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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Applying the Chef George Spicy Asian Glaze Recipe - 2nd Part of 4

Now we get to the good part -- actually making and eating the food after applying the Chef George Spicy Asian Glaze!

Applying the Chef George Spicy Asian Glaze - Ribs Glazed and Ready to Serve
Ribs Glazed and Ready to Serve

Part 1 gave us Chef George's recipe for the Spicy Asian Glaze of BBQ Sauce, and Part 2, this part shows the use of the recipe on a rack of St. Louis cut pork spare ribs.

Applying the Chef George Spicy Asian Glaze - Ribs with Dry Rub after 24 hours in the Refrigerator
Ribs with Dry Rub after 24 hours in the Refrigerator

SR Inn Spicy Asian Glaze

2 Cups Hoisin Sauce
2 TBSP Freshly Chopped Ginger
1 TBSP Freshly Chopped Garlic
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/8 Cup Honey
4 TBSP Chile Paste (Easily found in most Asian Markets)
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil


Sauté garlic and ginger in oil. Add chili paste, then soy sauce followed by the rice wine vinegar, honey and Hoisin sauce and bring to a boil. This is a great for grilled chicken, pork or your favor fish such as salmon.

OK, I cheated here -- I did not saute the garlic and ginger or bring the whole thing to a boil. I just mixed it all up and tasted it -- tasted great! -- and relied on the fact that when basting the meat, the sauce would get cooked! So, there!

The Spicy Asian Glaze I have used on Pork Spare Ribs, which I found on sale at Stop and Shop, but BJ's almost always has them at a great price. I like to give the ribs a dry rub 24 hours before grilling or baking them, which adds a lot to the flavor of the finished dish and manages to get into the meat of the rib a bit better than just the glaze alone.

Here are 2 very basic Dry Rub Recipes that are fine for this purpose:

Sweet Dry Rub for Ribs

6   tablespoons brown sugar
3   tablespoons paprika
3   tablespoons salt
3   tablespoons ground black pepper
2   teaspoon garlic powder
2   teaspoon mustard powder

Spicy Dry Rub for Ribs
6   tablespoons paprika
3   tablespoons salt
3   teaspoons ground black pepper
2   teaspoon garlic powder
2   teaspoons onion powder

1  teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper
optional -- add the dried and ground pepper of your choice, e.g., Chipotle peppers --dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, and/or ancho peppers -- tastes like spicy raisins


or, you could add your Hot Sauce of Choice -- I like my own Habanero Gold!
Lightly coat both sides of the ribs with the Sweet Dry Rub  and add the Chipotle and Ancho pepper if you wish, and place on a sheet pan in the fridge over night.

The ribs I have here are trimmed in a "St Louis" cut which means they are more uniform and look more like Baby Back ribs -- which will cut down on the cooking time a bit -- and by the way, you could just as well be using Baby Backs for this recipe.

The next day, if you are that patient, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake the ribs for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until there is 1/4" of bone showing at ends.

Then begin basting the ribs with the SAG every 10 minutes or so, 3 times until you have a nice coating.

And then you are done!

Bon appetit again!

~Ted

Photo credits: Me -- my ribs, my shots

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Social Media Series at Kinnelon Library

Social Media Series at Kinnelon Library
Images courtesy Fasticon.com
Have you received your copy of the July/August/September 2011 issue of Kinnelon Public Library's Bookmarks? Check out the inside front cover. It describes my Social Media Presentation Series at the Kinnelon Library.

It's a three part series taking place July 6, 13 and 20th starting at 7pm. The topic? My very favorite: social media.

If you'd like to attend, please call the Kinnelon Library at 973-838-1321. I'd love to see you there!

Here's the official description:

Join Kinnelon resident and author of the Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog, Christine B. Whittemore, as she leads you through a multi-part social media marketing presentation series.

This presentation series will place social media marketing into perspective for those wanting to use the tools of social media to promote themselves and/or their businesses and raise their professional profile online. With more and more customers and companies beginning online when they search for resources, it matters to be found online.

The first session will put social media into context. Subsequent sessions will examine specific social networking platforms and address audience questions. Participants are invited to submit their specific questions to the presenter ahead of time.

July 6 -- Part I: Overview
  • What is social media
  • Why it matters
  • The major tools
  • Social Media code of behavior

July 13 -- Part II & III: LinkedIn & Blogging
  • Basics
  • Advanced
  • Case studies

July 20 -- Part IV & V: Facebook & Twitter
  • Basics
  • Advanced
  • Case Studies

Christine B. Whittemore is Chief Simplifier of Simple Marketing Now LLC, a marketing communications consultancy that helps organizations better connect with customers through social media and content marketing.

Part I on July 6th will be the most formal of the sessions. The next two will be interactive workshops during which you can bring your laptops to follow along [Note: the Kinnelon Library offers free WiFi.].

If you have specific questions, feel free to forward them to me in the comments or via email at cbwhittemore@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing you at the Kinnelon Library!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Summer Recipes from the Smoke Rise Inn and Chef George Spicy Asian Glaze and Mango Cucumber Salsa -- 1st Part of 4



We have 2 more great summer recipes for the home kitchen from Chef George Tavolara to share with all of you -- a Spicy Asian Glaze or BBQ Sauce and a Mango Cucumber Salsa -- both great for the upcoming 4th of July Holiday or anytime in warmer weather.

This post begins a 4 part series of articles, the first and the 3rd of which release the recipe, and the 2nd and 4th with my execution of them. Did that come out wrong? I mean, I am going to make the recipes!

SR Inn Spicy Asian Glaze

2 Cups Hoisin Sauce
2 TBSP Freshly Chopped Ginger
1 TBSP Freshly Chopped Garlic
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/8 Cup Honey
4 TBSP Chile Paste (Easily found in most Asian Markets)
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil


Sauté garlic and ginger in oil. Add chili paste, then soy sauce followed by the rice wine vinegar, honey and Hoisin sauce and bring to a boil. This is a great for grilled chicken, pork or your favor fish such as salmon.

This is a pretty easy recipe to follow, even for me, and I expect to have good results to show -- actually I cheated, and I already have good results to show based on the impartial judgment of Emma and Christine -- which I will post in a few days.

Our thanks to Chef George and the Smoke Rise Inn.

Bon Appetit,

~Ted Whittemore

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sign Up For the Smoke Rise Inn eNewsletter

Sign Up For the Smoke Rise Inn eNewsletter
Were you aware that the Smoke Rise Inn  publishes an eNewsletter that you can subscribe to?

It comes out weekly and highlights the latest happenings at Kinnelon's Smoke Rise Village Inn.

For example, the Smoke Rise Inn is conducting the first annual Facebook / Village Inn Lunch Special Contest... Here's an excerpt from the eNewsletter:

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk into a restaurant and see a dish that you created on the menu for all to enjoy? Well, the Inn is looking to its loyal Facebook friends to contribute what they feel are their most creative and delicious sandwich, pizza or grilled cheese recipes so we can do just that.

...Continuing throughout the summer, the Inn will select one entry per week to be featured as a special at lunch. Each week’s entry will be judged based on creativity, originality and units sold. The overall winner will receive a $50 gift certificate in addition to having their item added as a permanent fixture on our Fall Lunch menu.

To be eligible to enter you must be a fan of the Smoke Rise Village Inn Facebook page. Please email your recipe to the Inn’s General Manager at randy@smokeriseinn.com to be considered. Our panel of judges will make one selection per week with our first week’s entry being featured on June 7th."

Yum!

The eNewsletter also mentions something I've been dying to do... Alfresco Dining in that magical patio space off of the Smoke Rise Inn ballroom. You can have lunch or dinner, or simply enjoy a cocktail [and your new-found menu fame!].

If you'd like to receive the eNewsletter, look for the sign up form when you next go to the Smoke Rise Inn or simply email Randy Polo and let him know you'd like to receive it.

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Kinnelon Little Critter File -- What Are They???

This spring at Emma's bus stop, actually in the the culvert pool next to the stop, which feeds the bog and the stream that runs along Sleepy Hollow, we found an odd orange swarming mass of some type of, well, larvae, I guess.

Kinnelon Little Critter File - Farthest Away
Farthest Away

Kinnelon Little Critter File - Medium distance
Medium distance

Kinnelon Little Critter File - Close-up
Close-up

At first we all thought they were rust, or brick dust, because of the bright color, but we could see on closer examination that they had legs and were moving, and actively. Their bodies were elongated and perhaps 1/8" or a little longer, with waving appendages.

They remained for about 5 days or so at the bottom of that pool and then dwindled rapidly over the course of a couple of days, finally to disappear.

What are they???

If they hadn't been somewhat sausage-like, I might have thought they were water mites, and if they had been a little more elongated I might think them to be midge larvae, which can both be orange, small, and present in the spring water runoff. But now, we do not know.

Does anyone?

They are pretty cool, though, and I'm sorry I did not scoop some up into a jar and take a look under a microscope. I did mean to. Ah, well ...

Yours in curiosity,

Ted and Emma


Photo Credit: Grace Mougalian

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Kinnelon's Eileen Gelenter: Our Living Treasure

Eileen Gelenter - 2011 Poetry Contest
Kinnelon is a rich community thanks to Eileen Gelenter, our Living Treasure.

We know her best for her intense participation in the Kinnelon Library annual children's poetry contest when she brings to life the joys of words, poems and lyrics. Most recently, Eileen treated the 2011 Poetry Recitation participants and audience to a performance of  "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", to illustrate that song lyrics are poetry.

If you've not taken part in the poetry contest, you may have met Eileen at the yearly Kinnelon Conserves Earth Day Celebration where she delights children as "Red the Tender Clown". [See 4th Annual Kinnelon Conserves Earth Day.]

There's more - much more - as I discovered thanks to Ariana Cohn from Kinnelon Patch who reported that Eileen Gelenter was a Woman to Be Honored As 'Living Treasure' given her more than 40 years of service to the Kinnelon community "teaching several programs at the Kinnelon Public Library, helping found the Jewish Congregation of Kinnelon, entertaining children as "Red the Tender Clown," and more."

The more is documented in Kinnelon's Gelenter Honored As Living Treasure, a 8.59 minute Patch video of Roberta Lane describing why she had nominated her friend, Eileen Gelenter, as a Living Treasure. Even former mayor, Glenn Sisco, weighs in. Note how firetrucks come up!

I bet many readers have their own stories to share about Eileen!

Eileen Gelenter Sings 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'
Here is my very short video clip of Eileen making her point about poems and song lyrics [sadly, I didn't get my Flipcam ready quickly enough to capture the full performance] titled Kinnelon's Eileen Gelenter, Our Living Treasure:



Thank you, Eileen, for all that you do for the Kinnelon community and our children. You make us very rich!

If you haven't already, consider subscribing to the Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog via RSS or email updates.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mary Beth Grybowski Shares How Michael Catalano Inspires Kinnelon Writers

Mary Beth Gyrmbowski
Although I missed Michael Catalano's event at the Kinnelon Library, I almost feel as if I were there thanks to Kinnelon neighbor, Mary Beth Grybowski, who shared with me how Catalano's presentation about his experience as a published writer inspires her own writing.

Not only does Mary Beth share her story in this post, but she also answers a few questions about Kinnelon and writing.

C.B.: Mary Beth, tell me about yourself.

MBG: I grew up in River Edge, NJ - a very small town in Bergen County. I am the 4th of my parents' six children and the oldest female. My mother and her sister Betty were such wonderful story tellers, so I find myself mostly writing about real life situations. I categorize my style as ‘Everyday Silly’. I attended River Dell Regional High School (graduated in 1980). In my honors classes was a young man by the name of Joe DePietro. Last year he took 2 Tony Awards for the Broadway hit Memphis. I attended Cook College (Rutger's University) and graduated with a Human Nutrition Degree. Once out in the work world, I did not find this field challenging enough, after a year, I switched jobs and somehow landed in the Information Technology field. I have done Computer Support, Programming and Database Administration. I am currently a Database Manager.

C.B.: How long have you lived in Kinnelon?

MBG: My partner and I have lived in Kinnelon since August of 2006. Prior to that we lived in Bloomingdale (4 years as renters, 8 years as homeowners). When we put the house in Bloomingdale on the market, it sold in 2 days.

The very first time I drove through Kinnelon was to get to a housewarming party in Denville. As we were driving along Kinnelon Road, I thought, Wow, this is wonderful. To be able to live in Kinnelon was always a dream for us. But we have worked hard in the last 18 years that we have been together, to make our dreams come true. We both went back to school about 15 years ago to further our careers. My partner is back at school again, to transition from working for a Pharmaceutical Company to becoming an Occupational Therapist.

C.B.L What do you like best about Kinnelon?

MBG: What I like best about Kinnelon is the natural beauty. The house we bought is a raised ranch and from the living room (which is on the upper level) I can look out on the mountains. I love to hike, but I find Kinnelon's trails are not as good as the ones in West Milford. Pyramid Mountain is OK, but there are power lines running through the trails and some of those rocky ledges are really dangerous.

Speaking of hiking, anyone who goes hiking with me also gets a history lesson, either about the Wisconsin Glacier or about the people who settled the area. Also, if you 'Google' my name, you will see that I currently hold the record for 'Fastest Woman Winter Challenger'. It is a hiking competition in West Milford that is run by the author Don Weise. Some guys broke my record the next two Winters, but I remain the fastest woman. I completed the 17 required hikes during the Winter of 2008-9 in 60 days. Now, had I not had a full time job, I could have done them in 14 days or less. As a result of my efforts, I got a certificate (big woop) and started to experience a lot of pain below the waist.

All of Winter 2009-10 I spent in Physical Therapy 3x/week. This past Winter, to play it safe, I decided to start writing a novel that has been kicking around in my brain for the last 2 years. I joined the writing site StoryWrite, because I could not find a local writing group to join. Once I joined the site I became addicted. I have about 50 new short stories that I have written since February. Unfortunately, I haven’t done any further work on the novel since February. In my head, I have gone back to the original beginning. For me that is the hardest part- where to start the story.

C.B.: It sounds like Michael Catalano's session about his book 'Dropping Fear' inspired you!

MBG:  Yes. Following Michael's discussion, I did email Ellen DeGeneres since Oprah is no longer on the air to promote her 'Book Club'. I'm not sure if Ellen has a book club on her show, if she doesn't she should. Because on her sitcom years ago (named Ellen), she played the owner of a book store. That show aired 1994-8. I wrote Ellen saying, "A very nice young man who grew up in town wrote a book that I heard is wonderful. Here's the dilemma, I don't read dark or horror. Perhaps you would like to read it and give him a little promo?" I know it's a long shot, but who knows. Michael seems like a nice guy and his dad said that every good writer needs a good marketing plan.

C.B.: What inspired you to attend Michael's session? 

MBG: I know everyone has their own unique style to flesh out a story. I thought it would be nice to meet a published author in person. My mom attended something years ago at the Oradell Library. The author that evening was Mary Higgins Clarke. She had just published her first novel. After my mom listened she said, "She's got a lot of stories in her, I can tell." My mom was absolutely correct.

Twelve years ago, my partner and I were attending an event in NYC where Patricia Cornwell was in attendance. My partner recommended that I go up to her and talk, but I let her know that wasn’t a cool thing to do in NYC. She excused herself and headed to the ladies room. A few minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my partner with someone beside her. When I looked to her right, I recognized the face- it was the very blue eyes that gave her away. It was Patricia Cornwell, in the flesh, and I awkwardly reached out my hand to introduce myself. “I enjoy reading your books,” I remembered saying before my mind went blank. I guess that’s a symptom of being star struck and that’s honestly all that I can remember. I was back to feeling like I was four years old with nothing to say and wanting to hide in the nearest closet.

These days due to the internet, published writers are a bit more accessible. For instance, in the last year, I have read 5 books written by an author from Rochester, NY. I emailed her to let her know which of her books I enjoyed the most and why. A month later, she emailed back. That was very cool. I was able to contact her through her blog, which is how I contacted you, Christine.

C.B.: Mary Beth, I'm so very pleased you contacted me! Thanks, too, for sharing this story you wrote about the Kinnelon Library event with Michael Catalano.

Dropping Fear

An evening with Michael Catalano, published Horror Writer, at the Kinnelon Library

by Mary Beth Grybowski

Yes, I can hardly believe it myself. Last night, May 25th, 2011, I spent the evening with Michael Catalano, a published Horror Writer. And my other half was the one who pushed for me to do it. Oh now, now, it’s not what you think. Get your mind out of the gutter. Never mind, I purposely pulled you down that path to pique your interest. I must have it, because you are still reading, right?

Let me provide you with some details about the evening. "Local boy makes good, 1996 graduate of Kinnelon High School, comes to the town library to talk about his book." Read the e-mail that came in on Sunday via the Smoke Rise Blog. Monday I phoned the library to make my reservation. The woman at the desk seemed excited, so I naturally assumed that I was the first to call.

Wednesday night arrived and I was prompt for the event. I was actually ten minutes early, wow that hasn’t happened since . . . gee I cannot remember. If you knew anything about me, you’d know that I would be late for my own funeral. So that tells you how much interest I had in meeting this young man. I walked into the room that I had been to before, for voting purposes. Chairs were arranged in a circle, it reminded me of a Twelve Step Program meeting.

Michael jumped up to greet me and shook my hand. I felt like I was the celebrity at this event. “Wow, someone that isn’t related to me or a friend. Cool,” he said. Sitting within the circle were three friends, a friend’s parent, and Mrs. Misnick- his second grade teacher. “So you’ve read my book,” he assumed rather than asked.

“Actually, no, I don’t read horror or dark or anything violent.”

“Oh, well then what brings you here?” Michael inquired.

“I like to write and I wanted to hear your story. Not your book story, but YOUR story. How you get your ideas, how often you write, how much you try to write at one sitting, how you got published . . . that kind of thing.”

Within a few minutes, Michael’s sister, niece, and mother arrived. A few minutes later an International Exchange Student named Yu joined us; she barely spoke English. Five minute later, Emily joined us; her family was hosting Yu for half a school year. Both girls were sixteen.

The discussion started just after seven pm. Below, I have outlined what Michael shared about his experience as a writer.

- He thought that growing up in Kinnelon was boring, nothing happened in this quiet, forest-laden community. I told him that Kinnelon was far from boring. I'm constantly seeing wildlife in the yard - wild turkey, deer, bear, red fox and even coyote.

- This was his sixth novel, but the only one published.

- WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, was his advice. This book was written during a stressful period when he and his wife were having difficulty conceiving their first child. Writing Dropping Fear was Michael's way to unload his mind, during that time. A friend and his sister noted that the book strangely paralleled his life.

- To try to get his book published he started by sending queries to Literary Agents; that’s what a published book told him. I thought he should have asked someone's advice instead. We live only thirty miles west of New York City. Many of the major publishing houses are within reach.

- Finally a publisher responded with advice, "This looks good, you should send it to Dark Press, they're new and looking for work like this."

- He said he writes about a page a day which generally takes him an hour. First he goes to the bottom and types in notes. Once he is done with that page, he cross-checks to see that he has converted all his notes to story form. Most books take him a year to write. He’s not writing to be rich. His royalty check this month barely covered the cost of a drink. He works full time at a normal job.

- He asked about me since he knew I liked to write. I told him about having bursts of creativity when my life is in transition. I told them about work and all the great stories I get from my friend Lee’s mishaps in the kitchen or with English. I told him about all the books I read last Summer. I also divulged the weirdness that started in my brain in February and how I noticed that good writers had a rhythm, but it was like a song. As I gave them the details that I wrote in my story The Tune in My Head, I glanced over at Mrs. Misnick and I could tell by her body language that she was enjoying this.

- I told the group about StoryWrite and how I discovered it when I went searching the internet for a local writing group.

- Michael let us in on the next big genre . . . ZOMBIES. I thought that was pretty relevant to today's world. Just look at all the drug commercials on TV and listen as they read the side effects! The 'zombification' of society. Hmmm, sounds like a good topic for a story or even a horror novel.

His father had walked into the discussion about half way through. He talked about the importance of good marketing. The father relayed the story of a woman in his office. She said, “Wow, I just read the best book, the author has the same last name as you.”

I told Michael that he should set up shop outside of Borders Bookstore just a few miles away. “Too bad Oprah just did her last show today. If you get on Oprah’s Book Club, it’s guaranteed millions of reads. Perhaps we should start a writing campaign, pitch your book to Ellen Degeneres.”

Everyone in the room giggled a little, but then nodded in agreement.

We wrapped it up at eight pm.

Mary Beth, are you on Facebook?

I shook my head to say, ‘No’.

Why not? You should. Give me your email account.” I gave him mine and I have his- it was on the invitation.

He asked if it was ok to give me a hug. “Of course,” I replied. If you think that’s weird, it’s not, he’s Italian.

Tomorrow, I’ll be working on that letter to Ellen Degeneres.

© 2011 Mary Beth Grybowski

----

Mary Beth, thanks so very much for sharing with us your story about meeting Michael Catalano!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Meet Ariana Cohn, Kinnelon Patch Editor

Meet Ariana Cohn, Kinnelon Patch Editor
Many of you already know Ariana Cohn, who grew up in Kinnelon. Others may have noticed her about town, usually camera in hand and laptop close by as she captures Kinnelon's latest news for Patch, and more specifically, Kinnelon-Butler Patch.

Patch, as the About Us page, explains is "... a community-specific news and information platform dedicated to providing comprehensive and trusted local coverage for individual towns and communities."  [I just noticed that NYU journalism professor Jeff Jarvis - do you  remember the 2005 Dell Hell fiasco? - is on the Editorial Advisory Board.] It's also owned by AOL to focus on hyperlocal news.

Thanks to Ariana Cohn, Kinnelon Patch editor, news about Kinnelon is readily available.  For example, did you catch her story about the recent Alex's Lemonade Stand event [with a picture of Emma's 3rd grade teacher, Doreen Kolster, and her daughter]? Or of the issues - such as an underage drinking ordinance - that our local Kinnelon government grapples with?

I caught up with Ariana to ask her a few questions.

C.B.: Ariana, please tell me about yourself and your background.

AC: I grew up in the Fayson Lakes community of Kinnelon.

When I was in high school, and even before that, I knew I loved to write-I actually kept a diary from when I was in about sixth or seventh grade until last year. Sometimes I re-read the diaries and laugh about the silly things I used to write about, but I really think keeping a diary set the stage for the rest of my career as a writer and journalist.

C.B.: What did you like about growing up in Kinnelon?

AC: Growing up in a lake community, I used to love going on long walks with my friends to the beach. Sometimes we would even walk to the beach at night and go swimming when it was dark. I loved being able to be outside and see all kinds of animals and trees, but being so close to New York City also.

C.B.: What is Patch and what is your role with Patch?

Patch is a company owned by AOL that has hyperlocal Web sites in cities and towns across the country. (You can see all of the Patchs by clicking on this link.)

I am the Local Editor for Kinnelon-Butler Patch, a site which covers the news and happenings for Kinnelon, Butler and Bloomingdale.

We cover all kinds of news from borough council meetings and school board meetings to community events  and more for Kinnelon, Butler and Bloomingdale.

Kinnelon-Butler Patch
C.B.: What has been most surprising about the Patch experience?

AC: The most surprising thing has been learning so many things about the town I grew up in that I didn't know about before. For instance, I had no idea there even was a Kinnelon museum before I started this job, and now I know about the many programs that are held there.

C.B.: How does your Kinnelon background help?

AC: I think having grown up in Kinnelon helps with my job because I know where everything is, and I know a lot of people I talk to on a daily or weekly basis.

C.B.: What are you enjoying most about being back in the area and so thoroughly immersed in what's going on?

AC: I enjoy seeing some of the people from my hometown who I haven't seen in such a long time.

C.B.: This is a question I bet many readers are wondering about... When is your wedding date?

AC: November 12, 2011! Just one day shy of 11/11/11!

C.B.: Congratulations! And, how can you be reached? 

If you have a news tip or want to see something covered on Patch, you can email me at ariana.cohn@patch.com or find us on Twitter @KinnelonPatch or on Facebook at Kinnelon-Butler Patch.

C.B.: Thanks very much, Ariana! I know we'll all be seeing you around town!

By the way, you can upload your news of events taking place around town as well as comment on stories. I also recommend that you subscribe to receive The Patch Newlsetter. Registering takes just a few minutes.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Environmentalism, Energy, Pollution at Kinnelon Library 6/12/11

Environmentalism, Energy, Pollution at Kinnelon Library 6/12/11
If you are interested in Environmentalism, Energy and Pollution, consider attending this discussion taking place on 6/12/11 at the Kinnelon Public Library.

Perhaps you've seen the flyer on the event? If not, you can read it here!

*Free and Open to the Public*
Sunday, June 12, 3:00 PM

Kinnelon Public Library, in partnership with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, will host a discussion focusing on:


Environmentalism, Energy and Pollution. 

 Please call the Library at (973) 838-1321 to sign up for this discussion and to obtain a reading list.



"A program pairing communities with scholars from a wide range of humanities disciplines and providing them with high-quality resources to explore and discuss the emerging concept of environmental justice and its connections to day-to-day life.

By the way, this looks to be a fantastic program judging from the reviews that Chris Rasmussen's students share about him!

Check your calendar. If you are available on Sunday, June 12th at 3pm, be sure to call the Kinnelon Library to sign up. You'll also get a reading list!

If you haven't already, consider subscribing to the Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog via RSS or email updates.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Ramstein Open House and SR Fresh Hot Sauce this Saturday @ 2 PM , June 11

Ramstein Beer Open House

Here is a reminder for this weekend’s Ramstein Beer Open House and Tour, this Saturday, June 11. Directions are at the website.

There will be 1 tour and tasting session, at 2 PM only. 

Double Platinum Blonde, and Amber Lager and, maybe, unfiltered Golden, will be on tap.

1 liter growlers will be in stock -- no 2 liter.

And SR Fresh Hot Sauce will be there with the Fresh Cayenne-Cherry, Habanero Gold, and XXXXTra Hot Habanero Hot Sauce. We will have Cayenne-Fresno in 2 Heat levels, Mild and Wild, and also our new SR Sriracha “Thai Style” Hot Sauces along with our Spicy Aioli in 16 oz jars -- that's Hot and Spicy Mayo for those of you scratching your heads. Come try them! And buy them!

You Hot Sauce people can check out the SR Fresh Hot Sauce Website, where the sauces are explained and sold. Check out the Fresh Hot Sauce Blog as well.

As usual, there will be a tour and explanation of the brewing process by Greg Zaccardi, the owner. [See previous post about Ramstein Beer with videos for a primer.]

See you there!

Ted and Christine and Emma

Monday, June 6, 2011

Smoke Rise Neighbor Needs Help: Lost Car Key

A Smoke Rise neighbor needs help finding her car key, lost while hiking between Tower Hill and Black Oak. Have you seen it?

I received this message last night from new neighbor Bonnie Nach:

Hi - I recently moved to Smoke Rise and have been getting your blog - It's awesome, thanks so much!

Today I hiked off of Tower Hill and came out on Black Oak - Somewhere along the way I lost the key to my car (my only key) - I know it's a huge longshot, but is there a way to get the word out that if someone comes across it to contact me?

It's a key for an Audi - i had to get my car towed from Tower Hill to my house and it will take Audi over a weeek to get me a replacement.

Thanks in advance for anything you may be able to do.

If you're hiking in the area, could you be on the lookout? And let others know?

If you do come across Bonnie's car key, please contact her via phone at 201-956-5208 or email at
bon929@gmail.com.

Thanks very much for your help!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Stonybrook Overture by Chris M. Bernotas

Were you aware that Kinnelon's Stonybrook school has its own 'Overture' composed by Chris M. Bernotas?  According to Mark Mongon, Stonybrook Principal in a post on the Our Stonybrook Blog in November 2010, Stonybrook Overture,” a piece that was commissioned thanks to a grant from KEHSA, has been published."

It was also performed by Stonybrook 5th graders this past May during the Stonybrook Band Festival.

[Note: KEHSA stands for Kinnelon Elementary Home & School Association.]

I learned about this from Emma who, after hearing Stonybrook band director, Alan Tedesco, describe the piece, excitedly referred to a YouTube video of the Stonybrook Overture, which  I include below.  Before you listen, I thought I'd share with you some of what I discovered while piecing this story together.

From the Stonybrook Friday Folders, I found this note from Alan Tedesco:

"Next week, the Star Ledger will be visiting the Stonybrook School band program and interviewing Alan Tedesco and Chris Bernotas (Mt. Lakes High School Band Director). The ledger’s story will cover how the Stonybrook Band Festival began at the 5th grade level and the “Stonybrook Overture”. Mr. Bernotas was commissioned to write “Stonybrook Overture” two years ago with money funded by KEHSA through the annual grant committee. Since the piece was written, it has been published worldwide and will be debuted at the National Band Clinic in Chicago in Dec. The actual musical score includes information about Alan Tedesco and the 4th and 5th grade band program here at Stonybrook School. We are all very excited and look forward to the festival this May when the 5th grade band will perform the now nationally acclaimed “Stonybrook Overture”.

Which led me to the Star Ledger and an article titled Kinnelon elementary school band to have music to call its own.

Click on Stonybrook Overture to view the video on YouTube


Here is the description that Chris Bernotas includes on YouTube:

"Stonybrook Overture was written for a concert band festival hosted by the 4th and 5th grade band of the Stonybrook School in Kinnelon, NJ. Beginning with a majestic statement, it moves into a legato melody with a lively percussion accompaniment. The melody makes its way around the ensemble with harmonized countermelodies. The piece concludes with a restatement of the festival fanfare and a bold ending. This is a terrific vehicle for students to work on phrasing and articulation."

If you'd like to learn more about the composer, check out the Chris M. Bernotas' Blog as well as the Chris M. Bernotas' Channel on YouTube with many other compositions.

Did your child perform the Stonybrook Overture during this year's Stonybrook Band Festival? What did you think? Emma can't wait to make it to 5th grade now...

New Smoke Rise Trails Map Available!

2011 Smoke Rise Trails Map
Yes, the new, updated Smoke Rise Trails Map is now available. This is a project that Ken Bitz and the Smoke Rise Lake & Environmental Committee has been hard at work on since early Winter.

It's a two part document: a magnificent 11X17 document [see image on right] and a booklet guide with details on the trails based on my blog posts about our hikes around Smoke Rise.

You can download both parts of the Smoke Rise Trails brochure here:
According to Ken Bitz, the 11x17 version of the Trails map and the Guide booklet will be available from the Smoke Rise Office at a nominal cost of $1.00 for the map and $5.00 for the Guide.

The oversized version of the Trails map is visually dramatic and a great resource.

Let me know if you have any questions or feel free to contact Ken Bitz at kbitz@optonline.net.

Happy Smoke Rise Trails!
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