Category: Featured Content

News & Notes 20/11/26

Covid-19 updateAs of November 16As of November 22
Total cases statewide15,02917,598
Total current infections statewide3,3444,199
Total deaths statewide500512
New cases2,330 (Nov. 10 to Nov. 16)2,569 (Nov. 17 to Nov. 22)
Current infections: Hillsborough County1,1681,656
Current infections: Merrimack County320350
Current infections: Rockingham County690889
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Nov. 19, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 74, a statewide mask mandate effective Nov. 20 for everyone over the age of 5 in both indoor and outdoor public spaces where social distancing is not possible. The order came on the same day that 529 people in New Hampshire tested positive for Covid-19, the highest single-day total to date. “[This was] obviously a decision that did not come lightly,” Sununu said in a press conference announcing the order. “Many factors were clearly taken into consideration with regards to the data and the impact, and the effect on our citizens and businesses.” The mandate, which will remain in effect through Jan. 15, has a few exceptions, including anyone with a medical condition or disability preventing them from wearing a mask, anyone engaged in strenuous physical activity, or anyone asked to remove a mask or face-covering to verify his or her identity for lawful purposes. Public spaces where masks are required, as recognized by the mandate, include lobbies, waiting areas, outside plazas or patios, restaurants, retail stores, streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, elevators, restrooms, stairways and parking garages. According to the Associated Press, at least 100 people protested the mask mandate outside Sununu’s home in Newfields on Nov. 23.

On Nov. 20, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-23, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least Dec. 11. It’s the 12th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.

Details of all of Sununu’s Executive Orders, Emergency Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

The New Hampshire Hospital Association, the New Hampshire Medical Society and the New Hampshire Nurses Association issued a joint statement Nov. 23 in anticipation of the holiday season, asking residents to continue following the public health guidance. “The Governor’s most recent Executive Order requiring Granite State residents to wear a mask when they are unable to maintain social distance is very important and a signal of just how serious this situation is as we seek to slow the spread of Covid-19 and prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed,” the statement read.

Many hospitals have also tightened up their visitor restrictions as case numbers have increased. Catholic Medical Center, for example, announced that as of last week no visitors will be allowed, with the exception of some caregivers in certain circumstances, and it has also put stronger mask requirements in place.

Homeless encampment

On Nov. 20, the state Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice and Safety issued a joint statement regarding the homeless encampment located on state property at the Hillsborough County North Courthouse in Manchester. Signs were posted at the encampment earlier this month ordering everyone to leave by Nov. 16, or they would face penalties. According to the statement, the state had received multiple requests in the past few months from the City, the court system, businesses, legislators and the County Attorney’s Office to remove the encampment. Since then, the statement said, the state has “repeatedly” offered alternative housing and other supportive services to each person living there, including for several days beyond the Nov. 16 deadline. “On Nov. 19, officials from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and local providers approached each one of individuals in the encampment and [offered] housing with accompanying transportation offered by several providers across the state, transportation to stay with family or friends, or relocation to another encampment [as well as] mental health and substance use disorder services,” the statement said. On that day, 27 individuals accepted services and left the encampment; on Nov. 20, individuals were again offered services and were told that if they did not accept, they could either leave the property or would be removed, according to the statement. Six more people accepted services, while three people who chose not to leave were issued summonses for illegal camping. One then left the property while the other two were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, according to the statement. The property has since been cleared and a fence will be put up.

Following these actions, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig issued a statement saying that she had contacted local services, including the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Families in Transition – New Horizons and the City Welfare Department. “As a result, Families in Transition – New Horizons already filled all of their available beds with people being forcibly removed from the courthouse lawn, and we’re working to find any other options available,” she said in her statement. She said the eviction will disconnect individuals from the services they’ve been receiving for months and noted that “this action from the State is inhumane, causing trauma to individuals with nowhere else to go.”

According to the statement from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice and Safety, the services offered to people at the encampment on Nov. 19 “were provided by the State of New Hampshire and not the City of Manchester, despite it being the City’s legal obligation under RSA chapter 165 to provide welfare services for those within the City.”

Previously, on Nov. 18, Gov. Chris Sununu sent a letter to New Hampshire’s mayors detailing steps the State has taken to combat homelessness; he also signed an Executive Order to expand the scope and membership of the State’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and renamed it to the Council on Housing Stability, which will update the state’s homelessness plan, with a preliminary report that includes legislative recommendations for the 2021 legislative session due by Dec. 14. “Our focus on homelessness is not new and our philosophy is consistent: housing is not an optional lifestyle commodity, but rather, is an irreplaceable requirement for any form of humane human condition,” Sununu wrote in the letter.

Benefits paybacks

Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) issued a statement last week after a Union Leader article reported that the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security is seeking to reclaim nearly $25 million from 10,773 people who received unemployment benefits during the pandemic because it says they were overpaid by the state. Feltes said in his statement that the Senate had tried back in March to create legislation to “prevent the clawing back of benefits paid under the emergency orders,” but that legislation was vetoed. “If they are not at fault in causing the overpayment, then they will not be required to repay the benefits,” Rich Lavers, deputy commissioner at Employment Security, told the Union Leader. “However, if they misstated the circumstances of their separation to make themselves eligible or overstated their earnings from self-employment and were paid at a higher benefit amount than is supported by the information in their federal tax return, then they will and should be expected to repay those benefits.”

Mobile classroom

As part of its campaign to promote career and technical education, the New Hampshire Department of Education will be bringing its 35-foot RV, named MAPs (Mobile Access to Possibilities), to the Tanger Outlet in Tilton on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to a press release, the mobile classroom will be making stops at shopping areas around the state during the holiday season, offering information about CTE offerings at local high schools and community colleges.

More than a dozen nonprofit organizations in Concord and its surrounding communities received more than 3.5 tons of nonperishable food items from the Capital Region Food Program. According to a press release, the distribution last week included the traditional Year Round Distribution Project foods, plus chickens and turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Manchester’s overnight winter parking ban will go into effect Dec. 1 at 1 a.m., according to a press release. Between 1 and 6 a.m., parking will be allowed only on the odd-numbered side of a street on odd-numbered calendar months and only on the even-numbered side of a street on even-numbered calendar months. There is no on-street parking during snow emergencies; you can be notified of snow emergencies by signing up at manchesternh.gov/snow for automatic email or text.

To kick off the bell-ringing season, a $20,000 donation was made on Nov. 19 to the Salvation Army Holiday Kettle outside the New Hampshire State Liquor & Wine Outlet in Bedford. According to a press release, the check was presented by the Great NH Restaurants charitable trust FEEDNH.org, in partnership with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Greater Nashua Mental Health is now home to the Nashua area Mobile Crisis Response Team, according to a press release. The MCRT will provide 24/7 emergency services, including going directly to people in need.

Thanksgiving 2020

Ready or not, the holidays are here, with Thanksgiving arriving this week. Thanksgiving has been celebrated in various ways since that very first holiday in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans, but it was Abraham Lincoln who declared it a national holiday in 1863 during the midst of the Civil War. According to History.com in its “Thanksgiving 2020” article, Lincoln issued a proclamation imploring all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”

In present time, we are suffering through a worldwide pandemic that has taken more than 250,000 lives in the United States alone. With record high Covid-19 cases, we are being asked to reconsider traditional Thanksgiving gatherings. Local leaders and governors are asking for diligence to stay the course and follow the recommendations from the CDC and health authorities, celebrating in smaller groups or with only household members, celebrating virtually, or even hosting an outside Thanksgiving get-together.

In addition, we have just completed an election that laid bare the division and polarization of our country. Each party is convinced it has the answers to resolving the ongoing “civil strife” of present day, yet there is very little evidence of seeking common ground upon which to develop real solutions. Even post-election, hate and vitriol continue to spread across social media and traditional news outlets.

These events have taken a toll on Americans in 2020. We are weary and yearn for some sense of normalcy. Is it ironic that Lincoln’s words from 1863 ring so true in 2020? As we gather for Thanksgiving, may we remember Lincoln’s proclamation and commit to doing our part to once again heal the wounds of our divided nation. There is continued hope for a vaccine to help contain a virus that has taken so much. In the meantime, we must not politicize a personal responsibility to do our part in slowing the spread. We may not be able to physically gather this Thanksgiving, but we can certainly find ways to come together as a nation. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Two of a kind

Fools duo play intimate Manchester show

November is a time of year when Mike Girard is usually getting ready to star in the annual Christmas Buzz Ball or doing shows with either his longtime band The Fools or the oversized side project, Mike Girard’s Big Swinging Things. Since the pandemic put the kibosh on most live music last March, however, he’s done exactly one gig: an early August drive-in Fools show at a Manchester by the Sea fitness club parking lot.
Girard’s performance output will double when he and Fools guitarist Rich Bartlett play an intimate show at the Rex Theatre in Manchester on Nov. 28. They’ve done the duo act once before at a house concert, “and we really had a terrific time,” Girard said in a recent phone interview. “The songs were stripped down, with lots of stories in between. We called it the Naked and Afraid Tour; this is a continuation of that.”
The setlist will include favorites like “Life Sucks, Then You Die” and “It’s A Night For Beautiful Girls,” reworked for the spare performance.
“I guess the words are going to be a lot more audible, for good or ill,” Girard said. “If you don’t like it, you’ll know why. There’s [one] song in particular, a slow one called ‘Just Give Up’ — it’s kind of an inspirational song about just quitting.”
A natural raconteur, Girard is more than ready to perform, despite the time off. He’ll share tales of his band’s beginnings in the late 1970s, when hits “She Looks Alright In The Dark” and “Psycho Chicken” were all over Boston radio, and talk about international tours opening for Van Halen and The Knack.
Fans will also gain insight into his songwriting process, Girard promised.
“For instance, ‘Night Out’ occurred to me in a dream — it really did,” he said. “In the dream, we were playing in a small club, doing this song. I woke up and wrote the verse and chorus. I knew where it was going and I went back to bed.”
In the morning, Girard finished the song.
“I called up Richie and said, ‘I had this dream we’re playing this song in a club; I wrote it down and I want to play it for the band.’ He said, ‘How many people were in the club?’ I said, ‘Not too many.’ He said, ‘Call me back when there’s more people in the club.’”
For his part, Bartlett is always ready to hit the stage, Girard said.
“I could show up at his place pretty much any hour of the day and he’ll be sitting on the couch playing guitar into his headphones while watching one TV show or another,” he said. “I tell him, ‘Your life hasn’t really changed at all; we’re all [not used to] staying at home, but that’s just what you do.’”
The upcoming stripped-down show will be The Fools’ second at the Rex; they were there last Feb. 22, a few months after Girard published a new book, A Fool In Time. Like 2010’s Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales, he admits that it’s loosely a memoir, quoting Bartlett’s response to Psycho Chicken in the preface: “The story is pretty much true, even if the details aren’t.”
The Fools have a long history in Manchester, dating back to the raucous mid-’80s days of The Casbah Club, when they and performers such as GG Allin, Jim Carroll and The Ramones would frequently visit.
Girard is looking forward to playing at the city’s newest venue again.
“We’re going to add to the foolish population of that town,” he said with a laugh. “I love the Rex, the place is great. It’s got that feeling of history about it, being an old theater. Nice high ceilings, lots of space.” And it’s ideal for a safe, socially distanced evening.
“We won’t be selling merch, or hanging out with the audience after or whatever, all the things that we would normally do,” Girard said. “We’ll have our own separate entrance, everyone will wear a mask when they’re out of their seat, you know? But once we start, it’s going to be fun — that’s the whole point of every show.”

An Intimate Evening With A Couple of Fools
When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester
Tickets: $29 in advance at palacetheatre.org, $39 at the door

Featured photo: Mike Girard and Rich Bartlett. Courtesy photo.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (PG)

An inventor is lifted out of his doldrums by a visit from his plucky granddaughter in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, a charming Christmas-y family musical about STEM, the dedication of the post office and the importance of small business loans.

I mean, it’s also about the magic of creativity and believing in yourself, the magic of actual magic and the importance of familial bonds and friendship, but small business loans and the post office play a not insignificant role.

Jeronicus Jangle (Justin Cornwell as a young man, Forest Whitaker as a grandpa-aged man) is a toymaker and a dazzling inventor in some kind of Victorian-ish world that has a vaguely steampunk feel but without any menace. He believes he has finally cracked the puzzle of a toy so marvelous that it will solidify his Greatest Inventor status and a lifetime of wealth for his family, including wife Joanne (Sharon Rose) and young daughter Jessica (Diaana Babnicova), who wants to be an inventor just like her dad. The toy is a sentient toy matador called Don Juan Diego (voice of Ricky Martin), who is fairly flawed from the outset in that he is extremely vain and possibly evil. When he hears that Jeronicus’ plan is to mass produce him, which means he would no longer be one of a kind, Don Juan convinces Gustafson (Miles Barrow as a squirrely young man; an excellent Keegan-Michael Key as a desperate older man), Jeronicus’ underappreciated apprentice, to steal him, the plans for him and Jeronicus’ book of inventions. Thus does Gustafson become a rich and famous toy inventor and Jeronicus lose his confidence in his inventions, his livelihood and even his family as Joanne dies abruptly and he becomes estranged from Jessica.

As a grown woman, Jessica (Anika Noni Rose) has an inquisitive and creative daughter of her own, Journey (Madalen Mills). Journey has grown up hearing stories about Jeronicus and his inventions but, due to the estrangement between father and daughter, she has never met him. She finds a way to travel to meet Jeronicus, but finds a man mired in sadness. He is barely hanging on in his shop, which is now a pawn and fix-it store. Though his young apprentice Edison (Kieron L. Dyer) believes in him and post officer Mrs. Johnston (Lisa Davina Phillip) cares for him (reminding him in song that she is a widow ready to mingle), Jeronicus wants nothing to do with any of it. He isn’t terribly welcoming to Journey — making her sign a non-disclosure about any plans or inventions she might stumble on — but he slowly starts to warm to her.

With singing! As I mentioned, this is a musical and, while I’m not necessarily humming anything from the movie at the moment, all of the songs are high-energy, plot-appropriate and fun.

I don’t understand the weird financial alchemy that makes a family musical with music co-written by John Legend and a whole bunch of really expensive-looking wooden-toy and paper pop-up-book and wind-up robot animation (used to move the narrative through time jumps between live-action scenes) possible for Netflix distribution but — cool! I’m so glad this movie exists! And I’m so glad it’s getting distribution this way, which feels like the most family-accessible way to put it out there. This movie features genuine artistic achievement, particularly for the look of this film, as well as some solid storytelling. The movie creates a very specific world and then builds a magical story in it, with flavors of The Nutcracker and Peter Pan. The actors do a good job at making us care about these people and believe them, even if they’re doing math equations in the air or singing in the middle of a Dickens’-London-esque setting (but, like, clean and bright, and calling to mind a snow globe with colors that pop). In addition to the core cast, Phylicia Rashad and Hugh Bonneville show up for small roles, which give this movie a quality-throughout feel.

There is also solid adventure, a friendly robot, a goofy villain and not too much scariness — I feel like kids a few years into elementary school can handle this movie. (Common Sense Media gives it an 8+ rating.) Looking for something for a family movie night? Jingle Jangle has enough action that it can probably keep kids engaged and enough storytelling cleverness to entertain adults as well. A

Rated PG for some thematic elements and peril. Written and directed by David E. Talbot, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is two hours and two minutes long and distributed by Netflix.

Featured Photo: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

In the kitchen with Matt Casey

Matt Casey is the owner-operator of Casey Magee’s Irish Pub & Music Hall (8 Temple St., Nashua, 484-7400, caseymagees.com), which opened in June. Casey Magee’s offers a menu of American comfort items with an Irish flair, featuring burgers, sandwiches and wraps, appetizers, flatbreads and entrees, with specialty cocktails, beers and wines available out of its full bar and a brunch menu on Sundays. Since opening, the pub has become especially popular with the late-night crowd on the weekends, Casey said, with upstairs pool tables and a jukebox you can use from your phone. Casey is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and a three-time marcher in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade as a costumed leprechaun. Casey Magee’s is the culmination of his decades-long dream to open his own Irish pub.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

The grill is huge. You can throw anything on it and get creative with it.

What would you have for your last meal?

It would be steak, cooked medium, with a loaded baked potato and an IPA.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Tostao’s Tapas-Bar. They are right around the corner from me on Main Street in Nashua. I’ve been in there a few times and they are really nice people with incredible food. The Buffalo dip and the empanadas are great.

What celebrity would you like to see eating in your restaurant?

Adam Sandler. I would love to have him come in during an open mic night!

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The Irish nachos are awesome, and also the Guinness-battered fish and chips. I also love our traditional Irish boxty. That’s a different type of item that you can’t really find around here.

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

Street tacos, and just experimenting with different sauces and flavors. I think we will be jumping on that wagon. We’re looking into adding them on our menu.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

English muffin pizzas. I eat them like M&Ms. I like to do a chunky mushroom sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Traditional Irish boxty (potato pancakes)
Courtesy of Matt Casey of Casey Magee’s Irish Pub & Music Hall in Nashua
2 pounds mashed potatoes (no skin)
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced green peppers
¼ cup diced bacon
¼ cup shredded cheese of choice
¼ cup diced scallions
¼ cup milk
1 egg
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place onto a skillet, forming into patties and cooking on both sides, like pancakes. Layer and top them with scallions and a citrus sour cream drizzle.

Featured Photo: Matt Casey. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Give thanks and relax

Ideas for getting big Thanksgiving flavors in smaller, easier dishes

If you’re used to cooking a large Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings, chances are this year may look a bit different — but that doesn’t mean your meal can’t be just as delicious.

“I do think that we have to make it a little more accessible and casual and less grandiose to fit the world we’re living in right now,” said Dawn Hunt, owner of the Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem. “For me, what actually stands out in my memory are the smaller intimate gatherings, and if Covid has taught us anything it’s how important it is to slow down a little bit and reconnect with our families, and maybe just give ourselves a break.”

From smaller entrees and appetizers to soups, salads, sandwiches and light brunch options, local chefs and cooking instructors give some suggestions that will work for a smaller gathering this Thanksgiving while still allowing those familiar holiday flavors to come through.

Tips for your bird

As an alternative to a full-sized turkey, which can often be up to 15 to 20 pounds, bone-in or boneless turkey breasts, or even roast chicken breasts or small Cornish game hens, can all be good options to serve tables of smaller groups.

“A whole turkey is a huge meal if you’re only talking about a small gathering, so you’re not going to go through all of those extremes of deep-frying it or smoking it. You can keep it simple,” said chef and cooking instructor Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

Bone-in turkey breasts, as well as “hotel-style” turkey breasts, which come with the bird’s wings and usually its neck and back, are usually much smaller in size — around 6 to 7 pounds.

After letting the bird stand at room temperature for an hour to an hour and a half, Barbour said, she likes to add a mixture of butter, salt, pepper and chopped parsley and thyme to be placed under its skin. You can do this by carefully separating the skin from the meat over the breast without tearing it. A turkey or chicken’s pan drippings can also make a flavorful base for gravy.

Merrimack chef Oonagh Williams, also a cooking instructor and the owner of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh, said she has prepared turkey thighs in a slow cooker, to be used in smaller items like crepes, curries or soups. She also likes to stuff tenderloins from boneless turkey breasts, with a mixture of herbs, Craisins, bacon, onions and finely chopped apples, served cold with a salad or reheated with gravy the day after you cook them.

Perhaps an even easier option could be to transform your Thanksgiving feast into a grilled cheese. Hunt said a freshly cooked sandwich with sliced turkey, stuffing, bacon, crispy fried onions, baby spinach, Swiss cheese, her rosemary olive oil and a homemade cranberry Dijon sauce offers a delicious balance of flavor. The cranberry Dijon sauce, served on the side, features a simple mixture of Dijon or brown mustard, cranberry sauce, honey and mayonnaise.

Sides, soups and salads

Roasted winter squash with herb yogurt sauce. Courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

Over the last several weeks, through her online recipe blog and virtual classes via Zoom and Facebook Live, Barbour has shared several easy ways you can prepare your favorite Thanksgiving sides. One recipe features smashed fingerling potatoes, simply cooked in the oven for about 25 minutes and plated with garlic, bacon, rosemary and chopped parsley. As a low-carb replacement for potatoes, you can also make mashed cauliflower.

She’s also done a roasted winter squash, cut into small slices or cubes, with a Greek yogurt herb sauce made up of ground coriander and cumin, chopped mint leaves, parsley, lemon juice and honey. Butternut squash works great, or you can use delicata to save time on peeling.

Soups and salads with fall flavors can also be simple options to pivot your Thanksgiving meal this year if you’re serving a smaller group. Michelle Thornton, director of marketing and business development at LaBelle Winery in Amherst, recommends a butternut squash soup with diced apples and ground nutmeg and cinnamon, cooked in either a vegetable or chicken broth and LaBelle’s dry apple wine, and garnished with sour cream and caramelized apple slices.

To go with her grilled cheese and cranberry Dijon sauce, Hunt said she’ll be making a spicy pumpkin chowder using an unsweetened pumpkin puree prepared with bacon, veggies and ground chipotle pepper to give it a kick. She’s also done an autumn salad with apples, candied pecans, greens, radishes, goat cheese and a rosemary maple vinaigrette dressing made from New Hampshire maple syrup.

Easy sweet treats

Beyond baking a full pie, there are all kinds of simple ways to recreate some of your favorite sweets and treats. An apple and Craisin bread pudding, for example, served with a maple bourbon butter sauce, is an option Williams said can be great for a Thanksgiving Day brunch. Naturally sweet apple varieties, like Gala, Fuji or Braeburn, work best when peeled and sliced into very small pieces, like shredded cheese. Plain bagels or a challah bread are best for cooking, as a softer white bread would make it too mushy, she said.

Nicki Leavitt, owner and executive chef of the Purple Finch Cafe in Bedford, said pumpkin puree parfaits are also fun and easy to prepare, as either a snack or a quick breakfast.

“You can use a blend of organic pumpkin puree and some Yoplait yogurt … and then add cinnamon, nutmeg or maybe some fresh fruit at the base,” she said. “We bake our own pumpkin bread in house and dice that up and put it in the glass. … If you have a sweet tooth you can add whipped cream or caramel sauce.”

Hunt said you can easily make your own honey butter from brown sugar, cinnamon and unfiltered honey, which serves as a great complement for several types of fall-inspired baked goods, like pumpkin bread. She’s also baked apple muffins to go with it.

Barbour has baked apple Dutch baby pancakes in a cast iron skillet, featuring apples cooked in brown sugar and butter and a crepe batter poured on top.

“It’s basically like a big pancake you cook in the oven that rises like a souffle,” she said.

Mulled apple wine. Photo courtesy of LaBelle Winery in Amherst.

Decadent drinks

If you need to take the edge off this Thanksgiving from what has been a tough year — let’s face it, most of us do — you can incorporate some fall flavors into your cocktails.

Barbour, for instance, has a whiskey cranberry sour recipe that uses her own “cran-raspberry sauce,” or a homemade sweet sauce made from fresh cranberries or frozen raspberries. The recipe works just as well with regular raspberry sauce or your favorite brand of fruit jam.

LaBelle Winery, according to Thornton, is holding its annual “Cranberry Wine Week” now through Nov. 25, during which its cranberry wine and several other cranberry-flavored items are available for sale. The wine works great in several types of cocktails, including a cranberry cosmopolitan, which features triple sec liqueur, fresh lime juice, sugar and a lime wedge garnish. The mulled apple wine, with the winery’s dry apple wine, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and an orange garnish, is another seasonal favorite.

Spicy pumpkin chowder
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)
6 slices bacon
2 tablespoons Cucina Aurora Savory Sage olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 ounces frozen corn
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree, unsweetened
½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (or sweet paprika for less heat)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half-and-half .

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Chop three

slices of bacon into small pieces and cook in the pot until crispy. Add olive oil, onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cooking until onions are tender (about five minutes). Add sage, potatoes, broth and corn. Stir with a wooden spoon to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer until potatoes have become tender but not mushy (about 30 to 40 minutes). Meanwhile, cook remaining strips of bacon until crispy and set aside. In a small saucepan, mix pumpkin, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper until heated through. Add pumpkin mixture to the soup and heat through for about a minute, stirring while simmering. Add half-and-half and stir until well-incorporated and heated through. Serve immediately, topped with crispy bacon and sour cream if desired.

Smashed potatoes with garlic and bacon
From the kitchen of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis (thecreativefeast.com)
2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or other small potatoes)
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¼ pound thick-cut bacon, diced (or diced pancetta)
½ cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with two tablespoons of olive oil. Place the potatoes onto the baking sheet and shake the pan to coat the potatoes on both sides with oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon. Cook until the bacon begins to brown. Add the sliced garlic and cook for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove the pan from the oven. Gently press down on each potato to “smash” it and flatten a bit. Be careful not to flatten too much, or else the potatoes will break apart and lose their shape. Warm the bacon and garlic on the stove. Add the potatoes in a single layer. Turn the potatoes over to coat both sides with the garlic and bacon. Place the potatoes onto a warmed platter. Continue with the remaining potatoes and place onto the platter. Drizzle any remaining garlic and bacon onto the potatoes and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Grateful grilled cheese sandwiches with cranberry Dijon sauce
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)
Sliced turkey (leftover from Thanksgiving or cooked fresh)
1 cup crispy fried onions
6 to 8 strips crisp bacon
6 to 8 slices Swiss cheese
1 to cups stuffing (cooked to package instructions or leftover)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
4 to 6 slices sourdough bread (or gluten-free bread)
2 tablespoons Cucina Aurora rosemary olive oil

For the cranberry Dijon sauce:
2 tablespoons Dijon or brown mustard
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mayonnaise

Make the cranberry Dijon sauce by placing the Dijon mustard, cranberry sauce, honey and mayonnaise in a small bowl and stirring until combined. Set aside. Warm a

Grateful grilled cheese sandwich. Photo courtesy of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem.

large skillet or griddle pan on medium-heat for about two minutes. Brush four slices of bread with rosemary olive oil on just one side of the slice. Place bread oil side down on the hot pan. On each slice of bread, lay ½ slices of cheese. On two slices of bread, layer bacon, then spinach, then turkey. On the other two slices, layer a bit of the stuffing and the fried onions. When the bread starts to toast and the cheese starts to melt, build the sandwiches by carefully flipping one slice of bread onto the other. Grill on each side of the sandwich until both sides are light brown and the sandwich is warmed through. Repeat with remaining bread and ingredients to make as many sandwiches as desired. Serve warm with cranberry Dijon on the side.

Autumn mini quiche
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)

8 to 16 slices deli ham
6 to 8 eggs (use 2 less than your muffin tin has cups)
¼ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 large tart apple, grated

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Line each muffin cup with one to two slices of ham. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Gently fold in grated apple and cheese. Ladle the egg mixture into muffin cups and fill each only halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the egg has set in the middle and the tops have browned slightly. Serve warm or cold, or freeze in an airtight container for up to two months. To reheat, place on a microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds.

Cranberry-orange vienna French toast
From the kitchen of Nicki Leavitt of the Purple Finch Cafe in Bedford (purplefinchcafe.com)

1 loaf cranberry-orange tea bread (available at the Purple Finch Cafe’s takeout area)
2 eggs
⅔ cup milk
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ zested orange
Salt to taste

Make a French toast batter by beating together egg, milk,

salt, spices, orange zest and vanilla. Set aside. Cut the cranberry-orange tea bread into 1-inch thick slices, yielding approximately eight slices (10, including bread ends). Collect your favorite ingredients to top your French toast with (suggested toppings include whipped cream, caramel sauce, Craisins and powdered sugar). Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in the pan and cook on both sides until golden. Add your collected toppings and serve.

Whiskey cranberry sour cocktail
From the kitchen of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis (thecreativefeast.com); recipe makes one 5-ounce cocktail

¾ ounce maple syrup
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce leftover “cran-raspberry sauce”
3 ounces whiskey of choice (Jack Daniel’s works well)
2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)
Ice cubes for mixing and serving
Optional additions:
¼ cup seltzer water
1 egg white

For the “cran-raspberry” sauce (makes about three cups)
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 12-ounce packages frozen raspberries

To make the cran-raspberry sauce, combine water, sugar and cranberries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. Cool the cranberries to room temperature. After the cranberries have cooled, gently stir in the raspberries.
In a cocktail shaker filled with five ice cubes, combine together the maple syrup, lemon juice, cran-raspberry sauce, whiskey and bitters (if using). Fill a seven-ounce glass with ice. Cover your shaker and shake your cocktail for 30 seconds. Pour into your glass of ice. Top with the seltzer, if using, and give it a stir. Serve immediately. (If using egg white, put in a shaker with all the ingredients and the ice. Leave the seltzer out).

Featured photo: Smashed potatoes with garlic and bacon. Photo courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

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