One of the dangers of recipes for meatless, sugar-free or zero-proof recipes is the frequent assurance that the finished product will be “just as good as the real thing.” If it really were just as good, the more virtuous version would be the default. A vegan pot roast will never be as good as your grandmother’s.
The problem with working around a dietary restriction is that most of us come at it from the point of view of taking something away from an already delicious dish, instead of starting from the ground up and adding ingredients that work on their own merits.
In this case, let’s start with an acidic — read “sour” — base. That will make this drink bracing and not too sweet. We could work with any type of citrus, but this time let’s go with lime juice. Lime is friendly and gets along with everyone. Let’s cut a fresh lime in half and squeeze the juice into a mixing glass. Just for kicks, let’s throw in one of the spent halves of the lime to let everyone know you’re taking this seriously.
Because we probably won’t want to drink straight lime juice, let’s temper the sourness with another element. There are a couple of directions we could go — spicy heat, smoke or salt — but let’s add something sweet. “Sweet and Sour” is a classic combination, whether we’re talking about children’s candy or Chinese takeout. We’ll use simple syrup, which will go into solution easily and won’t leave any sugar crystals at the bottom of our glass.
We could just top this drink off with ice and soda water at this point and call it a day. We’d have a glass of ultra-fresh limeade, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it might be interesting to add another flavor to the mix — maybe something unexpected. The fact that this drink is alcohol-free doesn’t mean it can’t have some complexity. Because lime really does go with everything, we could muddle a jalapeño in the glass at the beginning of this operation, or maybe a sprig of rosemary. Those would both be excellent, but this time let’s go with cucumber. It’s an unexpected flavor, but also reasonably non-threatening. We’ll add it with the sweet element, in the form of cucumber syrup.
Now, all we need is a sparkling element. Tonic water is a classic companion for lime juice, but it might be a little too sweet on its own here, so let’s cut it 50/50 with seltzer.
We could add more ingredients at this point, but we’d run the risk of overcomplicating things and muddying the flavor. We’ve put together a solid (well, liquid, actually), adult drink that is very good on its own merits. We can build on this someday, but for now this will do nicely.
Cucumber Sparkle
Juice of 1 lime, reserving the spent carcass of one half
2 ounces cucumber syrup (see below)
3 ounces extra bubbly seltzer – I like Topo Chico
3 ounces tonic water
ice
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, and stir slowly and with gratitude.
Carefully pour everything, including the ice and the lime carcass, into a chilled rocks glass.
Ask your digital assistant to play “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, and sip your drink with a sense of gratification. If your mood slips into one of smug satisfaction, who could blame you?
Cucumber Syrup
Wash one or more cucumbers, but leave the skins on. Chop to a medium dice, then freeze for an hour or two, until completely solid. Add an equal amount of sugar by weight, and cook over medium-low heat. The cucumbers will release a startling amount of juice. Bring to a low boil, then remove from heat. Let the cucumbers steep for 20 minutes or so, then strain the syrup. This will last for a week or two in your refrigerator.
Chef at Street (76 N. Main St., Concord, 333-2125, streetfood360.com)
“I started in the industry as a student. I went to high school in Dover, and I took their culinary program,” Theth said. “I did that program for two years and then proceeded to go to Johnson & Wales for school. I completed my degree there in culinary arts, and I began working at first in Portsmouth, to finish my degree. I had to do an internship, so I did it at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth. I was there for about five or so years. I started as an intern, worked up to line cook, and then I was the chef there for the last couple of years. I began working at Street at our flagship restaurant in Portsmouth. From there, I helped open their secondary location in Exeter, and then I’m currently working at their third location in Concord.”
What’s your must-have kitchen item?
Definitely a knife. Having a good chef’s knife is everything. If you pick the right one, something that’s comfortable, something that’s really tuned to your hand as an individual, you know, you can almost use it for anything.
What would your last meal be?
Anything that my mother would make me, I would gladly have. I grew up eating a lot of pho and that’s something that I could never say no to, so I’d probably say that.
What’s your favorite place to eat out at?
I’ll be honest, I don’t go out much. I typically, you know, as the industry goes, I work a lot of hours, and aside from that, I just prefer to be at home. There’s a restaurant in Lynn, Mass., called Nightshade Noodle Bar and in the summertime they do like a seafood shack situation where they do Vietnamese Cajun cuisine. And I’ve never had it, but I’ve always wanted to try. Fun stuff like that is always very interesting to see.
What’s your favorite thing on your menu?
When I first started here at Street, I used to take the Singapore salad and what I would do is I would have that with a side of Korean tenders, but I would take it and wrap it up in a falafel pita and eat it like a pita.
What’s the biggest food trend you see in New Hampshire right now?
Anything that you see on social media is huge right now. I feel like the fusion is something that people have been really gravitating toward recently. Just like the mix and match of different cultures and a single dish and that kind of thing. I’ve seen a lot of dishes like birria ramen and stuff like that, which is very interesting.
What do you cook at home?
Breakfast is huge for me. I love waking up in the morning, having my cup of tea or cup of coffee and just making breakfast. That’s always one of the staples for me. Just, you know, scrambled eggs, good scrambled eggs, some seasoned potatoes, things like that.
Dipping Sauce From the kitchen of Lin Theth
This is something that I like to do as just a dipping sauce for proteins — chicken or whatever:
It’s a couple of tablespoons of simple syrup. You can just make it on the stove; just cook [equal amounts of] sugar and water and boil that until the sugar is dissolved. Add a little bit of garlic and chili, just to bring in some heat, just a little zestiness from the garlic. Once that’s cooled, add a couple tablespoons of fish sauce to it and a fat squeeze of lime juice.
It’s pretty simple and easy to make, but it’s one of those things where you have a little bit of everything. It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s salty from the fish sauce. It’s great.
If you ask Mara Witt, the owner of Honey Cup Cafe & Tearoom, what Manchester needs, she’ll tell you it’s a tea room. The tea is important, of course, but Witt said that a tea room fills a need many adults have: It’s a space to relax and spend time with other adults; to inject a little civility into their day-to-day routine.
“I think a lot of other women need something to be able to look forward to,” she said. “It just kind of elevates your daily life a little bit to be able to sit down and feel a little bit fancy with little sandwiches and enjoy a warm drink with someone. It’s nice to have something that’s not so alcohol-focused. There’s a lot to do that is alcohol-focused. It’s nice to have a way to go out with someone that you can do in the morning and not feel guilty about it that’s not coffee- or alcohol-focused.”
Since its formal opening in December, the Honey Cup has had a mixed clientele.
“I have definitely been pleasantly surprised with the amount of men,” Witt said. “It turns out that a lot of men really enjoy drinking tea. But they also like the tea room; they like the aesthetic. They find it a nice relaxing place to be.”
Although the Honey Cup serves coffee and even a few low-octane cocktails, the focus is on tea and tea-adjacent foods.
“We have a focus on vintage comfort foods,” Witt said. “The idea is a bit like a vintage lunch counter.” To that end, there are breakfast items, baked goods like scones, and finger sandwiches. “And then we do a formal tea on Saturdays and Sundays at two o’clock by reservation,” Witt added, “which is a full afternoon tea service.”
The Full Afternoon Tea is an example of curating a grown-up experience for Witt’s customers. “It’s modeled after a Victorian English version of afternoon tea,” Wit said. “We serve three tiers. The bottom tier is always finger sandwiches; we do chicken salad, deviled egg, [and] cucumber sandwiches of course, and then salmon — a lox sandwich. The second tier is always scones, so we usually have two kinds of scones to choose from. We serve that with authentic clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam to put on the scones. And then on the top we always have a [pastry] assortment — things like petit fours or macarons. Each person has a personal pot of tea and it’s a bottomless pot so they can try all the teas on our menu.”
Honey Cup Cafe and Tearoom. Photo by John Fladd.
A big part of creating a comfortable space has been building an aesthetic, Witt said.
“I guess I’m what you might describe as a maximalist. I think I identified with that. [Our look] is very vintage, floral, and a little feminine. I wanted it to feel kind of like a parlor, like you’re going to the parlor in someone’s house and enjoying tea time there, like they did in the olden days.” To that end, the wallpaper in both rooms in the cafe has a bold floral design. There are comfortable chairs to sit in, and even a sofa. Witt pointed to a floral spray in one corner of the tea parlor. “In my loan paperwork, I said I need $5,000 for a floral installation,” she said. “And my loan officer said, ‘Absolutely not.’ So I did them myself for not $5,000 and so far everyone likes my floral arrangement.”
While walk-in customers make up a sizable portion of the Honey Cup’s business, Witt’s strategy is to lean into events. “We can host private events after four,” she said. We’re closed at three, so we can do private room rentals for sure. And we have the catering as well. I think we’ll do well with the room rentals once the word is out about that.”
The space is perfect, she said, for small gatherings like book clubs and showers.
“We’re doing a ‘Blind Book Club’,” she said, “where I wrap all the books and nobody knows what book it is before they buy it. The first time we did it, it sold out in one week and we sold all the books. Readers love it; it’s like a blind date. We set a date, then meet to have a little tea and discuss the book. And the response is just like people love it, like blind date with a book … and then we’re going to meet here on Jan. 25 and have a little tea and discuss the book. I really wanted to have a community place for knitting clubs or book clubs or things like that or a place to just come in the morning and just sit and relax.”
Honey Cup Cafe & Tearoom 150 Bridge St., Manchester, 836-6008, honeycupnh.com Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. Catering and room rentals are available. Special events are listed on the Honey Cup website.
Featured photo: Mara Witt, owner of Honey Cup Cafe and Tearoom. Photo by John Fladd.
A cocktail shaker is a surprisingly sophisticated piece of equipment. According to Griffin Star, bartender at 815 Cocktails & Provisions in Manchester, this is especially true of a “Boston shaker,” the type preferred by many bartenders, which is made up of two metal cups, one large, and one small.
“When we’re building a cocktail,” Starr said, “we build it in the small shaker first, with the ice separated in the bigger half.”
To a casual customer sitting at a bar, shaking a cocktail seems fairly straightforward, even simple, but Starr pointed out that making a quality cocktail requires paying attention to several aspects of physics. One of the most important of these is being aware of the air pressure inside and outside the shaker. When a bartender combines the two halves of a Boston shaker, introducing room temperature liquids in the small half of the shaker to the ice in the large half, he or she needs to create a tight seal, to prevent a proto-cocktail from leaking out as it is shaken.
“You want to seal down the tin,” Starr said. “You want to give it a good, hard slap at an angle.” At this point, Starr demonstrated his slapping technique with a drink he was in the process of making. As he slapped the smaller half of the shaker into place, at an angle, there was a small, audible hiss as air was forced out of the shaker, creating a slight vacuum.
Starr said that learning how to slap a cocktail shaker properly took him a while. “It took me until at least four or five months into actually bartending,” he remembered. “To actually get used to the muscle memory and not having my palm hurt when I struck it probably took about five months.”
Once a bartender starts shaking a cocktail, things get complicated pretty quickly, Starr said. If there is an egg white in a drink, when the alkaline egg white meets an acidic citrus juice, for instance, pressure can build up inside a shaker. “When you are shaking with those egg whites, generally you want to keep one palm on the top half, one palm on the bottom half,” he said. “That way you’re just keeping everything sealed in and it doesn’t just blow up in the tin and go right all over your face.” If there isn’t an acid-base reaction, though, the air inside the shaker shrinks as it cools, Starr said, creating a stronger vacuum. “It’s a drop in pressure,” he said, “so there’s a suction.”
Then there’s the matter of how long or hard to shake a cocktail.
“Obviously it all depends on what ingredients you are using,” Starr said. “At home, you’re probably going to want to use all the ice that you possibly can to fill up the tin with, because as we know with thermal dynamics, if you use just a little ice, it’s going to melt quickly and dilute your drink a lot quicker. I usually do a 10- to 15-second shake, but it’s good to keep in mind how long you’re doing it. A good way to [know you should stop shaking is] that feeling of the tin getting cold in your hand. As soon as it chills right at that centerpiece where you’re holding it, that’s a good sign that you’re done shaking.”
The final step of cocktail shaking is also the flashiest: the strong but casual slap a good bartender uses to separate the two halves of the shaker. This is where the angle of the smaller half of the shaker comes in, Starr said. “The slap is with the heel of your hand at the junction where the two glasses meet and because it’s at an angle you’re slapping it on the opposite end of where it’s angled.”
Starr said that in his opinion using good technique is a sign of respect for a drink and for the customer.
“I don’t want to put out anything that’s incomplete,” he said.
• Cooking compeition:Tickets for this year’s Steel Chef competition are on sale. Hosted by restaurateur and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, this competition will take place at Armory Ballroom at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown on Monday, March 17. Approximately 680 guests will watch a live, timed cooking competition featuring some of New Hampshire’s best chefs. As the competition between chefs heats up, guests will enjoy a dinner curated by Chef Samuelsson, plus live and silent auctions and more. Proceeds will benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank. Tickets start at $150 and sell out quickly. Visit nhfoodbank.org/steelchef.
• Chef’s table: Flag Hill Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com) is accepting reservations for January’s Chef’s Table Dinners on Saturday, Jan. 11, and Saturday, Jan. 18. Dinner reservations are $75 per person, which includes a four-course dinner and wine/spirit/cocktail pairings with each course. Visit Flag Hill’s website.
• Wine week: Reserve your seat for the Cakebread Cellars Wine Dinner at the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. This exclusive five-course dinner is paired with the wines of Cakebread Cellars, one of Napa Valley’s most esteemed wineries. Each course has been crafted by the BVI’s Executive Chef to complement the elegance and complexity of these renowned vintages. Tickets are $125 per person through Eventbrite.com and are extremely limited.
• Thinking about spring: Farmers, gardeners, food system pros and organic advocates, get your tickets now for NOFA-NH’s (Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire) 23rd annual winter conference, “Sowing Hope, Cultivating Joy,” to be held on Feb. 8 at Southern New Hampshire University (2500 N. River Road, Manchester). This event includes workshops and networking with others interested in growing food and nurturing community. Tickets are offered on a sliding scale and lunch tickets are sold separately. Workshops on the schedule include such topics as “Growing Blue Fruits,” “Creating a Community Farm” and “The Cows Don’t Milk Themselves.” A keynote address will be given by Chef David Vargas of Portsmouth’s Vida Cantina. See nofanh.org for details and to register.
• Closing: The Stonewall Kitchen retail location in downtown Portsmouth (10 Pleasant St.) is closing after 26 years, according to a Dec. 23 story in the Portsmouth Herald. Stonewall products are sold at various New Hampshire shops and supermarkets, and the company has other retail locations around New England.
Just because the holiday season is over doesn’t mean the fun is done. There are plenty of reasons to get excited about 2025 — in particular, this first, frequently cold month. Here are 25 (-ish).
1 . If holiday symphony performances have you wanting more, check out the Bach’s Lunch events, which are free and open to the public, at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org). On Thursday, Jan. 2, the lunch features a lecture with musical examples called “A Baroque Beatles Renaissance.” On Thursday, Jan. 9, the lunch is a concert of the same name. Both events start at 12:10 p.m.
Other events at the school in January include the Purple Finches 2025 Winter Concert (a youth chorus) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. followed by a Teen Chorus concert at 7:30 p.m. and a NE Roots and Branches program called “Contradance Music: The New England Contradance Repertoire” on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.
At the Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, mcmusicschool.org) the Faculty Performance Series schedule includes Appassionato Piano Trio with Erin Tellier (piano), Nicholas So (violin) and Kurt Villiard (cello) on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. The event is free with preregistration.
2. Get your college basketball live at local college home games. Next games on the schedule are Southern New Hampshire University Penmen on Thursday, Jan. 2, with the women’s team at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s team at 7:30 p.m., both versus Bentley University. Saint Anselm College Hawks also hit the court on Thursday, Jan. 2, with the women’s team playing at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s team playing at 7:30 p.m., both versus Assumption. All SNHU home games are at Stan Spirou Field House (2500 N. River Road, Manchester) and admission is free for regular season games (see snhupenmen.com). All Saint Anselm home games are played at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on campus and admission costs $10 (see saintanselmhawks.com).
At Rivier College, Raiders home games are played at the Muldoon Center (440 S. Main St., Nashua) and admission is free. Both men and women will next play at home on Tuesday, Jan. 7, against Elms — women at 4 p.m., men at 6 p.m. Visit rivieratheletics.com.
At New England College, Pilgrims home games are played at Bridges Gym (14 Grove St., Henniker). Admission is $5. Both men and women will next play Tuesday, Jan. 7, against University of Saint Joseph — women at 5 p.m., men at 7 p.m. See athletics.nec.edu.
At NHTI, all Lynx home games are at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center on campus in Concord and admission is free. The men’s team will play its next home game on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. against Massbay Community College. The women will next play at home on Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. versus Washington County. See nhtiathletics.com.
And then of course there is the University of New Hampshire at Lundholm Gymnasium (145 Main St., Durham). For the Wildcats, men’s game tickets start at $17 in advance for adults and $19 on the day (courtside tickets for all ages cost $27 in advance and $29 on the day). Tickets for youth, 65+, military and grad students cost $12 in advance, $14 on the day. For women’s games, tickets cost $15 for adults on the website, $12 for youth, 65+ and military. Visit unhwildcats.com. The women’s next home game is Thursday, Jan. 2, at 6 p.m. vs. Bryant. The men’s next home game is Saturday, Jan. 4, at 1 p.m. vs. University of Vermont.
3. See competition on ice. The Saint Anselm College Hawks men’s ice hockey team will play their next home game at the Sullivan Arena (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) on Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Colby. See saintanselmhawks.com. See two hometown teams face off when the Hawks take on Southern New Hampshire University at Sullivan Arena, on both Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. Saint Anselm’s women’s ice hockey team will play its next home game on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. versus Dartmouth.
Rivier University Raiders ice hockey games take place at the Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua). The men’s team’s next home game is Friday, Jan. 3, at 5:40 p.m. versus Franklin Pierce. The women’s team’s next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8:40 p.m. versus Keene State.
The New England College Pilgrims (athletics.nec.edu) play their hockey games at Lee Clement Arena (38 Grove St., Henniker). The women’s team next plays Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Anna Maria College. The men’s team next plays at home on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 4 p.m. versus the Rivier Raiders.
The SNHU Penmen will play their next home game at the Ice Den Arena (600 Quality Drive, Hooksett) on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. versus Cortland. See snhupenmen.com.
And the University of New Hampshire Wildcats hockey home games take place at the Whittemore Center Arena (128 Main St., Durham). The women’s team plays its next home game on Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Maine. The next men’s home game is Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. versus UConn. See unhwildcats.com.
4. Shop very local at winter farmers markets, keeping the direct-from-producer-to-consumer link alive during the cold months. On Saturdays head to the Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon at 7 Eagle Square in Concord. See downtownconcordwinterfarmersmarket.com.
The Milford NH Indoor Farmers Market is open every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Milford Town Hall Auditorium at Union Square. The first market of 2025 is Jan. 11. See milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.
The Salem NH Farmers Market operates in the winter on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111). See salemnhfarmersmarket.org.
5. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org) has a slate of art classes for adults, teens and kids, including one-day workshops, multi-week series and online classes, kicking off with Tantalizing Textures with Rachel Montroy, a one-day workshop for adults on Saturday, Jan. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. See the full lineup on the website.
Upcoming classes and workshops at Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com) include “Technical Drawing with Alex Haas” on Tuesdays, starting Jan. 7, at 5 p.m. and “Fundamentals of Drawing Class for Teens with Tami Sciola” on Thursdays, starting Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
A winter session of classes at Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 550arts.com) will start Monday, Jan. 13. Find a rundown of offerings on the website.
The first winter session of classes at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St., Concord, kimballjenkins.com) starts Monday, Jan. 6, for adults, kids and teens. Adult offerings include “Intro to Drawing with Matt Garofalo,” “Beginner Watercolor Painting with Sophia Eastley” and “Fundamentals of Printmaking with Mary Mead” — see the website for the full slate.
And you can check out the art of others at one of several gallery shows.
At the Currier, current exhibitions include “Olga de Amaral: Everything is Construction and Color” (through Feb. 16); “Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit” (Feb. 2); “Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts: A Distant Conversation” (Feb. 23), and “The Legend of the Poinsettia: Paintings from Tomie DePaola’s Holiday Classic.”
At Art 3 Gallery (44 W. Brook St., Manchester, art3gallery.com), the winter exhibit is “What/How Do We See?”.
Glimpse Gallery’s (Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, 892-8307) current exhibit runs through Jan. 9, featuring works from artists Pat Arzillo, Byron Carr, Julie Daniels, Mark Ferland, David Wiggins, Barbara Morse and Michael McCormack, as well as a selection from curator Christina Landry-Boullion.
Outer Space (35 Pleasant St., Concord, outerspacearts.xyz) has the works of Emma cc Cook and Em Kettner on display in the exhibit “Caterpillar” through Saturday, Jan. 18.
Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St., Contoocook, twovillagesart.org) will open its next exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 11 (with a reception from noon to 2 p.m.); the show is called “Stitched Together: Friendship, Feminism and Craft / Laura Morrison and Maureen Redmond-Scura.”
6. Enjoy the music of Billy Joel with the tribute band Captain Jack and The Strangers on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com). The Tupelo will host a line-up of tribute bands (as well as an artist playing the music of a band he founded) in January including Eaglemania (Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m.); Blues Brothers The Next Generation (Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.); The Dave Matthews Tribute Band (Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m.); Zeppelin Reimagined (Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m.); Beatlejuice (Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m) and Captain Fantastic (Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m.). Ace Frehley, founding member of KISS, will play the music of KISS on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m.
Get more tribute goodness when 1964 The Tribute will perform on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $35.
Catch the next phase in the musical story the night before at British Invasion II — 1970s and Beyond presented by the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net) on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
7. You can run outside! Maybe you feel the urge to get back into a road jogging routine but aren’t sure you’ll be able to encourage yourself to leave your warm house on a cold day. Join a group hitting the road with the 2025 Freeze Your Buns 5K Series, which takes place every other Sunday starting Jan. 5 starting at 9 a.m. on the road between Conway Arena and the Nashua YMCA in Nashua. The series continues into March and the cost is $25 (or $6 per race). See gatecity.org/freeze-buns-5k-series.
Also on the winter running schedule is the Hopkinton Winter 5K Series on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 9 a.m. The cost is $30. See runsignup.com/Race/NH/Contoocook/HopkintonKRace. Subsequent races take place on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.
And the Delta Dental NH Snow or No We Go series starts Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. at the Canterbury Shaker Village. The cost is $25. Find the race at findarace.com.
Or just sign up for a single race. The HPM Insurance Snowflake Shuffle in Bedford, on a 3-mile course, takes place Sunday, Jan. 12, at 9:30 a.m. (millenniumrunning.com/snowflake). The Boston Prep from the Greater Derry Track Club is Sunday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. with 5-mile and 16-mile options (gdtc.org/bostonprep).
8. Movie-geek it up with the Golden Globes, which air Sunday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. on CBS and on Paramount+. For those who follow the Oscars race like others follow football, the Golden Globes means that the award season kicks into high gear, often making it easier to find nominated and wannabee nominated films. Red River Theatres in Concord (11 S. Main St., Concord, redrivertheaters.org) has A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic that has three Globe nominations, and The Brutalist (six nominations) on its coming soon schedule and is currently screening Globe nominees Wicked and Babygirl. O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) is currently screening Globe nominees A Complete Unknown, Babygirl and Moana 2. Chunky’s (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) has Wickedand Moana 2, with Babygirl slated to open on Friday, Jan. 3. At the Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack (applecinemas.com), you can find Globe nominees Wicked, Moana 2, Babygirl, A Complete Unknownand Gladiator II. Music Hall (23 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org) will offer several awards-buzzy movies in January including Conclave(Jan. 3 through Jan. 5), Nightbitch(Jan. 5 through Jan. 9),Anora(Jan. 10 and Jan. 11), Flow(Jan. 18 and Jan. 19) and Babygirl(Jan. 28 through Jan. 31).
9. Prepare for your trip to France — or to a French-style bakery — with “Français Pour Visiteurs” Traveler’s French classes from the Franco-American Centre (facnh.com). Classes run Thursdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Jan. 9 through Feb. 6, or Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to noon, Jan. 11 through Feb. 8, over Zoom. The series costs $185. You can try out your skills at the Franco-American’s regular Pret-à-Parler — or PaPa Conversation — gatherings, which meet both virtually and at locations such as Murphy’s Taproom in Bedford (Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m.) and El Rodeo in Concord (Monday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m.).
10. The SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, snhuarena.com) puts on a show with events this January: Disney on Ice Presents Mickey’s Search Party with seven shows Thursday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Jan. 12. Tickets start at $15 plus fees. Then on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. it’s Dancing with the Stars Live 2025 with professional dancers; tickets start at $54.50.
Yamato the Drummers of Japan will be at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
11. Get the Led Out celebrates the music of Led Zeppelinon Friday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Also appearing at the Cap Center proper in January are Now and Forever — A Celebration of Carole King on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Dirty Deeds the AC/DC experience on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m.; The Fab Four: USA Meets The Beatles on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. and Yamato the Drummers of Japan on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m.
At the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord), catch Modern Fools with Slim Volume & Rachel Berlin on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Swing Dance Night with the New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3:30 p.m.; Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish featuring Delanie Pickering on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Dueling Pianos on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m., and GoldenOak on Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. Catch Mikey G in the Cantin Room at BNH Stage on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 6 p.m.
12. The libraries are making January fun. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, nashualibrary.org) is holding a Passport to China event on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. featuring Chinese music, dance, craft activities and food samples in the Chandler Wing, according to a Facebook post from the library. The Nashua library is also in the middle of a Winter Reading Club for adults (win a mug; see the website for details). And it doesn’t get more fun at the Nashua library’s Oreo Taste Test on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. (open to ages 14+).
The Griffin Free Public Library (22 Hooksett Road, Auburn, griffinfree.org) will help with your holiday cleanup at the White Elephant Gift Exchange on Saturday, Jan. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Earn a mug by reading as part of the Bedford Public Library’s (3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, bedfordnhlibrary.org) Adult and Teen Winter Reading Challenge which kicks off with a party on Sunday, Jan. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
If your New Year’s resolution involves writing more, check out the creative writing workshop at the Leach Library (276 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, londonderrynh.gov/leach-library) on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m.
Doing dry January? Concord Public Library (45 Green St., Concord, concordnh.gov/1983/Library) will have a Mocktail Mixology event on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. in the Blanchard Room. On Friday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m., contralto Melissa Elsman and pianist Mike Ring will present a lecture and musical performance called “La Femme Vaillante: Reviving the Remarkable Musical Legacy of Augusta Holmes” at the Penacook Library and Activity Center (76 Community Drive in Penacook).
The Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., Manchester, manchester.lib.nh.us) will hold a Flower Arranging Demonstration and Raffle with a representative from Chalifour’s Flowers on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 2 p.m. Pay $10 for a grocery bag full of books on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Winter Book Sale. And for kids (grades 1 to 6), there is a Slime-of-the-MonthClub, which will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 3:30 p.m.
The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, derrypl.org) will offer Loom Demonstration on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 2 to 3 p.m., and help with a financial makeover at Budgeting 101 on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 6:30 p.m.
Goffstown Public Library (2 High St., Goffstown, goffstownlibrary.com) will host “Taste of the Old Country in the New: Franco-Americans of Manchester” with Robert Perreault on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
The kids can get out and create on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wadleigh Memorial Library (49 Nashua St., Milford, wadleighlibrary.org) on Children’s Crafts Saturday.
13. Enjoy the music of local band Mixtape Heroez at the 21+ annual Xmas Tree Burn on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road in Auburn), according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Find more live music at area restaurants, breweries, pubs and other hang-out warm-up fun-winter locales in the Music This Week, which runs every week in the Nite section (this week the listing starts on page 27). Have an upcoming gig to add to the listing? Let us know at [email protected].
14. Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) kicks off 2025’s “Expanding the Canon — A Play Reading Circle” on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m., which will focus “on the works of Latiné playwrights and their experience,”according to the website. “Playwrights featured in this circle include Nilo Cruz, Matthew López, Karen Zacarías, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Vero Villalobos,” the website said. The event is free and takes place over Zoom; register online.
15. Vote! No, don’t worry, this one will be fun. Voting starts early in our annual readers poll. Vote in the Hippo’s Best of 2025 starting Wednesday, Jan. 15. See hippopress.com.
16. The 2025 concert series at The Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille (40 Andover Road in New London; flyinggoose.com) kicks off Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 with New England Bluegrass Band. Tickets cost $25. The next show is Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. with Dinty Child and Mark Erelli. Tickets to that show cost $30.
17. Take the kids to see a show. Annie, presented by RB Professional, will be on stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1 and 7 p.m.
The Cap Center will also present Doctor Kaboom: Under Pressure, an interactive science and comedy show, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 10:30 a.m.
The Palace Youth Theatre will present Grease, school edition, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 22 through Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org).
The Majestic Academy of Youth/Teens (majestictheatre.net) will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry) on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m.
Epping Middle School will present Arsenic and Old Lace on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 25, and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. at Epping Community Theatre (38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org).
Gilbert H. Hood presents Beauty and the Beast on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 44 N. Main St., Derry, stockbridgetheatre.showare.com).
And for the grown-ups looking for some fun theater: Cue Zero Theatre will present Dead Air, a murder mystery fundraiser for the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St.. Manchester, palacetheatre.org). “You’ll take part in a 50th anniversary live radio broadcast and celebration for WEZ-Y, hosted by Guy Godfry, set in 2004. You have been assigned the role of the live studio audience and are witness to something that goes terribly wrong,” according to the website. Tickets cost $50 and include hors d’oeuvres. See cztheatre.com.
18. Get the music of Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and more in the musical production Piano Men, which runs at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) Friday, Jan. 17, through Sunday, Feb. 9. with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Get more music at the Palace with the run of Recycled Percussion concerts, which continues weekends through Sunday Jan. 12.
Over at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) the lineup of musical performances includes Tom DiMenna and friends with the Story Songs of the ’70s (Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m.); Candlelight concerts on Thursday, Jan. 9, with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (6 p.m.) and Coldplay and Imagine Dragons (8:30 p.m.); Prince/Bowie on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Good Looking “Hank” and His Cowboy Drifters (tribute to Hank Williams Sr.) on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m.; Close Enemies featuring Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.; 603 Songwriters in the Round on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m.; Elias Kacavas & The Vanity on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Van Halen all eras tribute with Cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Steve Forbert on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., and the 15th annual New England Winter Blues Festival on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.
19. Free Fishing Day, the winter version, is Saturday, Jan. 18, in New Hampshire. Anyone can fish inland water or saltwater without a fishing license (though bag limits, season dates and other regulations still apply), according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. See nhfishgame.com for the regulations and for information on winter fishing opportunities as well as other outdoor information, the department’s podcast On the Nature Trail and a link to purchase the department’s New Hampshire Wildlife Calendar, which features dates for hunting and fishing seasons and other outdoor events.
Find more outdoor happenings at Beaver Brook (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, beaverbrook.org), which offers winter fitness hikes and a Winter Survival class for homeschoolers ages 11 to 14 starting Jan. 15.
And if/when we get some snowy days, head to the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, nhaudubon.org) or Susan N. McLane Audubon Center (84 Silk Road, Concord), where you can rent snowshoes ($15 per pair) during the Center’s regular hours (Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), according to the website.
Branford Marsalis Quartet will be at the Nashua Center for the Arts. Photo from branfordmarsalis.com.
20. Branford Marsalis Quartet warms up the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49. Also at the Nashua Center for the Arts in January are Boat House Row bringing the yacht rock experience on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Esperanza Spalding on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m., and Michael Jackson History Show on Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m.
21. “It’s our time down here.” The Goonies celebrates its (sorry, Xers and elder millennials, take a deep breath and brace yourselves) 40th anniversary with “Fathom’s Big Screen Classics” screenings on Sunday, Jan. 19, and Monday, Jan. 20, at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett, Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem, O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping and Regal Fox Run in Newington. See fathomevents.com for times.
Throw even further back for a screening of 1928’s silent film Wild Orchids on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org), presented with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.
22. Get excited about books! Bookstores are holding midnight release parties for the Jan. 21 release of Onyx Storm, the third book in Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean series (Fourth Wing and Iron Flame) about a military college for dragon-riders. Balin Books in Nashua (375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, 417-7981) will party from 10 p.m. Jan. 20 to 1 a.m. Jan. 21, with snacks, games and fun; book preorders are available at balinbooks.com. Barnes & Noble stores (1741 S. Willow St., Manchester, 668-5557; 235 DW Highway, Nashua, 888-0533; 125 S. Broadway, Salem, 898-1930; Seabrook Commons, 700 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 730-6650; bn.com) plan to start celebrating at 10 p.m. Jan. 20, and the book goes on sale in store at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 21. Call your B&N store to sign up for the event and confirm a finalized event time, as time is subject to change; due to high demand, proof of purchase of the Deluxe Limited Edition of the book is required to attend the B&N events.
In other January book news, Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com) will hold author events with Sally Cragin for Llewellyn’s Moon Sign Book on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.; Peg Fitzpatrickfor The Art of Small Business Social Media on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m.; David Preece and Jim Webber with their two Mr. Higgins picture books on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m.; Amanda Grappone Osmer with Grappone Automotive: The Founding on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m., and Jeffrey Boutwill with Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracyon Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Author events at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) include David M. Miller launching True Christianity: An Exposition of John’s Letters on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m.; Mary Eisenhauer with Reimagining Midlife: Making Bold Moves for Your Second Act on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m., and Matt Larson with 4000s by 40: Tackling Middle Age in the Mountains of New Hampshire on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m.
23. It’s something of a homecoming when comedian Sarah Silverman, born in Concord and a one-time resident of Bedford, plays the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m.
But those won’t be the only laughs.
Juston McKinney will play the CAKE Theatre in Laconia on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. See thecaketheatre.com.
The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) will hold Italian Comedy Night, featuring Frank Santorelli & Mark Ricccadona, on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Jan 10 is also the Tupelo Night of Comedy for January featuring Paul Nardizzi, Kyle Crawford and Jolanda Logan at 8 p.m.
Catch Jimmy Dunn at the Amato Center for Performing Arts in Milford on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40. See jimmydunn.com.
And find comedy every week at Headliners Comedy at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (headlinersnh.com) and Chunky’s in Manchester (chunkys.com), the Ruby Room Comedy Club at the Shaskeen in Manchester (find them on Facebook) and the Thursday Laugh Attic at Strange Brew Tavern in Manchester (strangebrewtavern.net).
24. New Hampshire Wine Week returns with wine dinners, wine tasting and the week’s centerpiece, the New England Winter Wine Spectacular at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown on Thursday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $75 to the grand tasting, $135 for a ticket that includes the Bellman’s Cellar Select room. Other events on the Wine Week schedule include Vive La France on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., a panel discussion of French wines ($65) at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford, and a wine dinner with Brian Pruett of Dry Creek Vineyards at Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. ($130.13). See nhwineweek.com.
25. Check out a variety of excitement at the 2025 Concord NH Winter Fest, Ice Carving Competition & Food Truck Festival starting Friday, Jan. 24. Actually the fun starts Thursday, Jan. 23, with the opening of Art & Bloom (opening reception 5 to 7 p.m.; exhibit on display Thursday, Jan. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), an exhibition at Kimball Jenkins in Concord featuring art from the Women’s Caucus for Art — New Hampshire Chapter, and accompanying flower arrangements by area floral designers. On Jan. 24, check out the ice carvings taking place on the Statehouse lawn from 3 to 9 p.m. with the competition starting Saturday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. with awards handed out at 3:30 p.m. Find food trucks and other event sponsors on Capitol Street from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See intownconcord.org.
