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Published: 03 December 2013

Created: 03 December 2013

Last Updated: 04 December 2013

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It's that time of year again and you'll find everything you need for a merry and bright holiday season right here in town.  See below for a selection of gift ideas and seasonal food and drink for a festive celebrations in town.
Balducci's offers the most decadent assortment of gift baskets featuring products brimming with a bountiful assortment of pantry staples, snacks and luscious treats. A gift certain to impress. See their entire collection online at Balduccis.com or call 800.346.8763 to create your own. Balducci's Food Lover's Market, 15 Palmer Avenue, Scarsdale, 914-722-0200

Current Home is a sleek, sophisticated, of-the-moment boutique that provides Westchester residents with a destination for all of their shopping and entertaining needs. Co-owners, Alyson Lane and Karen Tolchin, offer  their discerning clientele unique pieces, in every price range, that are both hip and timeless. Check out these suggested holiday gifts. Current Home, 8 Palmer Avenue, Scarsdale, 914-723-2462, Currenthomeny.com


Stop by Flourish Baking Company for gifts to please your favorite 'foodies.' For home bakers: DIY Bread Kit Set of three bread mixes using flours that are organic, sprouted, and gluten free: millet with kale and carrot, corn with cinnamon and apple, and lentil with multi-seeds. Each mix bakes a 1.5 lb. loaf. For health conscious snackers: Flourish Snack Box: A delicious set of vegan and gluten free snack packs of granola, apple chips, organic spiced cashews and kale chips for energy on the go. For sweet cravers: Flourish Six Shot Box of six shot glasses filled with a mini pumpkin flan, an apple crisp, and a flourless chocolate soufflé (two of each). A perfect finish to a festive meal. For kids: COOKIES! – DIY gingerbread people Comes with its own icing kit. For fun: Apple Pie in a Jar – just heat and serve when bubbly.

Flourish, 160 Summerfield Street, Scarsdale, 914-725-1026 www.flourishbakingcompany.com

Imagine Candy and Chocolate is all about "sweet inspiration." Our candy curators seek out artisans to bring special products to the shop. This holiday season the shop is overflowing with our IC Belgian Chocolate Truffles and Pretzels, Chocolates and Caramels from around the world, Customized Baskets, Business Gift and fabulous gift items for the entire family like Candy Lamps, Books, Pillows and Totes. Stop in with your shopping list. Our Candy Concierge will make your gift giving easy, we can help you select, wrap and ship. Imagine Candy provides wonderful selections for "everyone"... nut-gluten-dairy-sugar free, kosher, raw and organic.

Imagine Candy, 22 Harwood Court, Scarsdale, 914-723-7887 www.imaginecandy.com

Let Lange's of Scarsdale cater your holiday party or Christmas dinner. We offer the entire meal including whole roasted turkey, spiral cut ham and all the trimmings at a very reasonable price. Choose from a 12 lb, 20 lb or 25 lb turkey with sides to please everyone at your holiday table including stuffing, roasted potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato soufflé and cranberries too. Or try a 4-quart tray of ziti marinara or lasagna. For dessert we've got apple, blueberry, mince, pumpkin, pecan and coconut custard pies. Dinner for 8 starts at just $179.95. Leave the cooking to Lange's and enjoy your homemade holiday dinner at your table.

Lange's of Scarsdale, 57 Spencer Place, Scarsdale 914-472-0440, www.langesofscarsdale.com.

Taiim Falafel Shack: Westchester County's only Israeli-owned Middle Eastern restaurant would welcome the opportunity to cater your office party, birthday celebration, large family gathering, pre-Bar/Bat Mitzvah dinner, and any other event of your choice. Our entire authentic Israeli soul-food menu is freshly made on premises. Many have recognized our Israeli soul food to be the "real thing" and we are extremely proud to bring an authentic taste of Israel to Westchester County and beyond. Happy Holidays and "Toda Raba". (Thank You) Keep Calm & Eat Falafel.

Visit www.taiimfalafelshack.com, contact us at info@taiimfalafelshack.com, or call us at 914-478-0006.

Vintology Wine & Spirits: Looking for that cutting edge wine or spirits gift? Local and artisanal is the way to go this year! We offer a unique selection of New York State wines from terroir driven winemakers from the Finger Lakes and the North Fork. Vodkas, gins, and whiskey from local distillers will impress your foodie friends looking for that hip tasting experience! Complimentary gift wrapping, complimentary local delivery. Happy Toasting!

Vintology Wine & Spirits 2 Palmer Avenue, Scarsdale, 914-723-2040. www.vintology.com

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 19 December 2013

Created: 19 December 2013

Last Updated: 31 December 2013

Hits: 4426

When Scarsdale10583 began publication in December 2008 we were not sure if it would last a year. We struggled for admittance to meetings, notification of community events and even copies of official reports. Now five years later, as we begin our sixth year in business, the tables have turned. We are courted at meetings, receive too many notices to post and are sometimes overwhelmed by the level of community activity in our inbox. Residents want to know when their news will appear on the site and why it was not displayed prominently enough. We can confidently say that Scarsdale10583 has grown to be a recognized community resource and thank all of you for making it happen.

What have been some of the most talked about stories and memorable moments? There are so many to recount:

One of my favorites in our initial year was an invitation to photograph the newborn twins of a Greenacres mom who had just delivered the babies in a car on Fifth Avenue in front of Mt. Sinai Hospital. What a joy to meet these infants just days after they were born. ... and to think that they are now four and half years old!

Then there was the rumor about Beyonce. Was she moving to Heathcote Road with Jay-Z and newborn Baby Blue Ivy Carter? We had visions of a homecoming concert on the SHS field, and a star sighting at Balducci's. Unfortunately this was not to be. The closest we got to the superstar was a spoof on Saturday Night Live, featuring Maya Rudolph in a hilarious rendition of the family in a mansion in Murray Hill.

Another more controversial story involved guns. Following the Newtown shooting we wrote an opinion piece on the site asking whether you knew if your neighbors had guns in their homes and if you would let your children play at homes where guns were present. The article was posted on December 18, 2012 and just a few days after our piece appeared the Journal News published an interactive map showing the names and addresses of all registered gun owners in Westchester and Rockland Counties. We don't know if they got the idea to request the information from Scarsdale10583, as they give no credit to the site – however, whether by coincidence or happenstance the information was now available to the general public. That caused an uproar and led to an invitation to appear on Huffington Post Live where I found myself face to face with NY State Senator and gun ownership advocate Greg Ball. That was tense.

And who can forget the Bat Mitzvah bus chaperone gone berserk? Last May we received a recording of an abusive uncle who was charged with accompanying the pre-teens on a bus to a Bar Mitzvah party. After one of the passengers threw an M&M, the chaperone unleashed a spate of expletives and threatened the frightened kids with "death." The recording was so shocking that it brought Fox 5 news to my door.

Stories involving animals have also been winners on the site. A bobcat in a Greenacres yard, a wild turkey blocking traffic on Palmer Avenue, coyotes on Fenway Golf Course --- and the ever present geese who fouled the Scarsdale Pool in September, causing it to close after a flock "laid waste" to the waters.

Readers are keen on real estate updates: old homes, new homes, demolitions and sub-divisions drive page views as well as the latest home sales. One of our earliest stories concerned the legendary home of toy king Louis Marx, a red brick pillared mansion with 9 fireplaces and 14 baths. Residents who remembered his legendary Christmas parties where neighborhood kids lined up to received free presents were dismayed to see the dilapidated mansion cleared for demolition. An iconic house on the Duck Pond in Heathcote met a similar fate – but not without considerable discussion. With Scarsdale poised to enact our first tax revaluation in 49 years, talk of homes and taxes is a Scarsdale10583 staple.

Hurricane Sandy brought a serious traffic surge to the site, when frustrated residents found themselves without heat and light, some for almost two weeks. The site provided daily updates on the restoration, an examination of why Scarsdale was one of the last on the list for repairs and a good place to vent for users in the dark.

Coverage of school budget discussions that resulted in the first defeat of the Scarsdale School budget in 43 years were especially controversial. Rancorous comments from residents and teachers were sometimes too pointed to post and tested the limits of civil discourse. Unfortunately the bitterness continues today with anonymous commenters making personal attacks that give us cause for pause.

On a more serious note, the past five years have been marked by tragic losses .... a spate of suicides in the fall of 2010, the disappearance of Edgemont's Lauren Spierer at Indiana University and more recently the death of a Brooklyn man who threw himself in front of a speeding train at the Hartsdale Station.

Looking toward the next five years we hope to continue to hear from you. Send us your family news; engagements, marriages, births and obituaries would be great additions to the site. Contribute your stories and your opinions. If you notice something funny or interesting, visit a new restaurant or see a pleasing landscape, let us know and we'll share it with your neighbors. And do continue to comment – but please – include your name, make your comments constructive and refrain from bitterness, nastiness and personal attacks.

Let's make the next five years as lively as the past five. Thank you for your participation and support and here's to a happy, healthy 2014.

Joanne Wallenstein for Scarsdale10583.com
scarsdalecomments@gmail.com

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Published: 27 November 2013

Created: 27 November 2013

Last Updated: 27 November 2013

Hits: 206750

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving we had the pleasure of honing our cooking skills at not one, but two classes at Sur La Table at The Westchester. The well-stocked store that opened about a year ago can be found in the space previously occupied by Restoration Hardware. In addition to food, cooking appliances, gadgets and gifts, the store features a massive chef's kitchen with a large center island that can accommodate 15-20 participants. The butcher-block apron surrounding the island gives everyone the chance to grab a knife and get in the act.

Classes are led by chef Ali Banks who manages her sometimes chatty guests with aplomb. She mixes stories about her Sicilain "Nonna," Italian for grandmother, with helpful tips she picked up while attending the Culinary Institute in Paris and magically manages the production of complex recipes into meals for the crowd. She demonstrates the use of prep tools such as the stainless steel scraper or the immersion blender to add versatility to your kitchen.

Guests divide into groups of four to prepare recipes from pre-measured ingredients. Individual burners are provided as well so that each group can tend to their own sauté pan or pot. The first night I attended a soup class that included four soups – some more like stews – that we cooked and sampled during a two-your class. During the course of the evening, Banks demonstrated the proper way to chop an onion, leaving the root intact and creating a grid of slices that resulted in square even pieces. She shared another tip on the proper order to add vegetables to the stockpot. Contrary to popular believe, onions are not necessarily first in. When cooking with hard root vegetables such as carrots, the hardest ingredients go in first, followed by softer ingredients such as celery and onions with garlic added last.

We prepared four soups:

• Sweet potato, apple and ginger
• Beef barley and vegetable
• Lentil and sausage with kale
• Fennel and leek with gruyere croutons

Of the four, I thought the last was best. The rich, creamy soups, topped off with a slice of baguette with melted cheese was scrumptious and a meal in itself.

The second night was a Thanksgiving preview featuring recipes from Ina Garten. Banks, who also worked at a butcher shop gave an impressive lesson on the preparation of a roast turkey laced with truffle butter, plus how to prepare homemade turkey gravy and the proper way to slice the bird. To accompany it, the class produced a salad of roasted butternut squash and dried cranberries with warm cider vinaigrette (recipe below). We'll be enjoying this one at our Thanksgiving dinner. Also on the menu were mashed potatoes and she provided good tips on how to prevent peeled potatoes from turning brown and how to mash them without releasing the starch. For dessert we enjoyed a pumpkin and banana mousse tart in a graham cracker crust. That night we received an added bonus – each participant got a signed copy of Ina Garten's cookbook, Foolproof. A full calendar of classes can be viewed here – and the space and the chef can also be hired out for private parties. Prices range from $39 to $100 per class and there are classes for kids, teens and adults.

Notes:

• At the regular classes, no alcohol is permitted – perhaps because large knives and wine don't mix.
• Though you don't take home your creations you do leave with a full stomach, so classes are educational and filling.
• At each class discount coupons for 10% off store merchandise are distributed and there is time to shop for some of the cool gadgets used in class.

Sur La Table at The Westchester
Phone: 914-220-9816
Class Calendar: http://www.surlatable.com/browse/storeCalendar.jsp?storeId=115&&offset=1
Email: cooking115@surlatable.com

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette (Serves 4)

1 (1 ½-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
¾ cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
½ cup walnut halves, toasted
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.