This is a great opportunity to sponsor a really unbelievable event!

Join us at the Historical Paramount Theatre on the Ocean in Asbury Park for 3 of the most amazing concerts in New Jersey. The summer series features Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Saturday, May 29th, 2010, Smokey Robinson, Sunday, June 20th, 2010 and the unstoppable Tony Bennett, Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Paramount Theater, Asbury Park NJ

This unbelievable concert series event will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County located in Asbury Park and Red Bank, NJ. The Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County provide youths, especially those who need it most, with safe havens, where kids and teens can participate in vital programs and services to enhance their development by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. The Boys and Girls Club has helped thousands of underprivileged children! There are tons of success stories thanks to the efforts of the Boys and Girls Club.

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available. Benefits of sponsorship include VIP tickets and cocktail party, inclusion in media (radio, print, web, 70000 postcards, 2000 posters, etc.), event journal ad, direct participation, onsite branding and much more. We can design a custom package to help you, help us.

For additional information, please contact:
Ruthanne Harrison at RUE Events, 732-829-1104 or rueevents@optonline.net

Donations are also gratefully accepted and can be made directly to the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, 1201 Monroe Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712-6319.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club go to www.bgcmonmouth.org

Best,
Ruthanne

Ruthanne Harrison
RUE “Really Unbelievable” Events
732-829-1104

Emmy Award winning actress and comedian, Judy Gold is best known as the star of the critically acclaimed long-running Off Broadway hit show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, for which she was nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.  In addition, the show won the 2007 GLAAD award for “Outstanding New York Theater.”

Judy’s new show, It’s Jewdy’s Show – My Life As A Sitcom just debuted to rave reviews in Washington DC and Montreal, Canada.

Most recently, Gold can be seen regularly on Tru TV’s The Smoking Gun Presents.  She has guest-hosted ABC’s The View, and appears regularly on The Joy Behar Show on CNN. Judy recently appeared on Ugly Betty, and The Wendy Williams Show. She was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold from 1999 – 2009, and Judy also hosted Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time and the GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS. Her stand-up specials include Comedy Central Presents: Judy Gold , Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd Stands Up, and Judy’s HBO half-hour special, which received a Cable Ace Award. Gold was seen in the smash hit film The Aristocrats and the documentary Making Trouble.

Open since 2006, Brickwall Tavern has become the anchor of Cookman Avenue. Serving high-end comfort food with a rotating selection of beers on tap, Brickwall is an inviting bar that everyone calls their own. Next door, The Annex offers a relaxed atmosphere with finely selected spirits. It too, has quickly risen in fame and popularity for its unique style and approach to the good life.

Brickwall Tavern
522 Cookman Ave.
Asbury Park, NJ
732.774.1264
brickwalltavern.com

The Annex
522 Cookman Ave.
Asbury Park, NJ
732.774.1264
annexlounge.com

Media Contact
Robin West
Knockout
607 Lake Ave.
Asbury Park, NJ
732.774.3331
robin@knockout8.com
knockout8.com

We’ve been itching to get to the letter X in our ongoing alphabetical peregrination of ingredients…just because it seem like such a challenge to find an ingredient starting with an X.

And yes; you might say we’ve cheated a tiny bit…But “Xichuan” is a perfectly correct English language spelling for Szechuan, or “Sichuan” which is our least preferred spelling for this Northern Chinese province that is famed for its spicy dishes. And guess what? The scientific name for Xichuan pepper starts with an X too, which is xanthoxycom peperitum.

Xichuan pepper is not related at all to black pepper – nor to green or red bell peppers – and not to chili peppers either. It is actually the outer seedpod of the Chinese prickly ash tree. It is hot – but not nearly as hot as black or chili pepper. It is highly aromatic – especially when toasted a bit beforehand – and one of the ingredients in Chinese five spice seasoning. It blends beautifully with fresh ginger root and with hotter red, white and black peppers to leave an added “tingly” sensation of spiciness in the mouth. For several years, Xichuan peppercorns were banned in the U.S. because they carried a virus that is fatal to citrus fruit trees…and the Chinese American community was up in arms, since Xichuan food cannot be made without it. But it’s back now – perfectly safe after being pre-heated a bit before packaging – and readily available again. Here is a very quick and easy recipe for using this mouth-watering ingredient:

Spicy Xichuan Stir Fry Shrimp For the sauce:

1 1/2 Tbs peanut or canola oil 2 Tbs tomato paste

1 Tbs Xichuan Peppercorns 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

4-6 small dried red hot chili peppers, slivered 1 tsp salt

¾” section fresh ginger root, peeled, sliced and slivered ½ tsp ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp sesame oil

4 scallions (use white and green parts) cut into ½” pieces

½ red or green bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined

• Heat oil in a wok or heavy saucepan; add Xichuan peppercorns and stir fry for 1 minute on high heat
• Remove peppercorns and crush them coarsely with the side of a large knife
• Add chile pepper, ginger root, garlic, bell pepper and crushed peppercorns to wok, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes; Add shrimp and cook over high heat, stirring constantly until shrimp are just cooked through. Add tomato paste, rice wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, sesame oil and scallions, stirring carefully to coat the shrimp. Serve immediately, with white rice.

Readers: When we get to Z, we’ll plan to start our journey again – backwards this time, so we can get to X-O sauce as quickly as possible. We had a devilish time finding this super-hot hot sauce…and we can hardly wait to report on it…so keep watching.

We’d love to hear from you: Please email edit@CurrentsNJ.com with your favorite ingredients, or ingredients you’d like to learn more about. We’ll go through the alphabet again in 2010 and offer great recipes and useful cooking ideas.

Could it be?  New Jersey has two bosses?  The new boss in town makes beautiful cakes instead of music.  It’s Buddy Valastro, proprietor of Carlo’s Bakery and known to millions as “The Cake Boss”.

Buddy The Cake Boss

Every Monday night on TLC, viewers join Buddy and his “famiglia” as they battle through another crisis in cake design.  Carlo’s Bakery, the landmark location in Hoboken is the scene of all the drama.  There’s the fully functioning bakery, with trays of goodies, cannolis, lobster tails, 5 deep in customers calling out orders.   Then, there’s the bakery where the cousins and brother-in-laws squeeze past each other in a weekly waltz of pardon me-excuse me’s, only maybe not so gently put .  Add the narrow stairs and elevator each cake must navigate on its way out to a bumpy delivery ride, the customers who change their minds, the orders not correctly handled, and you know why this place needs a Boss.

We caught up with Buddy the Boss at his recent appearance at the Count Basie Theater.  Despite the unexpected snow, the theater was packed, and almost a third of the audience were children…all to watch a guy decorate cakes!  You gotta love NJ.  And you know Buddy loves NJ.  He beams when he talks about the streets of Hoboken and gets teary eyed when he remembers Long Branch fishing trips with his father.  It was Buddy Sr. who bought the bakery in 1964, who trained little Buddy to make icing and cakes and sugar flowers and who gave Buddy the skills he to take over the business, after his passing.  Buddy was just 17 when he lost his father, who he recalls as the “real” cake boss.  And some say his feisty mother, who works at the shop with all his sisters, is the real boss lady.  So do too many bosses spoil the cake?  No way, they only make it sweeter!

On stage, he is every bit the Buddy you know from TV, only much nicer.  He rocks and bounces as he decorates, just like he does on the show, only without so much yelling.  “They take 90 hours a week and boil it down to 22 minutes, so something’s getting cut out.”   He answers questions from the audience:  He really hated the pink walls….he and the Bridezilla made up…his favorite cake was the aquarium cake. He makes easy jokes , but when he’s decorating, that’s different.   His eyes narrow and his whole body seems to tighten into focus.  “I believe, you gotta put yourself into everything.  If you do the best job you can everyday, the sky’s the limit.  I think I’m the luckiest guy, to do what I love, be surrounded by my family and to make people happy… that’s the best.”

Buddy demonstrated his skills, making chocolate roses at lightning speed, “Cake Boss makes it look easy, huh?”    And ended the show by decorating impressive 5 tier ocean themed cake, and yes, he made it look easy.  Buddy, who was joined on stage by his sisters, wife and 3 children, told fans to be on the lookout for a new TV show, where he will turn chef and make Grandma’s recipes.  He also will be debuting a line of cake tools and supplies, including fondant, so we can all try to be bosses.

Monmouth County SPCA Holds Second Chance Style Fashion Event

April 22 event featuring thrift store fashions to benefit homeless animals EATONTOWN, NJ — The Monmouth County SPCA (MCSPCA) presents Second Chance Style, An Evening of Food, Fashion & Fun at Branches (123 Monmouth Road/Route 71 North) in West Long Branch, N.J., on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event are $40 each and all proceeds will benefit the homeless animals at the MCSPCA.

In addition to the Nearly New Fashion Show, featuring selections from the MCSPCA Maureen O’Brien Cats & Dogs Thrift Store, the evening will include an artisan and vintage jewelry gift auction, a 50/50 raffle and a few other surprises. Light fare and dessert will be served.

“Second Chance Style is a great way to spend the evening with friends, talk about fashion, do a little shopping and support the efforts of the Monmouth County SPCA,” said Lisa Mulhearn, manager of the Maureen O’Brien Cats & Dogs Thrift Store. “So get some friends together and give new life to your wardrobe while helping us give new lives to our homeless animals.”

For more information about Second Chance Style, please contact Lisa Mulhearn at lisa@monmouthcountyspca.org or 732-542-5342. You may also visit the event web site at www.mcspcafashionshow.org. All those who purchase tickets for Second Chance Style by March 31, 2010, will receive five (5) free gift auction tickets.

Become fans of the MCSPCA and the Maureen O’Brien Cats & Dogs Thrift Store on Facebook. Visit the MCSPCA web site at www.monmouthcountyspca.org to find out how.

He makes a bet with fellow expert Colonel Pickering that he can teach her to speak as a lady and pass her off as a high-class socialite. When she arrives at his house, the long road of change and growth begins.

Her independent and rambunctious attitude results in numerous disagreements with Higgins, which raises complete turmoil.  In order to get out of the chaos, come see what Eliza has to do to gain respect and give people the right impression.

Come see My Fair Lady at Red Bank Catholic High School, and you will be moved by the delightful adventure.

The dates are Friday, March 5^th and 12^th at 7PM and Saturday, March 6^th and 13^th at 8PM. At the Broad Street Auditorium located at 106 Broad Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701

For ticket information call 732-741-1774.

Cast List

Ingredients

Grilled Baby Vegetables

And there is no better way to honor someone than to offer to set the trapezi for them. When you are in the mood for some authentic Greek cuisine and don’t have the time to hop a flight to Athens, come in and see us. Bring in your favorite bottle of wine, sit back, listen to the music, relax.

Breathe in the aromas of fresh, whole, grilled fish, tender octopus, juicy lamb, grilled chicken, souvlaki, gyro, mousaka… the list is endless. And never, ever forget about dessert!

We may not allow you to break dishes, but for a little while, we can transport you to your happy place.

View the full menu now – http://www.nikostrapezi.com

Welcome and Kali Orexi!
-Niko, Georgia and Jay