Tag: 200702

Grilling with beer

Beer can be a marinade too

I love the complexity, texture and flavor that a rich, dark beer can bring to a big pot of slow-cooked, braised beef stew. And I love how a crisp, lighter brew adds another dimension of flavor to a big pot of chili. And what’s not to love about a pint of Guinness-flavored ice cream?

But what about marinating a steak in beer? That I wasn’t so sure about. But really, why not?

It’s summer and nobody wants to braise a big hunk of meat on the stovetop when it’s 90 degrees outside. But lots and lots of people do want to stand outside (probably with a beer in hand) as they man their respective grills — especially with the Fourth of July upon us.

First, marinating meat with beer isn’t a new concept, even if it wasn’t something I’d attempted previously. Beer adds flavor and it helps tenderize the meat as well, so all good things. But I struggled more with what kind of beer to use and what meat to use it with.

Based on my research and experimentation, there really aren’t any hard and fast rules. It really depends on what type of flavor you’re trying to impart to your meat.

A lighter beer like a Pilsner or lemony wheat beer would be a nice choice to marinate chicken breasts or maybe even fish filets, like salmon. But a pale ale or an IPA would also add some flavor and complexity to those same chicken breasts or some pork chops or pork tenderloin.

I tend to think darker beers like dry stouts or German dunkels work well when marinating steaks or even just mixed into a burger.

But really, it’s your call, and it’s honestly going to be kind of hard for you to mess it up so don’t stress.

Here’s just one recipe to consider — think of it as a baseline more than anything.

Featured Photo: Try using beer in your next marinade. Photo by Jeff Mucciarone.

Beer-marinated pork chops
12 ounces of beer
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup of minced onion or shallot
2 bone-in pork chops
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place all ingredients in a zip-close bag and refrigerate for a few hours. Give the pork chops an hour or so to come up to room temperature. Pat the chops dry. Turn on your grill and when hot, toss on the pork chops. Cook them over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until they develop a nice crust on each side. Take them off and let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes. If you have a significant amount of excess marinade, you could simmer it on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes and use it as a delicious sauce. Of note, I used a pale ale in this marinade but I think you could use just about anything. Enjoy.

What’s in My Fridge
Sluice Juice New England IPA by Bent Water Brewing Co. (Lynn, MA) This New England-style IPA has big citrus aroma — a breathtaking amount of citrus actually, mainly orange flavors. The beer itself is delicious, very smooth, mild bitterness. This is what you’re looking for when you choose a New England-style IPA. I had it straight out of the can at first and that was great, but I actually preferred it out of a glass as I felt like I picked up more of the aromas. Cheers!

Need to try
The Portsmouth Brewery is offering a Citrus Vanilla Sour that both scares me and intrigues me. This is “a light bodied beer with the addition of orange peel and vanilla beans … [and] a touch of caramel malt is balanced by the tart pithy-ness of the citrus,” according to the brewery. I’ve got to get my taste buds on that.

In the kitchen with Carly Feins

Carly Feins of Bedford is the owner of Carly’s Custom Cakes (carlyscustomcakes.com, find her on Facebook or Instagram), a homestead business offering custom desserts to order, including cakes, cookies, brownies, fruit bars and cupcakes. A baking and pastry arts/food service management graduate from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Feins has been baking since she was 11 years old. She fell in love with the craft after watching her aunt, Lisa Raffael (owner of Delicious Desserts in East Falmouth, Mass.), win on an episode of the Food Network Challenge. Feins, who has autism spectrum disorder, said she wanted to be a role model and an inspiration to others with similar diagnoses by starting her own independent business. In addition to accepting custom orders through her website for pickup or delivery within a 25-mile radius of southern New Hampshire, Feins participates in the Salem Farmers Market every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Salem Marketplace (224 N. Broadway). As of last week, her fruit bars and cookies are also available for purchase at the Bearded Baking Co. (819 Union St., Manchester).

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I actually have two of them. My KitchenAid stand mixer and also my kitchen scale.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would get a Caesar salad at the Manchester Country Club without any Parmesan cheese. At home, I would have a homemade brownie ice cream sundae.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I like Taipei & Tokyo in Bedford … and I also like to support Pizza Bella [in Bedford]. They provided pizza to Bedford High School when I went to school there, and I think they still do.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something that you’ve baked?

It’s a three-way tie between Food Network’s Duff Goldman, Sugar Monster Sweets [owner] Ashley Holt, and Jason Smith, also from Food Network.

What is your personal favorite thing to bake?

I can’t really decide, but basically any of the sugar cookies, cupcakes and whole cakes, because I like to put my own artistic spin on them. I’m an artist and desserts are my canvas.

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

I’ve been seeing a huge interest in no-contact deliveries and … smaller food operations relying on takeout and online ordering. I’ve also been seeing a lot more of a demand for meatless items.

What is your favorite thing to cook or bake at home?

I love cooking for my family. My favorite thing to do is chicken marsala with boiled rice. I also love to make chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.

1-2-3 sugar cookie dough
Courtesy of Carly Feins of Carly’s Custom Cakes in Bedford (who learned this recipe as a student at Johnson & Wales University)

2 pounds (or 4 cups) butter
1 pound (or 2 cups) granulated sugar
3 pounds (or just under 13 cups) pastry flour
170 grams whole eggs (or roughly three extra large eggs)

In a bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs in one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go with a stand mixer. When all the eggs are in, add the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of three hours. When ready to bake, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Knead dough on a flour-coated silicone mat and roll to about a quarter inch thick. Make sure the dough is still cold, as the temperature affects the cookie. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. You can augment with different flavors like lemon zest, or do chocolate by using cocoa powder.

Treasure Hunt 20/07/02

Dear Donna,
My name is Cathy and my daughter found this at an antique store in New Hampshire. She thought I would like it, as I work part time at Macy’s. I looked online and couldn’t find a bottle that looked like this one. It looks handmade, not mass produced, and it isn’t level when on a counter. I’m interested in how old it is and how much it may be worth.
Cathy from ​Hillsboro

Dear Cathy,​​
No matter what the value is of this bottle, the fact that you work there makes it fun to have. Macy’s is an interesting story to do research on. It’s been around since the middle to late 1800s.

Your bottle is a machine-made one that could have just been part of a bad run, so it’s a little misshapen. It could be tough to find the exact one because there were and are so many out there.​​

Having the paper label on is what still gives it charm today. Who doesn’t know Macy’s! And it’s also special to you because you work there now. The value is in the range of $30 for being a piece of advertising and in good condition. I hope this starts a collection for you.

Beautiful designs

Put some thought into creating a gorgeous garden

Let’s say you have recently purchased a house and want to create beautiful gardens. How should you begin? I recently visited Gordon and Mary Hayward, both garden designers, at their home in Westminster West, Vermont. Their gardens are as nice as any private gardens I have seen, and I wanted to understand their thought process.

The Haywards bought a 1790s farmhouse 36 years ago that needed a lot of work. The landscape was full of brush and abandoned cars. But they were undaunted. They explained that they wanted a house in a garden, not a house with gardens you walk by. They wanted to be surrounded by gorgeous flowers and trees, with sculpture and walkways. They wanted gardens all around them.

The first thing they did was establish the central axis of the gardens. They did this by tying a string to the front door plate and running it straight out to the trunk of a mature apple tree, thereby creating a focal point. All the main beds are either parallel or perpendicular to that string. I’d estimate that the pathway along the central axis extends from the house for a couple of hundred feet.

At the end of that central path is a magnificent old apple tree, surrounded by an 80-foot circle of lawn, because the drip line of the apple tree is circular. Flowers in curved beds surround the lawn. As Mary Hayward said, “Curves need to make sense.” Most of the paths and lines in their garden beds are straight, only occasionally curving or meandering to go around a fixed feature.

“Pay attention to views from the doors and windows because they’ll suggest garden placement,” said Gordon. Look at them, make sure what you see pleases you. Not only that, he said you gain confidence in your design if you pay attention to the house. There needs to be a relationship between the house and the garden spaces. “The garden is an extension of the house and the people in it,” he said.

What else should one consider? The north-south orientation is important, Gordon said. You can grow roses on the south side of a barn, for example, but not on the north side, as there is much less sun. Where is sunset? Most of us like to rest at the end of a day in the garden to watch the sun go down. You can design that — and maybe steal a view of distant hills owned by others. You may need a chainsaw to accomplish that.

Mary Hayward grew up near Hidcote Manor Garden, one of England’s finest old gardens, and visited often when growing up. Those visits shaped her view of how a garden should look: a series of connected rooms. Gordon Hayward grew up on an apple orchard, and so he wanted apple trees on his landscape as an adult. It makes sense to have elements of a garden that resonate with each person, based on personal history.

“Every decorative element in a garden should have a story, a reason,” Gordon said. “Don’t go buy a cute elephant. Consider what your grandmother or grandfather had.” In the long run, that will resonate with you better.

When Gordon designs a garden for someone, he always asks what their parents or grandparents had for gardens. Are there special plants that bring back memories of simpler times? So, for example, I have a piece of a peony my grandmother (who passed away in 1952) grew called “Festiva Maxima,” and I would hate to be without it. It’s my favorite flower.

Mary and Gordon spent time researching the farm they bought, learning about how it operated and where long-gone outbuildings were located. They have three old milk cans where the milking parlor once stood, and other features that remind them of the farm’s history. They unearthed granite fence posts and old bricks, and put them all to good use.

There is an old tobacco-drying shed in the gardens, and they used the proportions of that to determine the size of beds near it. The door of the shed is eight feet tall, so they used multiples or fractions of 8 for beds around it. The barn itself is 16 feet long — the same measure as the dirt road in front of the property, an old unit of measurement called a rod.

Gordon pointed out that for five months of the year there are no perennials visible in their garden. It is thus very important to have stone walls, trees, sculpture, pottery and outbuildings that are handsome and clearly visible from key windows of the house all year long. Designed properly, a garden can be as beautiful in winter as it is in summer. And since trees and shrubs take time to reach maturity, they are a logical early step when designing your garden.

I bought my house 50 years ago this August. It’s an old creamery, a butter factory built in 1888. It came with an acre of land, though I have since added more land. It had no perennials or shrubs, just a big native cherry tree, a few sugar maples and two huge elms, now long gone. Lawn surrounded the house.

If I were starting all over again, I would begin by designing a garden layout. To help me in that endeavor, I would study good gardens in glossy books and by visiting as many fine gardens as I could. I would take classes and go to arboretums to learn about trees and shrubs that might be used to improve the landscape. I would join a garden club and go on garden tours. And I would certainly want to read all of Gordon Hayward’s wonderful gardening books.

Henry is the author of four gardening books. He is now offering Zoom presentations to garden clubs and library groups. Email him at [email protected] for more information.

Featured Photo:Sculpture adds beauty and interest to a garden. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

The Art Roundup 20/07/02

• Handcrafted ornament: The League of NH Craftsmen has announced its 2020 annual holiday ornament, “Midnight Clear,” designed by Ken Kantro, who also created the inaugural ornament in 1988. The design is a scene inspired by the beauty of New Hampshire’s mountains in winter. Each pewter ornament is handcrafted, dated, numbered and signed by Kantro. You can purchase a gift-boxed ornament for $25 online or at a League craft shop (36 N. Main St., Concord; 530 W. River Road, Hooksett; 279 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith; 98 Main St., Nashua). Visit nhcrafts.org.

• Online watercolor and collage workshops: The New Hampshire Art Association has three upcoming online art workshops. On Thursday, July 9, from 10 a.m. to noon, learn to paint allium flowers with watercolor. Impressionist watercolor artist Dustan Knight will demonstrate splattering watercolor paint with an old toothbrush to create a variety of patterns and values with an air brush style. The cost is $55, and registration is required by Tuesday, July 7. On Sunday, July 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., create a visual “journey collage” with mixed media and handmade paper artist Angie Follensbee-Hall. The cost is $35, and registration is required by Thursday, July 9. Rejoin Knight on Thursday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to noon, to paint a New Hampshire sunset with watercolor and learn how to keep colors soft and blended. The cost is $55, and registration is required by Tuesday, July 14. Visit nhartassociation.org.

• Calling Black writers: New World Theatre, a New Hampshire-based theater company and playwright collective, has announced an open call to Black writersto submit “monologues that reflect their personal experience of living while Black,” according to a press release. Selected works will be published in an anthology titled 08:46. “Through the power of writing and theatre, we can do our part to amplify the stories of systemic racism and raise the level of awareness and understanding to effect meaningful change in the human heart,” the press release said. Profits from the sale of the publication will be split between the contributing writers and nonprofits committed to dismantling systemic racism, the release said. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 1, 2021. Visit newworldtheatre.org/08m46s.

• Movies are back: The Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St., Wilton, 654-3456, wiltontownhalltheatre.com) will reopen on Friday, July 3, with Irresistible (R, 2020) and Never Rarely Sometimes Always (PG-13, 2020), showing through Thursday, July 9. Regular showtimes will be different than they were pre-Covid, according to the movie theater’s Facebook page: nightly at 7 and 7:30 p.m.; plus Sunday matinees at 2 and 2:30 p.m.; and the Saturday Afternoon Classic at 2 p.m. Check the website for film updates. The Silent Sundays series featuring silent movies with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis will continue with The Three Musketeers (1921) on July 26.

• Cello on the lawn: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) presents a Concerts on the Green series every Sunday in July from 4 to 5 p.m. The series features Concord cellist Jan Fuller, who will perform works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, accompanied by the recorded music of pianist Chaeyoung Park. Fuller’s musical programs will also feature guest artists, including cellist Harel Gietheim on July 5, NH Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary on July 12 and NH Artist Laureate Amanda Whitworth on July 19. Attendees should wear masks and follow the social distancing guidelines by sitting within the painted circles on the lawn. Seating is first-come first-served. The concerts are free, with a suggested donation of $10. Call 783-9511 or visit shakers.org.

• In-person glass and pottery workshops: Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester) is now offering in-person one-day workshops, including stained glass every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for $45 per person; clay every Saturday at 3 p.m. for $45 per person; build-your-own succulent terrarium on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 6:30 p.m. for $35 per person; clay for families most Fridays at 12:15 p.m. and most Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. starting on July 11 for $30 per person; clay-sculpting for families every Saturday at noon and every Monday at 2:30 or 4 p.m. starting on July 11 for $20 per person; and pottery date nights every Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. for $30 per person. Register online in advance. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com.

• Jewish Film Fest goes virtual: In place of its traditional festival, the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival will present a virtual summer film series featuring five international films that would have made their New Hampshire premieres. The films include Love in Suspenders, an Israeli comedy, on Thursday, July 9; My Name is Sara, a U.S. drama, on Thursday, July 23; Futures Past, a U.S. documentary, on Thursday, Aug. 6; Shooting Life, an Israeli drama, on Thursday, Aug. 20; and Paris Song, a Latvian historical drama, on Thursday, Aug. 27. My Name is Sara, Futures Past and Paris Song screenings will include a post-movie discussion with the filmmakers on the following Sunday at 7 p.m. All screenings are free, with a suggested donation of $18 to support the festival and future programming. Advance registration is required. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com/2020-virtual.

• Author series on Zoom: The Tory Hill Author Series, presented by the Warner Historical Society, will be held virtually over Zoom this year. The series features local and nationally known authors who read from and discuss their books and personal experiences. This year’s lineup includes graphic novelist Joel Christian Gill on Saturday, July 11; feminist historian Susan Ware on Saturday, July 25; nature and biology writer Bernd Heinrich on Saturday, Aug. 8; and storyteller Rebecca Rule and middle-grade and young adult novelist Adi Rule on Saturday, Aug. 22. All events begin at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online. Visit toryhillauthorsseries.com.

Featured Photo: A detail of Allium flowers watercolor by Dustan Knight. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 20/07/02

2020, part 2
More businesses and organizations in New Hampshire are reopening and the state is coming out of shutdown mode. But we’re certainly not back to what life was like in January and who knows what “normal” is going to look like in the coming months. So, in this second half of 2020, QOL will restart the QOL meter, and restart at 50, as we do at the beginning of each year, recognizing that no 100-point meter can really gauge what it’s like to live in this unprecedented time (or accurately reflect all that has changed in the last few months).
QOL score: ?
Comment: There has been a lot of sadness over these past few months, a lot of frustration and a lot of fear. But there have been moments of optimism too. QOL will try to keep doing what QOL does best — pointing out the good stuff and the bad stuff that is part of life here in southern New Hampshire.

First in the nation!
New Hampshire is the most patriotic state in the country, according to a study from WalletHub, which used data of 13 “key indicators of patriotism” to compare the 50 states. Among other findings, New Hampshire ranked first in Civics Education Requirement, fourth in Percentage of Adults Who Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election, sixth in Peace Corps Volunteers Per Capita, and 10th in Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults.
QOL score: +1
Comment: Following New Hampshire on the list was Wyoming, then Idaho, Alaska and Maryland, while California, New York and New Jersey were listed as the three least patriotic states in the country, according to WalletHub’s data.

Prices at the pump
The average gas price in New Hampshire was $2.07 as of June 29, according to GasBuddy, which is 13.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago but 52.4 cents lower per gallon than during this week last year. New Hampshire’s cheapest station was $1.83 per gallon, and the most expensive station was $2.29 per gallon. Though the prices have been rising gradually in recent weeks, they dropped slightly last week nationwide, likely due to a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, according to GasBuddy. “Motorists across the country will likely be influenced by what develops in those areas — improvement and a slowdown in Covid would cause gas prices to continue rising, while a continued resurgence in Covid-19 cases and a drop in gasoline demand will mean lower gas prices,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in the release.
QOL score: 0 (because while $2.07 is low, that under $2 was such a welcome silver lining)
Comment: This is setting the state up to potentially have the lowest gas prices on the Fourth of July holiday since 2004, according to GasBuddy.

Great state for kids
The annual Annie E. Casey Foundation report found that New Hampshire is the second best state in the country for children’s well-being. The Granite State ranked second in the family and community domain, which includes data like Children in Single-Parent Families (30 percent in 2018) and Children Living in Poverty (1 percent in 2018). New Hampshire ranked fifth in the education domain and sixth in both the health and economic well-being domains.
QOL Score: +1
Comment: Massachusetts is the best state for children’s well-being, according to the report, beating New Hampshire in the education (second) and health (first) domains.

QOL score: 50
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected]

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