Fireworks and beer

Celebrate the Fourth of July with the perfect brew

Do you remember what you had planned for the Fourth of July last year? That’s a trick question. We both know you had absolutely nothing planned. The 2020 Fourth of July took a hit just like everything else last year.

Actually, that said, my family was preparing for my dad’s 70th birthday, as he was born on July 5. It was supposed to be the first time we got together as a family, albeit outside and socially distanced, since the world came to a halt in March 2020.

I was looking forward to having a beer with my dad, and it was off to a good but very brief start when the skies opened up and thunderstorms took over. Hey, we tried. But Covid-19 won in the end. In hindsight, I suppose it was predictable.

This year, we’re all overdue for a party. I know my dad is.

With last year behind us and a light visible at the end of the tunnel, this year feels different. I don’t think people are going to be attending the same old Fourth of July cookout this year. This is the year to take things up a notch.

I mean, bring the burgers and dogs, but let’s also throw a couple T-bones on the grill in honor of what we missed out on last year. I think we should all be allowed to have an extra-large ice cream sundae on the Fourth this year too, or maybe an ice cold root beer float.

That goes for beer too. Don’t hold back on your beer choices this year. This is the year to wait in line for the beer you want. There. I said it.

Here are three beers that will help you celebrate the Fourth of July.

Combover IPA by Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton)

You should probably just go to Schilling for the Fourth and have some delicious pizza by the river as you drink amazing beer. You can’t beat the view. You can’t beat the pizza. And you can’t beat the beer. This is your quintessential American IPA: supper hoppy, bursting with notes of citrus and pine, and, maybe surprisingly, a little hint of strawberry. I would wait in line for this beer.

Seize the Bean Coffee Milk Stout by Throwback Brewery (North Hampton)

I know, it’s super hot and who wants a rich, creamy stout when the sun is cranking? Well, sometimes when the sun goes down on the Fourth of July, people light fires and then enjoy toasted marshmallows and smores. And I think this brew would go absolutely perfectly with a summer bonfire on the Fourth. This is rich, decadent and full of chocolate and coffee flavor but relatively low on alcohol, which makes this just slide right down.

Tie Dyed Dry-hopped Pale Ale by Great North Aleworks (Manchester)

I’m legitimately scared you are going to drink too much of this. It’s got the hop character that beer drinkers these days love but in a package that is just so much more palatable and drinkable. I hadn’t had one of these in a while and cracked one open recently, and I said to my wife, “I could drink a million of these.” I didn’t and I’m not going to, but I think you’ll appreciate how this beer combines big hop flavor with an easy-drinking brew.

What’s in My Fridge
Naughty Nurse by City Steam Brewery (Hartford, Conn.)
I went to my cousin’s wedding a couple weeks ago and it was just so hot and humid. It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in a suit — and I didn’t even wear a tie. It’s an understatement to say I was thirsty. The Naughty Nurse is an amber ale — and can I just say amber ales are underrated as a style — and this was both refreshing and flavorful. It’s got a little caramel sweetness and a little bitter spice in a very sessionable package. Cheers!

Tim and Amy Dally

Tim and Amy Dally of Milford are the owners of Tim’s Drunken Sauces & Rubs (967-4242, timsdrunkensauces@gmail.com, find them on Facebook), a food trailer they launched in the spring that specializes in barbecue items like ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket, in addition to other options like burgers, tacos, Philly cheesesteaks, loaded fries, fresh-squeezed lemonades and fruit smoothies. They also offer their small-batch sauces and rubs, many of which will incorporate alcohol, like their signature maple bourbon sauce. Find them at 244 Elm St. in Milford most Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tim’s Drunken Sauces & Rubs also appears at local breweries like Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. in Merrimack and Spyglass Brewing Co. in Nashua, and has a few public events scheduled this month, including Ashland’s Independence Day Celebration on July 3 and the annual Twilight at the Currier block party at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester on July 17.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Tim: My probe thermometer.

Amy: My burger spatula. It’s a nice wide one, so you can get right under there. If I don’t have that, it’s not coming out right.

What would you have for your last meal?

Tim: Hibachi.

Amy: Definitely Italian. Something with cheese and sauce and pasta, [like] chicken Parm or eggplant Parm.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Tim: Jade Dragon and Golden Koi [in Milford].

Amy: Pastamore [in Amherst]. It’s family-owned, and probably the most authentic Italian food that we have found since moving here, other than in Boston. They’re really great people and their food is great.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from your food trailer?

Tim: J. Lo [Jennifer Lopez].

Amy: For me, it would have to be Gronk [former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski].

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Tim: The brisket. We’re doing both plates and sandwiches, and we sell it by the pound.

Amy: Mine is the pulled pork macaroni and cheese burrito, and I dip it in the maple bourbon sauce. It’s fantastic.

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

Amy: In all honesty, I would say food trucks, just from all of the people that have reached out to us. … There are so many places in New England where food trucks are a thing, and New Hampshire is finally getting on that bandwagon.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Amy: Lasagna. I do a meat lasagna with Italian sausage in it, and my kids love it. It’s their favorite.

Tim: Hibachi. I make my own teriyaki sauce and everything.

Smoked baked great northern beans
Courtesy of Tim and Amy Dally of Tim’s Drunken Sauces & Rubs

1 bag great northern beans
1 red onion
1 pound bacon
3 garlic cloves
¾ cup maple syrup
¾ cup bourbon
½ cup molasses
½ cup apple cider vinegar
5 cups barbecue sauce
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons tomato paste
7 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pork belly (cut into 1-inch cubes; about 5 to 10 cubes)
5 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne powder

Rinse beans. Add six to eight cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Drain beans and rinse. Add six cups of water to the saucepan. Add beans and simmer on low to medium heat with lid tilted until desired tenderness. Cook the bacon and set aside. Drain the grease out and add the pork belly. Dice the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the diced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 6 cups of water, along with the maple syrup, bourbon, molasses, apple cider vinegar, barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, paprika, dry mustard and cayenne powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cooked bacon and place in smoker for 3 to 5 hours at 250 degrees.

Featured photo: Tim and Amy Dally – Tim’s Drunken Sauces & Rubs

Home-cooked Italian

Tammaro’s Cucina coming to Litchfield

Donna Tammaro and her daughter, Lindsey Russo, quickly gained a following among family and friends last year for trays of their homemade Italian dishes, starting with Russo’s lasagna before expanding to others like meatballs, chicken alfredo, stuffed shells and eggplant Parmesan. The feedback was so positive that it inspired them to pursue opening their own restaurant, where they’ll soon be offering a variety of scratch-made options to the public for the first time.

Lasagna from Tammaro’s Cucina. Courtesy photo.

Tammaro’s Cucina, on track to open later this month in northern Litchfield, is expected to feature a diverse menu of homemade Italian dishes cooked to order, plus a case of take-and-bake pasta trays, pastries and other options. Many of the dishes are named after and use recipes from multiple family members, including MaryAnn Tammaro — Donna’s mother and Russo’s Nana — as well as Russo’s aunt and even a few of her cousins from overseas in Italy.

While cooking most of the meals out of MaryAnn’s home kitchen in Manchester, Donna Tammaro and Russo looked for potential restaurant locations over the course of several months. A friend eventually tipped them off earlier this year about a small space on Charles Bancroft Highway in nearby Litchfield that would soon become vacant.

Tammaro’s Cucina will feature salads, soups and a few Italian hot subs like chicken Parmesan, meatball, and sausage, pepper and onion. But the stars of its menu will be the pasta dishes, from Russo’s meat or cheese lasagna to chicken penne broccoli alfredo, shrimp scampi, chicken ziti broccoli in a garlic wine sauce, and a five-cheese tortellini. Each will be served with two pieces of garlic bread, made with Tammaro’s own garlic butter in house.

“Some dishes will have other sides you can choose,” Russo said. “We’ll have risotto, ricotta mashed potatoes, broccoli, mixed vegetables and mozzarella sticks for sides. … We’re also going to be doing cheese and pepperoni Sicilian pizzas.”

A few pasta dishes, Tammaro said, will likely be cooked in half trays ahead of lunchtime and available out of a grab-and-go case. Several homemade desserts are also expected, including cannolis, lemon or blueberry ricotta cake, tiramisu and assorted Italian cupcakes and cookies.

Half- or full-sized trays of any of the menu’s pastas will be cooked to order too, feeding about six to eight or 12 to 16 people, respectively, according to Russo.

Potential specials may include Italian meatloaf with ricotta mashed potatoes, or items traditionally served around the holidays like pizzagaina.

“Pizzagaina is a meat pie with Italian cold cuts and fresh ricotta and Parmesan cheese,” Tammaro said. “It’s absolutely out of this world. … My mother used to make one that was so huge.”

While they expect to offer mostly takeout and delivery, Russo said there will be a few tables inside for customers to dine in, as well as outside the restaurant in nice weather.

Tommaro’s Cucina
An opening date is expected in the coming weeks. Call, email or follow them on social media for updates.

Where: 469 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield
Anticipated hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
More info: Follow them on Facebook @tammaroscucina4 or on Instagram @tammaroscucina, email tammaroscucina@gmail.com or call 377-7312

Featured photo: Penne with meatballs from Tammaro’s Cucina. Courtesy photo.

Handcrafted deliciousness

A new handcrafted chocolate and confection shop in Bedford is offering everything from specialty barks and all kinds of flavors of truffles to peanut butter cups, honey caramels, fudge and a line of sugar-free products sweetened with monk fruit.

Sweet Boutique, housed in the former Triolo’s Bakery space on Kilton Road, also roasts its own nuts, produces its own caramel corn in several flavors, and will have colder options like fruit smoothies, acai bowls and gelato cookie sandwiches throughout the summer. A two-day grand opening celebration is set for Saturday, July 17, and Sunday, July 18.

Sweet Boutique. Courtesy photo.

The shop is run by Michael Pais and his partner, Lynn Mackenna, a chocolatier with more than three decades of experience working at the former Willey’s Candy Shop on Salisbury Beach.

Pais, who oversees the shop’s sugar-free products, said the pair had discussed opening a shop together over a period of a few years, looking at potential locations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts before eventually coming across the Kilton Road storefront last fall.

With a retail store downstairs and a production area upstairs, Sweet Boutique can craft just about any kind of chocolatey treat imaginable. Some products will start with original recipes that Mackenna has brought from Willey’s Candy Shop, dating back to its opening in 1913, while others come from her experimenting and tinkering with different flavor ideas.

“I’m always trying to come up with something new. My brain just keeps on going and doesn’t stop.,” she said. “The honey caramel is something that I completely did myself. A lot of the truffles, the barks and the creams are my own creations.”

Some of the chocolates are pre-bagged, but you can also create your own customizable boxes.

Sweet Boutique. Courtesy photo.

Spanish peanuts are roasted in house and used in several items, like the peanut caramel corn, multiple flavors of the chocolate peanut butter cups, and the peanut butter fudge.

The idea to introduce smoothies and bowls, Pais said, came about when he and Mackenna tried to think of ways to supplement what might otherwise be a slower summer season.

“We had always thought we were going to do something,” he said. “We were talking about some type of frozen dessert. Then Lynn said why not go with the acai bowls and smoothies, because they are pretty popular right now, especially with the younger crowd.”

They also make other cold items like chia seed pudding parfaits, gelato cookie sandwiches with flavors like vanilla bean and pistachio, and their own take on a healthier type of banana split.

“It’s a banana split that I’m making out of superfruits … and then maybe with a yogurt topping, some granola, nuts and whipped cream,” Mackenna said.

During holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter, Sweet Boutique plans to offer all kinds of unique seasonal candies and chocolates. Pais said there are also opportunities for local businesses to order customizable chocolate molds for company events or fundraisers.

Sweet Boutique

Where: 21 Kilton Road, Bedford
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (hours may be subject to change)
More info: Visit visitsweetboutique.com, follow them on Instagram @sweetboutique_chocolates or call 222-1521

Featured photo: Sweets and candies from Sweet Boutique. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 21/07/01

News from the local food scene

• From vine to glass: Get your tickets now for the next session in the Walks in the Vineyard series at LaBelle Winery’s Amherst location (345 Route 101), scheduled for Sunday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to noon. Wine educator Marie King and vineyard manager Josh Boisvert will lead attendees through a fun and educational walk through the vineyards, focused on the life cycles of the vines. You’ll learn how the wine you enjoy in your glass starts as grapes on vines, and also get a chance to taste four LaBelle wines throughout the session. The event is the second of a four-part series — no previous attendance or prior knowledge of wines are necessary. Tickets are $27.25 general admission per person, including taxes, and reservations are suggested. Visit labellewinery.com.

• Taking flight: After about four and a half years in downtown Nashua, The Flight Center Taphouse & Eatery has expanded to a second location in Manchester and added a new speakeasy concept. The new spot, which opened June 23 in the former British Beer Co. at 1071 S. Willow St., features a dining room and bar with brick-oven pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers and dozens of craft beers on tap one one side. The other side, facing away from the main road, is home to a 1920s-inspired speakeasy-style bar called The Lost Luggage that features a craft cocktail menu of its own, according to Flight Center owner and founder Seth Simonian. The starting hours of operation are Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 4 to 11:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., but will likely be adjusted in the near future. Visit flightcenterbc.com or find them on Facebook @flightcentermht.

• Powder Keg Beer Festival to return: Following its cancellation in 2020, the 9th Powder Keg Beer Festival will return this fall, with a scheduled date of Saturday, Oct. 2, at Swasey Parkway in Exeter, according to a press release issued on the event’s website and Facebook pages. “Even though it will be modified, we are excited to offer the Powder Keg after taking a year off,” Exeter Parks & Recreation executive director Greg Bisson said in a statement. While chili will not be served as in past years, the festival will welcome a variety of local food trucks alongside the more than 200 local beers, ciders and hard seltzers that will be available to choose from. VIP admission will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by general admission from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 1 and will be $35 per person, or $10 for designated drivers. Visit powderkegbeerfest.com.

• Combating hunger: Grow Nashua, an organization focused on creating urban vegetable farms in the Gate City, has become one of 50 nonprofits across the country to launch a mobile app designed to direct home and community gardeners to donate a portion of their freshly grown produce to support hunger relief efforts, according to a press release. The Fresh Food Connect mobile app coordinates donations from the gardeners to local nonprofits working to address food insecurity at the local level. Gardeners who download the app can easily arrange for extra produce to be picked up from their doorstep or delivered to a local organization providing free groceries. According to the release, Grow Nashua is also expanding to three locations with Fresh Food Connect’s help, where growers can give their extra veggies. Visit grownashua.org/share.

On The Job – Ann Marie Shea

Ann Marie Shea

Errand runner

Ann Marie Shea is the owner of A&E Errand Services, based in Merrimack.

Explain your job.

I run an errand service for people who need an extra set of hands, either at home or within their business. We do a little bit of everything — grocery shopping, walking dogs for someone when they’re on vacation, going to the post office, Christmas shopping, [product] returns, taking cars for inspections and oil changes — anything that would be on someone’s to-do list that they don’t have time to do themselves.

How long have you had this job?

I’m coming up on almost exactly three years.

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

It was more of a personal influence than a professional one that led me to this. … After a lot of years pouring myself into a 40-hour-a-week job — I was a teacher for a while, then worked for a big corporation — I just wasn’t satisfied with that rigid 9-to-5 schedule and with working for someone else. … While raising my daughter, I hated how running around in the car always sucked so much time out of the day. I must have thought to myself a thousand times, ‘I wish there was someone I could hire to do all this for me.’ I decided to give [starting an errand service] a try.

What kind of education or training did you need?

For seven-and-a-half years I worked for a corporation in customer service and in de-escalation … and that was the best preparation for this job. … That’s where I realized how tired people are of poor service. All people want is for you to listen to them, show up when you say you will, do what you promised to do and take the job seriously.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I do a lot of work where I get dirty or am running around, so usually I just wear some shorts and my A&E T-shirt or sweatshirt. If I’m working for a business and I have to go into an office or see their clients, I’ll step it up and wear business casual.

How has your job changed in the last year?

[Covid] was a unique situation for me. … Suddenly, what I did [for work] felt really opportunistic, and I didn’t feel comfortable advertising. … Everyone was being so neighborly toward each other and helping each other out, so I thought I’d just sit on the sidelines for a while. … I don’t think I made it even a week [without working]. … My [business] just took off. Families didn’t want to leave the house, so I was basically doing everything for them that had to be done outside the house. … That summer … was the busiest I’ve ever been. … [Business] has started going back to normal levels again, but I do have a lot of new clients.

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

I think that, in the beginning, I undervalued the services we were offering. … I didn’t think there would be a market for what we were doing. … I wish I had trusted my instincts a little more … because I’ve found no other businesses, locally, that do exactly what we do.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I think a lot of people underestimate how valuable their time is. I wish they knew how beneficial it would be for them to outsource some things and to pay someone to go do [their errands] so that they don’t have to give up that time and step away from their work or family for three hours.

What was the first job you ever had?

I bagged groceries at Shaws.

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

I have two: one is to under-promise and over-deliver, and the other one to try to be the best at what you decide to do or be, no matter what it is.

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Great Gatsby
Favorite movie: Fight Club
Favorite music: Classic rock
Favorite food: Chicken Parmesan
Favorite thing about NH: The ‘Live Free or Die’ mentality

Featured photo: Ann Marie Shea

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