In the kitchen with Ashley Reisdorf

Ashley Reisdorf of Raymond is the owner of Ashley’s Eats & Sweets (find them on Facebook), a homestead business specializing in custom cakes and baked goods. A self-taught baker, she accepts custom cake orders for all types of events, including birthday parties, graduations, baby showers and weddings. She’ll also dabble in cookies, cupcakes, whoopie pies and other smaller goodies. Order inquiries can be placed via phone or online, with at least a one-week advance notice requested and free contactless delivery within a 30-minute drive of Raymond.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

An offset spatula or a silicone scraper.

What would you have for your last meal?

Vegetarian barbecue nachos.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Gordo’s Burritos & Tacos in Raymond. My husband and I love to eat out from there.

What celebrity would you like to bake a cake for?

Mark Wahlberg.

What is your favorite thing you’ve ever baked for someone?

I guess my personal favorite cake that I’ve made … was a pina colada-flavored dirt bike helmet cake that I did for my older brother’s birthday in January. We have a typical brother-sister relationship. He likes to tease me and tell me my stuff is no good, [but] he raved about that cake to everyone.

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

Unicorn cakes seem to be the running theme with little girls lately. I think I’ve done like eight of them in the last couple of months.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Cooking-wise, I think my specialty is loaded mashed potatoes and fall-off-the-bone ribs.

Featured Photo: Ashley Reisdorf of Ashley’s Eats & Sweets in Raymond.

Honey lemon lavender shortbread cookies
From the kitchen of Ashley Reisdorf of Ashley’s Eats & Sweets in Raymond

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups all-purpose flour (can be replaced with gluten-free one-to-one flour)
Pinch of salt
3 to 5 lemon lavender tea bags (to taste)

In a stand mixer, cream together softened butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Add in flour, salt and loose tea leaves. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Lay dough out on a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a log and then shape into a rectangle. Wrap dough in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for two hours or until firm. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While the oven is heating, cut the dough into 1/4-inch slices and place one to two inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. The cookies will still be soft but will firm up when cooled.

Summer flavors

Great New England BBQ and food truck festival returns

If you’ve been cooped at home for most of the summer, you’ll have the chance to get out and enjoy local food and beer at the Great New England BBQ & Food Truck Festival. Even though it will look and feel different this year, the second annual event is scheduled to happen on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Hampshire Hills Athletic Club in Milford, and will also include craft and artisan vendors, live music and a cornhole tournament.

Normally a two-day festival, the event has been shortened to just one day this year. A kids’ zone that had bounce houses, face-painting and other activities has been eliminated.

Festival organizer Jody Donohue said she has been in regular communication with the town’s health and fire departments, as well as the state Attorney General’s office, to develop a plan on how to hold the event as scheduled in a safe fashion.

“It’s going to be much more spacious,” Donohue said. “We’ll have a minimum of 10 feet of space to the left and right of every food truck and artisan.”

She added that one-way walking aisles, six-foot pavement markings and sanitizing stations will all be implemented throughout the venue. All vendors and event staff are required to wear masks and attendees are encouraged to as well when not eating or drinking.

Ten to 12 food trucks are expected to be parked along the perimeter of the aisles for the duration of the festival, including a few local to New Hampshire and others coming from nearby New England states. Prime Time Grilled Cheese, launched by Manchester couple Alex and Marcie Pichardo in 2018, was a favorite at last year’s festival and is expected to return this year, according to Donohue. The truck offers all kinds of specialty grilled cheese sandwich options, in addition to “dessert” sandwiches like the grilled Fluffernutter and the grilled S’mores.

Other local faces will include Jayrard’s Java Cafe, a mobile coffee trailer converted from an old camper that specializes in premium Costa Rican coffees and organic teas, and The Smoothie Bus, which offers dozens of flavors of made-to-order smoothies using real fruit. There will also be freshly baked cookies from the Sweet Crunch Bakeshop & Catering Co. of Vermont; specialty hot dogs on toasted rolls from Trolley Dogs of Boston; barbecue options from Bobby & Jack’s Memphis Barbecue — a.k.a. “The Pig Rig” — of Tewksbury, Mass.; and cannolis from Uncle Joey’s Cannoli of Waltham, Mass.

A beer tent will feature pourings from several local breweries, like Frogg Brewing of Marlborough, 603 Brewery of Londonderry and Martha’s Exchange of Nashua. Guitarists will be playing music throughout the afternoon and the crew from 106.3 Frank FM will be there between noon and 2 p.m.

Two of the athletic club’s indoor tennis courts will be open with craft and artisan vendors. Donohue said products sold there will run the gamut from jewelry, stained glass, handmade soaps and woodworking items to gourmet barbecue sauces, mustards and other foods.

A cornhole tournament during the festival is planned for 2 p.m. on the function field adjacent to the parking lot, with warmups at 1 p.m. The cost is $15 per player and includes event entry.

While there will be multiple chairs and tables set up inside and outside that will be regularly sanitized, Donohue said festival attendees are allowed to bring their own chairs or blankets.

“It really is going to be a fun event for people to just get out of the house, sit on the field and enjoy the open air in a safe way,” she said.

Featured Photo: Alex and Marcie Pichardo of the Prime Time Grilled Cheese food truck. Courtesy photo.

Second annual Great New England BBQ & Food Truck Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 8, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (rain date is Aug. 9)
Where: Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford
Cost: Tickets are $5 general admission and free for kids under 14; purchase tickets at the gate or in advance online at ticketleap.com
Visit: gnespringintosummer.ticketleap.com/gnefoodtruckfest
Free parking is available on site. Masks are strongly suggested. No pets are allowed.

Participating food vendors
• Bobby & Jack’s Memphis Barbecue (“The Pig Rig”) (memphispit.com)
• Chompers (find them on Facebook @tomschompers)
• Extreme Concessions (find them on Facebook)
• Jayrard’s Java Cafe (jayrardsjava.square.site)
• M&G Mobile Gourmet (mgmobilegourmet.com)
• Pig on the Road BBQ (pigontheroad.com)
• Prime Time Grilled Cheese (primetimegrilledcheese.com)
• R & J BBQ (rjtexasbbqonwheels.com)
• The Smoothie Bus (thesmoothiebus.com)
• Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream (subzeroicecream.com)
• Sweet Crunch Bakeshop & Catering Co. (sweetcrunchbakeshop.com)
• Totally Nutz (urbannutroasters.com)
• Trolley Dogs (bostontrolleydogs.com)
• Uncle Joey’s Cannoli (unclejoeyscannoli.com)

Treasure Hunt 20/08/06

Hi, Donna,
I recently came across this item in a box that belonged to a deceased family member. While he was not a member of any police force, he had a few friends who were. My boyfriend and I cannot agree on what this is. He thinks it is a grave marker and I think it is an automobile badge. Who is right? We believe it is brass. Any idea on its age or what it may be worth? Any info you may be able to give me would be most appreciated.
Sandy

Dear Sandy,
You are right! It is a license plate topper.

License plate toppers were around from the 1930s to 1980s. There were lots of them, too. The value now depends on rarity and condition.

Yours being from a police department makes it a collectible in two areas: one for license plate topper collectors and then for police memorabilia collectors as well. So I think the value would be in the range of $125. Now because it is semi-local being from Massachusetts, I would maybe do more research by checking with the station to see when exactly they used this one, and for how long. And what was the official purpose?

After all the work is done you then might find the value to change. Maybe there were only so many made for the town.

Tell your boyfriend that some grave markers can be very similar, so it was an easy mistake.

Downtown for days

Concord’s Market Days converted to a month-long festival

The annual Market Days Festival returns to Concord this summer with a twist. Instead of the traditional three-day event, Market Days will become Market Month, a series of “Mini Market Days” held every weekend in August.

“People will be able to get outside with their families and enjoy games and activities, live entertainment and shopping — all the things they haven’t been able to do for a while — for a whole month,” said Haylie Stoddard, event coordinator for Intown Concord, which hosts the event.

From Thursday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 9, there will be a Sidewalk Sale, where downtown businesses will expand their storefronts outside on the sidewalks, talk with customers and promote special items.

Market Month will highlight downtown restaurants during Restaurant Week, happening Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 16.

Then, from Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 23, Concord will celebrate its diverse cultures with International Arts Week. That Saturday will include a full schedule of multicultural music and dance performances, arts and activities.

Market Month will conclude with another Sidewalk Sale from Thursday, Aug. 27, through Sunday, Aug. 30.

Visitors can also play Market Month Bingo, where for each day on the bingo board they can do an interactive activity to learn about a participating business. If they complete the task, the business will stamp their bingo card. Completed bingo cards can be entered for a chance to win a prize at the end of the month.

“A lot of our downtown businesses are struggling right now, and they need the hype to get people to come spend their money at downtown businesses and support the livelihood and culture of downtown,” Stoddard said.

Plans for Market Month have been mostly “up in the air” and made “week by week” due to the various uncertainties posed by the pandemic, Stoddard said, so it’s likely that events and activities will continue to be added throughout the month. Intown Concord will announce new additions to the schedule on its Facebook page as they are confirmed. Intown’s hope, Stoddard said, is to secure approval for use of the Statehouse lawn to feature more entertainment.

“If we get that approval, we’ll be able to book more musicians, performers and dance groups and have more days with events going on,” she said.

Under normal circumstances the Market Days Festival is central New Hampshire’s largest free community event, attracting tens of thousands of people each year. The shift from the three-day festival to Market Month was made, Stoddard said, “to enhance and ensure the safety and health” of downtown visitors and businesspeople.

“It’s a way to spread things out,” she said. “There will be smaller groups coming into downtown in increments rather than mass crowds of several thousands of people coming into downtown at one time.”

Face masks and hand sanitizer will be provided to attendees, and social distance markers will be set up at performances and other events and activities where a number of people would gather.

Market Month
Where: Downtown Concord
Schedule:
• Week 2 (Thursday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 9) — Sidewalk Sale
• Week 3 (Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 16) — Restaurant Week
• Week 4 (Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 23) — International Arts Week
• Week 5 (Thursday, Aug. 27, through Sunday, Aug. 30) — Sidewalk Sale
Cost: Free admission
More info: facebook.com/intownconcord

The Art Roundup 20/08/06

• Audio art tours: Great American Downtown, a nonprofit organization that promotes activities and businesses in downtown Nashua, has partnered with other community and arts organizations, including Freedom’s Way Heritage National Park, City Arts Nashua, Nashua International Sculpture Symposium and Positive Street Art, to create the city’s first self-guided audio tour of the public art in downtown, according to a Great American Downtown press release. The audio tour, available in English and Spanish, is offered through the Distrx app for free and is accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Using Bluetooth iBeacon technology, the app automatically displays photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. There are two types of tours — sculptures and murals — with 10 to 15 stops on each. “We are thrilled to provide this free and fascinating tour of Nashua’s incredible art scene, to locals and visitors to Nashua,” said Paul Shea, executive director of Great American Downtown. “With the current challenges of finding fun things to do while maintaining social distancing, we think this at-your-pace walking tour is a perfect opportunity for folks to get outside and enjoy some time in Downtown Nashua.” Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

• Back to the movies: Cinemagic Theaters (1226 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-4629; 11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 423-0240; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 319-8788; cinemagicmovies.com) will reopen on Friday, Aug. 21, according to a press release. Social distancing will be in effect, and masks will be required throughout the facility except while seated in the theater.

• Art in the garden: The Eastern Ballet Institute of Concord will begin holding its classes at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord) in the fall, according to a press release. To raise funds for the installation of a new dance floor and mirrors, the Institute will host a Summer Garden Masquerade at the School on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. The evening will feature an outdoor print exhibition of art inspired by dance and a pack-your-own picnic with a short performance by the dancers. Tickets cost $15. Visit kimballjenkins.com.

• Craftsmen’s Fair goes virtual: The 87th annual Craftsmen’s Fair, hosted virtually by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, continues on the League’s website through Sunday, Aug. 9. The virtual fair has links to the online shops of more than 140 League members working in a variety of contemporary and traditional crafts, such as baskets, blacksmithing, hand-blown glass, functional and decorative ceramics, framed original prints, metal sculptures, vibrant folk art, modern and traditional furniture, elaborate quilts, wearable art and jewelry. Additionally, there is a virtual exhibition tour and exclusive video content including demonstrations by the artisans, musical performances and guided craft projects for all ages. “We’ve tried to create an environment of engagement and excitement — not just another website — that mirrors the live event, where you can shop, learn about crafts and talk to the artists,” League executive director Miriam Carter told the Hippo last month. “The only thing that’s different this year is that, instead of being on the mountain, we’ll be on your monitor.” Check out these live virtual demonstrations, workshops and tours happening this week:

Thursday, Aug. 6

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Hanga printing demo and talk with Matt Brown (Zoom) – noon to 1 p.m.

• Throwing on the potter’s wheel with Steve Zoldak and Maureen Mills (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Learn about looms with weaver Dena Moses (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 2 to 2:30 p.m.

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 2 to 5 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 6 to 7 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

• Concert with Caroline Cotter (Facebook Live) – 7 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 7

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 10 a.m. to noon

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin and Diane Louise Paul (Facebook Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Art talk with Matt Brown: “The Energy Theory of Color” (Zoom) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Glazing a face jug with Paul Haigh (Facebook Live) – 2 to 4 p.m.

• Favorite Things Friday with Molly Harper of Soul Pine Pottery (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Woodturning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 3 to 4 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 8

• Wood turning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 10 to 11 a.m.

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Glassblowing demo with Hethre Larivee (YouTube) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 11 to 11:30 am

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Hanga printing demo and talk with Matt Brown (Zoom) – noon to 1 p.m.

• Throwing on the potter’s wheel with Steve Zoldak and Maureen Mills (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Flameworking demo with Jocelyn Brown (Facebook Live) – 1 to 3 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 6 to 7 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

• Concert with Dave Richardson (Facebook Live) – 7 to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 9

• Studio tour and pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 10 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 10 to 10:30 am

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 10 to 11 a.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Hethre Larivee (YouTube) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Woodturning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Glazing a face jug reveal with Paul Haigh (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Visit nhcrafts.org/virtual-craftsmens-fair.

Featured Photo: Nashua public art, “Bird Dreaming” by Jocelyn Pratt. Courtesy photo.

Laugh out loud

Town Hall Theatre hosts Silent Film Comedy Week

The Town Hall Theatre in Wilton restarted its silent film series in July, featuring live music by accompanist (and Hippo co-founder and associate publisher) Jeff Rapsis. After attracting more of a crowd than its first-run movies had, theater owner and operator Dennis Markaverich decided to forgo new movies until the fall and host a Silent Film Comedy Week at the theater from Aug. 10 through Aug. 14. Rapsis talked about the event and what viewers can expect.

How did this week of silent films come about?

It was an invention born of necessity. … Dennis … programmed [first-run films], but nobody was coming to them. … He was sitting there some nights with only one person in his two theaters. … I’ve done two silent film screenings there since the theater reopened, and we were surprised that the silent films actually attracted the largest audiences since reopening. … We thought … why not take some of the great comedies from the 1920s, which are always crowd-pleasers, and run them instead of first-run films?

Why do you think the silent film screenings are so popular?

There are people who really love this art form and come from far and wide to see these films. … We’ve been running silent films with live music at the Town Hall Theatre regularly every month for 13 years … so we’ve sort of developed a loyal audience for it, and a momentum.

Why comedies?

Comedies are really special because during the silent film era a comedy was not about telling jokes or stories; there was no sound, so the humor was all visual, not verbal … and an accident of that type of humor is that it still holds up really well today. If [comedians] were doing standup in the 1920s … we wouldn’t understand any of the jokes today … but visual humor is timeless … and works in different cultural contexts. … Anyone, no matter where they were in the world, could follow the story and enjoy it.

When and how did you start doing this?

I’ve been doing it regularly since about 2007. … The Palace Theatre in Manchester didn’t have anything planned for Halloween, so I volunteered to do the music for a screening of the silent film Phantom of the Opera. … I really enjoyed doing it and kept doing it … and now I do about 100 shows a year, generally two shows a week in New Hampshire or Boston. Sometimes, I travel across the country … and I’ve played in London a couple times. It’s been interesting … to go around the world, trying to bring silent films from a century ago to life for today’s audience.

How does the live musical accompaniment work?

I use a keyboard. It’s a digital synthesizer, so it’s not just piano. … One of the stereotypes about silent films is that they had some kind of rinky-dink piano accompaniment on an out-of-tune piano, but that isn’t how it was for these films. Nobody would have accepted that at the time, because the music was always such an important part of the experience. … With the synthesizer, I can create a score with everything from strings and woodwinds to bass drums, cymbals and percussion. It can recreate the texture of a full orchestra remarkably well.

How does live music enhance the experience?

Music plays quite a different role between [silent] films and contemporary film. In contemporary film, the music is all written out [by] one person. … For [silent] films, there was no official score. Most of the films were released by the studios to local theaters, and it was up to local musicians to come up with the right music for their audience. … In most cases, [the musician] would improvise the score on the spot. It was a skill that you can develop, which I have done, to create music in real time that responds not just to the film but to the audience’s reaction to the film, so every screening is a unique experience.

Why go?

It’s a great chance for people to experience something that they can’t get anywhere else. You can watch these films at home on video, but it’s not the same, because the nature of [silent films] is the idea of showing them in a theater with an audience and live music, and [the screenings] really recreate those conditions that these films were intended to be shown in. … I encourage people to give it a try. It’s unlike anything you may have experienced at a theater before.

Silent Film Comedy Week
Where: Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton
Schedule:
Monday, Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m. – The General (1926), starring Buster Keaton
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. – Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926), starring Harry Langdon
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m. – The Kid (1921), starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan
Thursday, Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m. – Grandma’s Boy (1922), starring Harold Lloyd
Friday, Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m. – Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), starring Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrence
Cost: $10 per person|
More info: Call 654-3456 or visit wiltontownhalltheatre.com

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