included, also worked on the campaign, but did so, they insisted, as volunteers and not on the state's dime. For Rivera, Hands On New York is something he does on the side. Since being laid off by Espada, he's landed a job at Groundwork, a non-profit that runs youth programs in Brooklyn.)

Rivera and Hands On New York have been donating turkeys at Thanksgiving for several years now. "It was an idea of my mom's, something she did, and I took it from there," Rivera said. 

This year, the event's sponsor was Hector Acosta, a well-known merengue singer from the Dominican Republic, and friend of Rivera's, who's currently on tour in the US.  He donated $2,600 of his own money.

"I feel good doing it," said the friendly Acosta, who had a hug for just about everyone. "I didn't have these opportunities growing up, and I'm now in a position to do it myself."

Bronx Events: C.S. 211 Read-Aloud & Canned Food Drive

Tomorrow morning, the library at C.S. 211 in Crotona is hosting a "Community Read-Aloud," welcoming you to come read books with the students there. They'll also be collecting canned goods for the school's fall food drive, as well as any spare pennies you might have for their Penny Harvest.

The Read-Aloud starts at 8 a.m., at 1919 Prospect Ave. You can RSVP to Richard Feldman at 646 431 7734 or rdfeld@aol.com.

Check out this and other Bronx events happening this week in our community calendar, below.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

How to Carve a Turkey Without Cutting Off Your Fingers!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner (next Thursday). What better way to enjoy your feast than without any missing fingers?

The Food Education Project at Montefiore Medical Center held an hour-long workshop session today on how to carve a turkey the correct way. With a carving knife, a curved meat fork, a cutting board, a serving platter, and last but not least the turkey, Eduardo Perez from the Market Access Culinary Group demonstrated how to smoothly and safely carve your bird.

Here are his step-by-step instructions:
1. Choose a sharp, thin-bladed carving knife. Running your knife along the bottom of the turkey, find the place where the thighbones meet the body.
2. Slip your knife into the joint to separate thigh from body on each side.
3. Separate the drumstick from the thigh using the same technique (cut through the joint, not the bone, wiggling the drumstick to locate the joint).
4. Running your knife along the bone, separate the meat from the thigh and drumstick; try to get as much as possible in one piece.
5. Cut thigh and leg meat into thin slices.
6. Use your knife in the joint to separate wings from body on each side.
8. Carve thin slices off one side of the breast, cutting parallel.
9. Repeat with the other side of the breast

Perez gave the audience this recipe to a Peruvian quinoa salad to go alongside your turkey. Something to add to your Thanksgiving feast!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 cups Roland Red Quinoa, prewashed
2 cus Roland Artichoke Quarters
4 cups Hot Water
2 cups Roland Capers
1 cup Roasted Red Pepper, Sliced
0.5 cups Pland pitted Ripe Olives, Sliced
1 cup Roland Garbanzo Beans
0.25 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
0.5 Vinaigrette dressing

In a large saucepan bring hot water and quinoa to a boil. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and chill.

When quinoa is cool, add all remaining ingredients. Add dressing and toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed and well-coated.

Garnish with whole artichokes. Serve and enjoy!

Have a safe and fun Thanksgiving everyone.

An Early Thanksgiving at Epiphany Lutheran

Volunteers served a pre-Thanksgiving dinner to all comers earlier today. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

Earlier today, the Lutheran Church of the Epiphany on East 206th Street in Norwood opened its doors to provide a free hot meal for anyone in want of a filling Thanksgiving dinner.

“The Lord tells us to feed the hungry and to give drink to the thirsty,” said Pastor Robert Rainis, known affectionately as Pastor Bob around the church. “Christianity is an active word—you have to engage the community."

Anthony Bopp, who runs the church's St. Stephen’s Meals program, organized today’s feast.

Bopp and St. Stephen's meals serves hot meals for those in need three days a week (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) at Epiphany. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to serve people,” Bopp said. “With the hard financial times, some people don’t have dinner.”

One volunteer, Joe McNally, who does all of the church’s repairs and pitches in to serve meals three days a week , brought along nine of his family members to help out at today's special pre-Thanksgiving supper.

"I'm very grateful [for the meal,]" said Mary Kelly, one of today's many customers. "I don't have any family and it's nice to have places like this to come."

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 24

City Harvest fulfilled its annual Thanksgiving tradition of handing out fresh fruits and veggies to hundreds of needy families in the Bronx yesterday.

City Harvest also revealed in this Daily News article that the number of Bronxites lining up at soup kitchens continues to increase.

In addition to our coverage of the City Council's living wage debate at the Kingsbridge Armory, The Daily News reports that negotiations may be collapsing.

The NY Times continues their "Neediest Cases" profiling with this article about a woman who is the product of the Bronx foster care system and is now devoted to raising a child of her own.

The President of the United Homeless Organization, a formerly homeless Bronx man named Stephen Riley, and the organization's director, Myra Walker, are at the center of the controversy surrounding the non-profit's exposure as a scam.

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner will be a challenge, if not impossible, for residents of a University Heights building that was damaged last summer and still has not been completely repaired.

Bronx Events Through Nov. 30

NYC Landmarks stand small at the Botanical Gardens this season

Looking for a fresh place to get some side-dishes for Thanksgiving? Try picking up some produce from one of the Bronx's several green carts.

The JASA Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, located at 3880 Sedgwick Ave., will be hosting a Mexican Thanksgiving Celebration, Tuesday (Nov.24). Lunch will be served at 12:15pm followed by a performance by the Acapulco-90 marching band at 1:00pm. For more information or to RSVP, call 718-549-4700.

The Holiday Train show will be at the Botanical Gardens until Jan. 10. Miniature trains will chug past replicas of NYC landmarks, all made out of plants. For more information, call 718-817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

Children can take part in a hands-on activity at the Botanical Gardens tomorrow and Wednesday at 1:30pm children will learn about the different plants used to make gingerbread. For more information, call 718-817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

Head over to Van Cortlandt park on Saturday(Nov. 28) for a post-turkey day super hike. The hike will be led by park rangers and will begin at 11:00am.

Lehman Professors Mary Carol and Diedre O'Boy present "From Synge to McDonagh: A Century of Violence" on Tuesday at 12:30pm. The presentation will focus on the intersection of violence, love, and language. For more information, visit events.cuny.edu or call 718-960-6722.

Biologist Steven M. Ackerman will deliver the 30th annual Arthur Sweeny Memorial Lecture at Lehman college on December 4th at 5pm. Ackerman, professor of Biology at UMASS Boston and a 1973 Lehman graduate, will deliver the address on his experiences as a student of Sweeny's and how those experiences have influenced his career. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information click here.

Bronx News Roundup Nov. 25

It’s a victory for the Rainbow Rebels. State Supreme Court Justice Robert Seewald ruled that Assemblyman Heastie is the new leader of the Democratic Party.

Bronx Zoo is favoring eco-friendly over traditional festivities, opting to hold a daytime winter event so that they can keep lights off in the evening.

Some in the Bronx, hit hard by the economic downturn, are carving trimmings out of the Thanksgiving menu this year. The Daily Newsarticle also provides a list of shelters in the area that hand out free Thanksgiving meals.

Here's something to bring to your next job interview. Bishop Timothy Birkett, head of the Church Alive Development Corp. is giving free 3-day hotel stays for those who either hire someone or help another find a job.

Police arrested members of a Bronx gambling ring, yesterday.