Category: Food

Taste of Bedford raises funds for DECA

High school nonprofit hosts event with eateries

If you like to eat, then Taste of Bedford is where you and your appetite will want to be on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bedford High School Commons, 47 Nashua Road in Bedford. The food-filled fundraiser, featuring numerous area eateries, benefits DECA, a nonprofit organization that prepares youth to be academically ready, community-oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders. Admission for the food fest is $15 for individuals, $45 for a family of four, or $60 for a family of five.

“Taste of Bedford is a great fundraiser for our students because it enables the community to come out and taste food from different restaurants all at the same time,” said Betsy Doyle, a business teacher and six-year faculty advisor for Bedford High School’s DECA.

“Participating restaurants serve samples of a selection of their cuisine,” Doyle said, so “it is an easy way to have dinner for a family taken care of.” The icing on the cake? “They sometimes also hand out coupons to encourage attendees to try out their business.”

According to Doyle, last year’s Taste of Bedford was very successful in promoting new businesses that weren’t even around in 2020 or 2019.

Joining the culinary celebration this year will be Alas de Frida, serving authentic Mexican food; Ben & Jerry’s ice cream; Carly’s Custom Cakes, offering pastries; El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria; Hannaford Supermarkets; Lighthouse Local, home to dozens of local vendors and artisans who prepare everything from sweet to savory baked goods and delicatessen delights; Sweet Ginger, whose Thai cuisine includes a variety of vegetarian options; Taj India, dishes from mild to hot; The Inside Scoop, specializing in ice cream and other frozen desserts; Thousand Crane, known for Chinese and Japanese cuisine, including high-quality fresh sushi, and more.

“The Bedford High School DECA club members sell tickets to the Taste of Bedford event,” Doyle said. “All of the ticket sales get attributed to the individual student who sold the tickets, and those funds reduce their own expenses for future competitions.”

An international nonprofit career and technical student organization, DECA has more than 224,000 members throughout the United States. The Bedford High School group is one of the largest chapters in New Hampshire.

DECA’s mission is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs by holding business competitions that assess business knowledge and presentation abilities and emulate atmospheres like those of professional business conferences. Students compete through business exams, case studies, interviews and sales presentations. After competing at the New Hampshire level, winning students move on to DECA’s International Career Development Conference, a global competition held at major metropolitan areas across the United States.

“The students gain valuable experience in organizing the event and recruiting the businesses to participate,” according to Doyle, one of three faculty advisors for Bedford High School’s DECA chapter. “All of the advertisements and publicity is taken care of by the students. The running of the event itself — each is done by a student leader. This year the event is led by Brenda Sacramento Cortes, a junior at BHS. Participating restaurants will have one or two student volunteers that will help them set up, serve and break down and load up after the event concludes.”

Aside from giving DECA students real-world hands-on experience with interviewing, problem-solving, and evaluating business situations, Doyle is gratified by her involvement in Taste of Bedford. “My favorite part of the event is seeing the community come together to see what the students are doing. We often have a very high level of participation from our own faculty and staff … and the DECA students love to see them and their families at the event.”

When: Tuesday, Jan. 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bedford High School, 47 Nashua Road, Bedford
Admission: individuals $15; family of four $45; family of five $60
Visit: sites.google.com/bedfordnhk12.net/bedford-taste-of-bedford/home

Featured photo: Taste of Bedford from previous year. Courtesy photo.

Irish Coffee

If you listen to Irish Coffee Enthusiasts, you will be taken aback by how complicated the process for making one is. The ICEs will go on at some length about how such-and-such a bar makes a pretty good Irish Coffee, considering it isn’t a real Irish Coffee. Apparently, an Irish Coffee isn’t legitimately authentic unless:

(1) it is made by an old, gnarled bartender with an actual Irish accent and a list of stories about growing up in a thatched hut.

(2) who pours the whiskey from an otherwise unmarked jug with three Xs on it,

(3) into a mug with coffee so strong, vaporous little ghosts float screaming from it as he stirs it

(4) while three or four drunk guys at the bar sing “Danny Boy” and weep openly.

The truth of the matter is that making good Irish Coffee isn’t particularly difficult, and it’s definitely not complicated. It is simply a matter of paying attention to details.

Making a Very Nice Cup of Irish Coffee

Fill a glass coffee mug with boiling water. Leave it to heat while you brew the coffee.

Brew 1 to 2 cups of very strong, good coffee. It doesn’t have to be expensive, single-source, hand-picked beans that have passed through a civet. Chock Full o’Nuts will do fine. Make it a little stronger than you normally would. Wash a couple of dishes or watch the prize task on Taskmaster while the coffee brews and the mug heats up.

Pour the water out of the mug, thanking it for a job well done.

Mix 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in the mug with a little of the hot coffee, to dissolve it, then add 2 ounces of decent Irish whiskey. Again, you probably don’t want to use your $45-a-bottle top-shelf stuff, but a good, self-respecting Irish whiskey like Paddy’s will do nicely.

Top off your mug to within half an inch or so of the top with more coffee. Stir gently.

Finish the mug off with two dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

This drink will be hot, so unless you’re a professional you probably won’t be able to swig this down, but you should definitely attack it with enthusiasm. If you don’t give yourself a whipped cream mustache, you lack commitment.

Classics are classics for a reason. This is delicious. It tastes of coffee, and caramel, and dairy, and whiskey, and something else — maybe destiny. It will take a great deal of adult restraint to not pound this down far too quickly and then make another. And conceivably many more.

For that reason, here is your guide for drinking good Irish Coffee:

Drink it at brunch. The very best time to drink Irish Coffee is late on a cold, damp afternoon, while reading a good book and thinking of a lost love. Unfortunately, by the time you’re old enough to have any really juicy regrets, you won’t be able to drink coffee that late in the day. Drinking more than one of these in an afternoon or evening will give you more opportunity to reminisce than you were really looking for. Flipping through old photographs and crying at 2 in the morning is not compatible with your New Year’s resolution to be more productive.

If you decide to dive into the Irish Coffee pool with a bunch of friends on a Sunday morning, your boyfriend or Carlos, your Uber driver, can get you home in time to sleep it off before you have to Skype your parents that evening.

1 mug of Irish Coffee: You will feel more positive about life.

2 mugs: You will tell at least one of your friends how much you love them. At this point, your wife or friends should keep you away from Facebook.

3 mugs: There will be singing and uncontrollable laughter.

After this, you will probably forgo the coffee and drink directly from the bottle. There will be more singing, and probably crying.

After this, things get a little murky.

John Fladd is a veteran Hippo writer, a father, writer and cocktail enthusiast, living in New Hampshire.

Featured photo: Irish Coffee. Photo by John Fladd.

The Weekly Dish 24/01/25

News from the local food scene

• Wine season: If you’re used to pairing January with a wine tasting, Wentworth by the Sea (588 Wentworth Road in New Castle; opalcollection.com/wentworth) is holding its annual Winter Wine Festival with events scheduled into mid-February. Grand vintners’ dinners are scheduled with Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards (Saturday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m.), Jackson Family Wines (Saturday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m.) and Raymond Vineyards (Saturday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m.). Flight nights run Mondays through Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. in the lounge and offer the opportunity to taste and compare three different wines, the website said. The Bubbles & Jazz Brunch runs Sundays through Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a different prosecco as the focus each Sunday. And on Friday, Feb. 9, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. the Wentworth will feature the second of two big tastings, with tickets costing $91.07 for an evening with food, a wide selection of wines to try in a walk-around event and live jazz, according to the website, where you can find pricing and details for all events.

• Big reds for cold nights: WineNot Boutique (25 Main St. in Nashua; winenotboutique.com, 204-5569) has a few red wine tasting events on the schedule. As of earlier this week, tickets were still available for the blind tasting of malbec wines on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40. Try seven malbecs, paired with cheeses, salumi and chocolate, according to the website. On Thursday, Feb. 22, from 4 to 7 p.m., the focus will be “Tasting of Big and Bold Winter Wines.” Sample 15 wines paired with cheeses and a light appetizer; tickets cost $20, the website said.

• Italian wines: Colby Hill Inn’s The Grazing Room (33 The Oaks in Henniker; colbyhillinn.com) will hold a five-course dinner paired with Italian wines from Regal Imports on Friday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. The cost is $100 per person, according to the website.

• Market Saturday: The Milford NH Indoor Farmers Market will hold the 4th of its seven planned winter markets this Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Milford Town Hall Auditorium (1 Union Sq. on the Oval). The duo Speed the Plough is slated to perform; see milfordnhfarmersmarket.com for a listing of vendors and guest vendors.

• Dinner, dancing, animals: OK, animals won’t be at the event but proceeds from the Snowball Gala 2024 go to equipment and animal needs at the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill in Bedford (theeducationalfarm.org). The event will be held Saturday, Feb. 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way in Bedford) and will include dinner, dancing, and a silent and live auction, according to the EventBrite page. Tickets cost $125; a $175 VIP ticket includes a drink, 10 raffle tickets and a swag bag. See the farm’s website for a link to purchase tickets.

In the kitchen with Ryan Lewis

It was always special for Ryan Lewis, general manager at Napoletana Pizzeria & Bar, when his family would go out to eat at restaurants when he was a child. At home he loved to make food for and with his family and experiment with ingredients, even if the result wasn’t always successful. Despite his love for cooking and restaurants, he didn’t consider a career in food service until he got a job at his favorite local spot while in college where he developed skills and enjoyed the work.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I’ve never really been into gadgets. A clean, organized workspace is really the only thing a chef needs. I train my cooks to fold their kitchen towels when their prep is done. The cook with the largest, neatest stack of towels is unfailingly the best prepared for service on any particular shift

What would you have for your last meal?

The term last meal reminds me of someone on death row — when else would I know I was eating my last meal? That being the case, I would want to make as big a mess as possible when they give me the juice, like a spicy burrito and a couple beers.

What is your favorite local eatery?

Napoletana is my favorite restaurant. It continues to get closer to my vision over time. Of the other 300+ restaurants in the Portsmouth area, I enjoy Green Elephant, Lexi’s Joint, Barrio and Ore Nell’s most.

Name a celebrity you would like to see eating in your restaurant?

Celebrity is relative. I have fed many ‘famous’ people over the years. Were it possible, I would love to see Tony Bourdain and hear his thoughts and suggestions. Even just to be in his presence would be something. Jose Andres and Eric Ripert are other heroes, using their success in their craft to make life better for others.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

It’s kind of an evil question like asking who my favorite employee or family member is. There are things that are unique and those that are pretty pedestrian but well-loved by our guests. Today I ate our hanger steak and it made me pretty happy. It is a unique cut of meat that takes care to butcher properly, and our risotto rosso is a somewhat unusual but fitting accompaniment to it.

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

I have no idea. We, as an industry and community, are still coming back to life after the struggles of the past several years. It is encouraging to see green shoots sprouting here and there. Young entrepreneurs opening new concepts and getting traction; those are the people to watch.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Jambalaya. It’s almost as versatile as pizza as far as the number of stylistic twists and permutations. That said, I make it 95 percent the same way every time. I like to load my bowl with hot sauce until my eyes sweat.

—Mya Blanchard

Royal Pretender Cake

This is not an authentic Mardi Gras King Cake. An actual New Orleanian would sneer at this hard enough to sprain her lip. But a real King Cake is actually a member of the bread family and takes about five hours to make. This is a delicious, dense, moist almond cake that will serve you in good stead.

Cake

  • 2½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup (162 grams) whole milk
  • ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream
  • 2¼ cups (450 grams) sugar
  • 7 ounces (1 tube) almond paste – you can find this in the baking/spices section of your supermarket
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest – the zest of one large orange
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoon (45 grams) amaretto
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Glaze

  • 2 cups (227 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • pinch salt
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons milk – enough to make a spoonable glaze

Garnish

  • Gold, purple, and green sprinkles or sanding sugar – you can find these online or at a craft store

A small plastic baby that you will bake into the cake for luck. You might or might not actually have a small plastic baby to hand. If you do not, you can substitute some other small non-poisonous object in its place, such as a foreign coin, a marble, or one of those small ceramic figures that are sometimes included in boxes of tea.

Bring all the cake ingredients to room temperature. This recipe will work if the cream cheese and almond paste are cold, but they will be temperamental and will require some persuasion to blend together gracefully.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Prepare a large Bundt pan — I brush the inside with a mixture of equal parts shortening, vegetable oil and flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients — the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a jar or measuring cup, combine the milk and sour cream. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, or using a hand-held electric mixer, combine the almond paste — cut into small pieces — and the sugar. Mix at slow speed; the mixture looks like damp sand. If you do not cut the almond paste into small pieces, it will fight against its fate and throw plumes of sugar out of your mixing bowl in protest. If this starts happening, cover the bowl with a tea towel and be careful that it doesn’t get sucked up into the beaters.

Add the orange zest and cream cheese. Mix to combine. Again, this will go more smoothly if the cream cheese is at room temperature.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add the amaretto and almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if you need to. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, beat at a higher speed, until the proto-batter is a little fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients and the milk/sour cream mixture a little at a time, alternating between the two, until the batter is smooth and battery.

Pour half the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, which has been patiently waiting for you.

Drop your small plastic baby into the Bundt pan. “Godspeed, my friend,” would be a good sentiment to express at this point. Extra points if you say it in French.

Pour the rest of the batter into the pan, covering your Cake Baby.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or it reaches an internal temperature of 200ºF.

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Let it cool thoroughly before glazing and decorating it. Decorate a third of the cake in each of the colors of sugar or sprinkles. This is not a time to exercise restraint. “Garish” should be the absolute minimum level of decoration you are looking for.

This is a first-class snack cake. It is meant to be shared. A traditional King Cake is supposed to be eaten with friends. Whoever finds the baby in their slice is supposed to host the Mardi Gras party the following year. You should feel free to set the stakes to work with your particular group of friends, relatives, or co-workers.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Featured photo: Not King cake. Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Lior Sadeh

Clinical herbalist Lior Sadeh has been growing herbs and making products for 12 years. Having closed the physical location of Bee Fields Farm, Sadeh works with people to reduce inflammation and heal their gut by making lifestyle changes, with herbs and supplements and bone broth, by reducing stress and making detox part of their everyday lifestyle. Her products include herbal tea blends, herbal infused honey, oils, salves, creams, extracts, elixirs and more. You can find her at the Concord Winter Farmers Market.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I think a good knife and a cutting board are a must. … I love my slow cooker … I do bone broth in it so whenever I am eating meat I collect the bones and cook them for a couple of days with a little bit of vinegar to make bone broth and then I use it in all my cooking and it’s very healing for the digestive tract and it’s also filled with minerals.

What would you have for your last meal?

I love salmon.

What is your favorite local eatery?

Riverside Cafe in Milford.

Name a celebrity you would like to see trying something you made.

For me celebrities are farmers … farming is hard work that is not rewarded … farmers should be celebrities because in all kinds of weather farmers get up and go out and take care of the animals and the plants so we all do have food, so my celebrities are farmers and I would love it if farmers would drink my tea.

What is your favorite product that you make?

I love the teas because I think if a person takes the time to make themselves a cup of tea and sits down … and relaxes with it and really kind of all body experience, they start a good chance to follow … any herbal program and succeed in getting what they want from it. … I don’t believe in quick fixes, and there are a lot of herbal medicines like tincture that you can squirt … and then rush off to the next thing that you do, and I think that tea forces us to sit down … [and] forces you to breathe. … When you drink a cup of tea and you sit down with it you have this moment of breathing and letting go and just checking with yourself how it feels to be in your body.

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

I don’t know … I’m not a trendy person.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I’m very seasonal. I really love soups in the winter, and in the summer I love salads, especially Israeli salad with a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes when they are in season.

Immune Supporting Bone Broth
from the kitchen of Lior Sadeh

Bones collected from chicken, lamb or beef organically raised or 100 percent grass-fed
4 quarts water
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 handful dried burdock root
1 handful dried astragalus root
1 handful dried reishi mushroom

I start my bone broth after eating a whole chicken. I collect the bones and place them in a slow cooker.
Cover with water. You want to use clean, not fluoridated water.
Add the apple cider vinegar.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for a couple of days.
Check a couple of times a day to make sure you have enough water in the pot. If needed, add water.
You can always add other bones. My bone broth simmers for close to a week and I add bones to it as the week goes.
Twelve hours before you are ready to strain broth, add the herbs.
Strain, pour into a mason jar, cool and refrigerate.
You can drink a cup of warm broth daily or use it in cooking soups, stews and grains.

Featured photo: Lior Sadeh. Courtesy photo.

Just like mom used to make

Manchester native opens homestead business to honor her mother and yia yia

On Nov. 11, 2023, Barbara George made her business debut at the Manchester Memorial Craft Fair with Auntie B’s Greek Pastries, a homestead baking company through which she bakes pastries from her mother and yia yia’s (grandmother’s) recipes.

“I watched my mom bake for so many years and kept notes to keep the recipes alive, as she never used recipes — the recipes were all in her head,” George said in an email. “I would ask her to make one of her specialties, and once she was ready to add the ingredients I would measure them out and that’s how I captured her recipe. As she gave me tips along the way as we baked together, I would write [them] down. They come in so handy to this day where I’m not able to ask her.”

Having grown up in the Manchester area, George attended Plymouth State University before starting a 38-year career in sales, with baking remaining a hobby. She spent 22 of those years in California, where she would bake for friends, before moving back to the Granite State. Back home after the passing of her mother, friends would request she bake her mother’s recipes for family events, and she started to imagine turning it into a business.

“It was Covid year and I followed a lot of people on Instagram [who] baked or opened up their own baking businesses,” George said. “It’s been over a couple years that has gotten me to this point and I just thought where people are enjoying them that I would … try my hand at [home baking].”

After seeing a post about the Manchester Memorial Craft Fair, she reached out to become a vendor where her baking would officially become a business and she would sell out of everything she brought.

“Something I learned was that a lot of people don’t know Greek pastries and it was fun telling people about it.” George said. “I was just used to the Greek festivals … I happen to be the parish president at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church … [and] I also volunteer at St. George for their Glendi … so it’s been fun telling people and sampling with them and seeing their reactions to foods they [have] never tried before.”

Out of her home, George makes Flo Flo’s nut rolls, her mother’s variation on baklava, koulourakia, which are Greek twist cookies, and custom orders that people request.

“I always hoped that I could get my mom’s and yia yia’s recipes out to more people and that seems to be happening,” George said. “I just always get excited that people want to try my products and they want to buy my products. I think that’s fantastic and I’m always appreciative of that.”

Auntie B’s Greek Pastries
Where: Bedford
Call or send an email to place your order. Visit auntiebsgreekpastries.com

Featured photo: Barbara George with a few of the featured items she sells. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 24/01/18

News from the local food scene

• See vineyard, taste wine: Experience the Fire Tower Winter Wonderland Wine Tasting Experience at Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road in Brookline; averillhousevineyard.com) at various times on Fridays through Sunday in January through March. With a view of the vineyard, enjoy a private outdoor tasting of four wines around outdoor pellet stoves. Each ticket ($59) accounts for two adults and each additional person will cost $15 for a maximum of eight people. Children under 13 are free and pets are welcome if on a leash. Get your tickets at eventbrite.com.

• Wine in an igloo: Enjoy a charcuterie board with meat, nuts, cheese and crackers and taste four wines in a private Norwegian-themed igloo or gazebo Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road in Brookline; averillhousevineyard.com) with theme lighting and music. Gazebos also include a fireplace and fluffy living room. Dates are available in January through March, on Fridays through Sundays as well as Wednesday, Feb. 14. Tickets ($100) account for two people and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• Drinks for a cause: On Saturday, Jan. 20, To Share Brewing Co., New Hampshire Brewers Association and Old Dogs Go To Helen host Pints and Flights for Old Dogs Go To Helen. One dollar from every pint or flight sold will be donated to ODGTH, a senior and hospice dog rescue and sanctuary.

• Cupcake decorating for kids: Uno Pizzeria & Grill (15 Fort Eddy Road, Concord) hosts a kids’ winter cupcake decorating class on Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 4 to 9 p.m. Call to make your reservation.

• Wines of Italy: Wine expert Anne Arnold will lead you through The Wonderful Wines of Italy hosted by From the Vine to Wine at Stroll Café & Wine Bar (15 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth) on Thursday, Feb. 1, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $50 to $65 on eventbrite.

• Chocolate, wine, dinner: The 17th annual Chocolate Madness Wine Pairing Dinner at Zorvino Vineyards (226 Main St., Sandown) on Thursday, Feb. 1 starting at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour and dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• Farm-to-table tasting: Restoration Acres Farm hosts a farm-to-table tasting on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Black Swan Inn (354 W. Main St., Tilton) featuring food from local farmers and artisans, wine and mead sampling from Hermit Woods winery and live music by Audrey Drake. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

Rubber Ducky

On Jan. 10, 1992, the Greek container ship Ever Laurel ran into rough weather in the North Pacific, a couple of days out from Tacoma. At some point a stack of six shipping containers snapped its chains and plunged overboard into the Pacific Ocean.

This kind of accident isn’t common but it’s also not unheard of. On average around 1,500 shipping containers are lost at sea each year. This is a tiny percentage of the estimated 500 million containers in use, but also nothing to shrug at.

What made this particular accident noteworthy is that one of the containers was filled with 28,000 bath toys, including 7,200 yellow rubber duckies.

Over the next several years the toys were carried north by ocean currents, eventually traveling through the Northwest Passage north of Canada, and dispersed by other currents around the world. Even now some of these toys are still washing up in unexpected places. They have been found as far away as the United Kingdom, Australia and Chile. Now that there is less Arctic sea ice than ever, some plastic ducks, turtles and beavers are being released to a new generation of beach-combers.

As I’m sure you’re aware, National Rubber Ducky Day is this weekend. You are probably still in the process of getting rid of other holiday ornaments, and haven’t had time to shop for rubber ducks, but if you’re feeling a little spent, gray and empty with the start of a new year, it’s probably worth raising a glass to our plastic yellow friends and reflecting on the fact that things could always be worse. You could spend 30 years, bobbing and smiling, through Arctic Sea ice.

Rubber Ducky Cocktail

  • 1½ ounces Midori melon liqueur
  • 1½ ounces 99 Peaches peach schnapps
  • 2½ ounces fresh watermelon juice (see below)
  • ¾ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

Open your laptop, and place it on the counter next to you.

Open YouTube, and search for Hampenberg DuckToy Vocal Club Mix.

Turn your volume up to an unconscionable level and press play. This will be the perfect background music for mixing this drink. You’re ready now.

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.

Shake enthusiastically.

Pour, including ice, into a rocks glass.

Sip, vibing seamlessly — or, if you are like me, shuffling awkwardly — to the rubber ducky club mix playing on your computer.

This is a shockingly fun cocktail. The melon juice and the melon liqueur obviously go well together. The peach schnapps provides a floral fruitiness. By itself watermelon juice is surprisingly flat, but the acid from a jolt of lime juice brings it to life. This doesn’t exactly taste like bubble gum, but it also doesn’t not taste like gum of some sort. At first glance this might seem flighty and low-octane — and that may be true of the Midori — but the 99 Peaches actually clocks in at 99 proof, so this is not a drink to take for granted. Like a rubber ducky lost at sea, it might take you to unexpected places.

Watermelon Juice

Buy a one-quart container of pre-cubed watermelon at your supermarket. You aren’t going to be laying this out on a fruit plate or pairing with a nice prosciutto, so it’s OK to cut a corner during this process.

Pour the contents of the container into your blender and blend thoroughly. If you notice a seed or two, don’t panic; your blender will take care of things. If you have an over-powered, overly enthusiastic blender like mine, he will probably look on any seeds as a challenge.

Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain off the watermelon pulp. Leave everything in the strainer for half an hour or so, to let the components say goodbye to each other.

This should net you about 12 ounces of juice. If you want to drink it as juice, add the juice of half a lime to de-flatten it (see above).

Featured photo: Rubber Ducky Cocktail. Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Cara Karpinski

When Cara Karpinski moved to New Hampshire in 2020, she discovered that her new job was no longer being offered due to the pandemic. Needing to find a new way to provide for her family, she realized her true passion was for dogs. Being a dog-mom of four, she decided to create Barkalicious, a gourmet preservative-free dog treat business made with eggs from her own chickens, with the belief that all dogs should to be “treat”ed with love.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

My must-have kitchen item is my KitchenAid mixer. I use it every day to combine my ingredients for the dog treats. I think it may be time to upgrade to a commercial version [of a] KitchenAid.

What is your favorite local eatery?

Currently, my favorite place for a romantic dinner is Buckley’s Great Steaks in Merrimack. For a more casual meal I enjoy the Coach Stop in Londonderry as well as Backyard Brewery on the Manchester/Londonderry line.

Name a celebrity you would like to see purchasing your dog treats.

It is hard to pick just one celebrity I would like to see purchase my dog treats, but the ones that come to mind are from HGTV. Tarek and Heather El Moussa from Flip or Flop, or Jonathan Knight from Farmhouse Fixer. I would say Taylor Swift, but I think she just has cats.

What is the most popular item on your menu?

Our most popular menu item is our bacon cheeseburger sticks. They are a little bit crunchier than our soft treats, but it has bacon on it, so how can it not be good!

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

The biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now is maybe pho. I had it for the first time a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. I am not really a hip [or] trendy foodie, but I do love all kinds of food.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My favorite thing to cook at home is anything from scratch. I enjoy watching my family eat the meals I have prepared. It gives me great satisfaction when they love my hard work in the kitchen. The best meals I have made recently: beef stroganoff, chicken noodle soup and brisket.

Brisket
From the kitchen of Cara Karpinski

4-pound (or so) brisket
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cut
1 onion, chopped
3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 or 3 boxes pre-made beef stock or broth
salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika

Season both sides of meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Heat canola oil in a pan and sear both sides of meat for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add onions, mushrooms and garlic to pan and lower heat. Cook until onions are translucent.
Add ½ cup water to scrape any solids in the pan. Return the brisket to the pan.
Cover meat with beef broth and simmer. Cook until tender (at least 6 hours).
Remove brisket and let cool.
Slice against grain. (I use a meat slicer to get very thin slices of meat.) You can also cut by hand.
Let the liquid in the pan cool to about room temperature as well as the brisket. Once cooled, add the meat back into the pan with the liquid and put in the refrigerator overnight.
About 3 hours before you want to have dinner, put the pot with the liquid and brisket back onto the stove and slowly warm. This meal goes very well with homemade mashed potatoes and carrots

Featured photo: Katie Pope of Confections by Kate. Courtesy photo.

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