This is why I love Lafayette...

8th Floor Iron Chef: Winning Recipe

Hi there, everyone! This is Sean Chumley, 8th Floor Representative, SOLID Social Committee Member, and Iron Chef. My RAs (Jake and Angie) recently sponsored an Iron Chef competition, and here I am, the big winner, ready to share with all of you! Enjoy!

Raspberry Rainbow Brownies
2 0z Dark chocolate
2 oz Bittersweet chocolate
4 oz Semisweet chocolate
1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces, plus more for buttering baking dish
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8"x8" square glass baking pan.

2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, dark, bittersweet, and semisweet chocolates, stirring occasionally to combine. Allow to cool slightly after melted and combined.

3. Combine sugars in a large bowl. Add butter and chocolate mix. Whisk together to combine.

4. Whisk in eggs one at a time, stirring to combine. Add vanilla.

5. Stir in flour. Mix until well combined. A "spoonula" works well for this, but a whisk will suffice.

6. Add milk chocolate chips and raspberry jam, stirring to mix throughout. The final consistency will be slightly thicker than cake batter.

7. Pour batter into pre-greased baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (if you poke through a chocolate chip, try again).

--Sean (8th floor rep, and SOLID Social Committee member)

Shopping with sustainability!

As the holiday season rolls around, you can’t help going for the ribbons, Ugg boots, and gift cards. But this year, make an effort to make better, more sustainable choices about your purchases. Simply, sustainability is having no impact. You can decrease your impact in gift giving by buying recycled or thrift, supporting local businesses, or using the least amount of packaging possible.
Buying from around your area reduces cost and pollution from transport, ensures freshness, and supports local entities. This method of being an educated consumer supports area businesses. Buying local keeps your money in a community rather than from going to a large corporation. This money will stay local and support other businesses and community organizations in the region.
Being a smart shopper is easier than it seems. There are many cooperatives and organizations that support local businesses and make sustainable commerce possible. There are also many rating systems for grading large corporations on philanthropic and environmental responsibility. For instance, Climate Counts has rated a number of large corporations on their environmental responsibility and impact. Even though Macy’s might have a shopping guide, shy away from it and go by a green shopping guide. Even if you don’t have a guide, remember to think local and sustainable first by going to thrift stores and independent sellers. Remember, your friends and family will appreciate a museum membership or a pail of honey much more than a JC Penney gift card.

Try these shopping guides:

Climate Counts:
http://www.climatecounts.org/scorecard.php

Treehugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/green_gift_guid_1.php

BCUE
http://www.shopbcue.org/

EPA
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/education/pdfs/shopping.pdf

Brooklyn Based
http://brooklynbased.net/everything/diy-gift-guide/
http://brooklynbased.net/everything/the-brooklyn-sampler/

Pumpkin Painting Palooza!

What do you get when you mix pumpkins, paint, and good, not-so clean and innocent fun?? The 7th Floor Pumpkin Painting Palooza!!! No more explanation needed-just take a look at some of the festivities that went on the Monday before Halloween '07!










* Marni and Steve S., 7th Floor

Need A Place To Live?

America's Very 1st Rescue Mission-

At first it seemed we were nearly silent on the way home tonight.

In a strange way, we bore witness to the most quietly dysfunctional and yet oh-so-typical  family dinner ever: Carlos complaining about mopping the floor. Mr. Greene refuting: "And you call yourself the hurricane?!" Some scared to the try the fish, some refusing their veggies.

Tonight we helped set the tables and serve dinner to our neighbors, the residents who live at the New York City Rescue Mission- and in the process learned what a gregarious, sincere, and gracious bunch live just next door to us.  While one resident grilled us about what it is like to go off to college (we later found out he has a sixteen year old daughter about to go herself) others told us stories of scholarships to four year colleges, decisions made and regretted, and ultimately doors that are about to open (waiting a painstaking five weeks for the results of the GED test).

In addition, we served dinner to over 200 walk-in individuals that night...people who were welcomed inside by the smell of a warm meal.  No one was refused at the door.

Grateful for our help and eager to see us come back we left with a notion of a new definition of community - that there was something unique about the "family" that sat around that table tonight.

I couldn't help but think that tonight we witnessed the very sense of community we've been striving to create here at Lafayette all along....

-Jaclyn
4th Floor RA

P.S. If you see Walter outside of the NYCRM ask him any multiplication problem. He's a times-table virtuoso...it's unbelievable.

**(For information on getting involved in bi-weekly trips to the NYCRM contact Jaclyn @ jhp298@nyu.edu)**

4th Floor Gets Lost in Psychic Vacuum

On October 20, 2007 the 4th floor got sucked into a vortex of amazingness at Mike Nelson's exhibit, A PSYCHIC VACUUM. Nelson has been known to create ridiculous architectural environments that are sure to move you as you move around them - if not totally freak you out.  This past fall the artist reformed the interior of the old abandoned Essex Street Market in the Lower East Side and constructed passageways, tripy spaces, and decrepit rooms utilizing scraps and cultural artifacts.

There's only one weekend left to check out arguably the most exciting exhibit to enter our area!! (for free, too!!)


http://www.creativetime.org/programs/archive/2007/nelson/


:: go get sucked in ::

-Jaclyn
4th Floor RA

Peanut Butter and Jelly Time Proves Delicious

Perhaps you saw them get into the elevator sticky-fingered...
Maybe the door to your very own room was peanut butter gooey and jelly slick...

As you may or may not have noticed, on Monday October 8th the Laf conference room was taken by storm by a mob of peanut butter and jelly sandwich makers to satiate the pangs of their bellys and the needs of others.

Our goal of making an extra 120 sandwiches to deliver to the Bowery Rescue Committee's Senior Center was met...though for awhile we hovered around 80 sandwiches. The last push was Lifetime movie dramatic and included blood sweat and tears - no sandwiches were ruined in the turmoil and no sandwiches were left behind.

To all those that hung out and helped out - THANK YOU! The 120 sandwiches were delivered the following morning to a room full of seniors who warmly and graciously received them. Rest assured they were put to good use- perhaps a second addition of sandwich making next semester?? Discuss-

-Jaclyn
4th Floor RA