FEATURED HEADLINES
Food: Cozy Up With Cocoa *
FEATURED FOOD - * COVER STORY *
Cozy Up With Cocoa
Where To Get Jazzed Up Hot Chocolate & How To Make It Yourself
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photos
It’s the perfect time of year to warm up with a sweet and frothy cup of hot chocolate, and while you can go the simple route, New Hampshire chocolatiers and baristas are proving there’s more to the drink than a packet of powder and a pot of hot water.
Taking It Up A Notch
“When I’m inspired, I’ll add something different to our drinking chocolate and then announce it on social media,” said Richard Tango-Lowy, master chocolatier and owner of Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester. “We’ve made it with blood oranges, we’ve made it with caramel, I’ve added lemongrass. … We’ve done cider before at certain times of the year. It really also depends on the flavor of the chocolate.”
Tango-Lowy even offers the traditional Mayan experience of hot chocolate in his products, complete with hand-thrown bowls and a molinillo, a Mexican whisking instrument used to enhance the frothiness. Two different flavors — “Mayan heat” and “creamy dark” — are available in six one-cup servings per bag, and bowls and molinillos can be bought either separately or together.
For another original hot chocolate recipe, check out the hot chocolate marshmallow ganache prepared by The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery in Amherst. Co-owner Martha Walters said the recipe is made from scratch using bittersweet chocolate ganache and steamed milk, topped with a thick marshmallow made in house. The ganache, which is also homemade and used to make mousse cakes and brownies, is melted to make the hot chocolate.
“I think the traditional image of hot cocoa or hot chocolate is tearing open a packet of powder and adding little marshmallows that would go with it,” she said, “but we wanted to take it up a notch. … We’re always trying to look for new ways to make some of our signature drinks.”
If you visit the cafe and order the hot chocolate ganache, you’ll have the option to add a European touch, with a shot of liqueur like Baileys, Frangelico or amaretto. The marshmallows are sometimes seasonally-themed flavors, like raspberry for Valentine’s Day or peppermint around the holidays.
Homemade hot chocolate is prepared for special order online in 8- and 16-ounce bags by the chocolatiers of La Cascade Du Chocolat, who are based in Hooksett. The chocolate is made from an original recipe using organic cane sugar, cacao beans and 100 percent cocoa powder.
“We make it with chopped up bits of Ghana dark chocolate,” said co-owner and master chocolatier Tom Nash. “The problem with more commercial cocoa brands is the poor quality of the bean that’s dried down, whereas when you’re using pieces of real chocolate with the bean, it’s more palatable.”
Ancient Origins
Tango-Lowy said the drinking chocolate you’ll find at Dancing Lion is prepared the way it traditionally was thousands of years ago in Central America — with water and a blend of regional chocolates, chilis and spices, and sometimes a very little pinch of sugar. It was called “xocoatl” and it spread first from Guatemala to other countries and overseas to Europe. He sources most of his ingredients from the very regions in Central and South America where they originated.
“It’s very different than what most people are used to,” he said. “It’s a little bit lighter, and the flavor is very vibrant. It gives a very kind of light and airy taste in your mouth, but it’s also very warming and filling. You will not be hungry for a while after you’ve had a cup.”
Tango-Lowy also sells authentic molinillos at his shop. The hand-carved wooden tool was introduced in Mexico as a less messy way to enhance the frothiness of your drinking chocolate. The tool is held between both palms and the froth is created by rubbing them together.
He said xocoatl did not originally contain any milk, cream or sugar; it was not until it became popularized across Europe in the early 1500s that it became the precursor to the way it is often made today.
According to Tango-Lowy, records of drinking chocolate in New Hampshire go back as far as the 1700s. In fact, General John Stark, who served in the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War and who was a native of Derryfield (now Manchester), would order drinking chocolate to be provided for his soldiers for medicinal purposes.
But hot cocoa was actually invented much later in history, a fact Tango-Lowy said is a fundamental difference between hot “cocoa” and hot “chocolate.” Though the two terms are often used interchangeably today to describe the same drink, they are actually made with totally different ways to prepare the cacao bean.
“Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, which you get from taking away the cacao bean by squeezing out the cocoa butter, and you usually make that with milk,” he said. “Hot chocolate is made by actually melting chocolate, so you’re using the whole bean, including both the cocoa powder and cocoa butter.”
Shelf Life & Nutrition
Hot chocolate and cocoa are both very high in antioxidants and can even be good sources of protein and calcium if you make them with milk or cream. But the proper storage of the cocoa powder you use in your kitchen is also very important.
“The first thing to do is to look at what the label says in terms of use by or recommended by date on the package of cocoa,” said Joy Gagnon of UNH Cooperative Extension’s Nutrition Connections program. “That date doesn’t necessarily mean it’d be unsafe to drink, but it will lose its flavor and quality by that point.”
But Gagnon added that if you buy the powder in a canister rather than in a boxful of packages, it should be used by the expiration date once the canister is opened.
Some brands of powder contain dried milk products, and Gagnon said while powdered or dried milk can often last a couple of years on the shelf, making sure it is kept in a dry, cool environment is recommended.
“Powdered milk that is stored in a warm or wet area will go bad a lot faster, within a couple of months,” she said. “Every brand is different, but it’s usually easy to tell how it is made in the label description.”
Gagnon said most brands of cocoa powder average about 20 grams of sugar per serving — that’s before any cream or milk you might add. She added that using half the amount of powder, or any amount less than the suggested serving, may actually be better for you while at the same time not losing its taste.
“If you do the math, that’s four grams per teaspoon, so that’s around five teaspoons of sugar in just one cup of hot cocoa, which is kind of a lot,” she said.
Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Atole)
Courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast (makes 7 cups)
½ cup masa harina (tortilla flour)
3 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 cups of milk (2 percent or whole)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Put the flour in a large saucepan with the water. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the cinnamon, brown sugar and milk. Heat until the drink comes to a gentle boil. Cook the hot milk mixture for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and add the chocolate and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is melted. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Traditional Style Drinking Chocolate
Courtesy of Dancing Lion Chocolate (makes six 1-cup servings)
Boil ¾ cup of water. Remove from heat and whisk in 12 pieces of chocolate.
Cover and let sit at least 5 but preferably 20 minutes.
Reheat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until hot but not simmering.
Whisk vigorously or froth with a wooden molinillo frother.
Pour into a mug or drinking bowl. Enjoy.
Rosemary-Scented Hot Chocolate
Courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast (serves 4)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (bar or chips)
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup milk (whole, low fat or almond)
1½ teaspoons chopped rosemary
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine heavy cream, milk and rosemary in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to infuse the liquid with the rosemary
While the cream mixture is simmering, place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set a strainer over it.
Pour the rosemary cream over the chocolate, pressing the rosemary to extract more flavor. Let sit without stirring for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate.
Add the vanilla and stir until the chocolate is smooth. Serve immediately.
Variation: White Hot Chocolate
Prepare the hot chocolate as directed, substituting 8 ounces of white chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate. Keep the rosemary or prepare without.
Variation: Star Anise Hot Chocolate
Prepare the hot chocolate as directed, substituting 1 cinnamon stick and 2 whole star anise pods for the rosemary.
Doctor Up a Cup
Hot cocoa and chocolate are simple to make in your own kitchen — but you can still get creative even if all you have is a packet of store-bought Swiss Miss or Nestle cocoa.
Chef and cooking instructor Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis said replacing water with a creamier substitute like milk or half and half would add to the richness of the overall flavor.
“The fat content gives it its creaminess,” she said. “So you can have a much creamier Swiss Miss if you use skim or whole milk, or even heavy cream. … Another thing you can do is steam milk on the side to make a foam and then add it to the hot chocolate almost like you would a cappuccino.”
If you want even more flavor on top of that, Barbour suggested simmering the milk with cinnamon or rosemary before adding the powder. She said heating up milk first allows you to combine it with all different types of flavors.
“The Science of Chocolate”
If you want a more hands-on and interactive way of learning about traditional Mayan drinking chocolate, members of the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough will be offering their “science of chocolate” program at several Granite State libraries in the coming weeks.
Three programs are currently scheduled: Thursday, Feb. 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Daland Memorial Library in Mont Vernon; Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Smyth Public Library in Candia; and Saturday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Goffstown Public Library. Each is free to attend, but pre-registration is required. The program has also been held at several local schools and assisted living programs in the past.
Museum Education Director Melissa Brooks will be at each program to tell the story of how the popularity of the drink spread first from ancient Aztec and Mayan regions to all over Europe and then to the colonial-era United States. She will also discuss how to make drinking chocolate from a cacao tree and ask volunteers to help her for a chocolate-making demonstration.
“I’ll talk about how the cacao tree grows and how the beans are processed … and I also want to discuss organic and fair trade and what it means for the world of chocolate,” she said. “The participants will also make an Aztec chocolate drink made of cocoa powder, water and chili powder.”
Brooks said even the tools you’ll use to make the drinks are authentic — she will be bringing artifacts from the museum for participants to try their hands at using, like the tablet stones to crush the cacao beans.
“It’s for a large audience,” she said. “Children who come with their families love getting to taste the chocolate, but even adults can try the drink, and parents often enjoy the story about how it was important to the Aztecs.”
Where to Get Specialty Hot Chocolate
Here are a few places that offer extra special hot chocolate. If you know of another great hot chocolate spot, let us know at food@hippopress.com.
The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) makes a hot chocolate ganache made with bittersweet chocolate and a house-made melted marshmallow as a topping. You can also add a shot of Amaretto or Baileys liquor to spice it up.
The Bridge Cafe (1117 Elm St., Manchester, 647-9991, thebridgecafe.net) offers a rich hot chocolate with steamed milk. Options are available to add a shot of espresso for an extra charge, as well as a variety of syrup flavors that include cinnamon, peppermint, banana, caramel, coconut and more.
Dancing Lion Chocolate (917 Elm St., Manchester, 625-4043, dancinglion.us) offers the traditional Mayan drinking chocolate experience, complete with hand-thrown bowls and wooden molinillo frothing sticks. The chocolate is mixed with a blend of organic Central American-made cocoa powder and several flavors, including milk, dark and white chocolate, cinnamon, cayenne and more. Two flavors of drinking chocolate — “Mayan heat” and “creamy dark” — are also available for purchase online for six 1-cup servings per bag.
L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates (47 Main St., Walpole, 756-2882, burdickchocolate.com) offers five different types of drinking chocolate blended with organic South American and Caribbean cacao beans. Bags are available in 12-ounce, 2-pound and 5-pound sizes, and flavors include dark, milk, spicy dark, white, and a “single source” drinking chocolate in which you can choose from seven different countries of origin as the source.
La Cascade du Chocolat (26 Casey Drive, Hooksett, 264-7006, lacascadeduchocolat.com) offers homemade drinking chocolate in 8- and 16-ounce bags available for purchase online. The recipe is made with 68 percent dark chocolate, 100 percent cocoa powder and organic cane sugar.
Popovers on the Square (8 Congress St., Portsmouth, 431-1119, and 11 Brickyard Square, Unit 23, Epping, popoversonthesquare.com) offers several drinking chocolate options, including a homemade hot cocoa made with Dutch cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon, as well as an espresso mixed with chocolate — white, dark or milk — and steamed milk.
True Brew Barista & Cafe (45 S. Main St. and 3 Bicentennial Square, Concord, 225-2776, truebrewbarista.com) offers several drinking chocolate options that include a classic hot chocolate made with milk, dark or white chocolate, as well as several signature chocolate drinks that include a variety of flavors like peanut butter, vanilla, peppermint, butter rum and more.
Vicuña Chocolate Factory & Cafe (15 Main St., Peterborough, 924-2040, vicunachocolate.com) offers a sipping chocolate made from handcrafted dark chocolate.
Waterworks Cafe (250 Commercial St., Manchester, 782-5088, waterworkscafe.com) offers a hot chocolate made with Ghirardelli chocolate and whipped cream.
News: Baby Volcano In NH?
FEATURED NEWS
Baby Volcano in NH?
New Research Suggests State Sits Upon Upwelling of Magma
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
Could the Granite State be sitting atop a slowly rising reservoir of molten rock? Some new science suggests the answer is yes, and it could also be contributing to some of the state’s unique geological features, like the height of our mountains.
If their findings are correct, scientists say a volcano could form in New Hampshire, but fear not; it won’t happen anytime soon. In fact, it’s likely the rising magma will not come close to the Earth’s surface for several hundreds of millions of years.
So we’ve got some time.
Still, some 120 miles below us, an upwelling like this could explain certain natural phenomena and maybe even lend the White Mountains their formidable altitudes. Mount Washington is the tallest mount in the Northeast, after all.
To Bill Menke, a geologist with the University of Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a feature like New Hampshire’s 7,000-footer was an early clue that something was up — or down, as it were.
“I have been interested for many years about what makes New Hampshire the special places it is,” Menke said.
Other clues included spikes in helium found in the state’s groundwater, something a magma upwelling would explain, overhot underground temperatures, and the occasional earthquake.
“The fact that we have earthquakes in New England is somewhat anomalous because we don’t have faults,” said New Hampshire state geologist Rick Chormann.
Some of these features have been known by scientists for decades. They dubbed it the Northern Appalachian Anomaly. But they believed the NAA was an effect from a hotspot that passed under this area of the continent.
“The prevailing theory for why New Hampshire looks so different than other parts of the Appalachian Mountains had to do with this hotspot that passed New Hampshire about 100 million years ago,” Menke said.
The hotspot is known as the Great Meteor hotspot, named after the ship that discovered it.
“It has nothing to do with a meteor in the astronomical sense.”
As the surface of the Earth has shifted over the upper mantle, a pock-marked undersea trail has revealed the presence of the ancient hotspot, and a line can be traced back from its current location in the Atlantic Ocean to New Hampshire and Quebec.
But the high underground temperatures, helium fizz and tall mountains have a present-day phenomenon at work behind them, Menke said.
By studying data from the Transportable Array seismograph network and his own sensitive instruments, he was able to infer the presence of a current upwelling 250 miles across and 100 miles thick from top to bottom under central and southern New Hampshire.
Chormann says this may settle a longstanding debate about the formation of the White Mountains and the present-day NAA.
“Not everyone agrees that that active magmatic episode [which created the White Mountains] was related to the hotspot,” Chormann said.
He said the White Mountain batholith (an upward injection of magma deep inside the crust) was created in the Jurassic period between 160 million and 180 million years ago, hardened into rock and became exposed over millennia of erosion, transforming into the mountains we know today.
Instead of owing that injection to the hotspot, it’s possible this upwelling has been around just as long. Menke believes it’s caused by the flow of upper mantle beneath our continent forcing up magma on the other end, like the bubbling water in the wake of a boat.
He’s found similar phenomena in Virginia and parts of Louisiana.
Arts: Made By Hand
FEATURED ARTS
Made By Hand
Seabrook Weathervane Artist Featured on Handcrafted America
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
It’s taken Seabrook artist Don Felix a lifetime to perfect the process of making custom, one-of-a-kind copper weathervanes, which people across the country will be able to see in an upcoming episode of Handcrafted America.
The TV show airs Friday, Jan. 27, at 9:30 p.m. on INSP and is hosted by Jill Wagner (Christmas in the Smokies, Teen Wolf, Wipeout), who travels the country in search of talented artists making products the old-fashioned way. Each half-hour episode features three craftspeople.
Producers reached out to Felix the first week of June, and filming happened in his beachside studio in August, just before he left to sell work at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair in Sunapee. The crew was there from morning till night as Felix staged the process of making a swallow weathervane, shooting him hammering, shaping, soldering and detailing the object from a piece of copper.
“As a person, I don’t want to be in the spotlight, but if you put your heart and soul in something for a lifetime, and you get the opportunity to be recognized — the exposure doesn’t hurt, and neither does having that feather in your cap,” Felix said via phone a couple weeks before the premiere.
Felix began making weathervanes in high school at the Golden Eagle Coppersmiths. He felt it was satisfying to create something that would stand the test of time, he said.
“When I first started, I was just pounding molds. I was making $1.60 in minimum wage. But I stayed there for three, four years. When I graduated high school, I did the Easy Rider thing — I took off on a motorcycle for eight months and drove to California. At that point, I had no idea if I was going to come back. I was just going off to see what the rest of the world was like,” Felix said.
But he returned to make some money and tapped back into the trade. When manufacturers began producing weathervanes faster than the business could, he taught himself to make them freehand, without molds. He started his own business in 1983.
Today he works in a studio that overlooks the ocean. He also makes copper light fixtures and sculptures, but he’s known for his weathervanes, which you’ll find all over the state, from New England College in Henniker to Throwback Brewery in North Hampton. He used to show at fairs and expos across the country, but now all his effort goes into the fair produced by the League, which he’s been a member of for 35 years.
It’s hard. The designs take time, and so does the physical labor, in part because he puts more energy into each piece than he used to. When he’s not in the studio, he’s performing administrative work.
“Since I do it myself, I’m the shipper, I’m the accountant — I’m a little bit of everything,” Felix said.
Felix hasn’t seen the episode yet; he doesn’t even have the channel. He’ll watch it on Friday at a friend’s house with the rest of America. He appreciates that the producers are shedding light on handmade craftsmanship.
“The value is in the validity of it,” he said. “The marketplace has changed so much. Everything is being manufactured right now. Very few people can do anything by hand anymore.”
Handcrafted America
See the episode featuring Seabrook artist Don Felix on Friday, Jan. 27, at 9:30 p.m. on the family-friendly entertainment network INSP. Visit insp.com/shows/handcrafted-america for more on the show or visit Felix’s website, jdonaldfelix.com.
Music: JZ In The MHT
FEATURED MUSIC
JZ in the MHT
Bad Santa 2 Comic Jenny Zigrino Headlines Shaskeen
Written By Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Success as a standup comic is often a three-stop journey. First, become a star on the local circuit; next, move to New York City. With a sufficiently toned comedy muscle, the final destination is often Los Angeles. Jenny Zigrino made it to the West Coast a bit faster than most.
Minnesota-born, Zigrino spent five years in Boston, much of it as a warmup act for the Rogue Burlesque dance troupe. After relocating, she quickly won a spot in the 2014 reality series Funniest Win, finishing as a runner-up — and Hollywood came calling.
“My manager was like, ‘OK, it’s time to move out here,’” Zigrino recalled in a recent phone interview. “It kind of seemed fast, but I’m also having a great career out here.”
Indeed. She’s in her third year as a headliner; as she talked, she was preparing for a three-night stand at Rooster T. Feathers, a NorCal club that’s hosted Dana Carvey, Ellen DeGeneres and Bob Saget, among others. In May 2015, she appeared on Conan and killed it, talking about dating a landlord who looked like Jesus a little too much and riffing on body image. The plus-size comic once promised to make eating disorders the new airplane jokes.
The Conan slot served as a turning point for Zigrino.
“It was everything you dream of as a comedian happening,” she said. “Even though there are so many different outlets now, when you do that first late night, it’s like, ‘Yep, I’ve done it! First real moment of wow, I’m actually doing this.”
2016 was Zigrino’s biggest year yet. She had roles in the parody comedy 50 Shades of Black and appeared with the cast as a panelist on the Comedy Central program @Midnight. She landed a part in Bad Santa 2, receiving great notices, and her recording debut, J-Z’s New Album, should be out by spring.
When she started out at age 21, Zigrino’s primary goal was to be on television within five years.
“I was lucky enough to get Funniest Win,” she said. “So that happened, and now I have a vision board.”
Zigrino’s mantra is, work constantly and write in longhand — advice from Bad Santa 2 star Billy Bob Thornton.
“It’s simple, but it really works,” she said. “When I write jokes on a computer, they’re never as good … I’ve taken to doing outlines of screenplays or other ideas by hand first, and that helps me sort it out in my brain.”
Another tip came from 50 Shades of Black star Marlon Wayans, who told her, “If it’s what you want to do, you have to do it every day.” Living in Los Angeles, it comes naturally for Zigrino. ‘The hustle here is a different kind of hustle from New York,” she said. “Here, I’m hustling for production meetings, casting, acting, writing, standup, as well as doing different weird variety shows.”
She’s doing a lot more writing, pitching projects to Paul Fieg and others. Transitioning away from the stage is easy for Zigrino, who majored in screenwriting at Mass Art College.
“Standup is just storytelling,” she said. “I’ve been writing since my childhood, from making comic books to writing songs to telling stories, so it kind of feels like a pretty natural progression.”
A part of Zigrino will always reside in Boston, particularly her memories of telling jokes while burlesque girls disrobed.
“I learned a lot from those women about confidence, performance, about really putting it out there,” she said. “They were just amazing. A comic’s on stage telling a joke while they literally stripped down, and it’s funny when they do it, and confident, and beautiful. I owe a lot of who I am now as a comic to those three years working with that show in Boston.”
Jenny Zigrino
Hosted by Nick Lavallee
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m.
Where: Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester
Tickets: $5 at brownpapertickets.com
Film: Split
FEATURED FILM
Weekly Review
Split (PG-13)
Written By Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)
Images: Movie Screenshot
Three girls are kidnapped by a man with multiple personalities in Split, a fairly standard horror-thriller from M. Night Shyamalan.
Three girls sit in a car in a parking lot after a birthday party. Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), the birthday girl, and her friend Marcia (Jessica Sula) chat in the back seat while they wait for Claire’s dad (Neal Huff) to finish loading presents into the trunk. Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), invited more out of Claire’s sense of politeness than out of friendship, stares moodily out the window in the front seat. When a strange man (James McAvoy) gets into the driver’s seat, Claire and Marcia suggest he’s in the wrong car while Casey freezes.
Even as the kidnapping begins, we in the audience realize that Casey recognizes the terror that’s about to befall the girls. A scene in the locked basement room where the girls wake up after the man has used some sort of knockout spray on them confirms that Casey, a quiet girl who doesn’t fit in, has a history with being victimized.
Exactly what is now tormenting Casey and the other girls, however, is not something anyone has much of a history with. After they hear the man, whom they come to know as Dennis, arguing with someone else, they meet Patricia, who presents herself as a prim British woman despite being the same man in a dress. Then they meet Hedwig, who is dressed like and acts like a 10-year-old boy, also the same man but, as with Dennis and Patricia, not privy to the thoughts of the other personalities. Because he acts like a kid and has kid-like reactions to things, it’s Hedwig that Casey first tries to manipulate to find a way out. From their interactions with all three personalities, the girls piece together that they are meant as “sacred food” for something called “the Beast,” which, ominously, is coming.
Meanwhile, an amateur fashion designer named Barry keeps emailing his therapist, Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), for emergency meetings. At least, it appears to be Barry. But Karen starts to work out that her patient with multiple personalities, the dominant of which is the affable Barry, might have had some kind of internal realignment, putting other personalities in control. She becomes worried that the emails are cries for help from Barry’s various personalities who are concerned that Dennis and Patricia, two of the darker personalities, are doing something bad.
So, in a very limited way, Karen starts to wonder about her patient while the girls try to find a way out of captivity — a fairly standard race against the clock with the girls and the doctor working to figure out what the man is up to before violence ensues. Intercut with this are flashbacks to Casey as a young girl and the situation that has left her so scarred. Just in case you worried that this movie might not be brutal enough to its female characters.
I don’t look to horror movies for my feminist thought and examples of female agency but when somebody like Shyamalan, who has arty pretensions and seems to want us to be all enamored with his movie’s use of stylized camera work, falls back on putting scared teen girls in their underwear, I’m just not impressed. Or interested. Or willing to give the “can personality shape physical ability?” idea all that much leeway, storytelling-wise. This might not be as dumb as “the trees are committing mass murder!” but it isn’t so much smarter than your standard teen slasher. (Though, points for reminding me what a smart actress Haley Lu Richardson is. I only know her from The Edge of Seventeen and she has that early-career Jennifer Lawrence/Shailene Woodley quality of seeming like a believable version of a young woman. Here’s hoping she keeps getting work.)
The movie ends with a final little coda that I won’t spoil, exactly, but I feel like it’s worth mentioning. It is pre-credits but it has that Marvel post-credits feel, and not in the fun “everybody eats shawarma” sense but more in the exhausting “is that Thanos? Am I supposed to know if it’s Thanos?” realm. It feels lazy, like an attempt to reframe everything you’ve just seen as something bigger than what it appeared to be. But if you wanted to make that movie, M. Night, you should have made that movie and not made this very familiar girls-in-peril thing that you try to dress up as something more.
Grade: C-
Pop: Indoor Play
FEATURED POP
Indoor Play
Easy Ways To Keep Kids Entertained & Unplugged
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
What do you do when your kid begs you for mental stimulation when it’s cold and snowy outside and they’re so bored?
There’s actually plenty to do around the house. With a little ingenuity, you can turn something boring into something worth hours of fun, all without iPads or Netflix.
Patti Penick, the head of youth services at Goffstown library, said the common threads woven into every analog option for keeping kids entertained while cooped up in the house are creativity, narrative and collaboration.
Story Time
Kids love a good story. It doesn’t take a lot of energy or money, and it forces children to flex their imagination muscles. Here are a few ways you can captivate kids.
Create your own story: This is sort of self-explanatory but perhaps easier said than done. A good starting point might be taking a lesson from the news of the day and making a simplified allegory. The fairy tale model tends to work well, Penick said. So make sure your story has a protagonist, an evil lord, a person in distress and maybe a silly sidekick to make kids laugh occasionally. She said kids like fantasy, but they also like stories based on real life. So you can start with a true story and then build fantastical things to the story from there.“I think parents more typically wing it,” Penick said.
One idea is to make something out of Legos and then make a story based on that.
Read round robin-style: If you have a simple picture book with only a sentence or two per page, a good way to keep kids engaged and learning is to take turns reading a page. Penick said if you have more than one child, you can rotate through so everyone has a turn.
Reader’s theater: This takes a little more planning on the caregiver’s part but can be done with older kids and somewhat denser material than picture books. “Everybody gets a role or a couple of them, and when the story gets to your part, you read it,” Penick said.
Make props: When you read a story together, there’s often an opportunity to create something either through crafts or cooking that is pulled from the pages of that story. “So if you’re reading a book … let’s say Little House on the Prairie, maybe finding a recipe that was [related] like making some cornbread or some johnnycakes or something from back in the day,” Penick said.
Build Things
Of course, you can get your kids involved in creative and hands-on activities without needing a story. Just grab some glue, markers, crayons and as much paper and cardboard as you can find.
Crafts: While the possibilities are nearly endless, Penick favors the ever-easy paper bag puppets. “Making puppets out of paper bags, that’s a good easy one. Almost everyone has little brown [bags],” Penick said. It doesn’t require a lot of supplies and you can get elaborate with it if you want. When you’ve made your puppets, you can then do a version of the reader’s theater as a puppet show.
Building blocks: Penick said kids love to build stuff with anything from bricks to plastic cups. “Any kind of building; Legos, Magna-Tiles, blocks. … Kids can use Solo cups to build pyramids, if you have a ton of those red Solo cups,” Penick said. And after they’ve build the tallest tower or pyramid, kids can do their next favorite thing and destroy their skyscrapers Godzilla-style.
Blanket forts: Penick still remembers the joy of making blanket forts when she was young. “I used to do that all the time with blankets and use books to hold things in place,” Penick said. She suggests starting your fort by using the kitchen table. Drape a sheet over that and extend it by pulling the chairs out and hanging the blanket over the backs of the chairs. From there, you can build outward. Clip more blankets to the beginning blanket, consider the varying weights of sheets, blankets and comforters, use couch cushions or other pieces of furniture as pillars for your ever-widening blanket kingdom. Penick said fort-building is a great opportunity for fostering teamwork between siblings.
“I think sometimes when they’re cooped up inside, they will play with a younger sibling that normally they wouldn’t if they had other options,” Penick said.
Once the fort is complete, it can be a fun place to do story time or a puppet show.
Games
Video games are often isolating experiences. Penick recommends some classic games.
Board games: Dust off the old Chutes and Ladders or Candyland and get your kids accustomed to playing with others, taking turns and adhering to rules that may hurt you one round and help you the next.
Paper games: Don’t have any board games laying around? That’s fine. Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Penick suggests a classic round of tic-tac-toe or hangman to pass the time.
Make your own board game: This is a combination of arts and crafts and board game play. Penick suggests asking the local pizza place for an empty pizza box to use as your game board. You can draw mazes on it, glue in obstacles made from empty toilet paper cores and other cardboard pieces, and draw up some simple rules. Let the kids come up with rules of their own and see where they take it.
Word searches: If you have any word searches from checkout aisles or dollar stores, kids can brush up on their spelling skills while sifting through a jumble of letters to find hidden words. “My kids love word searches,” Penick said.
MORE HEADLINES
Superbowl of Birding
Superbowl of Birding
Local Team Goes Against The Grain In Birding Competition
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Every year, birders from southern New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts gather and form teams to see who can spot the most species of birds and the rarest.
The so-called Superbowl of Birding XIV will take place on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
David Moon at the Joppa Flats Education Center of the Massachusetts Audubon, which organizes the event, said the way it works is people form teams of four to seven and go out looking for birds. Different bird species have points assigned to them between one and five based on their relative rarity in the area. A majority of the team has to see the bird in order for it to count and when they find the hard-to-find five-pointers, they have to call it in to organizers right away.
Ultimately, all the teams congregate at a church hall in Newburyport, Mass., to tally their points, eat some pizza and collect their accolades.
Last year a Patriots-jersey-clad team called the Belichukars won the top prize with 198 points between 88 different species.
“Sometimes the competition in the county for the Rockingham County award is pretty fierce,” said Becky Suomala, a biologist at the New Hampshire Audubon.
Besides the top prize, there are prizes for Rockingham County and Essex County respectively, where the Superbowl of Birding takes place. There are also prizes for the youngest birder and the most birds found in one spot.
For most folks the 12 hours of running around with binoculars and cameras is a source of fun and bragging rights for winners. But for one New Hampshire team, it’s about something else as well: education and fundraising.
Suomala’s team, the Twitchers in the Rye (twitcher is a British name for an avid birder), will localize their efforts entirely in the town of Rye instead of roaming all of Rockingham County as other teams will likely do to maximize their potential points.
“We decided to limit our area to Rye because we wanted to show people how many different birds you can find in just one town,” Suomala said.
Since they started as a Rye-only team, they have averaged about 59 species and their record is 63.
Suomala said the one-town constraint does limit their ability to compete, but it also creates an interesting, fun challenge for themselves. Suomala hopes that spectators and amateur birders might be surprised to learn how much diverse life can occupy a discrete area of the state.
Unlike most teams, the Twitchers in the Rye are also raising money through their participation that will benefit the New Hampshire Audubon’s conservation efforts. People can pledge to donate an amount per species or per point by going to nhbirdrecords.org and clicking on the Twitchers link on the right side of the page.
This year, Suomala hopes to find some rare birds, such as a snowy owl or a razorbill, an alcid in the same family as the puffin which has been spotted recently near Odiorne Point State Park. Some early scouting and helpful intel from locals also tipped them off to a four-point ruby-crowned kinglet that has been frequenting a certain bird feeder.
“It’s a really fun way to spend a winter day,” Suomala said.
You can register a team up until the day before the event by calling Joppa Flats at 978-462-9998 by or going to massaudubon.org. The cost is $35 per person.
Make Your Wedding Blossom
Make Your Wedding Blossom
Spring Weddings Are All About The Florals
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
Spring is a time of new beginnings, and wedding planners and florists say a spring wedding has the promise of being more colorful and floral than any other time of the year.
Peonies & Price
While many flowers are available year round, you’ll never have such a wide variety and such low prices as you will during the spring. That’s according to wedding planner Beth Rolfe, owner of Fetching Events in Salem.
“Spring gives you a really unique opportunity to use florals that are not in season the rest of the year or are expensive the rest of the year,” Rolfe said. “When I think of spring, that’s the first thing I think of.”
She said each dollar spent on flowers goes a lot further in the spring.
“You’ll have extra money to spend on something else — impactful money,” Rolfe said.
Some of the more popular flower varieties in spring weddings include roses, hydrangeas and irises, according to Judy Pyszka, the manager of Chalifour’s in Manchester. Tulips are particularly popular in the spring, she said.
“It just represents spring in people’s minds,” Pyszka said.
Rolfe believes peonies are perhaps the most popular flower used in spring weddings right now.
Pyszka thinks that may be due to its color palettes, which work nicely in weddings, such as shades of white, pink, darker raspberry and coral.
Indeed, springtime lends itself to softer colors and watercolors, Rolfe said, noting the lighter shades of green in the awakening plant life often seen during that time of year.
She said some flowering branches such as apple blossoms have become popular in spring weddings as well. Pyszka adds cherry blossoms to that list.
“[They’re] used more in ceremony pieces, reception [centerpieces],” Pyszka said.
Peonies are available from California or Holland in early spring, and they can also be available in later May if they come from more local sources.
While flowers may be more generally available and affordable in the spring, you still need to plan ahead — flowers are also much more in demand during the spring, when there are proms and graduations.
Generally, people who get flowers for their weddings spend an average of $1,500 to $2,000, Pyszka estimates, but it ranges broadly between about $500 and $5,000.
Add Layers
Rolfe said clothing options for wedding parties in the spring have an added benefit: the potential for layering.
She’s seen weddings where temperature was not considered for outdoor spring weddings and the bridesmaids were freezing.
“If you are going to be looking at one of those outside locales, you have to figure out how to work in some warmer pieces, especially for your bridesmaids,” Rolfe said.
Rolfe thinks a cardigan to go over a dress is a nice touch. Capes are also trendy this year. The added layer also allows for the introduction of a few more color notes, and it can serve as a bridesmaid’s gift.
If you choose a muddy locale, Rolfe recommends the bride and bridesmaids wear rubber boots, at least for the photos.
“They look fun in pictures,” Rolfe said.
While colors need not match exactly with the floral selections, Rolfe said suits and dresses can pull from the same palette. These days, wedding parties are given more liberty and can use varying shades of a color or pick a color and find varying styles and cuts.
Personal Space
Rolfe said when it comes to where to host your wedding, the sky’s the limit, literally. Outdoor venues are popular in late spring, but spring showers and cold weather can force them indoors in early spring. A barn is a good compromise, Rolf said, because it provides shelter and doesn’t get too hot.
“The trend at this time is to use a barn, an outdoor facility, a family home. That’s a great trend and it really involves the couple because it’s very personal,” Rolfe said.
While late spring offers fewer risks of rain and mud, it means more tourists in the Lakes Region, the Seacoast and campgrounds. Meanwhile, places like Boston tend to slow down closer to summer.
Fiddleheads or Derby Foods
Spring weddings offer a number of unique food options. Rolfe said a great idea would be to incorporate fiddleheads, the foraged fern sprouts, into your wedding meals since fiddleheads are only available during a very short window of time in the spring.
“That’s … a very local, spring-specific vegetable,” Rolfe said.
She would also recommend a Kentucky Derby-themed brunch, with mint juleps, Champagne and cigars. Ladies would get fancy hats, and images of horseshoes and ponies could decorate place cards.
Ultimately, the food choice is up to the bride and groom; Rolfe said if they are big fans of more traditionally fall flavors like pumpkin, they should follow their hearts.
Cooking With Love
Cooking With Love
Valentine's Day Brings Cooking & Chocolate Classes
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Love is in the air, and so is the smell of sweet treats and savory meals at these Valentine’s Day-inspired cooking and chocolate classes. Space is limited and filling up fast for many classes, so be sure to call and confirm that space is available.
Crafting True Chocolate Truffles
This hands-on class covers tasting chocolate, creating ganache and forming and finishing chocolate truffles.
When: Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dancing Lion Chocolate, 917 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: $65
Contact: 625-4043, dancinglion.us
Passionate Dishes for your Valentine
Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast will talk about foods of passion and how to prepare enticing recipes for Valentine’s Day. There will be a cooking demonstration of two recipes and samples for the first 40 attendees. This program is open to adults and children age 13 and older accompanied by a parent.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Concord Public Library, 45 Green St., Concord
Cost: Free
Contact: 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net
Valentine’s Day with Chocolate Recipes Savory and Sweet
Learn how to make cocoa-crusted chicken thighs, cocoa-rubbed pork ribs with chocolate barbecue sauce, and dark chocolate mousse. Dishes will be paired or prepared with LaBelle wines Red Alchemy, Americus and Red Raspberry, respectively. LaBelle Winery founder and winemaker Amy LaBelle will also share tips for entertaining.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst
Cost: $25, plus tax/gratuity
Contact: 672-9898, labellewineryevents.com
Chocolate: The Secret Indulgence
Mike Cross, instructor of chemistry at Northern Essex Community College, will discuss how the chemicals in chocolate affect the human brain, making chocolate the perfect indulgence. Chocolate samples will also be provided, and participants will learn the best way to eat chocolate and how to taste for quality.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
Where: Griffin Free Public Library, 22 Hooksett Road, Auburn
Cost: Free
Contact: 483-5374, griffinfree.com
Valentine’s Cake Decorating
Choose an 8-inch heart-shaped cake (chocolate, vanilla or purple velvet), frost it with buttercream frosting and decorate it with borders, roses and more.
When: Thursday, Feb. 9, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Where: Frederick’s Pastries, 109 Route 101A, Amherst
Cost: $65
Contact: 882-7725, pastry.net
The Science of Chocolate
Join Mariposa Museum Education Director Melissa Brooks for an all-ages program about the science and history of chocolate. A hot chocolate drink will be served.
When: Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
Where: Daland Memorial Library, 5 N. Main St., Mont Vernon
Cost: Free
Contact: 673-7888, dalandlibrary.wordpress.com
Romantic Valentine Dinner
Learn to prepare a menu featuring steak mushroom bites, shrimp scampi, Boursin-stuffed quail, glazed rainbow carrots, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate-covered strawberries and Champagne cocktail.
When: Saturday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Chez Boucher Cooking School, 32 Depot Square, Hampton
Cost: $99
Contact: 926-2202, chezboucher.com
How to Cook with Chocolate
A Valentine’s Day-inspired cooking class featuring dishes with chocolate, taught by an award-winning chef of Courville Communities. This class is part of the Cooking with Courville Chefs series.
When: Monday, Feb. 13, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Nashua Senior Activity Center, 70 Temple St., Nashua
Cost: Free for members, $10 for nonmembers
Contact: 889-6155, nashuaseniorcenter.org
The Science of Chocolate
Join Mariposa Museum Education Director Melissa Brooks for an all-ages program about the science and history of chocolate. A hot chocolate drink will be served.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m.
Where: Smyth Public Library, 55 High St., Candia
Cost: Free
Contact: 483-8245, smythpl.org
Couples Cooking: Valentine’s Day Steakhouse
Couples will make their own meal from start to finish with instruction from a cooking expert. The menu features classic wedge salad with blue cheese and bacon, loaded baked potato, pan-seared steak with porcini and blue cheese sauce, and brownie sundaes. Bring plastic containers for leftovers. BYOB is welcome.
When: Friday, Feb. 17, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: The Culinary Playground, 16 Manning St., Derry
Cost: $155 per couple
Contact: 339-1664, culinary-playground.com
Falling For Fall
Falling For Fall
What To Consider For Your Autumn NH Wedding
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy/Stock Photo
Fall is a pretty popular time of year to get married in New Hampshire, according to local wedding planners Laurie Mantegari and Nicole Mower. Of course, there’s the foliage, but the season also offers the most options for activities and flavors, thanks to its moderate temperature and bounty of in-season foods.
Location, Location
There’s really not a bad place to get married during a New Hampshire autumn, said Mantegari. Locations that help showcase the landscape are particularly popular this time of year, from apple orchards to wineries to rustic barns.
“It just has a nice, crisp feeling in the air, and it’s really a fun time of year. There are a lot of options to work with if you are planning a wedding,” Mantegari said. “You can pretty much turn any venue into what you want, no matter what time of year it is.”
The colors are one reason this season’s so favorable. The temperate weather is another. Mower, who specializes in tented events, said this is her busiest time of year. It’s not too hot, not too cold and generally not too wet — perfect for an outdoor wedding.
Peak foliage season tends to be the most popular for fall weddings.
“Most vendors will say their calendars are totally full from September to October,” Mantegari said.
With all of fall’s long weekends, Mantegari said many of her couples look for venues that offer on-site or nearby accommodations, or places where there are activities to enjoy outside wedding hours. It’s one of the reasons renting campsites has become so popular.
“It can be expensive for an out-of-town guest to have to come to it. So why not give them something so that people have options for a weekend getaway?” Mantegari said. “It’s nice to create elements for guests so they can enjoy more than just the wedding day.”
Seasonal Flavors
Autumn is about comfort and seasonal food, Mantegari said, from bacon-wrapped appetizers to plates that incorporate fall flavors like apple and pumpkin. She said you’ll also find more hot food on wedding menus — warm brie with crackers instead of cut cheese with fruit, or butternut squash soup or pumpkin bisque instead of a salad. For beverages, you’ll likely find hot apple cider, either on its own or spiked with rum, and seasonal beer, from pumpkin to Oktoberfest.
Because the fall is bountiful with in-season fruits and vegetables, it’s easier to source food locally. Fire pits are more common this time of year, and so are s’mores. After the main course, it’s all about the dessert station — like, perhaps, a pie station.
“There’s something about pies and New England, definitely in the fall,” Mantegari said. “A lot of couples are getting away from the standard cake. Even in the spring and summer, they’re doing dessert stations, though in the summer you might be seeing things more like cream puffs or mini cheesecakes.”
What to Wear
Mantegari said attire is more dependent on the time of day and location than the season. Dresses are typically shorter during the day, longer at night. Outdoor weddings are often more casual than those indoors (and might require warmer clothes).
“It matters where the wedding is taking place. In a ballroom? On the seacoast, where it’s really windy? In a barn? I feel like that is more telling of what the attire is as opposed to the season. Fall on the coast will be chillier than in the middle of a field,” Mower said.
Fall wedding colors, however, are usually warmer and deeper — red, orange, mauve and burgundy are common hues.
More to Consider
Mantegari said lots of her clients really run with the fall theme.
“There are just so many different things you can do with pumpkins, apples and hay bales. I’ve seen people create seating with hay bales with fabric lain over them. And I’ve seen people do fun things with transportation,” she said, noting one couple who incorporated a hay ride carrying guests from the ceremony to reception.
However, shorter days are a factor.
“You want to take into consideration your photos and when the sun is setting,” Mower said. “If you have your ceremony around sunset, you’re not going to have a lot of time during cocktail hour for photos.”
And think of your guests.
“You don’t want guests standing in the dark while you’re saying, ‘I do,’” Mantegari said.
Quick Workouts
Quick Workouts
Get Your Heart Racing In Your Living Room
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
Working out seems to take more time in the winter.
If you’re going to the gym, your adventure might involve clearing your car of snow, driving through unpredictable weather and packing extra clothes to change into for the ride home. If you’re going outside, the process involves analyzing weather and piling on layer after layer.
Mike Good of Good Training in Manchester and Nancy Carlson of Get Fit NH in Concord offered some tips on how to squeeze that quick workout in at home, and how to keep at it all winter long.
Quick Workouts
Good was a featured trainer on a recently aired two-part TLC series, Too Fat to Transition, which showcases people trying to lose weight in order to transition from one gender to another. He frequently advises his clients to perform workouts at home between gym sessions — as such, snowed-in weather and little time become poor excuses. The best at-home workouts offer a variety of movement.
“The most efficient workouts in your home are a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises. That way you get the benefit of working your muscles and cardiovascular system at the same time,” Good said via phone.
Three rounds of 15 reps are all it takes to get a full-body workout. He advised starting with burpees (move into plank position, then stand and jump into the air), then air squats, push-ups and crunches or sit-ups. After 15 reps of each, pause for a minute before doing another round. To bump up the intensity, you could add dumbbells to the squats or place your feet on a chair for an inclined push-up.
“Going back to back, you’re getting the cardiovascular benefit and an anaerobic benefit at the same time. And it’s something where you don’t need a weight machine, you don’t need to go the gym. It can be done in your living room,” Good said.
If you have a few tools to work with — say, a stability ball and some dumbbells — you could alter this workout to include a variety of other exercises. Good suggested trying it with walking or alternating lunges, a squat press (when you stand up from the squat, lift the dumbbells over your head), jumping jacks and chest flies with a dumbbell (keep feet flat on the floor, lie on a stability ball and, holding weights, pull straight arms together and apart).
How much weight you use will be specific to your fitness level; Good said to start with anything from 5 to 10 pounds, though it’s best to consult with a coach and a doctor beforehand to determine what works best for you. When in doubt, start easy.
“Start slowly to make sure you’re doing it correctly, and then worry about increasing the weight,” Good said.
Quick Habits
Good said a lot of people think they don’t have the time or energy to work out, especially in the winter, but it becomes easier when you create a habit of it. Quick, small changes can make an enormous difference.
Have an elliptical machine or treadmill at your house? Get on it, just for a minute, daily.
“I’ll say something [to clients] like, your goal is first to get on the machine. I don’t care if it’s for one minute or five minutes. Every day, you want to get on that machine. And a lot of times, they’re like, OK, I can do that. Then they get on the machine, and once they’re on the machine, they end up doing 20 or 30 minutes,” Good said. “The more you do something, no matter how little it is, the more apt you are to do it the next day. … The point is to show them it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.”
Quick Motivation
For more motivation, Good advises clients to play music while they work out. Carlson said it helps to join a group or partner with others to keep you accountable. Many of her clients post pictures or videos of themselves working out on Facebook.
“It keeps them … not wanting to be the one not doing what they were supposed to be doing,” Carlson said via phone. “It’s peer pressure in the positive form.”
Another way to remain motivated is to track your workouts and progress in a calendar or journal. When you hit milestones, reward yourself.
“If [people] see they’re doing a good job, if they see they’re making progress, it will help them keep going during those hard days,” Carlson said.
Winter Spirit
Winter Spirit
Easy Bar-Quality Drinks For A Snowy Night In
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
If the winter weather has turned your spirited night out into a snowy night in, don’t retire to the couch just yet. You can still enjoy bar-worthy mixed drinks right at home, and you don’t need to be a pro bartender to do it. Check out these tips for building a basic home bar, plus some quick and easy drink ideas for warming up on a chilly night.
Brandon Laws, co-owner and bartender of In The MIX Beverage Catering, based in Nashua, says it doesn’t take a lot of equipment to make a decent home bar. The main things you need are a shaker and strainer and good glassware.
“You have to have a shaker because getting the full flavor isn’t just about mixing the drink,” he said. “You have to shake hard so it’s bruising the liquor. That’s what gets the full flavors to come out.”
As far as liquor essentials, Laws said every home bar should have a vodka, gin, rum and whiskey or bourbon. Don’t forget ingredients for the garnish and the rim, which can make even the simplest drink look like a fancy one you’d get at the bar. Stock up on brown sugar and cinnamon, which go well with many wintry cocktails, and some cinnamon sticks to give hot drinks an extra kick.
For the vodka, you can get one that’s unflavored, or you can choose a flavor or flavors that are your favorite and find cocktail recipes based on that flavor.
Vanilla, whipped cream, chocolate and coffee or espresso flavors can be used in a variety of drinks like a mudslide, espresso martini or Irish coffee. You can even add a shot to your hot cocoa.
Laws said he likes using flavored vodka in a “beertail” with a coffee- or chocolate-flavored porter or stout.
Many winter drinks lean toward heavy, savory flavors and are served hot, but if you’d rather escape the cold weather than embrace it, go for a fruity drink with some winter flair.
Rachael Jones, manager at Firefly American Bistro & Bar in Manchester, suggests using wintry fruit juices like pomegranate, grapefruit and blood orange and incorporating herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme to give the drink more depth.
Jones said rum can also be used in a variety of wintry drinks.
“While some may view rum as a liquor solely to drink in the sun with coconuts and limes, I’d recommend having a bottle of darker rum on hand,” she said. “Dark rums mix well with hearty, warming flavors like maple, apples and ginger.”
You can do a lot with a rye whiskey or bourbon: sip it straight over ice, or experiment with different flavored bitters. Jones likes orange, grapefruit and molasses the best. For a whiskey-based drink that’s sure to warm you up, try a hot toddy. Firefly makes it with Irish whiskey, lemon clove syrup, hot water and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
“[The hot toddy] is sweet, warm and bold,” Jones said, “and goes great with a blanket and a good book.”
For apple cider fans, Laws said hot apple cider spiked with spiced rum or cinnamon whiskey is an easy, toasty drink, or you could go a bit more fancy with a mimosa, replacing orange juice with apple cider and adding a splash of cinnamon-flavored liquor for extra kick.
No matter what kind of home bar you stock, the most important thing is to have fun with it.
“There are two schools of thought about making drinks: be totally accurate with the measurements or just make it how you want it to taste,” Laws said. “Don’t be afraid to make them for your own taste. … The beauty of practicing bartending is, if you mess up, you still get to drink the mess-up.”
Firefly Hot Toddy - Courtesy of Rachael Jones of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 2 ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce lemon-clove syrup (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 12 cloves, peel of one lemon; stir until sugar is dissolved and let steep for one hour. Strain lemon peel and cloves.)
- 5 ounces hot water
Garnish with ground nutmeg
Espresso Martini - Courtesy of Peaches Paige of Cotton
- 1/2 ounce Baileys
- 1/2 ounce Kahlua
- 1/2 ounce Stoli Vanil
- 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
- 1/2 ounce espresso (you can use instant espresso if you don’t have an espresso machine)
Signature Manhattan - Courtesy of Peaches Paige of Cotton
- 3 ounces Woodford Bourbon
- 1/2 ounce Antica Carpano Vermouth
- 3 dashes Woodford spiced cherry bitters
1 Luxardo cherry
Pomegranate Thyme Gin & Tonic - Courtesy of Rachael Jones of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 2 ounces gin (try Cold River Gin, a London Dry style made in Maine)
- 5 ounces tonic water
- Pomegranate juice to taste (from a splash up to an ounce)
Build over ice, stir, and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme
Old Fashioned - Courtesy of Rachael Jones of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye
- 3 dashes aromatic or flavored bitters (orange and molasses are both delicious)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Build over ice, stir until sugar is dissolved, and garnish with an orange peel
Power Failure
Power Failure
How To Make The Most Of A Power Outage
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
If there’s a storm in the forecast, prepare for the worst and then seize the opportunity to have a rare kind of fun — the kind our ancestors called “family time.”
Survive
The state Department of Safety issued a list of safety tips before the late December snowstorm on how to make sure you are prepared for a storm-caused power outage. Here are some of the key recommendations.
Emergency kit: Create a winter emergency supply kit that’s stocked with enough provisions to last at least three to five days. It should include some non-perishable food, bottled water, flashlights, extra batteries and a portable radio. Also make sure it includes a first aid kit, a surplus cache of critical prescription medicines (ask your prescriber for extras in case of emergency), a manual can opener, any necessary baby-care items, extra blankets, sleeping bags and a fire extinguisher. Some non-perishable foods can include canned goods, dried fruits and nuts. Make sure you have a gallon of water per person per day. And it doesn’t hurt to add a little more than what’s needed for your typical household size. An emergency can happen when you have guests too.
Other supplies: For heavy snowfall events, always stock your home with rock salt to melt ice, sand to improve traction, and snow shovels. Keep fire extinguishers on hand in case an alternative heating source starts a fire, and make sure everyone knows how to use them.
Extra water: If your water can be shut off by a loss of power (like with a well-water pump system) prepare for a possible storm outage by filling your bathtub and other spare water containers like buckets. Use it for sanitation reasons only. Do not drink the bathtub water. Pouring a bucket of water from the tub into the toilet can enable it to flush.
Heating: Make sure you have sufficient heating fuel since regular sources may be cut off. Keep alternative heating options such as a gas fireplace, wood-burning stove or fireplace. All you need is to keep one room livable, but make sure it’s well-ventilated.
Carbon Monoxide: Make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working and have fresh batteries. Check any outside fuel exhaust vents to make sure they’re not blocked by snow or ice.
Pipe freezing: Try to prevent your pipes from freezing by wrapping them in insulation or layers of newspaper. Cover the newspaper with plastic to keep out moisture, and let faucets drip.
If the pipes freeze anyway, remove the insulation, open all faucets completely and pour hot water over the pipes starting with the coldest spot. A handheld dryer might also work.
Thrive
Sandy Whipple, the adult services and outreach coordinator at Goffstown Public Library, said when the power goes out, the first thing you can turn to for keeping your mind busy is a good book. You can read individually or as family or read the news and share thoughts about it.
“There’s nothing like ... talking about the last best book that you’ve read,” Whipple said.
Or you can play a game.
“In terms of anything beyond the reading, things that we might suggest would be the good ol’ board games, and they tend to be very popular whether there’s a power outage or not,” Whipple said.
Carol Eyman, outreach coordinator at Nashua Public Library, said the board game Clue is fun for ages 9 and up and even comes in a Harry-Potter-themed version.
“You have to use analytical skills,” Eyman said. “It’s a great exercise in logic for kids and the fact that they’re solving a crime makes it fun.”
Another game she recommends for a family of varying age groups is Cranium.
“Cranium is great when you have a group of people of different ages and different abilities because there’s different things you have to do, like … word puzzles and … some of the tasks require you to draw,” Eyman said.
If you don’t own some of these board games, another option is to play the Dictionary Game, which only requires a dictionary and some writing material. Players take turns picking an obscure word from the dictionary and writing down the definition. Other players must write down plausible-sounding incorrect definitions. If you guess the right definition, you get a point and if you guess a false definition, its author gets the point.
There’s a similar game Eyman said is called Liebrary. Instead of a word, you pick out a book off the bookshelf and read the summary to the other players. Then they have to write down a plausible first line in the book based on what they know. The rules from there are the same.
People of all ages enjoy the serenity and simple creativity of coloring. And Whipple said it’s growing in popularity among adults.
“There are coloring books in almost every grocery store checkout line these days. People are just finding that they’re able to leave their adult at the door and just revisit a favorite childhood activity,” Whipple said. “You don’t have to think about anything, you don’t have to really create; you’re just playing with the colors.”
Certain crafts can also pass the time, such as crocheting, knitting or weaving things like Scottish tartans.
“You talk about analog activities, that’s really it,” Whipple said.
Reptile Room
Reptile Room
Exotic Snakes, Lizards & More at Reptile Expo
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
For anyone who’s in the market for a new reptile or amphibian, or for those who already have one or just want to know more about them, New England’s largest reptile expo is returning to the Granite State.
“There are always quite a few people who come who want to buy a reptile,” said expo organizer Bruce Lowder of Animal Encounters, a New York-based animal education outreach program. “But it’s also a neat way for families with kids to come and walk around and check out all the animals, even if you’re not necessarily looking into buying one right now.”
The first of four expos at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester will be held on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Three other shows are planned for later this year, on April 2, June 25 and Oct. 8.
Lowder said the Manchester shows often include reptile vendors native to New Hampshire and other parts of New England. Vendors include everyone from reptile breeders and pet supplies sellers to rescue groups and educational programs.
Lowder said expo goers can expect to see several New Hampshire snake or lizard breeders, including CV Exotics of East Hampstead and Deb’s Exotics from Derry, as well as other groups from regions of Vermont, Maine and upstate New Hampshire and New York. The Northeastern Reptile Welfare League, based in the Upper Valley, is also expected to attend.
“In addition to companies coming in to sell supplies and tanks and cages, we’ll have some people selling reptile-themed artwork and jewelry,” he said. “We’ll also have people give informal talks to give potential customers an unbiased third-party opinion about whether having a reptile as a pet is suitable for them … but they can also just have a chance to meet hundreds if not thousands of other like-minded people and socialize with them.”
The more common domesticated animals you might see at the expo include leopard geckos, ball pythons, bearded dragons and tarantulas, but there will also be more exotic species there, like the Mexican axolotl, a type of aquatic salamander, and the western hognose snake.
Lowder said the expo is especially perfect for beginner and first-time pet reptile owners, because it provides opportunities to learn about the essentials of keeping scaly animals as pets. But he added that it’s also a good idea to prepare yourself mentally for what you will see before you go, which will be thousands of reptiles and potential buyers or lookers in one room.
“Reptiles make fascinating pets, but people should always educate themselves before buying one and be able to meet the needs of the animal,” he said. “It’s true that for the most part, they can be less demanding pets than, say, a dog or a cat, but one thing most people don’t know for example is that most reptiles need ultraviolet lights. … So at the expo, you’ll be able to learn who would need that and why.”
Ski Spree
Ski Spree
McIntyre Hosts Ski & Snowboard Race
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
In honor of longtime Manchester native Bob Gilman — who took it upon himself back in the late 1980s to fund and coach all of the city’s high school ski racing teams when they were almost cut from the city’s budget — McIntyre Ski Area will host a ski and snowboard race for all ages and abilities.
The first annual Bob Gilman Fun Run will be held on Sunday, Jan. 29, and all skiers, snowboarders and snow tubers who buy a lift ticket to McIntyre that day can participate at no additional charge.
The race trail will be open from 10 a.m. to noon, during which time participants will have the chance to take two 20- to 40-second runs that will each be officially timed. Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in more than a dozen age categories during an award ceremony that will follow at 1 p.m. An outdoor tiki bar with chances to win raffle prizes is also planned.
McIntyre will be open to the public for the duration of the race and will be offering equipment rentals for an additional charge to participate, but you can also bring your own equipment for the race.
“We’re mainly doing this to bring attention to McIntyre and to the skiing community here in Manchester,” said Bob’s daughter Laura Gilman, who organized the event. “It was always a second home for my family in the wintertime, so we’ve always had a good relationship with them.”
Gilman said her father continued to coach the high school skiing teams until he died from cancer in 1995. But even after his death, a few of his friends continued to keep the ski teams alive after taking over for him. She said the idea to have an event at McIntyre in his memory has long been in the works but was delayed for family reasons.
“They were basically going to take skiing out of the athletic program altogether, so he opted to not only fund all three schools, but he also rented the buses, he rented the hill at McIntyre, and he paid the students’ fees to participate,” she said.
Anyone who visits McIntyre can register to run in the race that day or ahead of time online. Gilman said a portion of the funds raised from racers who purchase a lift ticket will benefit local cancer care facilities like the Elliot Regional Cancer Center and New Hampshire Oncology and Hematology.
“The money will go toward cash funds they have there that help pay for small things like medications,” she said.
1st Annual Bob Gilman Fun Run
When: Sunday, Jan. 29, 10 a.m. to noon; awards ceremony at 1 p.m.
Where: McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Way, Manchester
Cost: Free with the purchase of a lift ticket (weekend rates range from $29 to $38 depending on age group and length of day)
Visit: bobgilmanfunrun.com
All Organic
All Organic
Conference Offers Workshops For Farmers & Foodies
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
From the foodies who eat organic food to the farmers who grow it, there will be something for everyone at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire winter conference, happening Saturday, Jan. 28, in Concord. The conference will feature more than 40 workshops related to organic and sustainable agriculture, an evening keynote event with a special guest speaker, a Green Market Fair, a growers panel discussion and more.
“It’s an educational opportunity for farmers and commercial growers, gardeners and homesteaders who are growing food for themselves, and also for food enthusiasts who don’t want to grow but are interested in the topic,” conference coordinator Monica Rico said.
The day consists of four workshop sessions, each with 10 to 12 workshops led by a variety of presenters, including agriculture researchers and specialists, business and nonprofit leaders, educators, farmers, homesteaders, authors and bloggers. For farmers and people interested in growing and raising food, there will workshops centered around advanced and beginner farming, carbon and soils, livestock and animals, agriculture business and more. Non-farmers and foodies can check out workshops on health and nutrition topics such as seasonal and plant-based eating, fermented fruits and vegetables, fermented dairy products, raw and living plant foods and growing and utilizing herbs.
“The health and nutrition workshop track is all about recipe ideas and ways to use food, so even if you aren’t interested in growing food but you’re interested in cooking, you can come and learn from those workshops,” Rico said.
In addition to the workshops, the conference will have an ongoing Green Market Fair featuring local food producers, agriculture-related businesses, nonprofits and other exhibitors. There will also be book signings with the presenting authors and a seed swap where growers can trade their favorite seed varieties with other growers.
After lunch, between the second and third workshop sessions, there will be a soil carbon panel discussion in which five growers will share their experiences and tips about soil and carbon sequestration.
The day will come to a close with the evening keynote event shortly after the final workshop session ends. The presenter, Joel Salatin, is a renowned author and farmer of Polyface Farm in Virginia and has been featured in documentary films Food Inc., Fresh, and Polyfaces. His talk will be centered around his book Folks, This Ain’t Normal, which details how people can help to reform the national food system by returning to natural foods and supporting local farms.
Rico said Salatin is a well-known personality in the New Hampshire agriculture community, and with the recent trend toward natural foods and food awareness, his visit is highly anticipated.
“Local food systems and organic farming are a growing movement in New Hampshire,” Rico said. “People definitely have had an increased desire to know where their food comes from and to participate in the process.”
Conference attendees will also enjoy live music and meals and snacks catered by the Crust & Crumb Baking Co. of Concord, which are included in the ticket price. A kids’ activity room with child care will be available during the workshop sessions.
NOFA Winter Conference
Where: Rundlett Middle School, 144 South St., Concord
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m., workshops run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., keynote event is 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Cost: Full-day conference tickets are $68 for NOFA members and $85 for non-members and include meals and the keynote event. Tickets for the keynote event only are $16 for NOFA members and $20 for non-members. Purchase tickets in advance online or the day of the event. Admission is free for children age 16 and under.
Visit: nofanh.org/winterconference
Flashback Flavors
Flashback Flavors
Dinner Features Reimagined Traditional Childhood Dishes
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
You’re never too old for Cheez-Its and Fluffernutter — that’s the idea behind The Farmers Dinner’s latest farm-to-table event, “Vintage,” a multi-course dinner featuring cuisine inspired by traditional childhood dishes. The dinner takes place Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Nashua Senior Activity Center and is presented by chef and owner of The Farmers Dinner Keith Sarasin along with Cabonnay’s Chef Chris Viaud and Pastry Chef Aurelien Blick.
Vintage is a new and divergent concept for The Farmers Dinner, which typically highlights new American cuisine, Sarasin said.
“We’re ... pulling inspiration from the traditional foods that we grew up eating,” Viaud said. “We’re taking simple dishes like eggs and bacon, chicken noodle soup and peanut butter and jelly and elevating them to a higher standard.”
The idea for a throwback to childhood dishes came about when Sarasin and Viaud, who are good friends, were talking over lunch one day. The two come from very different cultural backgrounds — Sarasin’s is French-Canadian and Viaud’s is Haitian — and they were curious to compare the kinds of foods they each grew up with.
“There are a lot of differences, but we also noticed some similarities,” Sarasin said. “As we found those similarities we started smiling and laughing, and that’s when we decided to throw Vintage as an homage to the vast differences but also to the commonality of good food that overlaps time and culture and binds us in the culinary world.”
The menu features collaborative dishes inspired by Sarasin’s and Viaud’s childhood cuisines, with a gourmet twist. Dinner starts with a breakfast course: coffee-rubbed bacon, chive scrambled eggs and homemade bread. Then, it’s chicken noodle soup made with chicken bone broth and fresh noodles, followed by “ham and Cheez-Its,” a Cheez-It-crusted tart filled with local cheeses, country shaved ham and mustard.
“Everyone had ham and cheese sandwiches with Cheez-Its on the side, so we said, ‘How can we recreate this in the culinary scene?’” Sarasin said. “For diners, [the tart] will really elicit the memory of having ham and cheese sandwiches. We’re just doing it on a different level.”
The next course is a new take on rice and beans that includes cornmeal-crusted cod, beans and puffed rice. Following that is Pep’s Pot Roast, a local grass-fed roast with winter carrots and dug potatoes, based on a recipe passed down from Sarasin’s grandfather. The dessert course is a spin-off from the Fluffernutter, a sandwich traditionally made with peanut butter and marshmallow Fluff on white bread. The Vintage version is a napoleon-style pastry made with layers of rolled-out Wonder bread and Fluffernutter mousse in between, with a grape jelly glaze on top.
The dinner will also feature a cash bar and discussions with the chefs about how they developed the dishes and about the local farms they sourced the meal ingredients from: Brookford Farm of Canterbury, Miles Smith Farm of Loudon and Oasis Springs Farm of Nashua.
“I think regardless of if people can’t relate to growing up eating ham and cheese or chicken noodle soup, they will be blown away by how those simple flavors can be accentuated and turned into a culinary dish,” Sarasin said.
“We hope that when they go home, they’ll be more inspired by the simple ingredients they can find in their cabinets,” Viaud added, “and inspired to keep cooking and recreate their own childhood memories.”
Weekly Music Review
Weekly Music Review
Che Got Wings & More
Written By Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Album Artwork
Che & Cardo, Che Got Wings (self-released)
Annual mixtape team-up from Texas producer Cardo, who marked New Year 2016 trying to resuscitate the Bay Area rap scene with a tape from Nef the Pharaoh, a feisty if workaday spitter who displayed depthless enthusiasm for the turn-of-the-millennium Cash Money hyphy of his youth, most notably his ode to Big Tymers, which broke fairly big thanks to Cardo’s dreamy-haunted-dreamy beat. This year Cardo’s chosen to bestow some modicum of fame upon R&B singer Che Ecru, who at this writing is basically unknown, aside from bare-bones Soundcloud and Facebook accounts and a ton of retweeted babblings from fans. The tape opens with “Satisfied,” in which Ecru lazily sing-raps a couple-three notes over Cardo’s unadventurous candle-and-blunt makeout-funk and cheesy throwback ringouts. Ecru is hypnotizing here, his faraway baritone conjuring a bit of Jamaican spice, and it’s the same deal for “Complete” and, well, pretty much everything else on tap, other than “N Me,” where he combines Eminem and Tyrese, coming up with some pretty athletic stuff.
Grade: B
Sam Phillips, Human Contact Is Never Easy (Littlebox Recordings)
To give you an idea of Sam Phillips’ dominance in chick-folk-rock, this digital sampler in advance of Phillips’ World on Sticks full-length (due later this year) came in at No. 2 in Amazon’s singer-songwriter category, after Carole King’s Tapestry. A lot of the hubbub surrounding this lady stems from her house-backgrounding gig with Amy Sherman-Palladino, who recruited her to soundtrack Gilmore Girls and Bunheads, but the real thrust of her appeal has to be her muddy bayou side, which comes courtesy of her early days, writing and recording six records under the producership of T-Bone Burnett. That stuff’s still part of her DNA, evidenced by opener “World on Sticks,” a ramshackle folk-blues march that will make you think of Melissa Etheridge and Led Zeppelin III at the same time. Phillips checks in a few “la-la-las” for her Gilmore fans in the strummy campfire anthem “Troubles Won’t Stay,” then shifts to piano-pop-maestro roleplaying in “Candles and Stars,” a thing pretty enough to generate her a lot more instant fans, which she certainly deserves.