Stovetop Diplomacy

Adventures in Red Velvet Cheesecake Layer Cake, Part 1

2011-12-18T18:37:00.001-05:00

I begin this journey by saying, the cake is NOT a lie.

For Christmas, I have decided to try and recreate the Red Velvet Cheesecake Layer Cake from the Cheesecake factory. I started with Alton Brown's recipe for both the Red Velvet Cake on the Food Network and Cheesecake Layers. Red Velvet recipe is at the preceding link, but I made it in one 8x3 round cake pan instead of two 9 inch pans. I then cut the cake in half.

The Cheesecake recipe came from Alton Brown's book, I'm Just Here for More Food:

24 oz creme cheese (three packages)
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 oz sweetened condensed milk (by weight)
1 c sour creme

I also make a crust for the cheesecake using:

4 oz Nilla Wafers (by weight)
1/4 cup butter, melted

The instructions for the cheesecake are the same as that for the slightly different version of this cheesecake found on the Food TV website.

I then used my standard creme cheese frosting recipe

16 oz creme cheese
1/4 cup butter
12 oz powdered sugar (by weight)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Beat together creme cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light an fluffy (let it go a few minutes). Then slowly add the powdered sugar while beating on low speed. When all sugar has been added, turn the speed to high and let it get nice and fluffy. Add extracts and then pop in the fridge to set.

With trips to the store and cooling time, it took about 24 hours from start to finish. And this was the product:

Success, right? Not so much on this first round. The big problem is the cheesecake. It is very, very loose. So loose that there was no way to frost between the layers once I sliced the cheesecake in half (and separating those layers was its own challenge). So loose that I question the structural integrity of slices. And just two loose for my tastes. Additionally, I'm not completely sold on cheesecakes that use sour creme instead of lemon. I like my cheesecake sweet and firm, and this was not those things. I'm not sure if the recipe just won't be usable for this application, or whether I need to up the cooking time to get it nice and firm. For Christmas i'll probably just go with another recipe and leave AB's recipe for further tinkering in the future. I think I will also cut down on the amount of melted butter that goes into the cookie crust.

Additionally, I think I need to reverse the order that I make the cakes. This time I make the red velvet cake first, so it had 18 hours more or less in the fridge before assembly, which I think made it a bit too dense. Next time around I will prep the cheesecake the night before and the red velvet cake the day of assembly. But it is a tasty cake.

Building Off A Childhood Favorite - A Great Use for Ground Turkey

2011-10-28T15:32:00.001-04:00

I've traditionally not been a big fan of ground turkey, especially as a substitute for ground beef. Primarily, that's due to the fact that in many cases, the supermarket butcher or agri-corporation preparing the ground beef will cut the very lean turkey breast with added animal fat. Thus you can end up with a product that has just as much fat as ground beef but that doesn't taste as good.

However, when I was growing up, Nana would regularly make turkey balls and tortellini whenever I stayed with her and Papa for a night or a weekend. A few weeks ago, I decided to try and recreate it for Colleen. While I don't think I capture the magic of Nana's creation, I was able to develop a really tasty turkey ball that will enter heavy rotation at Casa de Griffin (just probably in different applications).

Turkey and Blue Cheese Balls

16-20 oz. ground turkey breast (so far I have used 93/7 ground turkey, anything leaner might make the balls too dry) *See update below.
1/2 c blue cheese crumbled
1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Mix together all ingredients, making sure to incorporate the blue cheese well without overworking the mixture.
Shape into 1 oz balls.
Bake for 5 minutes at 450°F. Then reduce heat to 350°F and bake 20 minutes more.
Serve immediate.
Yield: 2 dozen turkey balls.

The second time I made this, I served them on a bed of couscous with green beans sauteed in garlic, butter and lemon juice.

This will most likely be served as an appetizer on Christmas Eve this year.

UPDATE (10-28-2011): As suspected, I tried this recipe tonight with 99/1 ground turkey and it came out pretty poorly. The turkey balls were extremely dry and did not brown at all except for where they rested on the cookie sheet. Stick with the lean ground turkey rather than an extra lean ground turkey.

And we're back

2011-10-27T12:39:00.002-04:00

After letting this blog fall to the wayside for well over two years, I've decided to start it back up again. Hopefully with a more food-centric focus as I've recently tried to take my culinary skills to the next level.

A few quick and dirty updates for the last two years - really just to inform Mr. Blogger.

Got married, which means that I also got a full set of super-awesome pans and beyond awesome knives (as well as a wife).
Graduated law school (waiting on bar results).
Moved back to Jersey. Have huge apartment with a ginormous kitchen and backyard for a grill.
Won two ribbons (a blue and a red) for my Caramel Apple Pie.

For When I'm Not a Poor Law Student...

2009-02-05T01:37:00.003-05:00

I'm going to admit it - I really like cheese. Like, I'll go to Whole Foods and just sniff various cheeses for 10 minutes (and eventually buy a piece of one to taste over the next few days).

That's why one day, when I have a real job again, I want to do this. That's right, Cheese Boot Camp. From the Murray's website:

Learn from the Murray's what we know best: Cheese! From how cheese is made to the basics of tasting, and everything in between. We've designed this weekend long class to give each student a strong foundation in the world of cheese.
Cheese U is a serious course of study, and will include suggested readings and optional take home assignments. The series will culminate in an exam. Successful completion of the program is awarded with a Certificate of Achievement.

After the 3-day series, complete with lectures, demonstrations and tastings, each student will be able to differentiate cheese styles, describe cheeses in depth, and pair like a pro.

I may be crazy, but I actually want to be able to speak knowledgeably about cheese and be able to understand terms like "nutty flavor" and "smooth finish" (or something like that, those things might not actually apply to cheese).

Cheese boot camp, you heard it here first.

Tina Fey nails Sarah Palin

2008-09-14T01:05:00.000-04:00

And she doesn't even race snowmobiles...

SPHC
by Hishighness

Small town values

2008-09-07T13:00:00.003-04:00

Just a few questions for the Republicans:

How big can a town be, and still be "small"?
Do no gay people live in these "small towns"?
Could you replace "small town" with "white, straight, evangelical"?

Biden telling it like it is

2008-09-06T00:39:00.002-04:00

There's just something that feels so familar when Joe Biden speaks. His passion is honest and poignant, but at the same time, he seems like "Uncle Joe" - that guy your parents grew up with and was always a blast to talk to at family parties because he had great stories from the block.

Deep Thought

2008-09-04T22:00:00.002-04:00

Just remember, every time someone from the GOP mentions how much of a maverick McSame and McPitbull have been by going against their party, that means that the GOP believed in something wrong. Wouldn't it just have been better for the GOP didn't do something stupid in the first place?

Brilliant

2008-09-04T21:25:00.000-04:00

From last night's Daily Show:

Highlights of the Night

2008-09-04T00:31:00.002-04:00

Just a brief, and incomplete, run-down of my favorite parts of tonight's speech by Sarah "20-Months-As-Governor-Of-The-State-Closest-to-Russia" Palin. And by favorite, I mean most obnoxious and/or annoying:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening." - Well, I wouldn't be surprised has never had to deal with a community organizer as she has lived in towns of 7,500 (Wasilla) and 30,000 (Juneau). So maybe someone should explain just how important community organizers are to poor neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago, in West Philadelphia and Harlem. So this is what community organizers do - they help people know about their legal rights; they help them find a way to put food on the table and keep the lights on; they help families build stronger schools and safer streets; they help working class families realize the American dream. In short, they get families the services that government can't or won't provide. The horror! What they don't do - they don't try to ban books from the library and then try to fire the librarian; they don't increase taxes on poor and working families while cutting it for corporations; they don't leave their communities further in debt; and they certainly don't hire other people to do they job they were paid $75,000 (partially because they get no where near $75,000 in salary).
Frequent cut shots to Bristol Palin and her babydaddy. And I really hate the term "babydaddy," but honestly, if her daughter and failure as a parent are supposed to remain a private, family affair, then don't drag your daughter's boyfriend to the convention. She's quickly losing the high-ground on this point.
"What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick." - Perhaps funny, and maybe even true, but in no way flattering.
"While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for." - Like your former brother-in-law, or the Public Safety Commissioner who refused to fire him at your request?
"Our state budget is under control. We have a surplus." - Perhaps because Alaska is number one in per capita federal spending or number three in amount of federal funds received per dollar paid in federal taxes? It's a lot easier to balance the budget when New Jersey is footing the bill.
"I told the Congress 'thanks, but no thanks,' for that Bridge to Nowhere." - Funny, that not how the people in Alaska remember it.
"To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House." - Methinks she only became a friend and advocate this year, after learning that she'd be giving to a boy with Downs Syndrome. After all, it's not like the Republican party has a strong record of providing the disabled community with the services they need.

Oh, and in case no one told Sarah Palin this - the name of the Democratic nominee for President of the United States is Senator Barack Obama.

And if Palin was a Witch

2008-09-03T23:56:00.004-04:00

As suggested by the great Keith Olbermann (he made the Tracy Flick reference, too).I am enjoying how K.O. is trying to play it straight on the surface and then throwing in random pop culture references to show his disgust. Bravo!

Separated at Birth?

2008-09-03T23:48:00.003-04:00

Don't forget to vote for Sarah Palin this Thursday during homeroom for Junior Class Secretary!

Pop quiz: How is Sarah Palin like school in August?

Answer: Both have no class.

I survived

2008-08-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

The first week of law school, that is. This should be fun.

Go. Watch. Now!

2008-07-18T11:16:00.003-04:00

So awesome. So free.

Another Brilliant Weezer Music Video

2008-07-02T23:39:00.003-04:00

Weezer follows up the genius of "Buddy Holly" and "Keep Fishing" with their tribute to YouTube's fifteen minute celebrities:

Saw the preview on my AppleTV today while browsing new music and immediately bought the full video. While the Red Album on the whole has been a disappointment for me, this is pure gold.

"Tonight, I'd like to give you a little bonus rock to suck on."

2008-06-17T10:09:00.005-04:00

said Stephen Colbert last night on the Colbert Report as he aired a performance of R.E.M.'s "Hollow Man" recorded in April. Perhaps not my choice for second single, but a rocking good song, nonetheless:

And here's a bonus, the actual music video for "Hollow Man":

One day until the concert!
#remmann

I Feel Like a Storm Cloud - But My Thunder Was Stolen

2008-06-12T16:13:00.002-04:00

For the most part, Wednesdays means that it's Quizzo night at Fado in Center City and yesterday was one of those nights. We have a good core group for our team - mostly Colleen's coworkers - and we have our regular spot in a side room to enjoy the competition and a few beers. Normally, we're a upper-middle team, hovering around 5-7 out of 20 or so teams.

Last night, we were on fire!

The stars were perfectly aligned for us. The early round questions were lay-ups for us and the category round was "Broadway Musicals," which Colleen went 10 for 10 on (I would have gotten 8 of them if she hadn't been there). On top of that, we rocked the music round, getting all ten songs and nine of the artists. In fact, we won the two pitchers of beer that come with winning that round after I pounced on "Molly" by Sponge after about 2 seconds in the 4-way tiebreaker.

We had 75 points going into Final Jeopardy! (4 points ahead of second place)

And then we had the rug yanked out from underneath us.

Because the guy keeping score forgot to mention that there was a team that actually had 72 points when he originally listed the teams in the top 3 - and we stopped listening after we heard that second place had "71" points. So we bet 68 points - enough to get us 143 with a right answer and supposedly win. But no, incompetence beat us in the end.

We had our thunder stolen. It was my night of glory, and a guy with a microphone who didn't know how to count took it all away from me. Next time we're just betting it all.

I am like a storm cloud - but someone stole my thunder. ::FLASH::...waiting...waiting...no boom.

My new toy

2008-06-01T23:47:00.002-04:00

Today Colleen and I took a trip to Delaware to pick up something from her Aunt's house and decided to stop by Target to check out the TV I've had my eye on for awhile. After saving up birthday money and having a few good nights at the tables in AC, I was a fair chunk of the way to affording the 37" Olevia LCD 720p. And lo and behold, it was on sale. So after all discounts and such, I had more than enough for the new set.

It's so awesome! I can't wait to get the HDTV channels added and my component cables for the Wii.

Poker Report

2008-05-25T00:46:00.001-04:00

I haven't been to AC to play some poker in quite awhile, so given that Colleen I'd still in Nicaragua and it's a three day weekend, I decided to make the trek today.

Right now I'm waiting to head home. It was a mixed day. Actually, anyone else would have been thrilled - I'm going home up $225 for about 8 hours of playing. But I'm not thrilled with my play today. I should probably be up $500, but I made a couple of stupid calls. The only reason I finished up was because I got lucky and doubled up late.

I look down in middle position to see pocket 7's. There was a raise to $12, but that really wasn't that big a raise at this table so I called. I think there another 1 or 2 callers after me. Flop came down 7Q7 rainbow. At this point all I'm thinking is how to get the most money into the pot. I'm first to act and check. Next player bets $10. I'm the only one to call. 8 comes on the turn. I bet $15, hoping the other guy has made a decent hand. He comes over the top $30.

This is where I start my Academy Award nominated performance. I sigh, I look down at my chips, I check my cards, and I carefully count out the chips before calling.

The river comes down 9 of diamonds. I'm pretty stoked about the card, because it puts a straight on the board, and if the guy was drawing, that might have just made his hand. I check. He bets $75. I think for a second and then push all on for another $150 on top.

At this point my hearts pounding like a drum and I'm pretty sure it's visible to the entire table. I'm praying for a call, but don't think I'll ever get it. I just go into my distant state. He counts out the chips and thinks about it for a few good minutes before stacking his $150 and putting it in. I still don't believe he paid me off.

Otherwise my cards were pretty good. I had pocket A's 5 times (including back to back) but got cracked pretty bad twice.

The weather and atmosphere down here were great. I took the train, which has turned out to be a real winner.

Overall a good day, and Colleen will be back tomorrow.

Camille Abate - You're on Notice!

2008-05-24T14:38:00.002-04:00

Juan Melli over at BlueJersey has a piece up about 5th CD Democratic primary candidate Camille Abate's latest campaign mailer that claims that she's the only candidate that's been against the Iraq War from the start.

Not shockingly, that's a complete lie, as fellow Democratic candidate (and proud Harvard alum) Rabbi Dennis Shulman was vocally against the war since at least 2003. Such reprehensible behavior is nothing new from Abate as her behavior is very much rooted is a delusionary sense of superiority and a complete lack of moral fiber that is reflected by the behavior of her supporters on BlueJersey. She did this against Paul Aronsohn in 2006 and she hasn't changed since. I expect the results to be the same - a complete blowout of -Abate- but hopefully she doesn't make Shulman waste too much money before going on to face Scott Garrett in the general.

www.shulmanforcongress.com

Answering Stupid Questions...

2008-05-24T14:12:00.001-04:00

...so you don't have to.

http://isbarackobamaamuslim.com

It's sad that such a site is necessary, but I'm doing my part in getting the Google ranking up. Pass it on.

Tweetie Layeth the Smacketh Downeth

2008-05-16T00:33:00.001-04:00

Hilarious.

I guess he won't be booked on Hardball again.

Storming the Castle photos

2008-05-11T14:07:00.003-04:00

DSCN0416, originally uploaded by Jim Griffin.

We're all still recovering, but here are some photos to tide you over.

Howell - Where it all comes to an end

2008-05-11T00:20:00.002-04:00

Even after the cops tried to slow us down with a DWI checkpoint on Route 9, we pulled into the Howell White Castle at 12:15 p.m. Premo joined us as we ordered our last slider of the day and downed them without much pomp or circumstance. Thank god this unholy ordeal is over. And thanks to everyone who came out to root us on today.

Eatontown - Where the doubt creeps in

2008-05-10T23:27:00.003-04:00

Jay's siblings joined us for sliders and coffee at Eatontown, our 24th stop. This is the stop that we've all started asking "why?" Only 2 more to go!

Woodbridge - The Homecoming

2008-05-10T21:17:00.002-04:00

The rolled out 12 deep in Woodbridge as family and friends came to show support. They had signs and music toshow their love. Only 4 more to go.

Irvington - Half a storm done

2008-05-10T16:32:00.000-04:00

We just finished our 13th stop of the day, and while it was certainly no Jersey City, all three of us are thrilled to be headed over the hump. We were about 25 minutes behind after the city stops, but heading to the burbs should help us make up the time.

Union City - Best food yet

2008-05-10T14:13:00.002-04:00

8 down and we just had the best food so far. too bad it was a pain to get to. Plus we got comlpiments on the shirts. Brian Stack should be proud.

Milkshakes in hand

2008-05-10T12:45:00.002-04:00

Just left Hasbrouck Heights with delicious milkshakes in hand. 21 more to go.

1Down, 25 to go

2008-05-10T10:18:00.002-04:00

Hackettstown is in the books. The service was great(5) and the decor was second to none (4). My sausage breakfast sandwich was tasty (4) and at 4 minutes, it was a quick turn around. On to Ledgewood.

And we're off!!!

2008-05-10T09:22:00.002-04:00

And Jay, Scrappy, and I are on our way to Hackettstown for White Castle breakfast So far, we haven't been pull overher by the police

On the Eve of Storming the Castle

2008-05-09T14:44:00.001-04:00

Here's tomorrow's itinerary:

9:50 a.m. Hackettstown
10:25 a.m. Ledgewood
11:20 a.m. Paterson
11:45 a.m. Clifton
12:15 p.m. Hasbrouck Heights
12:40 p.m. Little Ferry
1:10 p.m. North Bergen
1:40 p.m. Union City
2:05 p.m. Jersey City
2:35 p.m. Newark 2
3:05 p.m. Orange
3:30 p.m. East Orange
4:00 p.m. Irvington
4:25 p.m. Newark 1
4:55 p.m. Linden
5:20 p.m. Elizabeth
5:45 p.m. Union
6:20 p.m. Plainfield
6:50 p.m. Green Brook
7:20 p.m. South Plainfield
7:55 p.m. New Brunswick
8:25 p.m. Woodbridge
9:00 p.m. South Amboy
9:45 p.m. Eatontown
10:35 p.m. Toms River
11:15 p.m. Howell

Follow us here on Stovetop Diplomacy for up to the slider progress of our trip.

Putting You On Notice...

2008-05-09T12:23:00.003-04:00

...Drivers who don't turn on their headlights in the rain.

Especially those who drive black, gray and dark blue cars. Even in states where there is now specific law, the general rule is "Wipers on, Lights on." Driving to work this morning in rather heavy rain, I encountered a good fraction of the cars out there having neither headlights nor taillights on, making my job of getting to work tougher and more frustrating. So all you bad drivers are on notice.

Put them up on the board, Stephen:

BONUS: We started the day only with inconsiderate drivers, but overnight, another group snuck their way onto the board: chinese hackers. I got into work today with the Senate Dems website not working right, and upon further investigation, found that someone had hacked into the database and overwritten most of the text fields with a link to a malicious script. Thankfully, backups had been created and all is right in the Garden State. Why do they hate us and our democracy?

Today's Letter of the Day

2008-05-07T10:20:00.005-04:00

From the old home-town weekly, the Woodbridge Sentinel:

Keep the 'sex' out of 'Middlesex County'

I would like to urge law makers, senators, politicians, if they can think about changing name of Middlesex County to "Middle County" instead of keeping as Middlesex. The word "sex" in the current name looks weird and does not look appropriate in our society.

Taj Ahmad
Parlin

Seriously, we all had this thought go through our minds - when we were 10 years old - but finally someone decided enough was enough and is taking a stand. Bravo! Other New Jersey counties that would be affected by Taj's renaming scheme include Essex, Sussex and Cumberland Counties.

UPDATE: Per conversations with Todd, the origins of the name Middlesex come from the historic county of England, where the name meant "territory of the middle Saxons." Essex, similarly comes from the region of England meaning "territory of the east Saxons," while Sussex is "territory of the south Saxons." It's quite ironic that while Middlesex is in the middle of New Jersey and Essex is towards the east, Sussex is New Jersey's northernmost county. Geography - not the early colonists strongest suit.

Photos from City Chase

2008-05-07T10:17:00.003-04:00

DSCN0412, originally uploaded by Jim Griffin.

Here's me and Colleen at the finish line, with our orange balloons freshly filled.

For more photos from the day, check out the Flickr set here.

I Write Letters

2008-04-23T23:48:00.003-04:00

Today, the Adler e-mail form got several form letters from individuals outraged that Jimmy Carter met with Hamas leaders recently. Personally, I don't know enough about the subject to have an opinion one way or another, but it always amazes me what the Right will get all in a huff about, especially given the very real problems Americans face today.

So I found out where the form letters were coming from and used the form myself. Of course, I might have gone off the script a bit:

April 23, 2008

[recipient address was inserted here]

Dear [recipient name was inserted here],

Former Democrat President Jimmy Carter met with the terrorist organization Hamas last week despite requests from the Bush administration not to interfere in Middle East peace negotiations.

Whoopie-friggin'-doo. I couldn't care less where Jimmy Carter went and who Jimmy Carter talked to. Hopefully it will get peace talks moving froward, but if not, then all he did was waste some frequent flyer miles. And seriously, with approval numbers like Bush has, who really cares what the Bush Administration wants private citizens to do.

But in case you were wondering where all of today's spam e-mail on Jimmy Carter came from, it's here:
http://www.capwiz.com/gopusa/issues/alert/?alertid=11286276&PROCESS=Take+Action

There was one good line in the whole form letter system:

"Americans are outraged!"

They are outraged that they're paying $3.50 or more for a gallon of gas while Exxon-Mobile is making record profits. They are outraged that millions of Americans can't afford health care. They are outraged that we've lost 4,000 lives and wasted half a trillion dollars on an unnecessary war in Iraq.

The people who are bitching about Jimmy Carter need to get a little perspective if that's what sets them off. And I hope you maintain yours as well if you haven't already lost it.

Sincerely,

Jim Griffin

Philly - Obama's biggest rally yet

2008-04-20T15:34:00.002-04:00

Colleen and I stood in Olde City for 4 1/2 hours just to hear him speak. Over 35,000 people. Plus we chatted with the State Field Director as we walked to Center City for dinner.

Bruuuuuuuuuce!

2008-04-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey's favorite son, has endorsed Barack Obama:

Dear Friends and Fans:

LIke most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams of My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

To those who might say that musicians should just shut up and sing their songs when it comes to making their political views public, I say shut it! The relationship between art and politics is long and robust. Some of the world's greatest art has been inspired by a need to speak out against government and poor public policies. Bruce is a great American who has spoken up for the common man during his entire career. It's truly no surprise that he believes in the change that Obama brings.

More good news for Woodbridge Schools

2008-04-15T23:52:00.002-04:00

From the Home News Tribune:

WOODBRIDGE: The school tax levy was rejected, wth 2,756 opposed and 2,369 in favor. Brian Molnar was reelected with 3,232 votes, incumbent Diane Acquisto won another term with 2,648 votes. newcomer George Yuhasz was elected with 2,898 votes and incumbent Brian Dziedzic was defeated, earning 2,550 votes.

Congrats to Diane for her well-deserved reelection, as well to George for beating the system and managing to get elected as someone with actual qualifications. Too bad for Brian Dziedzic - we'll miss your carefree spirit, quiet strength, and steadfast resolve to reject neckties. Also, it's unfortunate the budget failed, but not unexpected as economic worries and increased state aid most likely combined to lead to failed vote.

Making it Official

2008-04-14T14:57:00.001-04:00

Temple Law, Class of 2011 - you're stuck with me!

Colleen is bringing my acceptance form to the Office of Admissions as I write this.

15 weeks/73 work days left until the switch. Booya!

Great Opportunity for Woodbridge Schools

2008-04-14T14:31:00.003-04:00

News from the hometown (via the Home News Tribune):

WOODBRIDGE — School Superintendent Vincent Smith will be leaving the district at the end of this school year to take a position in another district, according to reports.

Although the move has not been officially made public, school board members were notified this week. Smith declined to comment for this article.

"He's leaving, it was his choice," said board member Diane Acquisto.

Other sources also said Smith's departure is voluntary and came as a surprise to board members.

Acquisto said the district will be looking for candidates to fill the position for the 2008-09 school year.

Smith has been superintendent in Woodbridge for 16 years. He currently oversees a student body of more than 13,000 students for an annual salary of $160,354.

Several sources said Smith will be taking over as superintendent in Point Pleasant Borough in Ocean County.

According to the Ocean County superintendent's office, the current Point Pleasant Borough superintendent, Robert Ciliento, is retiring as of June 30 this year. No successor has been announced.

Ciliento's salary for the 2007-08 school year is $176,974 to oversee a district of about 3,200 students.

Mayor John McCormac declined to discuss the details of Smith's departure, but said, "Vinny and I have enjoyed a great relationship as has the town government and school administration. I hope to keep that going with whoever replaces him."

This is great news for Woodbridge. It's no secret that I've never been a fan of Vinny Smith as the Superintendent of Schools in Woodbridge. He's a pleasant enough man - in fact, he served the district well as the Board Secretary/Business Administrator and wish him the best in his new job - but he was in no way qualified to be in charge of New Jersey's fifth largest school district, having never spent a day in the classroom or a school-level administrator. I hope that a small district with only 4 schools and 3,200 students is a better fit for him.

Again, this is great news for Woodbridge, but it could be an opportunity squandered if the Board of Education drops the ball when it comes to appointing a successor. I am unfortunately not optimistic of the prospects, given that a majority of the current board are the same people who promoted "Mr. Bribery" Kenny Kuchtyak to be Superintendent and then similarly promoted Mr. Smith when Kenny was arrested and plead guilty. Unfortunately, the last two openings at the top spot have shown that insider politics trumps good education policy. Let's hope this incarceration of the Board gets it right this time.

I have merit

2008-04-11T22:07:00.001-04:00

Temple gave me a $5k/year scholarship today. $15,000 that I won't have to pay back in three years!

In Memory of Dr. King

2008-04-04T12:51:00.004-04:00

Early morning, April 4 -
Shots rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life.
They could not take your pride.

Birthday Weekend Photos

2008-03-31T21:51:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-03-31T20:46:00.000-04:00

Mets over Marlins, 7-2.

Meet Your 2008 National League MVP

2008-03-31T00:21:00.003-04:00

David Wright:

It's Opening Day! All is (W)right in the world.

My Law School Application Personal Statement

2008-03-30T10:28:00.001-04:00

Nobody's interested, most likely - but just in case:

Politics, while not the family business, is certainly the family passion. From an early age, I remember discussions of politics and public policy at the dinner table – discussions which would later shape my life’s journey from the classroom to the campaign trail, and contribute to my lifelong love for the madness of Election Day.

In my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to have so many great mentors but none has been more influential on my personal political beliefs than my mom. When I was in fifth grade, I wrote a report on censorship in libraries in which I proposed that parental sign-off should be required for those books which were found questionable. When my mom read my first draft, it was quickly explained to me that what I suggested was still censorship. Before I knew it, I was on the phone with my Mom's cousin Art, who at the time was President of People for the American Way, and a few days later I was reading reports he sent to me outlining censorship attempts around the country.

From that day forward, I was an ardent defender of the First Amendment. In high school, this would cause me to butt heads with my school district's administration. On more than one occasion I spoke at school board meetings as the editor of the school newspaper to protest censorship by the principal. It was always pointed out that the law was not on my side as the U.S. Supreme Court's 1988 Hazelwood decision gave the administration the right to exercise editorial control over student publications. Regardless, I still felt the need to plead our case and work to change the policy.

Despite my strong interest in politics throughout high school, I went into my freshman year at Harvard as a Physics major with dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. However, by the time I reached sophomore year, I was considering switching my focus from a life among the stars to a life devoted to politics and public service. While I continued to work hard in my scientific studies, more and more of my free time was filled with extracurriculars focused on public service and student government.

It wasn't an easy decision – to leave physics behind and pick up an entirely new major after years of focusing on the sciences. It required me to imagine a new future for myself where I wasn't riding in the space shuttle but working to get strong leaders elected and progressive laws passed.

Eight years later, I am preparing to once again make a big leap, this time trading in the campaign trail for law school. While the differences between the legal realm and the political arena are not as great as those between physics and politics, it still requires me to re-imagine my future. I will have to trade in press releases for court briefs and case studies and law books will fill the space on my desk where districts maps and call lists currently reside. Fortunately, my time working in the New Jersey Senate has opened my eyes to the true power of the law and the ways in which a law degree can help have a greater impact in promoting progressive policies in my community.

I see law school as an opportunity to expand my ability to bring about the changes needed in New Jersey and across the country. My interests definitely lie in public interest law, particularly civil rights and constitutional law. For me, law school is not a means to get a well-paying job in a big law firm, but rather a way to be more effective in giving a voice to the voiceless and empowering those who don't think they have much power.

Temple’s Beasley School of Law appeals to me because of its focus on teaching its students to use to the law to serve those in need and its strong reputation for preparing students for public interest careers. The LEAP program looks particularly interesting to me as schools too often neglect civics and legal education.

In short, law school is the next step in a natural progression that began during my childhood as I learned from my family the importance of the First Amendment and civil rights, developed during my college years when I felt the call to a life of public service and now continues in my early career as I realize the true impact that the law has on our lives every day. I'm now ready to take the next step and become a lawyer so that I can do even more to serve my community.

The Fat Envelop Arrived

2008-03-28T01:17:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, given last week's e-mail, this was rather anti-climatic, but still exciting nonetheless. You open the 8.5x11 envelope to find the following:

Then there's the actual acceptance letter:

It brings back all of the good memories of getting my Harvard acceptance letter some 11+ years ago.

Birthday Week 2008 Looks to Be a Good One

2008-03-27T23:56:00.003-04:00

This year's week-long celebration of the anniversary of the birth of yours truly looks to be an above average one. Let's take a look:

March 29: First, we have the admitted students open house at Temple, where I actually tour the campus for the first time. I'm getting real excited about it all. Then the Birthday Party kicks off the week, with festivities moving to Dave & Busters after enjoying three straight years at the Cheesecake Factory. Many video games will be played, many drinks will be drunk and many jokes will be made at Scrappy's expense.
March 31: The big day! I get the day off from work and might be going to see Obama speak at Muhlenberg with Maggie. Can we celebrate? YES WE CAN!
April 1: Dentist. Okay, this isn't that great, but it does mean that I'm finally taking care of my teeth.
April 2: Pub Trivia at Fado. I fear I might be addicted. Good thing that I rock the trivia hard core.
April 4: Off again from work to evaluate the FPS State Bowl. How many hopes can I crush this year? Hopefully all of them.
April 5 (Bonus Day): Mom and Dad come down to Philly.

That's a nice week to look forward to. Plus hopefully I'll put in my first deposit for Temple and be on my way to becoming a lawyer.

R.E.M. Week Continues

2008-03-25T15:43:00.004-04:00

And our wall-to-wall coverage of R.E.M. continues on the Big D as we approach the one week mark in the countdown to Accelerate (R.E.M. gives me a birthday present a day late).

Today we offer audio of R.E.M.'s recent show at South by Southwest at Stubbs via NPR:

Click to listen

Also, when are they going to get around to announcing when tickets are going on sale? June 18 with be here before you know it.

UPDATE: At around the 52 minute mark, Michael Stipe spreads some Obama love. Nice!

Driving in Cars

2008-03-24T15:55:00.002-04:00

I can't wait - 8 more days!

h/t Todd.

A Very Special Announcement

2008-03-23T23:58:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe:

Only 8 days until Accelerate!

Senate Ball 2008

2008-03-21T12:10:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the Senate Ball. See my bow tie? I tied it myself. Hot!

We Get Letters

2008-03-19T16:03:00.002-04:00

Great news today:

Dear James,

I am delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law for the Day Division of the fall 2008 semester. An acceptance packet with additional information for admitted students was recently mailed to you and you should receive it shortly.

We do not usually notify students of their acceptance to the law school via email. However, we will be holding our annual Open House for admitted students next Saturday, March 29, 2008 and I wanted to let you know as soon as possible that you have been admitted and invite you to the Open House. If you would like to attend, please reply directly to this email and let me know if you will be bringing any guests with you.

I encourage you to visit our Admitted Student Website. You can access the site by clicking Admitted Students under Quick Links on the home page of the law school website, www.law.temple.edu. The username is ****** and the password is ******.

There is a wealth of information on the site including everything from applying for financial aid, the first year curriculum and a list of suggested readings from our faculty. We have also posted information on the Open House along with directions and parking information.

On behalf of the staff of the Admissions and Financial Aid Office, congratulations on your acceptance to Temple Law and we look forward to meeting you soon. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need any information. We can be reached at 800-560-1428 or 215-204-8943 (direct to the Financial Aid Office).

Sincerely,

Johanne L. Johnston
Assistant Dean for Admissions & Financial Aid

I'm gonna be an owl!

I want a more perfect union

2008-03-19T13:18:00.002-04:00

I really have nothing insightful to say about Obama's historic speech yesterday. It's one of those rare speeches that keeps you thinking for days afterwards. Words mean a lot to me - they are what separate us from animals and allow us to work together towards a common goal - and Obama's speech yesterday was exceptional not because of its eloquence and inspirational tones, but because of it's bare honesty and desire for us to do better.

This is a speech that everyone needs to take the time and watch entirely:

Google gives us more awesomeness

2008-03-18T16:05:00.000-04:00

In fact, they gave us the universe.

Rock the O'bama

2008-03-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

From yesterday, including a random black and white I baked:

My St. Patrick's Day 2008 Shirt

2008-03-17T21:48:00.002-04:00

It is teh awesome:

http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/ts26946.htm

199.8

2008-03-17T19:08:00.001-04:00

Today's weigh in. I'm totally smacking Jay around in our weight-loss competition. Only six more weeks to go...

All hail King James, Beneviolent Ruler of Donutland

2008-03-17T02:11:00.003-04:00

If it's March Madness, it's time for Todd's Donutland Pool. Will this be the year that I return to the throne for the third time and take my rightful place as the King of Donutland? Time will only tell. Though I do have to choose a method of picking my brackets - at random? By feel? Or maybe something more arbitrary, like picking teams from "states that don't matter" over teams from "big, important states"?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T01:50:00.001-04:00

A little Irish punk for you all on this most important day (and only two weeks until opening day!):

This is what happens when you diss the caucus states

2008-03-16T00:56:00.002-04:00

If you're not a political super-junkie, you might not realize that when Iowa held its caucuses on January 3, that was only the first step in a four step process. The delegates selected on that day were for the county caucuses that happened yesterday. The county caucuses do the exact same thing that they did at the precinct caucuses, with the possibility of people shifting their votes to other candidates. The delegates selected at the county conventions then go on to the district and state conventions, where the actual delegates are selected.

In years past, the county conventions really didn't mean much, since the candidate had pretty much been decided by the time they roll around. In fact, the county convention is usually the step in the process where the presumptive nominee gains all of the Iowa delegates. But this year is anything but ordinary, and a funny thing happened today in Iowa - Barack Obama picked up 9 delegates over Hillary.

From the AP:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama expanded his fragile lead in delegates over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday, picking up at least seven delegates as Iowa activists took the next step in picking delegates to the national convention.
Half the 14 delegates allocated to John Edwards on the basis of caucus night projections switched Saturday and Obama got most, if not all, of them.
Iowa Democratic Party officials said that with more than 86 percent of the delegates picked, Obama claimed 52 percent of the delegates elected at county conventions on Saturday, compared to 32 percent for Clinton. About 16 percent of the delegates picked at Saturday's conventions were sticking with Edwards, even though he's dropped from the race since Iowa held its caucuses in January.
Democratic Party projections said the results mean Obama increased by seven the number of delegates he collects from the state, getting a total of 23 compared to 14 for Clinton and seven for Edwards, with one to be decided.

I guess saying that a state doesn't count isn't a winning strategy for picking up delegates when every single one matters. Go figure!

Also, a note to the AP - let's not let the Clinton campaign edit your articles anymore, m'kay?

Twelve automatic delegates bring the state's total to 57. Obama has been endorsed by four of those and Clinton three, with the remainder uncommitted.

No matter how many times Mark Penn & Co say it, they are not "automatic delegates," they are "superdelegates," and undemocratic.

Gruyere

2008-03-15T20:21:00.002-04:00

Gruyere is now my new favorite cheese. It used to be a toss-up between smoked gouda and harvarti with dill, but I had a sample of some amazing Gruyere on Thursday while gathering some dinner ingredients at Whole Foods and my entire cheese-worldview changed in an instant.

The Griffin Plan for Municipal Consolidation

2008-03-15T13:29:00.003-04:00

I think that Governor Corzine is on the right track when it comes to using the stick to force small municipalities to consolidate. It makes little sense to have 3 towns of 4,000 people, each with it's own tax collectors and police department and mayor, when you can have one town of 12,000 with a single system of taxes, police coverage and local politicians - a much more cost efficient system. The State's budget problems are not at the State level - it's getting really hard to find anything else to cut in State services given that it's only about 1/6 of the entire budget. The problems lie in the gross inefficiencies brought about by home rule. Given that, I think we need a fair, balanced system for deciding which towns get to stay and which ones have to merge.

Five simple rules:

No towns with less than 10,000 people. If you don't get merged because of one of the other rules of this system, you're going to have to either join a bigger town or find a neighbor in the same boat to merge with.
Every county is limited to 15 municipalities. Therefore we will have at most 315 municipalities after the merge.
Every town must have a unique name. All of those Washingtons and Franklins - this one's meant for you. This is more of a means to ending the confusion when telling someone to meet you in Washington and then having to specify a county.
Neighboring towns sharing a core place in their names must combine. North Brunswick, South Brunswick, East Brunswick and New Brunswick - congratulations, you are now the City of Brunswick! Same goes for all of the Seasides, Cape Mays, and Oranges.
Adios, Bogota. Originally, I thought of this to prevent Steve Lonegan from being a Mayor anymore. Now it's just punishment for having elected him Mayor in the first place.

Eventually I'll get around to applying these rules and seeing how many towns we actually would have afterwards.

And while we're at it, let's merge the school districts into 21 county districts.

Why "Stovetop Diplomacy"?

2008-03-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

"Stovetop Diplomacy" is the name I've given to my theory that one of the best ways to get other people to like you, particularly co-workers, neighbors and members of the same sexual preference, is to bring in baked goods from home and shared them. It's a bit of a corollary to the idea that the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

I have a great deal of anecdotal evidence supporting my theory. During my summer at PFAW, people fell in love with my black and white cookies so much that I became the designated baker for all of the birthday/farewell parties for that summer. At the Senate Democrats, my carrot cakes and apple pies have become legendary. And every month I bake something for Colleen to bring to the hospital to bribe the nurses with.

The bottom line is, to succeed in the world office politics (or love), it doesn't hurt to be known as the guy or gall who pleases the sweet tooth on a regular basis. Heck, even if it's the only thing you know how to cook, that one decent recipe could be the biggest gun in your arsenal.

Food Recipe Friday

2008-03-14T08:55:00.001-04:00

Spinach Salad with Garlic Lemon Shrimp

2 packed cups baby spinach
3/4 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
6 slices thick cut bacon
1/4 cup light honey mustard dressing (I like Newman's Own)
8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried cilantro or 1 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Place bacon slices on a wire rack on top of a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy.
2. Combine spinach and mushrooms in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine shrimp, lemon pepper and garlic salt is a small bowl and allow to sit while bacon cooks.
4. After bacon is out of the oven, melt butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic to butter and saute for a minute. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Remove shrimp from pan. Add onions and allow to sweat for a few minutes until slightly limp. Add bacon, crumbled or cut into pieces, and dressing. Allow to warm through.
6. Toss warm dressing with spinach/mushroom mixture. Serve salad on plate topped with shrimp.

Serves 2.

We're open for business

2008-03-14T00:41:00.002-04:00

To be honest, I've tried to get a blog up and running a few times in the past five years or so, but my most successful attempt was during college, before blogs were in fashion. The killer of that site was that I didn't even use any software or content management system to post my diaries - I did it the hard core way, by hand coding the thing (or maybe I had Dreamweaver 2 or Frontpage back then).

Anyhoo, I figured it was time to get back in the saddle and do a blog up right. I've had plans to start Stovetop Diplomacy for a few months, but kept pushing it off because I wanted to learn how to design with WordPress first. Well, I'm finding it hard to make the time to learn it, so I just broke down and decided to use blogger until more free time becomes available.

In the meantime, this blog will focus on politics, both national and in New Jersey. But expect a fair amount of posts on cooking, technology, pop culture and the next World Series Champions - your New York Metropolitans.