Danielle Cinone, Smithtown And Dana Wachter, Nesconset Finalists In Ms. Long Island 2015

On Sunday, August 10th, during a live competition, Long Island’s newest Queens were crowned!

Photo Credit: Image Nation Photography Danielle Cinone of Smithtown - Second from right Dana Wachter of Nesconset- Far rightCongratulations to… Miss Long Island 2015, Jenna Tirado of Manorville - Miss Long Island Teen 2015, Geena Cardalena of Floral Park

MISS FINALISTS

WINNER:    Miss Long Island 2015, Jenna Tirado of Manorville

1st runner up, Ashley Edwards of West Hempstead

2nd runner up, Danielle Cinone of Smithtown

3rd runner up, Hayley Riesel of Oceanside

4th runner up, Dana Wachter of Nesconset

Miss Photogenic, Jenna Tirado of Manorville

Miss Congeniality, Hayley Riesel of Oceanside

Miss Community, Aja DiLorenzo of Ridge

Directors Award, Sabina Lotlikar of Hicksville

National Pageantry Spirit Award, Dana Wachter of Nesconset

TEEN FINALISTS - WINNER: Miss Long Island Teen 2015, Geena Cardalena of Floral Park

1st runner up, Danielle Harloff of Mt. Sinai

2nd runner up, Katherine Sreckovich of Glen Head

3rd runner up, Julia Frangeskos of East Quogue

4th runner up, Kristen Murphy of Bellmore

Miss Photogenic, Geena Cardalena of Floral Park

Miss Congeniality, Geena Cardalena of Floral Park

Miss Community, Jessica DeStefano of West Islip

Directors Award, Brielle Caturano of Smithtown

The Miss Long Island and Miss Long Island Teen Pageant is comprised of three equally scored phases of competition: interview, swimsuit competition, and evening gown competition. The highest scoring contestants will advance to the Top 10, where they deliver a platform statement to the audience, discussing which cause they would choose to support should they be crowned as Miss Long Island or Miss Long Island Teen. The five highest scoring delegates in that phase of competition will then advance to the Top 5, where they answer an on-stage interview question. 

The winners of the Miss Long Island and Miss Long Island Teen Pageant will advance to compete at Donald Trump’s Miss New York USA and Miss New York Teen USA Pageant in January!

Photo Credit: Image Nation Photography

Burger King Open For Business

Burger King in Smithtown is open for business. The fast food restaurant opened its doors on Tuesday, August 5th.  Mohammad Alam, manager of Burger King’s newest restaurant is pleased with the response which he called “very good”.  The restaurant is located at 942 W. Jericho Tpke.  on the south side of Jericho across from Reliable Tree Service and alongside Cafe’ Havana. 

The buiding was constructed more than five years ago and was expected to houseBurger King staff a Wendy’s. There were issues that lead to the property remaining vacant until earlier this year when DiCanio Management appeared before the Town’s Board of Zoning Appeals to modify a special exception. Calling the property an “eyesore” Mr. DiCanio created an upscale fast food restaurant.

In addition to the standard Burger King menu the popular chicken fries have returned. Burger King’s dining room is open during the week from 6am until 10pm. and the Drive Thru is opened 6am -1am Thursday through Saturday.

Smithtown HSW students give Burger King a thumbs upPeople visiting Burger King during their grand opening will receive their choice of a Burger King crown, pinwheel or balloon. A visit to the restaurant on Monday afternoon revealed that most visitors (mostly adults) were opting for the Burger King crown.  

Smithtown Dish - Small Bites Of Foodie News - Think Kids Think Fruit

Smithtown Dish – small bites of foodie news

By Nancy Vallarella

Summer Baking with Kids

Val Gal Peach Kuchen“I’m bored and there’s nothing to do. I’m hungry and there’s nothing good to eat.”- It’s the mantra of kids everywhere by this time during summer vacation. What’s a parent to do?

I tried taking them shopping for school supplies, but that didn’t enhance their mood even though it gave me great hope.

Cooking projects have many positive effects and benefits: It keeps them busy. You get to sneak in some reading, math and science. It gets creative juices flowing.  The result is hopefully something good to eat. Best of all – they can’t speak while chewing and swallowing!

Here’s a simple recipe that has great flexibility. You can use any stone fruit or apple in season, add blueberries or raisins, use cinnamon or not.

Give the kids tasks that are age appropriate – especially those requiring knife skills and using hot ovens.

Val Gal Peach Kuchen – 16 servings

Crust:                                                                                          Topping: 

½ lb. butter (room temperature)                                                   6-8 medium peaches

½ cup sugar                                                                                 ½ cup sugar

2 cups flour                                                                                  2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder                                                     

¼ tsp. salt                 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs (room temperature)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 11x 16x 1” baking sheet with parchment paper.

*Peel and slice peaches into 1/4 inch slices. Place in bowl and set in side.

Mix 1/2cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In large bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture slowly into butter mixture. Once flour is incorporated add vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.

Scrape dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using an offset spatula or butter knife spread dough evenly on pan and up onto side to form crust. Hold sides of parchment paper while spreading batter.

Add peach slices in rows. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top of peaches. Bake in oven center rack for 30 – 45 minutes until edges and bottom are golden brown.

*Peeling fruit is optional. If skin is tough, I recommend removing.

Smithtown Resident Michelle Lombardi Graduates Cum Laude From Eastern Nazarene College

Local student graduates from Eastern Nazarene College

QUINCY, MASS.—Smithtown resident Michelle Lombardi graduated from Eastern Nazarene College recently, receiving a diploma during ENC’s 92nd spring commencement exercises held May 3 at the college’s main campus in Quincy, Mass. Lombardi graduated (Cum Laude) with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

HARD CHOICES - By Hillary Rodham Clinton - Book Review

HARD CHOICES – 635 pages, by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Published by Simon & Schuster

Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

You’ve got to hand it to the Klein Brothers, Robert and Richard, owners of Huntington’s Book Revue – along with their unflappable staff, they continually host the most unwieldy book signing events imaginable – in one of Long Island’s most difficult towns to navigate – and they do it with a flair that makes each undertaking seem routine.

The result of these successful, ongoing, literary affairs is that Book Revue has become the Mecca to which leading authors from the community (such as Nelson DeMille), the nation (like prolific Jodi Picoult), and the world (Jo Rowling for example) all gravitate, when introducing each new book they produce.

Granted, most authors do not generate the sort of Police, EMS, and Secret Service presence that marked Hillary Clinton’s appearance on August 6^th (by my count, a dozen identifiable agents, and who knows how many without those telltale lapel pins). But few celebrities bring a resume to Long Island’s premier bookstore that identifies them as a former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State.

Of course, those titles are not the magnets that drew blocks-long lines of patrons, and dozens of Police and Emergency vehicles to New York Avenue and Main Street on Wednesday. The undisputable fact that Mrs. Clinton is quite possibly destined to be the next occupant of the White House (again), and this nation’s first female president, was the primary reason for the huge crowd – some of whom waited for four and five hours, in typical North Shore August weather, to say hello to the bubbly, incipient grandmother, and lay out $35. for a signed book.

Whether those hundreds of books will ever actually be read, however, is a good question, and it’s doubtful that Mrs. Clinton really cares one way or the other. Her estimated $14 million advance from Simon & Schuster has already been deposited, the Clinton staffers (who really wrote the ‘Memoir’) have presumably been paid, and the Press is in possession of a fairly up-to-date handbook that places presidential candidate Hillary in the best possible light. It’s true that in ‘Hard Choices’ Clinton says, “The one question I’m asked more than any other is: will I run for President in 2016.” The problem is, she then insults our intelligence by adding, “I haven’t decided yet.” Granted, we don’t know the precise date that Clinton issued that disclaimer, but though Hillary might be a lot of things, she’s not stupid. She knew when this book was being released…so essentially she fibbed. The woman is running – and running vigorously.

‘Hard Choices’ is not a treatise on politics; it’s not an autobiography; nor can it be called a history book. Rather it’s a compulsory compendium of the sort that all presidential candidates release during their campaigns. Obama did it, Kerry did it, so did Gingrich and Romney. These men, like Mrs. Clinton, may refer to their volumes as ‘Memoirs’ all they want, but they are still glorified campaign guide books in autobiographical drag.

Tedious though this doorstopper of a book might be at times (one wag called it “Fifty Shades of Boring”) ‘Hard Choices’ is not without its moments…such as Clinton’s reminiscences on her Mother’s death – Chelsea’s wedding – and of course, her Daughter’s pregnancy. One of the most poignant lines from ‘Hard Choices’ is anthropologist Margaret Mead’s quote that “Children keep our imaginations fresh and our hearts young, and drive us to work for a better future.” Whichever ghostwriter decided to include that statement in this tome obviously has his or her finger on Hillary Clinton’s ever-opportunistic pulse.

Finally, Mrs. Clinton assures us that if the unthinkable happened, and Sarah Palin were ever elected president, she would not move to Canada. We can only conclude that Alaska would be out of the question as well.

Award-winning Smithtown writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eight novels, and his book and theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “Harvest” due in late summer, an American doctor is forced to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.