Our friends at Longfellow’s Coffee (www.longfellowscoffee.com) were so inspired by the President-elect, they decided to create a new specialty brew in his honor.

We first wrote about the two Longfellow’s drive-thru coffee stands nearly two years ago www.njmyway.com/content/view/138/69/. They were founded by advertising executive Bruce Jed who was inspired by 9-11 to pursue his alternative dreams.

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Jed was intrigued by Obama’s heritage — rooted in three great coffee growing areas; Kenya, Hawaii, and Indonesia. So Longfellow’s master roaster took beans from each region and experimented with them to find the exact proportion for this new Presidential brew. They call the new coffee “brilliant, full bodied, and smooth.”

No wonder. Specialty roasters at Jersey City-based Kobrick’s (www.kobricks.com) used beans considered to be among the world’ finest; Kenya AA, Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy, and Indonesian Sulawesi.

The Obama blend is pricey. $16.25 for a 12 oz. package of whole beans. There is an introductory offer which gives you 10% off two or more packages. It is available through the company’s website or at the drive-up windows in Kinnelon and Jefferson.

Jed says the coffee was created “with a profound admiration” for Obama. It might be a neat way to finish off the inaugural dinner… a drink that brings a multi-cultural celebration of hope and promise, with a shot of caffeine to help everyone hit the ground running.

This being a holiday week, we’re heading out early to make the turkey, so we’re publishing our weekend picks early.

What’s Thanksgiving without football? Now, you can celebrate Big Blue with a special appearance by Giants great Stephen “Touchdown Maker” Baker at Gary’s Wine and Marketplace in Wayne (www.garyswine.com) this Sunday. Load up on Giants Game Day Party Buckets, plus other exclusive team collectibles.

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Talk about the calm before the storm! Our friends at Montclair Yoga are holding a three hour morning session tomorrow starting at 8:30am. And, to get back in shape after the feast; we’ve received several e-mailsabout the grand opening of Wayne Yoga (www.wayneyoga.com) which is offering free Yoga classes, beginning on December 1st.  
Betsey Johnson (www.betseyjohnson.com) has a new store at the Riverside Square Mall in Hackensack. (www.shopriverside.com ) just in time for Black Friday.

The Cherry Hill Mall is opening at 6am on Friday, and urging shoppers to show up in their pajamas, and bring a spare pair to support Operation PJ Pile Up for needy kids.

There may be no better time to see this play. This Wonderful Life, the stage adaption of theclassicChristmas film It’s A Wonderful Life is being performed at The Cape May Stage (www.capemaystage.com) at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse, beginning Friday, November 28th.

You can leap into the holiday spirit at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre (www.mccarter.org) with this weekend’s presentation of The Nutcracker, performed by the American Repertory Ballet.

Finally, here’s a timely hike: learn everything you wanted to know about the cranberry industry by taking a walking tour of Cloverdale Farm County Park (www.pineypower.com/Cloverdale/cloverdale.htm) in Barnegat this Saturday. It’s free but you need to call to pre-register (609) 971-3085.

We’ll be back in your e-mailbox on Monday, December 1st. Have a great holiday, and remember to give thanks for all you have; this year more than ever it seems the little things will count the most!

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We are giving a big En Jay thumbs up to the efforts of Montclair business owner Kelly DelRosso this holiday season.

DelRosso, owner of semplice, (www.semplicehome.com) formed The Committee to Keep Montclair Small Business Alive,(www.shoplocalmontclair.com) a new website that promotes instant sales by local merchants.

Shopping close to home, she writes, is “energy efficient” and “heart-warming.” The stores, a few dozen of them, have pledged to keep consumers aware of the latest and greatest deals, to fill that holiday gift list. The ads will be updated frequently, to tout products, list the latest shopping hours, and new promotions.

Montclair will be especially hard hit by shrinking financial and media industry jobs – and as Kelly’s website points out, no government bailout is coming the way of these small businesses at the end of the economic food chain. She calls it “the stormiest retail season in years.”

“If shops begin to go vacant after a potentially devastating holiday season, we all lose in the long run…and, more importantly, the community of Montclair loses.”

We couldn’t have said it better. Here’s a chance to save a few dollars, stay close to home, and fuel the local economy. Keeping it local – keeping small businesses in business and keeping your town out of trouble.

Your little one is a star, but Broadway hasn’t seen the light… yet. Next Monday and Tuesday evening, there’s a chance for this budding diva to try out for a starring role in Cat.

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That’s right, Cat—singular. Not even feline. Before you stop reading, remember, many great shows start on the smaller stage.

The Strollers, (www.thestrollers.org) Maplewood’s resident theatre company, is holding auditions for Cat: The Adventures of a Caterpillar. It’s a new musical by New York City composer David Wolfson, about a singing insect who is too large to escape a fire, and is left behind all the others rush into an ant hole. Then, she’s picked up by a passing elephant and suddenly becomes a tiny adventurer in a giant world.

The director/choreographer Carol Cornicelli, is looking for actors ages 10 to 99. Cornicelli, who is also the resident publicist, writes that those auditioning should be prepared to “sing, read, and move.” The play features some large puppets, manipulated by several cast members.

The tryouts are Monday, December 1st and Tuesday the 2nd at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood. Call backs are Thursday the 4th. The cast that is chosen will rehearse through the holidays; the show opens January 23rd.

Good luck, and don’t forget what happens when a caterpillar sheds its skin. A starring role here might just help reveal the next Broadway butterfly.

His works are in almost every major city in the world— including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MOMA. And now - the Meadowlands Park of South Orange.

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Tony Smith, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, was a native of South Orange and Time magazine once dubbed him “Master of the Monumentalists.”

The Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation is responsible for bringing Smith’s TAU– a giant black painted steel sculpture– home. The organization set out on this mission in 2002, created in honor of the late artist and teacher, co-founder of the Pierro Gallery, longtime Village resident Lennie Pierro.

“It was always his dream to have a sculpture by Tony Smith in honor of our famous native son,” said his wife Judy Wukitsch, president of the Foundation. The group began to create the possibilities seven years ago. They were overjoyed to see the flatbed truck arrive on Wednesday morning.

As the movers began to lift the first piece and place it on the newly cemented ground, onlookers watched with excitement. Hidden underneath the white plastic shrink-wrap was a 14 foot tall sculpture, one of only two created in the world. It took hours to precisely place the first piece of the sculpture in position as the crane prepared to lower the second piece on top.

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“It’s a lot like being next to a mountain or natural formation. Even though it’s huge and monumental from far away, it’s also a very intimate experience when you walk around it,” says Susan Napack, secretary of the Foundation.

The sun began to set when the second piece was safely lowered and bolted into position. TAU’s journey from storage in upstate New York to a quiet bucolic pond in South Orange, NJ, was as smooth as the black paint on the giant sculpture itself. Official dedication ceremonies and celebrations will occur in Spring 2009, but we suggest you visit the site now and have your own monumental experience.

This NJ My Way column was authored and photographed by contributor Erica Emmich.

After last week’s entry on Thanksgiving dinner deals we received more offers from restaurants to pass along; plus we wanted to share some cool finds of our own.

The home of the “angry” lobster, and pretzel coated crab cakes is putting out a great turkey day feast! David Burke’s Fromagerie (www.fromagerierestaurant.com) in Rumson is offering a three course, prix fixed menu ($59 per person). Besides the roasted organic turkey, the restaurant offers a 40 day dry aged Kentucky rib eye steak, or Colorado rack of lamb, among others. The children’s menu is $22.

On LBI, our pick is The Gables (www.gableslbi.com) with a family-style traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for $49.95 per person. There is a separate children’s menu available.

Celebrity Chef Melody McGinley Whitelaw sent over her Thanksgiving menu designed to feed 8 guests. Whitelaw, who owns Morristown’s Main Event By Melody and Kid’s Green Kitchen (973-326-9461) will make you a rosemary roasted turkey, cranberry raspberry mousse, veggie stuffing, and all kinds of sides and desert pies for $150.

More foodie tidbits:

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Morton’s Steakhouse (www.mortons.com) is a carnivore’s paradise. But on a recent visit to the Hackensack restaurant, the carrot cake threatened to displace the steak as a signature specialty.

No ordinary carrot cake, we found out that Morton’s recipe actually comes from Marianne Artinian, mother of one of the chain’s senior executives. We’re not the only ones who loved it… here’s the recipe on a foodie website:
http://archive.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/39417

Reaction to last week’s article touting the new Corrado’s (www.corradosmarket.com) in Wayne: we got pushback from a Trader Joe’s loyalist in the Madison area who called her favorite supermarket “a real buzz. in this area.”

“Best of all, you can easily get to know the staff, they know their products, and you can be out of there in 15 minutes. They even unload the cart for you,“ she wrote.

Chocolatier extraordinaire Wendy Taffet (www.enjouchocolat.com) e-mailed a sample of a speech she was asked to give recently on the health effects of chocolate.

“Chocolate is the new red wine, “ she wrote. “Did you know that a 1 1/2 oz. bar of dark chocolate contains twice the amount of antioxidants as a glass of red wine so now you can have your chocolate….and eat it too!!”

We’ll definitely drink (and eat) to that. Send us your favorite En Jay food suggestions by clicking on the “Write The Editor” link below.

Last year, there was so much to buy, and so little time to do it. This year, there’s always that problem, plus we’re tightening our belts and getting creative with our gifting and other big purchases. We’re here to help with all of it, and then some.

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We’ve got you covered head to toe at the Aquamedica Spa in Long Branch (www.aquamedicaspa.com). A “holiday party prep” package (mani, pedi, blowout, makeup) originally $153, is yours for $122 if you mention NJ My Way. You’ve got to schedule all services on the same day to get this special offer.

Early bird alert! The first 300 customers at the Short Hills Mall (www.shopshorthills.com )on November 28th will get a mall gift card for $25. The Mall will open at 8am.

Our friends at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers-New Brunswick (www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu) opened their holiday boutique shop this week at the museum store. This is the place for one-of-a-kind gifts like jewelry, jackets and scarves.

Planning a holiday party, and looking to cut costs? Check out www.eventsplus.com and click on the “party store” tab. This month only, you’ll get an additional 10% off orders over $200. Just use the keycode A8NOV in the shopping cart.

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Bograds Furniture (www.bograds.com) is offering our readers an additional 10% off on their line of new Stickley furniture (pictured here ) through the end of the month. Print and bring this column with you, or mention it at checkout. You’ll get additional discounts if you are a member of Craftsman Farms, at the Stickley Museum (www.stickleymuseum.org) in Parsippany.

More good deals are heading your way. Make sure all your friends sign up for NJ My Way by heading to our home page and entering their e-mail in the box on the left. This season, more than ever, you need to make the smartest choices for the best price.

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Want a greener home? Think about wrapping it in bark.

Not so unusual in other parts of the country, but rarely seen in our neck of the woods… bark siding looks great, and signals that you are serious about recycling.

Spectrum Construction and Development (www.spectrum-construction.com) is completing the remodeling on what is believed to be the first house in the state with bark siding. The pristine three bedroom home on Lake Mohawk in Sparta was purchased by a Jersey City woman as a weekend retreat.

“It ties right into the existing renovation. There’s a lot of stone and logs, she thought it (the bark) would compliment the natural beauty of the stone”, says Spectrum President Don Dyrness.

The bark is snipped off when poplar trees are cut down for lumber. It is dried and cut into siding. The material is more costly, but lasts up to eighty years without any maintenance, like staining or painting. And when it is finally replaced, the bark can be ground into mulch, so it is fully recyclable!

Dyrness says green products are becoming more important to his customers. Energy efficiency and sustainability have become the biggest selling points for exterior and interior materials. In keeping with the natural theme, the bark house has a sink made from a carved tree trunk.

You can read about bark siding at www.barkhouse.com. We think Sparta’s bark house will be the first of many. Good ideas have a way of branching out.

Beginning next month, a poignant exhibit in Berkeley Heights will spotlight those whose brave decision meant the gift of life for a stranger.

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The display will feature nineteen quilts, each with squares made by a family to honor their loved one who became an organ donor. A Hero’s Gift, Quilts of Love isfrom the NJ Sharing Network, (www.sharenj.org) a group that supports organ and tissue donation and commemorates the stories of these sacrifices and the lives saved.

The exhibit will be held in the Lawrence Pavilion of the Summit Medical Group, (www.summitmedicalgroup.com), and opens with a panel discussion and reception on December 2nd.

Each square on the quilts tells a person’s story, simply and elegantly, often with a photo or portrait and mementos. Some are tragically young, others are parents whose children have signed the quilts and attached logos from favored sports teams and television shows.

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Christine Ritter of South Plainfield lost her son Jim in a skiing accident when he was on spring break from his studies at Villanova Law School. She says his heart valve went to save the life of a youngster in Hawaii.

“By donating, and helping somebody else, you help yourself heal a little faster,” she says.

You can find a display of three of the quilts on the Share NJ website at http://www.sharenj.org/communities%20and%20partners/donor%20family%20services/quilts%20of%20love.htm

Beginning next year, New Jersey drivers can indicate on their driver’s license applications and renewals whether they want to become organ donors. In addition, information about organ donation will become part of the curriculum at the state’s public schools.

Christine, and the other members of NJ Sharing Network lobbied strongly for these measures, pointing to the thousands of people (4430 as of this writing) in need of transplants in the state.

Passage of the legislation is “a sign from Jim that this was something I was supposed to do,” Christine believes. If you need convincing, this exhibit, demonstrating the partnership of great loss and new hope, should be enough.

One event this weekend combines our two favorite things; shopping and food. Check out the Shop ‘n Munch in Somerset, held at Asare’s Den restaurant (www.asaresdenrestaurant.com) beginning at 11am. Local businesses provide the goods, the food will cost you $10.

Continuing the food theme, it could be one of the biggest wine tastings ever! The George Street Playhouse is hosting its 5th annual backstage benefit tonight, and promises a sample of 200 wines from around the world. Here’s the link: http://www.georgestplayhouse.org/subscription/theater_subscriptions.php

Here’s a goodie just in time for a weekend on the town; get a FREE manicure and mini-makeup lesson at DeVenir Beauty (www.devenirbeauty.com) in Millburn, tomorrow beginning at 2pm. You need to call for an appointment, you must RSVP to hold a place. Email NVpublicity@gmail.com to hold your place.

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Catch the talented Maplewood Strollers (www.thestrollers.org) in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. It plays this weekend and next at the Burgdorff Cultural Center.

The Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library is hosting an afternoon of music on Saturday, when the normally quiet place swings to the sound of The Chandler Travis Philharmonic. The library has put a link to a video of the Dixieland-like bank on its website:
http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=2161&EventID=27898.

Saturday night, there’s a rock concert in Clifton to benefit St. Peter’s Haven (www.stpetershaven.org)- a worthwhile local program to help the homeless. The music gets going at Johnny’s Bar & Grille at 110 Ackerman Ave ((973) 546-4081) . Bands include VSB, Sidebar, Maureen Hall, & Mojo Workin’, and Craig DeBari & the Usual Suspects.

The little ones will love the 10th annual collectible Toy and Train Show at the Pemberton Township High School all day on Saturday. Here’s a link that will help you get there: http://m.b5z.net/i/u/6106776/i/toy_and_train_show.pdf

Are there cougars in the Pine Barrens? You can join a Big Swamp Cougar Hunt on Saturday and see for yourself. Wear comfortable shoes for this all-day jaunt sponsored by the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Call Russell Juelg (609) 859-8860 x23 or email russell@pinelandsalliance.org for details.