Who's in the kitchen: Judy Joszef

Reminiscing about sunning and summers past

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Yesterday, for the third time since my mom, a”h, passed away, I was at her apartment with my siblings to continue the clean up and furniture removal. I was overwhelmed at the amount that was left. Let’s just say, my mom didn’t throw much out.

I found my Grossinger’s towel that I snuck out of the hotel as a souvenir. I found my trusty white figure ice-skates complete with purple pom poms in my plaid ice skate bag. And then, at the bottom of the closet in my room, there it was, my sun reflector. Just as I remembered it, red on the outside and that silver foil finish on the inside.

The memories started to flood my mind. I forgot that I was sitting on the floor in front of the closet of my old bedroom. Instead I was back in the late ’70s. I was ice skating at Sky Rink and up at Grossinger’s, lounging pool side at the big “G,” tanning in my backyard in Boro Park, and then on “tar beach” on the roof of my parent’s apartment building.

There I was circa ’78 with my friends, at Sky Rink in the city. Every few weeks, friends of Shaare Tzedek hospital would host a fundraiser at the rink. We all had a great time and we were supporting a wonderful organization. I can still remember the feel of those white skates, never fitting perfectly, never able to get them tight enough, but I thought I looked really cool in them, even just slinging them over my shoulder to and from the rink.

After skating, we would head over to David’s Harp — bet that brings back some memories for you over 40, ok, maybe over 50, crowd. For those of you in the under 30 crowd, it was what you would call a “club,” but this had an Israeli popular (or so we thought) singer, kosher food, and yes, of course, drinks. It was the in place back then. Stop rolling your eyes, kids; as hard as it is to imagine, we were actually cool back then. Just Google “The Hustle”; read ‘em and weep.

So sitting on the floor, I put the white scuffed up skates back in the plaid ice skating bag and picked up my trusty old sun reflector. To the younger folks, let me explain what a reflector is. It was made of cardboard and, although was one piece it folded so you could hold it under your chin and the sun would reflect onto your face and the sides were folded a bit toward the center so that the side reflected the sun onto the side of your face as well. It doubled the rays hitting your face. And, as if that wasn’t enough, one (I) would slather on baby oil with iodine or cocoa butter. For those who wanted some protection you could purchase sun tan lotion with an SPF of 2, wow!

If there was (G-d forbid) a week without sun, there was a product called QT, the first sunless tanning lotion that we could buy. QT stood for quick tanning. It was quick all right, 3-5 hours, though a golden tan is not what we achieved, it was more of a deep orange hue. And to make matters worse if you weren’t careful and missed some spots you resembled a Creamsicle, orange and white, though you smelled like a rotten egg. Not quite sure why that product survived as long as it did. I can’t imagine anyone using it more than once.

Once my parents moved to an apartment, I panicked, where would I sit in the sun??? No worries, I discovered there was a huge rooftop that no one used; it was perfect. I would take my lounge chairs and head up with my friends, a radio, cold drinks and, of course, my reflector. It was our oasis, complete with 77 WABC music in the background. Slathered in oil, baking in the sun and groovin’ to Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and the rest of the disco era faves.

My brother’s voice suddenly brought me back to the present and it was time to continue dealing with the rest of the items in the apartment. I still marvelled at the amount of stuff my mom, a”h, saved. Did she throw anything out? Wait, yes she did. My 8th grade Shulamith year book. My vintage Barbie black vinyl case complete with outfits, tiny shoes, hair rollers and hangers; that would have been worth a fortune today, sigh. But I found my mood ring, my “kugalach,” those five small dice like metal objects with sharp corners that could be considered a deadly weapon, but for some reason was sold as a game resembling jacks. Also found was my princess phone, sad that our kids will never know the fun we had twirling the cord (that connected the phone to the base) around our fingers, while we spoke.

As we bagged the items designated either for donation or trash, we each took a few last minute items that brought back memories that we could hold onto.

When my maternal grandmother died at 96, I remember so clearly my mom, a”h, saying “96 years, and one day, just like that, she’s gone.” I remember telling her that she had a wonderful life and left children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to carry on her legacy and her acts of chesed. So now as I clear the last of what remained of my mom’s belonging as well as our grandparents’, I find myself telling myself the same thing. My mom, a”h, may not be here physically anymore, but we have her wonderful memories and may I, along with my siblings, all my mom’s grandchildren and great grandchildren, continue to live our lives in the manner in which she lived and would make her proud of us.

Talking about sun reflectors, have some fun with your kids or grandkids and make these “sunshine beach” cupcakes.

Lemon cupcakes

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup softened margarine

*1 cup granulated sugar

*2 large eggs

*1 1/2 cups all purpose flour mixed together with 2 tsp baking powder

*1/2 cup non dairy creamer

*Zest of 3 lemons

*Juice of two medium lemons

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Line a “12” cupcake tin with paper liners and spray with Pam.

• Beat sugar and margarine, until creamy.

* Scrape down sides and add eggs and vanilla, beating till smooth.

• Slowly add the flour and baking powder mixture, to incorporate all.

• Add the rest of ingredients and mix well.

• Pour batter into the cupcake liners and bake about 17-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Cupcakes can be made up to three days in advance or they can be frozen.

Decorating the cupcakes?

* Rich’s non-dairy whipped topping, 16 oz

* Blue food coloring

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• 12 small jaw breakers or gum balls (be careful if you’re serving these to children under 4)

• 12 jelly circle candies, to be used as life preservers

• 12 pieces Paskez Sour Mini Belts (any flavor, any brand)

• Edible marker pen

• Plastic baby cake ornament (Michael’s, Valley Stream) or jelly bear or cookie

• Cocktail drink umbrella

Assembly

Whip the topping and color half blue, leaving the remainder white. Spread white topping on half of each cup cake, and the blue topping on the other half of each. Carefully sprinkle the light brown sugar on top of the white cream, leaving the blue cream as is.

Place baby into jelly “life preserver” and place on the blue icing “ocean.” Draw stripes onto the gum or candy ball to resemble a beach ball and place on brown sugar “sand.” Bend a sour mini belt in half and put a dot of cream on the bottom half and stick onto the “sand” leaving the top part as the back of the “beach lounge.”

Lastly, place the cocktail beach umbrella in back of the “lounge chair.”

judy.soiree@gmail.com