Lessons I Am Learning From Bobby Kennedy

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert Kennedy

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Children know this. Children live this. So why do we as adults forget this important lesson?

Daring to fail greatly starts in infancy: pushing our bodies to roll over, to see our world from a different vantage point that WE decide. Of course later on there is walking. Boom! Fall down. Get up and do it again, know that a fall could happen again. Babies, and even the adults around them do not see the falls as failures, they all seem to know that it is a part of the process of learning to walk. So why is it that we as adults are so afraid of the stumble in our lives?


Are we afraid of failure, or is our fear more deeply rooted in the words and reactions of others who may see us on that journey? Does the reaction of others, or our perception of the reaction of others really matter? In that vein does failure even matter, perhaps failure is a perception as well. Thomas Edison referred to all the attempts at creating a lightbulb '1000 way of how not to make a light bulb.' Of coure there are all those lab workers who crash cars into walls, looking for failure points, all in the name of learning how to make a safer automobile.

Perhaps the biggest misnomer of failure is its absoluteness. The Kennedy family has had more than its share of triumph and tragedy, but every member of the family picked themselves up, often multiple times in their lives, and worked to complete the tasks at hand. Failure doesn't have to be final, it can be a speedbump on our journey, a chance to slow down and really examine all that is around us, then continue on the journey, toward success.

Olive Oil: It's More Than Salad Dressing. Nov 1st at Kings Cooking Studio.

We’ve all heard it more times than we can remember: Olive Oil is heart healthy and we should all consume more of it, but how many salads can we eat!

In this class we’re going to release Olive Oil from being trapped in the salad bowl and show how this  golden liquid can be used for baking, cooking, and poaching both sweet and savory dishes.

On the menu:  Fish, poached in Olive Oil; Brownies, Shortbread, and Chocolate Cake; plus we’ll show how to make pie crust and crumble toppings using olive oil instead of butter or shortening; and by the time this class starts John will come up with even more ways to shatter your preconceived ideas about olive oil.

This three hour class starts at 6:30 pm on Friday November 1st at Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills NJ; for details visit Kings Cooking Studio


Sponsored by Colavita Olive Oil.

Pepto Bismol Haiku

Nausea Heartburn

Indigestion, An Upset

Stomach Di’rhea

Jeero Taunting Lions At Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange NJ

Run For Your Life ... But Stop Laughing First !

Bal Arneson's Sweet Potato Cakes from @CookingChannel

I have made this recipe several times and have been so happy with the results each time. One of the surprises here is the chick pea (garbanzo bean flour) which not only brings protein to the dish, but is also gluten free.

Downton Madness Has Begun (As If It Ever Went Away) A First Look At Series 4

A first look at scenes from Downton Abbey Season 4 on MASTERPIECE. (Downton Abbey Season 4 premieres Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, 9pm ET on MASTERPIECE on PBS.) 

A Favorite, But Forgotten Word : Flout

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Flout  – verb

 (used with object)

to treat with disdain,

 scorn,

or contempt;

 scoff at;

 mock:

 to flout the rules of propriety.

 

Jesus flouted the authority of religious leaders who flaunted their piety.

An Anglo-American Disgrace

Roughly 25% of all household food purchases

 made in both the US and United Kingdom

 goes right into the rubbish bin.

That unloved banana,

 the last few slices of bread,

 that freezer burned lamb chop

 - it all adds up really fast

Words We Love : Bravado

Bravado –noun,

 from Spanish bravada (modern bravata ), from Old Italian bravare to challenge, provoke, from bravo wild, brave ]

 a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

Perhaps best known for guarding the Forbidden City, Foo Dogs are actually lions. Jeero being the epitome of bravado jumped at the chance to have his picture taken with this lion at the entrance to the Asian section at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange NJ.

Words We Love : Luddite

Luddite

– noun a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment.

1811, from name taken by an organized band of weavers who destroyed machinery in Midlands and northern England 1811-16 for fear it would deprive them of work. Supposedly from Ned Ludd, a Leicestershire worker who in 1779 had done the same before through insanity (but the story was first told in 1847). Applied to modern rejecters of automation and technology from at least 1961.

This is the old Silk Machinery Exchange building in Paterson NJ. Paterson was one of the first planned industrial cities in the United States, with much of the planning done by Alexander Hamilton. Power for the factories came from the Great Falls of Paterson. This picture was taken in the summer of 2009.

Herbes de Provence #foodporn

Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs typical of the Provence region of Southern France.

The standard mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, and thyme. Lavender flowers are often found in mixtures sold in the United States. Lavender is not found in the original French version, but as Americans associate lavender fields with Provence liberty is taken to create a unique North American blend.

But here's where it gets interesting. Herbes de Provence as we know it really didn't exist until the 1970's. Sure the herbs themselves were used in various ways, sometimes all together, sometimes a few of them in various combinations, but a name wasn't associated with the blend until the 1970's.

For starters try Herbes de Provence under the skin of a chicken before roasting. How about ditching the colonel's eleven herbs and spices for this blend in fried chicken? It even works wonders with plain bread to make an interesting stuffing.

One whiff and most of us are taken away to a far off place. So why not take ordinary weeknight dinners to new places with Herbes de Provence?

Jeero And The Upper West Side Of Manhattan

Drive By : The Tick Tock Diner, Clifton NJ

Made famous by the FoodNetwork Programme Diners, Drive-Thrus, and Dives; the Tick Tock Diner is famous for its Cheese Fries with Gravy that the locals call Disco Fries

Chorizo Flambe at J&K Steakhouse Montclair

Chorizo Flambe : Chorizo, the spicy latin sausage, cooked in merlot at J&K Steakhouse Montclair NJ.

I had the pleasure of being there opening night, as well as being their first customer and loved every bite.

For this story I was the photographer and the Devil's Companion was the writer. Read more about J & K on Devil Gourmet

Underpass Art in Clifton NJ bring a sense of LA to New Jersey

Looking more like something one would expect to find in Los Angeles this bit of Freeway Art was spotted on Broad Street in Clifton NJ where the roadway passes under an ramp connecting the Garden State Parkway to Route 3.

Simple stencils were used to create the umbrellas and raindrops - adding a bit of whimsy to an otherwise mundane piece of infrastucture.

Jeero Ponders American Individualism

Jeero wonders,

 if America is all about individual freedom,

 and Americans live for their cars,

 why are all the cars the same dull colours?

. @DevilGourmet Discovers LeSalbuen on Walnut Street Montclair

Le Salbuen  has been an integral part of the Restaurant Renaissance on Walnut St. in Montclair. Owned by the husband and wife team of John and Christina Salierno, Le Salbuen is part bistro, part neighbor’s kitchen. The menu is a travelogue of international flavors and influences that have been passed along and shared like heirloom china at a family dinner table. And don’t get me started on the food because the editors will probably scold me for using too many exclamation points!

Just as the café contains old things presented in new ways, so does the menu. A stand out on the menu is the DBLT : the Duck Bacon Lettuce Tomato, a new take on the American classic.


Check out the watermelon radishes on this salad! Lemon aioli, more radishes, and cauliflower take a back row seat to these gems.

Of course there is a whole lot more to Le Salbuen including World Cuisine and Fusion Dishes inspired by the travels of John and Christina. Read more on Devil Gourmet

Le Salbuen

97 Walnut St

Montclair NJ 07042

201-622-8473

Make sure you speak to the Devil when you visit his favourite haunts.

 And be sure follow Devil Gourmet   on Facebook    and Twitter

Words I Love : Garconanokin

Words I Love : Garconanokin ( it's the precise moment when dog doo turns white )

#MeatlessMonday Killer Vegan Pop-Up via @DevilGourmet

Meatless Monday: Killer Vegan Pop-Up Brunch | South Orange (via Devil Gourmet)

Killer Vegan Diner and Delicatessen is destined to be the first of it’s kind in New Jersey – an all-vegan eatery serving up Latin, Italian and American comfort food made with organic and fair trade ingredients. But for now, Killer Vegan is a pop-up café serving Sunday brunch at Lalibela restaurant…