Challah/French Toast & Garden Party Playlist

Thomas Tittmann
13 hours ago
3 min read

This is simply a tasty way to share good food and good tunes...It began recently when I assisted Eileen in preparing a noontime breakfast of French toast using Rieisterer's Bakery's delicious challah bread.

As her apprentice chef, I learned that the most important tip is to be sure the bread gets the right amount of moisture - a sweet spot between too dry and too soggy. To accomplish this she recommended holding the bread with my hands and feeling its moisture content.

"Food is a carrier for the sauce"

That's a motto of mine applied here: Slices and pan "scraps"...YUM!!!

To add even more sweetness, Eileen included two kinds of vintage. The green ones are a treat: organic cotton candy variety. As a shopper, she's a great forager.

Restaurant Tip:

Uncle Bacala's in Garden City Park is a family favorite. We went there for Eileen's May 28th birthday. I had the BEST ever lobster bisque soup. One of their customs is offering guests cotton candy at the end of the feast.

Afternoon Delight

This is a favorite pick me up on Monday and Tuesday afternoons - when Witches Brew is closed. I use a variety of tasty nut milk creamers to turn it into a latte...

Here's another in their offerings:

FYI - BREWMASTER DANNY at Witches Brew crafts a great cold brew!

Song Break...

Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band (1976)

Garden Party

Song Break...

"You can't please everybody...so you got to please yourself"

Rick Nelson - Garden Party (Live) (03:39)

Imagine...

IMAGINE. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers) HD (03:53)

I kept the pillow in our kitchen shot above, so I could share another place that's been helping me make it through the day...In my blog, I have several posts about this imaginative space and the mindful folks who offer helpful services, including great musical offerings...

Garden City's Center for Spiritual Imagination...

The Center for Spiritual Imagination

Earlier in 2026, I participated in a their 4-month online contemplative version of the wisdom of the 12 Steps. I must have been ready student because I learned several very helpful things about my thinking and resulting behavior.

12 Steps for Contemplatives

TASTY TUNE TOPPINGS...

As I was beginning to mix the breakfast ingredients, these tunes started popping onto my mental jukebox...

BEACH BOYS Wild Honey 1967 HQ (02:40)

A friend helps collect and bottle local honey on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City:

In nearby Bellmore, the Episcopal Church of St. Francis also offers honey and other organic produce.

Produce for all at the Garden at St. Francis

Honey and Pollinator Ministry

With the help of Master Bee Keeper Carl Flatow, The Garden maintains three honeybee hives. Our hives are a part of the symbiotic relationships we encourage in the garden. We plant with intention to provide our pollinators with flowers and plants they can consume at every stage of their life cycle. Our bees then provide us with hyper-local, pesticide-free honey. We are currently offering our honey for $20 per one pound bottle. Glass bottles are encouraged to be returned to the Church to be recycled. Please contact gardenstfrancis@gmail.com or call 516-679-1184 to place your order and to arrange a pickup time.

Pollinator Garden: local Girl Scout Julia Amon planted a pollinator garden for her Gold Award Project. Her final presentation can be found here.