Gifts for foodies

Delicious gift-giving ideas this holiday season

Make it a holiday season to remember for the foodie in your life, with anything from a specialty gift box of local products to sweet treats like cocoa or tea bombs, cakesicles or even chocolate candy-filled gingerbread “smash” houses. Whether you’re looking for something to ship and be enjoyed later, or a centerpiece to be the hit of your next holiday party, there are all kinds of delicious gift-giving ideas this season.

Enjoy it later

Great for colleagues, teachers, neighbors or perhaps a friend at an upcoming Yankee Swap, gift boxes and baskets are the perfect ways to discover all kinds of locally made goodies. Jessica Moores of the Manchester Craft Market, Mall of New Hampshire (1500 S. Willow St.), recently organized an entire table setup inside the shop featuring bundled gifts from many of her sellers, from jams and jellies to cooking spices, soup kits, salsas, coffees and more.

In Bedford, head to the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, theeducationalfarm.org), where they are selling specialty gift boxes in two sizes containing a variety of New Hampshire-made and other regional products. According to farm stand manager secretary Mandy Underwood, they can be ordered through Dec. 22 for pickup, and custom gift boxes can also be put together if you’d like a certain theme.

Other local businesses have gift boxes available to order directly on their websites to be shipped. Salem’s Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery (cucinaaurora.com) has a gift set of its infused olive oils, featuring 12-ounce bottles of its roasted garlic and rosemary oregano oils packaged with a free recipe booklet. Owner Dawn Hunt, who is the author of Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners, her newest cookbook, released earlier this year, also offers a larger gift set that additionally comes with a wooden cooking spoon, a risotto mix, a garlic and herb dip mix and an herb and seasoning mix. Both also have the option of including a holiday card for your gift recipient.

For the spicy food lover, The Spicy Shark of Portsmouth (thespicyshark.com) has a gift box containing 5-ounce bottles of each of its six craft hot sauces — they vary in intensity, ranging from products made with jalapeno and chipotle peppers to habanero, Scotch bonnet and ghost peppers, as well as Carolina Reapers, which were recognized in 2017 by Guinness World Records as the hottest in the world. Smokin’ Tin Roof (smokintinroof.com), based in Manchester, similarly offers gift boxes containing bottles of its ghost pepper-based sauces, sometimes also accompanied by products like a bacon stout mustard and a Buffalo-style sauce. They even now sell mango habanero cotton candy in collaboration with Sillie Puffs (silliepuffs.com).

And speaking of sweets, there’s so much to discover for those looking to indulge. Fabrizia Lemon Baking Co. of Salem (fabrizialemonbakingcompany.com) is offering holiday gift boxes containing all kinds of limoncello-infused goodies added to its product line since its late 2020 launch, from limoncello cookies and biscotti to truffles, blondies, lemon loaf, hard candies and even lemon popcorn. They can be picked up at Fabrizia’s Salem facility (2 Industrial Way) or shipped nationwide with the option to write up a personalized holiday note at checkout.

For other sweet tastes that are uniquely New Hampshire, Ben’s Sugar Shack of Temple (bensmaplesyrup.com) has gift boxes of its maple syrup and other assorted maple-infused products, from maple cream and buttermilk pancake mix to gluten-free maple kettle corn and pure maple candy. Specialty candy stores like Van Otis Chocolates (vanotis.com) and Granite State Candy Shoppe (granitestatecandyshoppe.com) have gift boxes of their own, featuring items like assorted caramels, nuts, chocolate bars and Swiss fudge in several different flavors.

Enjoy it now

If you’re looking for a tasty hostess gift to share with other guests at a holiday party or gathering, local restaurants, caterers and other businesses have you covered. Tilton’s Twelve 31 Events, for instance, which also recently opened a cafe in downtown Concord (100 N. Main St.), is taking orders for its scratch-baked Italian Christmas cookies. They’re scheduled to be available for pickup and delivery starting Dec. 8 and right through Christmas Eve, Twelve 31 owner Melissa Dolpies said. Visit twelve31.events/christmascookies to order a dozen or more cookies — flavors include anisette, soft gingerbread, pistachio macaroons, dark chocolate espresso and snowballs, or traditional butter cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar.

“The typical dozen that people can get is an assortment of all of the cookies, but you can certainly mix and match or request one or two of whatever combination you’d like,” Dolpies said. “They come in a pretty little box, and they make great gifts. I’ve had people get them for employees, for teachers, for co-workers. They’re really appropriate for any kind of occasion.”

The Traveling Foodie (jmcateringllc.com), a food truck and catering company based at Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack, also has cookie gift trays and mixed cookie platters available on its holiday catering menu. Chef and owner Jamie Mandra said orders can be placed until Dec. 18 for a free delivery to the Nashua and Merrimack areas on Dec. 22. Options will include mixed sugar cookies and chocolate chip peanut butter kisses, or you can order brownies.

For some savory hostess gift ideas, check out the appetizer to-go kits being offered by Local Baskit (localbaskit.com) — featuring your choice of a set of miniature quiches with a goat cheese honey filo and cranberry dip, or dumplings and vegetable spring rolls with a sweet spicy soy sauce, each kit’s items are ready to pop right into the oven. This year, in addition to her custom charcuterie and cheese boards under her Grazing Baskits line, Local Baskit owner Beth Richards also has “Season’s Eatings” hostess gift packages, which come with a bottle of red or white wine, cheese and crostini — the prices for each package vary depending on your choices.

In Manchester, Loon Chocolate (loonchocolate.com) and 603 Charcuterie (603charcuterie.com) are gearing up for a two-day holiday market inside their facility at The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St.) on Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 18, when more than two dozen local vendors will be showcasing their products. In the meantime, you can visit their onsite joint shop every Thursday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which offers a variety of New Hampshire-made cheeses, jams, crackers, mustards and other artisan foods. You can also buy locally built charcuterie boards — courtesy of Andy Pearl of Souhegan Wood Designs of Amherst — in all kinds of shapes, sizes and designs, or even gift a custom-made charcuterie board, gift basket or class certificate, Theresa Zwart of 603 Charcuterie said.

Explosive flavors

Cocoa bombs were all the rage during the 2020 holiday season and, two years later, are continuing to stick around. A trend that originally went viral on TikTok back in the fall of that year, these small hollow balls of chocolate are most often created using silicone molds, and are usually filled with miniature marshmallows or flavored mixes. Pouring hot milk or water over the bombs causes them to “explode” with flavor inside your mug.

For Lindsey Bangs of I Whisked It (iwhiskedit.com), a home baker based in Raymond, cocoa bombs are among her most popular seasonal items. Hers is among the participating businesses at The Factory on Willow’s holiday market, where she will be offering cocoa bombs in traditional, caramel and peppermint candy cane flavors. She’ll also be at New Hampshire Audubon’s Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord).

In addition to her flavors Bangs has played around with different types of silicone molds for her cocoa bombs, from those in the shape of Christmas trees to reindeer- and ball-shaped ornaments.

“I have a lot of people who are buying [cocoa bombs] from me this year because last year they had it on Christmas Eve with their family, and their kids are asking for it again, or people need something for a Secret Santa gift or a Yankee Swap gift, and so they are getting the nicer boxes. … I have little plastic boxes that have bows on them that I can put them in,” Bangs said.

cake covered in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles on a popsicle stick
Cakesicles from The Cake Fairy in Hooksett. Courtesy photo.

Pastry chef Emilee Viaud of Milford started her business, Sweet Treats by Emilee (find her on Facebook and Instagram), at the height of the cocoa bomb trend. She has since branched out to all kinds of cocoa bomb flavors and even recently started dabbling in tea bombs, which you can get at the Manchester Craft Market, as well as at Junction 71 (707 Milford Road, Merrimack) and Locally Handmade (80 Premium Outlets Blvd., Merrimack). Find Viaud also at Great New England Holiday Shopping Extravaganza on Friday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Hampshire Dome (50 Emerson Road, Milford).

Tea bombs, Viaud said, are essentially a cup of tea’s counterpart to a cocoa bomb. They feature a sugar sphere that’s filled with a tea bag, edible glitter and flowers. She has more than 10 flavors, ranging from passion tea and Earl Grey to green tea, chamomile and more.

Another item Viaud is featuring this year includes chocolate candy-filled “smash” houses — similar to the breakable chocolate hearts she sold during Valentine’s Day, you simply take a small wooden mallet that they come with to smash open the house, revealing candy inside.

Cakesicles, or fun takes on cake pops crafted in the shape of a popsicle mold, are also having a moment as popular treats. Brianna Miller, whose mother, Lisa Lucciano, owns The Cake Fairy in Hooksett, said it’s likely a nostalgic factor that makes them resonate with so many people.

“It reminds me personally of the bars you’d get off the ice cream trucks as little kids,” she said.

In addition to lemon, funfetti and chocolate peanut butter-dipped cakesicles, The Cake Fairy rolls out a special peppermint dust-flavored cakesicle around the holiday season.

Featured photo: Cocoa bombs from I Whisked It, based in Raymond. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 22/12/08

News from the local food scene

• Garden feasts: Longtime television chef Mary Ann Esposito will be at Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana, Salem) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to present her newest cookbook, Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook! Released Nov. 15, it’s her 13th book, centered around the home vegetable garden with easy-to-follow planting advice and more than 100 Italian-inspired recipes. During the event, Esposito will be accompanied by Tuscan Brands wine director Joseph Comforti for a special wine tasting. Admission is free. Visit tuscanbrands.com or read more about Esposito’s newest book on page 28 of the Nov. 17 issue of the Hippo — visit issuu.com/hippopress to read and download the e-edition for free.

• Wine and cheese chats: The final Cheese & Corks tasting at Local Baskit (10 Ferry St., Suite 120A, Concord) is happening on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Featuring Kristy Ammann of Dole & Bailey — formerly the owner of Butter’s Fine Food & Wine in Concord — and Ambra Kash of Crush Wine & Spirits, events in this bi-weekly series have included “wine and cheese chats to prepare you for holiday entertaining or cozy winter nights,” according to the event flier. The Dec. 14 event is expected to feature sparkling wines and creamy cheeses, and admission is free. Visit localbaskit.com.

• ’Tis the season: Depending on when you’re reading this, there may still be tickets available to the three-day Christmas festival being hosted at Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis) from Friday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 11. Each day features artisan food vendors and craftspeople, a fire pit, hot cider and doughnuts, and family photo opportunities with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Go to fulchinovineyard.com for the most up-to-date details on ticket availability. Tickets are $15 for adults ages 21 and over (all adult tickets will also include one free wine glass per adult and a complimentary wine tasting), $7.50 for attendees ages 12 to 20 and 1 cent for kids ages 12 and under, for counting purposes.

• Whiskey business: Join Steadfast Spirits Distilling Co. (134 Hall St., Unit H, Concord) for its second annual Sip & Shop event on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The distillery will be celebrating the return of its 86-proof peppermint moonshine,and will also be hosting a one-day community shopping event featuring local crafters and other small business owners offering their wares for sale. Admission is free. See the event page on Facebook @steadfastdistilling.

On The Job – Dan Auditore

Wood floor refinisher

Dan Auditore is a wood floor refinisher and owner of Renaissance Hardwood Floors, based in Manchester.

Explain your job and what it entails.

My job is to take a customer’s hardwood floor and make it look brand new again or give them an entirely different-looking wood floor, depending on what they want. I go in with my machinery, sand the floors down to bare wood, then sand twice more to make it smooth. After that I hand scrape the areas the machines can’t reach. I vacuum the floor and apply a coat of sealer or stain depending on the job, and then apply two or three coats of finish on top, again, depending on what the customer needs.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been professionally refinishing hardwood floors since January 2007 in Boston and surrounding areas as a member of the Floor Coverers Union Local 2168, but started Renaissance Hardwood Floors back in June of this year.

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

Destiny. My great-grandfather, grandfather, father, stepfather, three of my uncles and a cousin all have had or currently have a wood flooring company. Ever since childhood I was always helping out on the jobs and started working full-time in the summers doing it at age 13.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Onsite training. You learn this trade by getting your hands on the machinery, getting a feel for it all, learning what to look for and how to fix errors and by getting a sore back and sore knees. You could read it in a book, but to really know what you’re doing, it takes hands-on, lots of time doing it and lots of body ache.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Typically I wear a short-sleeve shirt, and then shorts or jeans, depending on the time of year, with some light, comfortable sneakers since I’m on my feet all day and doing lots of walking. I definitely make sure to have my earplugs and a dust mask since it’s usually very noisy and gets dusty.

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

It seemed like when Covid was still fresh, work began to slow down a little bit. I think some people were uncomfortable with others coming into their homes unless it was completely necessary, and on occasion a homeowner would ask that I wear a mask. I was usually wearing one all day anyway due to the dust. As Covid became a part of everyday life, work seemed to pick back up.

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

To work smarter, not harder, and to actively practice self-care on my body.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people knew how involved refinishing a floor is, how physically taxing it is, how expensive materials and equipment are and that whether they want a small room refinished or a whole house, the same amount of equipment is required.

What was the first job you ever had?

The first job I ever had was sanding and refinishing with my family. My first real job on the books was as a kennel assistant at Handle With Care Veterinary Hospital in Derry.

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

To fix whatever errors I see in the floor before the finish starts going down. If you don’t, it becomes much more difficult and time-consuming to fix after. That, and to just do what I know how to do and don’t overthink it.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Favorite movie: Dumb and Dumber
Favorite music: I’m big on electronic, but also enjoy classical and country.
Favorite food: Venezuelan, Italian and Chinese
Favorite thing about NH: Scenery. I’ve always loved forests, mountains and countryside.

Featured photo: Dan Auditore. Courtesy photo.

Holiday gifts for the gardener

Tools, books and other ideas for the grower in your life

By Henry Homeyer

listings@hippopress.com

First on my list for holiday gifts for the gardener is this: a subscription to this newspaper. Our local papers need subscribers in order to deliver to you the news you want but cannot get online. Yes, local news, gardening tips that fit your climate, obituaries and more. If your loved ones do not have subscriptions, think about giving one.

Next, since most of us really need very little, think about a donation to a nonprofit in your loved one’s honor. One of my favorites is a nonprofit that for decades has nurtured orphan bear cubs, the Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, New Hampshire. The Center this year is nurturing and caring for more than 100 baby bears whose mothers have been killed by cars or hunters and who would otherwise not survive. The Center has more than 19 acres of fenced forest for the bears, and serves Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. You can donate to The Kilham Bear Center at PO Box 37, Lyme, NH 03768, or go online to kilhambearcenter.org. Online there are photos and videos of the bears. Visiting is not possible, as they want the bears to have as little contact with humans as possible because their goal is to return all to the wild where they avoid humans.

Other nonprofits I like include The Native Plant Trust, the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy. As a supporter I get the Nature Conservancy magazine and I never cease to be amazed at all the good projects they initiate or support. And of course most states have nice nonprofits supporting public gardens and wildlife areas that need our support.

Along with new products I like, each year I have to mention a few old favorites. The CobraHead Weeder is a simple, well-made tool that virtually all gardeners love once they’ve tried it. Shaped like a curved steel finger, it will get under weeds or flowers to lift them from the earth. I use it for planting as well as weeding. It’s found at most garden centers or online at cobrahead.com for about $30. They now have a version for smaller hands and a long-handled weeder as well.

Books are a great present. I usually mention author Michael Dirr, my favorite expert on trees and shrubs. All his books are well-researched, complete and opinionated. My favorite is his classic, the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.

Another classic is Barbara Damrosch’s The Garden Primer. This book is a good reference on almost anything a gardener would wish to know. And at under $20 in paperback, it is great value for an 800-page book. More reliable than many of the online experts, I dare say.

Lastly, a pair of books that work well together. First, Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. This explains in readable layman’s terms why what we select for our gardens impacts birds and pollinators.

A good companion to Tallamy’s books is Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States by Tony Dove and Ginger Woolridge. This book supplies all you need to know for selecting the right trees and shrubs for your land to support wildlife.

But on to other needs of gardeners. Consider a small electric chainsaw. They are safer, quieter and easier to start and to use than gas-powered ones. I have a DeWalt DCCS620 chainsaw that has a 20-volt battery and a 12-inch bar and weighs just 9 pounds. It’s great for cutting up downed branches, removing small trees and more. Available locally at $250 or less.

For gardeners who start seeds indoors each spring, there is an alternative to all those flimsy plastic six-packs. You can buy a metal soil blocker that you can use to make small cubes of a soil mix for your seeds. Available from Johnny’s Seeds or Gardener’s Supply, about $40.

Another great product for starting seedlings is electric heat mats. These sit under flats of seeds planted indoors, providing heat that speeds up the germination process. They are available in two sizes — enough for one flat or a big one for four or more flats. Great for things that take a long time to germinate.

For stocking stuffers I like seed packets. Give your loved ones seeds of less common vegetables and flowers that they might not find at the plant nursery. Garden gloves are great gifts, we all use them in spring and fall, and some people use them all summer, too.

Lastly, my wife, Cindy, swears by a natural bug repellent made in New Hampshire, White Mountain Deet-Free Insect Repellent (whitemountaininsectrepellent.com). It doesn’t take much of this stuff to keep away black flies, she says. It comes in a 4-ounce bottle of all-natural ingredients (no fillers) for $15 plus shipping. Great stocking stuffer.

Use your imagination. There are so many nice things a gardener will appreciate, including your own time promised for weeding in the spring!

Featured photo: Consider a donation to a good nonprofit like the Kilham Bear Center. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Treasure Hunt 22/12/08

We have inherited this fish. It belonged to my uncle, who had many stuffed fish. Are there local collectors for such items?

My husband and I thought we might like them in our home. They are not working for us.

Thank you for any information you can share with us.

Cathy

Dear Cathy,

Your taxidermy fish looks like a bass. And I would say yes to at least this one and probably all of your uncle’s fish. The condition of each one will determine the value.

When it comes to collecting anything related to fishing — fish, poles, reels, etc. — there is a strong collector’s market. Some taxidermy fish can bring into the four-digit range along with related items.

First thing I would do, Cathy, is bring them either to a sportsman’s store or antique shop. This is to determine the condition of each and identify them.

After getting as much information as possible, they should be able to come up with an approximate value for you. They might even be your buyer. Taking the time, Cathy, will be worth it. Your bass is in the range of $100 in good condition. Some could even be higher. I hope I helped and your inherited fish bring you a treasure.

Kiddie Pool 22/12/08

Family fun for the weekend

The big guy

• It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s Santa Claus in a helicopter: Santa Claus will helicopter in to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4820) on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. Plan to get to the museum by 10:45 a.m. to park and see the landing, according to a press release. Santa will talk to kids (who will receive goodie bags) until 1 p.m., when he will depart by fire truck, the release said. The museum will be open and free to visitors on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The museum’s holiday exhibit, “Holiday Festival of Toy Planes and Model Aircraft,” which features more than 2,000 aviation-related toys, games and other items, will also open on Dec. 10. The exhibit will feature a “12 Planes of Christmas” scavenger hunt, the release said. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12, and is free for ages 5 and under, seniors and veterans/active military.

Find more places where kids can talk to Santa and enjoy other holiday amusements in our Holiday Guide issue (Nov. 24); the e-edition is available at hippopress.com (toward the bottom of the homepage). This weekend you can also find the big guy at breakfast at the Milford Town Hall (1 Union Sq.) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Breakfast will be pancakes and sausages. Price is $9 per person; children ages 2 and younger eat free. Visit milfordnh.recdesk.com and to reserve a spot.

Relax while they play

• Leave your kids with the child care staff at the YMCA of Greater Londonderry (206 Rockingham Road in Londonderry) for Kids Night at the Y on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 3 to 8 p.m. The event, open to kids ages 4 to 12, will feature holiday-themed crafts and games for the kids as well as a pizza dinner, according to the YMCA. The program costs $45 for one child and $40 for each additional sibling. Visit bit.ly/ygl-kids-nights to register in advance.

Nutcrackers

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance presents The Nutcracker on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $20. Visit turningpointecenterofdance.com.

• Dance Visions Network presents The Nutcracker Suite Acts I & II on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 12:30 and 5 p.m. at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). Tickets cost $22 plus a $4 surcharge. Visit anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities.

Special screenings

• Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys. com) will screen The Polar Express (G, 2004) at all three locations Friday, Dec. 9, through Thursday, Dec. 15, with multiple daily screenings Friday through Sunday and one 5:30 p.m. screening Monday through Thursday. Kids get a golden ticket when entering the theater and there is a surprise during the hot chocolate scene, according to the website. On Friday, Dec. 9, the 4 p.m. screening is a sensory-friendly screening with house lights slightly brighter and the movie volume turned down, the website said.

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