by Carly Eden Stokes | May 9, 2021 | Blog, News
Ming Wu
VLANJ Board Member Ming Wu.
Ming has spent most of her career working in business development and marketing in the legal sector. She has worked for international law firms in the UK and in Hong Kong. She has a BSc (Hons) Psychology from the University of Leeds. Originally from the UK, Ming now lives in New Jersey. In recent years Ming has volunteered for UK based non-profits, The Royal National Institute for the Blind and Wakefield District Sight Aid. Ming has a passion for improving the lives of people living with sight loss and raising awareness of related topics, which she writes about on her blog.
Frank Mortimer
VLANJ Board Member Frank Mortimer.
Frank worked in higher education publishing for over twenty-five years. He was the Director of Marketing, Higher Education, North America at Oxford University Press, a not-for-profit, mission-driven
institution, where he was responsible for all facets of their marketing operations for a $54 million portfolio of print and digital products across the United States and Canada. Frank is currently an adjunct instructor at the Cornell University Master Beekeeping Program, Vice President of the New Jersey State Beekeepers Association, and a Certified Master Beekeeper. Frank is the author of Bee People and the Bugs They Love, (Kensington Publishing, March 2021), which was reviewed by the New York Times, and
he has written multiple articles featured in the widely circulated Bee Culture Magazine. Frank also serves on Ridgewood, New Jersey’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board. Frank is married and lives in Ridgewood with his wife and three children.
Dora Meler
VLANJ Board Member Dora Meler
Dora has more than 37 years’ experience in the IT field implementing and running technology and product solutions for financial services firms. After earning a B.S. Degree in Computer Science from Queens College in New York, she enjoyed a full career within the global investment banking industry, working most recently as Vice President/Senior Technology Project Manager at Barclays in NYC before retiring in 2018. Despite being diagnosed with glaucoma in her late 20s and experiencing a slow, steady loss of vision in the years that followed, she has continued to pursue her many interests. These include world travel, learning new language and musical instrument skills, and enjoying the outdoors through camping, hiking, tandem cycling and cross-country skiing, all while following a healthy lifestyle including practicing daily meditation.
by Carly Eden Stokes | Feb 10, 2021 | Blog
Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day recipe? Look no further!
A slice of red velvet cake sits on a plate. Image via RecipeTin Eats.
VLANJ student and technology instructor Christina Brino recommends a recipe featured on Epicurious.com by Dora Charles: “Very Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans.” Here’s what you need to make it:
INGREDIENTS
- Cake:
- 2½ cups cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons red food coloring (from two 1-ounce bottles)
- Icing:
- 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Here’s how to make it:
PREPARATION
To make the cake: Set the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack positions to the middle and top third. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans well with baking spray.
-
- Sift the flour with the baking soda.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs well, then beat in the sugar, oil, and vinegar. On low speed, slowly add the flour and beat in well. Add the buttermilk slowly, then the vanilla, and then the food coloring.
- Pour the batter evenly into the pans and rap them on the countertop several times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from shelf to shelf so they bake evenly and bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 25 minutes altogether. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 15 minutes.
- Run a knife around the sides of the pans and invert the cakes onto the racks to cool completely. Once they’re cool, refrigerate the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes to make icing them easier.
- To make the icing: Combine everything in a medium bowl and mix well until very smooth. It’s best to use the icing right away, when it’s soft and spreadable.
- Put one cake layer upside down on a cake plate or cake stand and cover the top evenly with frosting. Add a second layer, right side up, and spread with more frosting. Top with the third layer, right side up, and spread the frosting evenly around the sides of the cake and on top; check for any places where you can see through to the cake. Finally, sprinkle the pecans evenly all over the top of the cake.
- Once the frosting sets, cut into slices to serve. This cake keeps for up to 2 weeks in a cake keeper, but once it’s ready, people want to dive right in.
“I sometimes like to mix the pecan bits right into the frosting. Don’t worry, they’ll stay crisp. You can make 18 cupcakes from this recipe. They’ll take about 25 minutes to bake.”
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us here at VLANJ!
by Carly Eden Stokes | Feb 7, 2021 | Blog
February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month. Often called AMD or ARMD, it is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans who are aged 65 and older.
An image of an eye with wet macular degeneration.
In an episode of the
Hadley Presents: A Conversation with the Experts audio podcast, Dr. Tim Murray of the American Society of Retina Specialists is featured. Dr. Murray treats eye diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. He answers common questions and shares his insights into the future of treatments. Listen to the full podcast episode by clicking the link below!
by Carly Eden Stokes | Sep 1, 2020 | Blog, News
People have unfortunately developed serious vision problems due to the drop in eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more by clicking the link below.
A close-up image of a bright blue eye gazes into the camera.
The coronavirus tidal wave has made Dr. Ruth Williams rethink what she considers essential and elective care in her field of ophthalmology – which cases constitute an emergency, and which count as routine.
