Santa Lucia sips

This California region’s wines deserve a closer look

When one thinks of American wines, what first come to mind are the Napa and Sonoma valleys. While they produce exceptional wines, consideration should also be given to the Santa Lucia Highlands.

Proclaimed as its own American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1991, this is an area of east-facing terraces of the Santa Lucia Mountain range, to the south of the breezy Monterey Bay. An area approximately 18 miles long and 1 to 2 miles wide, the 22,000 acres of the AVA are planted in 6,400 acres to primarily pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, the balance of the AVA being an unplantable mountainside.

Cloudy mornings, midday sunshine with strong winds, and evening fog create a cool climate, allowing for a long growing season, resulting in gentle ripening that ensures intense flavors with balanced acidity in the grapes.

What better place to sample some of the best chardonnays and pinot noirs than to check out Morgan Winery’s production of Santa Lucia Highlands wines? While I hardly need an excuse to enjoy two of my favorite varietals, the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet’s current sale of 15 percent off 12 or more bottles of chardonnay and pinot noir (running through Oct. 31) is certainly an incentive to seriously look them over.

Dan Morgan Lee came from a small town in California’s Central Valley. He had prepared initially for the study of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis, but while at college he discovered enology (the study of wines) and enrolled in the graduate program. Upon graduation in 1978 he became a winemaker at Jekel Winery in Monterey County. In 1982 Dan and his wife, Donna, opened the doors of Morgan Winery. Initially producing wines from purchased grapes, in 1996 Dan and Donna realized their dream by purchasing their own vineyard, named the “Double L” for their Double Luck twin daughters. Today Morgan Winery is known to produce consistent award-winning wines.

Our first wine, the 2019 Morgan Metallico Un-oaked Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay (originally priced at $18.99, reduced to $16.99), is light and bright and a great way to start this great trilogy of finely crafted wines. This is chardonnay in its purest form, unadorned by oak. The grapes are primarily sourced from Morgan’s “Double L” and mixed with grapes from three other vineyards. The grapes are cold tank fermented and not allowed to go through a secondary malolactic fermentation, thus keeping the bright crispness of pineapple and vanilla to the nose, with pear and some mild lemon citric flavors, producing a long finish to the tongue. This bright acidity is perfect for pairing with shellfish and light fare.

Our second wine, the 2018 Morgan Highland Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay (originally priced at $23.99, reduced to $20.99) focuses on classic crème brûlée, walnuts and butterscotch. The grapes for this cuvée come from the Double L vineyard and two of its neighbors. After pressing, the grapes were barrel fermented in 26 percent new French oak, with partial malolactic fermentation imparting a wonderful creamy richness, with a slight acidity to the tongue. To the nose the wine has slight citric notes, countered by caramel. The creaminess to the tongue is enhanced by apple and pear. This is a wine that is perfectly matched to cream-sauced pasta or pork.

Our third wine, the 2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (originally priced at $31.99, reduced to $27.99), portrays the finesse of a great pinot noir with its aromas of blackberries and herbs. The grapes for this wine come from the original pinot plantings of the “Double L” estate, joined by grapes of neighboring vineyards. To the tongue the red and black berry fruit is complemented by dark plum and a bit of leather from the nine-month aging in toasted French oak barrels, of which 35 percent are new. This is a wine that can span a pairing of grilled chicken or salmon to beef or lamb.

These wines are inventoried throughout the state stores, waiting to be appreciated.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Secret Exit

The first time I made my new commute, I used a GPS app to get to work and spent my time worrying about whether I was driving fast enough but not too fast and whether the guy in the truck with all the bumper stickers actually hunts that much big game or this is all some sort of elaborate role-playing for him.

The second time I drove there, I vaguely remembered that I needed to take Exit 9 off the highway. As I drove past Exit 10, I made a mental note to keep my eye out for signs for the next exit.

Somehow, I found myself at Exit 8.

That’s odd, I thought, I must have really lost myself in singing along to that Lionel Richie cover. I couldn’t be very far from where I wanted to get off the highway, so I decided to take the exit, then circle back if I needed to.

But it turned out to be the exit I actually wanted. Weird though, how I missed Exit 9. I decided to look for it on my way home that night.

I missed it again. This time I blamed Whitesnake and visions of Tawny Kitaen dancing on the hood of a Jaguar.

I didn’t see Exit 9 the next day. This time, I blamed the podcast I was listening to. Not to go into too many details, but it turns out that pigeons are fascinating.

As one week turned into the next, though, even I couldn’t be absent-minded enough to forget about Exit 9 every single time.

It turns out, there is no Exit 9, southbound or northbound. Just a suspiciously uninteresting stretch of highway. I wondered if this was one of those no-13th-floor-in-a-hotel things, but I had vague memories of other Exit 9s on other highways so that probably wasn’t it.

I started to research the missing exit, but I stopped short when I realized that any answer I found would be a dry, profoundly boring, bureaucratic answer that would strip away another layer of my rapidly diminishing sense of childlike joy and wonder. It would have something to do with zoning, or population density, or a ballot referendum or something.

In other words, exactly the sort of cover story the government would cook up to cover the secret entrance to a covert military base, or an academy for mutants, or the entrance to an underground facility where they train sexy kung fu accountants or something. In other words, something I’m probably better off not knowing about.

But, you might ask, would the government actually be dumb enough to go to all that work and still mess up on the exit’s numbering?

Have you met our government?

It’s enough to make a vigilant citizen need a cocktail.

The Secret Exit

This is a riff on a classic drink called a Missing Link. It’s extremely simple, but also suspiciously difficult to remember the details of.

What was I supposed to pick up at the liquor store?, you might ask yourself. I really like that new drink and I’ve used up all the … all the … you know, the stuff that’s like triple sec, but not triple sec?

Almost like an agent in a black suit had hypnotized you, or something.

Ingredients

2 ounces really good rum – the best you’ve got

¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

¾ ounce orange curaçao

5 drops rose water

Wet a martini glass and put it upside-down in the freezer to frost.

Add all ingredients, with ice, to a shaker. Shake, until unbearably cold.

Strain into your frosted glass.

This is one of those drinks that is at its best when you start with it blisteringly cold. At the first sip, it might seem the slightest bit too acidic. You might wonder if you should have added some simple syrup or something to mellow it out. Subsequent sips will taste more and more well-rounded, though, as it warms up and the rose esters start to hit your palate. You will make a mental note to make this drink more often.

Let’s see if you can remember to.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Apple pie cookies

Looking at the name of this recipe, you may think, “Now I know what I will do with all the apples from my recent trip to the orchard!”

Well, you could use your freshly picked apples for this recipe, but you’d have to slice and dry them first. If you want to spend less time making these cookies, you will want to start with store-bought dried apple slices.

Dried apples are key to this recipe for one very important reason: They have less moisture. Fresh apple chunks are going to release their juices in a hot oven. The cookies will then transform from moist and chewy delights to overly spread out and disappointing cookies.

Besides dried apples, there are two other items to consider. First, you may not think of oatmeal when you think of apple pie, but it adds texture to the dough that makes the cookies reminiscent of pie crust. Make sure you use old-fashioned or rolled oats for that textural note. Second, it may seem silly to stop baking to add the cinnamon and sugar topping. Trust me, it adds a delightful sweetness to the cookie that is worth the baking interruption at the midpoint.

Make a batch of cookies, serve them a la mode if you like, and then enjoy a piece of pie, cookie style.

Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.

Apple Pie Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups diced dried apple
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer
Mix on speed 2 for 4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping sides, if necessary.
Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and flour, mixing until combined.
Add oatmeal and apple to dough, stirring until combined.
Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough onto a parchment paper-lined tray, placing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl, while cookies are baking.
Remove cookies from oven, and sprinkle a small amount of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on each cookie.
Bake for another 7 minutes.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes on tray, then transfer to baking rack to cool completely.

Photo: Apple Pie Cookies. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Victoria Mellen

Victoria Mellen of Derry is the owner of Mama V’s Kitchen (mamavskitchen@yahoo.com, and on Facebook @mamavskitchennh), a weekly meal prep and delivery business she started last year that specializes in home-cooked keto and low-carb options. New menus are posted to her Facebook page every Monday, with ordering open through that Friday. Items rotate but will always include a few breakfast options like quiche, as well as a soup, stew or chili, and a few entrees and desserts. Mellen prepares everything fresh out of Creative Chef Kitchens (35 Manchester Road, Derry) and offers free deliveries for meals on Sundays within a 15-mile radius of Derry. For a flat fee of $5, the delivery radius can be expanded to 25 miles.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A spoon, because I’m constantly mixing and tasting everything.

What would you have for your last meal?

A bacon-wrapped filet, cooked medium rare, with cheesy asparagus and waffle fries.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Having five kids, I don’t really get out to eat much, but when I do it’s usually breakfast. I love MaryAnn’s [Diner], right here in Derry.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something you have cooked?

Giada De Laurentiis. I absolutely love her.

What is your favorite thing that you’ve offered on one of your menus?

My homemade manicotti. I grew up in a large Italian family, and it just reminds me of my grandmother.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Delivery and takeout. People seem to be doing a lot more meals to go these days.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Breakfast. I love to get my kids in on making different flavors of pancakes. They love it.

Three meat and cheese quiche
Courtesy of Victoria Mellen of Mama V’s Kitchen in Derry

Pie crust (optional)
10 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup cooked chopped bacon
¼ cup cooked sausage
¼ cup diced ham
1½ cups shredded cheese of choice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add cooking spray to a pie pan and line with the crust. Fill the pan with the bacon, sausage, ham and cheese. Mix eggs, heavy cream and seasonings together with a whisk. Pour the egg mixture over the meat and cheese, using a rubber scraper or spatula to clean the bowl. Gently use a fork to incorporate the egg into the meat and cheese mixture. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into the middle. Let sit and enjoy.

Featured photo: Victoria Mellen. Courtesy photo.

Bagels and beyond

Simit Cafe opens in Nashua

Remzi Kahya grew up working at his father’s shop, the Bagel Cafe on Hanover Street in Manchester. He learned how to make New York-style bagels from scratch and, as an adult, eventually expanded the family business to a second Bagel Cafe in Bedford.

Now Kahya is building on his success even further — Simit Cafe, which opened on Sept. 21, brings his handcrafted bagels to Nashua while adding espresso drinks, tea shakers, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and all kinds of pastries and baked goods to the menu.

At around 3,000 square feet, the space is the largest of the three storefronts, inspiring Kahya to introduce a full-service cafe concept. Like at its predecessors, bagels here are prepared in multiple batches throughout the day to ensure their freshness.

Courtesy photo.

“Simit is a Turkish name for a bagel,” said Kahya, who came to the United States with his family from Turkey when he was 7. “We like to steam our bagels. … I think that’s better for making a sandwich. You still get that crust that you want, but it’s not too hard, either.”

Simit Cafe features all the traditional bagel flavors from plain and everything to sesame and onion, plus a few more decadent options like French toast and jalapeno cheddar. They can be ordered with cream cheese; with a spread like butter, Nutella or jelly; or as a breakfast or lunch sandwich, all of which are available all day. If you want to order bagels to go, you can mix and match up to a half-dozen of any flavor per package.

“I try to get premium ingredients for everything … rather than going for the cheapest option,” Kahya said. “So, like when you order a bacon, egg and cheese [sandwich], you’re getting free-range eggs on a real grill, not microwaved or anything. … We make our own cream cheese in five different flavors, and you can taste the difference.”

Bagel sandwiches encompass a variety of palates, from a BLT and a turkey club to a grilled pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese and deli mustard. A new option exclusive to the space, Kahya said, is a chipotle chicken sandwich with a spicy mayonnaise, avocado, tomato and onion.

While both Bagel Cafe shops offer drip coffee, Simit Cafe takes the options a step further with a full line of hot and iced espresso drinks, featuring Peet’s Coffee brewed on site with a La Marzocco Italian espresso machine. Through Peet’s Coffee’s sister company, Mighty Leaf Tea, there are also multiple flavors of iced tea shakers, made with real fruit purees, some freeze-dried fruits and Kahya’s own freshly squeezed lemonade.

“The strawberry hibiscus [tea shaker] has been a really big hit,” he said.

The cafe is currently open until 3 p.m. seven days a week, but Kahya said those hours will likely be extended in the future, as he continues to add more menu items and works out the kinks of his new online ordering system. An outdoor patio is planned for next summer.

Simit Cafe

Where: 262 Amherst St., Suite A, Nashua
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.; expanded hours likely coming soon
More info: Visit simitcafe.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @simitnashua or call 204-5141

Featured photo: Courtesy of Simit Cafe.

Brews by the river

Manchester Brewfest returns

Normally held in late July, the Manchester Brewfest is a fall affair this year — the event returns on Sunday, Oct. 31, bringing together all kinds of local beers and food options at Arms Park.

It’s the seventh annual festival and the first one since the summer of 2019. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample more than 100 craft beer options, and other featured activities will include live music, face painting, and a petting zoo from Candia’s Charmingfare Farm.

“We have the perfect location for a brew festival,” Peter Telge of Stark Brewing Co. in Manchester, one of the festival’s organizers, said of Arms Park. “A lot of times if you go to brew festivals it can be hard to find a place that’s close to stay or to park, or everything’s spread out and you’ve got to walk all the way here or there. This is just a nice huge area that we can make a great festival out of … and it’s also next to the Merrimack River, which is beautiful.”

Telge has worked with several local charitable organizations over the years that have been beneficiaries of the Manchester Brewfest. This time around, he’s partnering with John Hayden of Value of Sport, a new nonprofit dedicated to giving Manchester students in fourth grade and up equal access and opportunity for success through programs in sports, art and music.

“In the past we’ve had around 30 breweries. This year we’re probably going to get 20 or so, maybe 25,” Telge said. “There are a lot of new people doing some really cool stuff with malt beverages and seltzers and things like that, so it will be a nice variety of different flavors.”

Most of the vendors hail from New Hampshire or a neighboring New England state. Martha’s Exchange & Brewery of Nashua, for instance, is expected to bring its Apple Brown Betty, a Belgian brown ale brewed and aged on toasted apple wood, in addition to a few other selections. Hidden Moon Brewing and Moonlight Meadery of Londonderry will pour both its Little Apples hard cider and its Razz What She Said raspberry session mead, while Willie’s Superbrew, a Charlestown, Mass.,-based purveyor of hard seltzers blended with real fruit, will be there with multiple offerings, like its cranberry and lime and pineapple and jalapeno flavors.

Several local restaurants will be there too, including 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, which will have meatball subs, Hayden said. Auburn Pitts, Firefly American Bistro & Bar of Manchester, and Hooksett’s Second Brook Bar & Grill are all expected to attend as well.

Live performances will include both the Gilford-based Eric Grant Band and the New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums. The festival is also coinciding with the conclusion of Millennium Running’s annual Trick or Trot 3K Race.

7th annual Manchester Brewfest

When: Sunday, Oct. 31; general admittance is from 1 to 4 p.m., with VIP admittance beginning at noon
Where: Arms Park, 10 Arms St., Manchester
Cost: Tickets are $40 general admission, $50 VIP admission and $15 for designated drivers; ticket prices do not include food
Visit: manchesterbrewfest.com
Event is rain or shine.

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Jarrod Barthe.

The Weekly Dish 21/10/14

News from the local food scene

Bookstore cafe reopens: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) has refitted and reopened the adjoining cafe space under its own management on Oct. 4, more than a year and a half after True Brew Cafe’s closure in March 2020, owner Michael Herrmann confirmed. Now known as Gibson’s Cafe, it features a full line of espresso drinks in addition to coffees, teas and multiple flavors of smoothies. Food options include breakfast sandwiches and pastries, daily soup specials, avocado toasts, lunch paninis, and build-your-own acai bowls with a variety of ingredients to choose from. Gibson’s Cafe is open Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com/cafe or call 715-5833.

Piccola turns 20: Join Piccola Italia Ristorante (815 Elm St., Manchester) for a 20th anniversary celebration honoring chef-owner Johnny “Eastie” Paolini on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., which will feature specials, giveaways, raffles and more. Born and raised in an Italian-American family, Paolini got his start in the industry working for an Italian restaurant near his childhood home in the North End of Boston. Since opening Piccola on Elm Street in downtown Manchester in October 2001, he has become a pillar of the community, participating in annual fundraisers and donating to several local charities over the years. According to Lisbett De Leon, one of a few Piccola’s staff members organizing the anniversary celebration, proceeds will be donated to a charity of Paolini’s choice. Visit piccolaitalianh.com.

Beer at the winery: Learn to cook with beer at an interactive class hosted by LaBelle Winery, at its Amherst location (345 Route 101) on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and at its Derry location (14 Route 11) on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. each evening. Attendees will taste samples and receive recipes of several items, including beer-battered fish tacos with cilantro crema, bratwurst cooked in beer with sauerkraut, and chocolate stout cheesecake. Admission is $32.70 per person, including taxes, and pre-registration is required. Visit labellewinery.com.

Final outdoor markets: Several Granite State farmers markets are due to wrap up their outdoor seasons this week. The final date of the Nashua Farmers Market will be Sunday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside City Hall Plaza (229 Main St.; visit downtownnashua.org/local), while the Candia Farmers Market, held on the third Saturday of each month at the Smyth Public Library (55 High St., Candia; visit candianh.org), concludes on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. The Milford Farmers Market will also be holding its last date of the season outside on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 300 Elm St. in Milford, but is due to return indoors three weeks later. Beginning Saturday, Nov. 6, the market will be held bi-weekly inside the Milford Town Auditorium. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

On The Job – Kamini Jorgensen

Kamini Jorgensen

Nonprofit events coordinator

Kamini Jorgensen recently joined Stay Work Play NH, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting New Hampshire as a place for young people to thrive, as its events and programs coordinator.

Explain your job and what it entails.

Right now I’m working from home, so … I usually have a couple of online meetings … and I focus on [organizing] a wide range of events and programs.

How long have you had this job?

Just over a month.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I started college at the University of New Hampshire, [pursuing] a degree in athletic training. After my first semester I decided it wasn’t [the major] for me. … I’ve always had people tell me I’m friendly and have the right [qualities] for being an event planner. I went to the ‘undecided’ counselor’s office … and they helped me find the Recreation Management and Policy major. … [After college] I was an intern at a wedding venue in Durham for one season, and then I [worked there as] the events coordinator for two years. Then I decided to look for a new job. I really related with [Stay Work Play NH’s] mission. I’ve lived in New Hampshire for 21 years, and I love it and can never picture myself leaving, so being able to focus on showing people how great it is to live in New Hampshire is what really attracted me to this job.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I have a bachelor of science in recreation management, and I chose to focus in programming and event management, because it gives you a lot of options; you could go the wedding [planning] route, or do something with parks and rec, all kinds of different stuff.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Leggings and a T-shirt or anything comfy since I’m working at home. If I’m meeting someone in person I’ll dress business casual. If I have a meeting over Zoom I’ll dress business casual, at least from the waist up.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

At my previous job, [planning] weddings, everything was done in person. … I was around people all day. Working at home and only seeing people online has been a huge shift for me … but I’m enjoying it.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

When I started my professional career, I thought the only events planning [work] was weddings and big corporate events. I wasn’t privy to all of the knowledge [needed] for working for a nonprofit organization, so I wish I had [learned] a little more about that.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

The amount of time and the number of people that go into planning an event. I think a lot of people think all an event coordinator does is [organize] the physical event itself, but there’s a lot more that goes into it. [For example,] as a nonprofit, we rely a lot on sponsors, so [working with sponsors] is another thing I do.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at a pizza place in my hometown, in Henniker.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

I feel like there’s a lot of pressure, especially for younger people, to [play] a very traditional, professional role, but that’s not always what companies are looking for anymore. You don’t necessarily need to bend for the company you’re working for. Be yourself, and stay true to yourself.

Five favorites

Favorite book:
Anything by Jodi Picoult.
Favorite movie: I’m a Marvel fan. Avengers: Endgame is probably my favorite.
Favorite music: I bounce between rap, hip-hop and country.
Favorite food: Burgers or spinach-artichoke dip.
Favorite thing about NH: No matter what season it is, there’s beauty every time you look out the window.

Featured photo: Kamini Jorgensen. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 21/10/14

Dear Donna,

Can you provide me any information on this item? It’s a wood church bank with a slot on the side to insert coins. The bottom has paper that has been torn to reveal a spot to remove the coins. It’s 4 inches by 5 inches and appears to be in great shape. Wouldn’t hold much, though.

Edith

Dear Edith,

You kind of answered all your own questions. I’m just going to wrap things up for you.

Your sweet wooden church bank looks to be in great shape. You are right; it wouldn’t hold too much.

Some of these were made in Germany and others in Japan. The age frame is after the 1920s through the 1940s. They fall into a couple collectible categories: one for miniatures and one for banks, and it’s a miniature bank as well.

They were manufactured and have several different printings on them. So there could be more to collect if you’re looking for a fun collection. The value on one like yours in great condition would be in the $30 range.

Kiddie Pool 21/10/14

Family fun for the weekend

Early tricks and treats

Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com) will begin three weekends of its Children’s Trick or Treat program this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 17. Reserve tickets online for the event, which will feature candy stops (kids are encouraged to wear costumes), costumed characters, a witch in the woods, visits with the barnyard animals and Halloween-themed juggling. For an extra fee, pumpkin-decorating kits (with sugar pumpkin) and pony rides are also available. Tickets cost $22 (23 months old and under get in free).

Fun with science

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is holding a Whiz Bang Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 17, to celebrate National Chemistry Week, according to the website. The weekend will include chemistry demonstrations and hands-on activities. The center will also begin its monthly Science Sprouts program for preschoolers with an hour-long science class on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. The class costs an additional $3. Register for center admission online; tickets cost $10 for everyone ages 3 and over (free for younger children). Two-hour admission blocks are available at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) will host monthly activities and presentations about the University of New Hampshire at Manchester’s Novel Methods of Antibiotic Discovery in Space (NoMADS) program, starting with an event Saturday, Oct. 16, at 10:30 a.m. According to a Center press release, Team Cooke, a research team at UNHM led by Dr. Sue Cooke, is sending the NoMADS experiment to the International Space Station, and the presentations at McAuliffe-Shepard will be connected to their research and include a look at bacteria in petri dishes and hands-on engineering challenges. Admission to the center costs $11.50 for adults, $8.50 for children ages 3 to 12, and $10.50 for seniors and students. The center offers two time slots for admission: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4 p.m., according to the website, where you can reserve your time in advance.

On the screen

The Tim Burton-directed black-and-white animated movie Frankenweenie (PG, 2012) will screen Sunday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). The movie follows a young Victor Frankenstein zapping his late but still beloved dog Sparky back to life. Common Sense Media recommends the movie for ages 9 and up. Tickets cost $12 and some of the proceeds benefit Motley Mutts Rescue.

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