When you think about snacking, “healthy” may not be the first word that comes to mind. I understand that 100 percent. Quite often while I’m planning a menu of snacks for a Sunday afternoon I lean toward indulgence: appetizers that are full of calories and deliciousness. However, I also like to keep some balance in my eating, and that is where the healthy appetizer joins the menu.
One of the key mantras in my cooking is that healthy can be just as delicious as indulgent. It’s not always the fat and sugar that makes a dish taste great. You need to maximize flavors from your ingredients and cooking methods.
This spinach dip utilizes ingredients and cooking methods to provide a healthy and delicious snack. Rather than mayonnaise or sour cream, Greek yogurt is the base. It provides all the creaminess you want with a lot fewer calories and fat. If you want to be really healthy, use nonfat yogurt. It’s my go-to and makes for a creamy, thick dip.
To utilize cooking techniques to impart flavor, the garlic is roasted. Roasting garlic mellows the astringent bite of raw garlic while also providing a smooth garlic kick. Sure, you need to allow some time for the roasting and cooling, but it’s worth it when you taste the dip.
“Healthy” may not be the word of your snack menu dreams yet, but this recipe may convince you that it should be.
Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.
Healthy spinach dip Serves 4-6
1 head garlic 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole, lowfat or nonfat) 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed & drained salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic on an 8”x8” piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle garlic with olive oil and wrap securely with foil. Roast wrapped garlic for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow garlic to cool. When cool, squeeze individual cloves to remove garlic from skins. (Discard skins.) Combine yogurt, spinach and roasted garlic cloves in a small bowl, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. Serve with crackers, pita chips, carrots or celery.
Photo: Healthy spinach dip. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.
Jordyn Hotchkiss of Weare is the owner of The Cat’s Pajamas (catspajamasnh@gmail.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @catspajamasnh), a homestead business she runs with the help of her mother, April, offering freshly baked cookies, brownies and whoopie pies in multiple flavors. Her lineup of baked goods includes chocolate chip and sugar cookies, fudge brownies, classic or peanut butter whoopie pies and peanut butter fudge, all of which are available for sale at the Weare Real Food Farmers Market (65 N. Stark Hwy., Weare). Hotchkiss, who also occasionally takes on special orders, said The Cat’s Pajamas gets its name from her love of both 1920s culture and cat cafes, or cafes in which visitors can also play with cats that may be up for adoption. She hopes to expand her offerings to seasonal items this fall, like pumpkin whoopie pies.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
A KitchenAid mixer. I cannot function without my KitchenAid.
What would you have for your last meal?
For a full meal, probably steak with mashed potatoes, and a grasshopper pie ice cream sundae for dessert.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
I don’t go out to eat a whole lot, but one of my favorites is Putnam’s [Waterview Restaurant] in Goffstown. I’ll either get a chicken Caesar salad, or their steak and cheese. Their chicken tenders are good too.
What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your baked goods?
It makes me nervous, but I would love to have [Food Network’s] Duff Goldman. I would want to know what he would say.
What is your favorite product that you offer?
Either the whoopie pies or the brownies, because I like the way they come out. I have a special brownie pan that I use, so they all come out the same size.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
In the bakery world, I feel like cake pops are a really big thing. I’ve noticed them come up more frequently in different bakeries.
What is your favorite thing to cook or bake at home?
Chocolate chip cookies. We always have some cookies somewhere in the house for us, just as a family.
Homemade chocolate chip cookies From the kitchen of Jordyn Hotchkiss of The Cat’s Pajamas in Weare
½ Crisco stick (½ cup) 1 stick salted butter (½ cup) 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 2½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 12 ounces chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the Crisco and butter until creamy. Add in the brown sugar and white sugar. Mix until well-incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs, then gradually add in the flour until well-mixed. Mix in baking soda. Add chocolate chips. Scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes (baking time may vary depending on the oven and type of cookie sheet). Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two. Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy.
A year after its first cancellation in three decades, the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival returns to Ocean Boulevard Friday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Sept. 12, with dozens of local restaurants and specialty food vendors offering an array of seafood options, from lobster rolls and fried clams to homemade chowders, bisques and more. The festival will also feature local crafters, live entertainment and a fireworks display.
“When we made the decision that we were going to move forward with the festival, we wanted to make sure that it would provide a lot of fun for people, but also make it very safe,” said John Nyhan, president of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce. “So the first thing we did was we redesigned the layout, primarily on the street, and we reduced the sizes of the tents to make more open space. … We also eliminated one of the major tents on the street, which was one of our two beer tents. So we’ve created a layout now where there is a lot more open space and people don’t feel like they’re crammed into these large tents walking side by side.”
Oysters from the Swell Oyster Co. Courtesy photo.
More than 35 food vendors are expected to attend, including many returning favorites as well as a few newcomers. The Old Salt Restaurant at Lamie’s Inn in Hampton, which hasn’t missed a single festival since its inaugural year in 1989, according to Nyhan, is back once again. Brown’s Lobster Pound of Seabrook, Petey’s Summertime Seafood and Bar of Rye, and the Boardwalk Cafe & Pub of Hampton are a few other past participants.
New faces to the festival include Swell Oyster Co., which has been harvesting fresh Atlantic oysters in Hampton Harbor since 2017. Last year, owners Russ Hilliard and Conor Walsh opened the Swell Oyster Shack, their first retail space, on the Hampton State Pier.
Many of the vendors will compete for titles in several categories, like Best Chowder, Best Lobster Roll, Best Fried Seafood and others, as determined by a panel of judges — the tasting contest begins at 2 p.m. on Friday, and winners are announced on the Main Stage that evening.
“We’ll hand out the ribbons for these food vendors, and then they can put them on their tents showing that they won the best prize in that category,” Nyhan said.
There are plenty of options for non-seafood-eaters too, like french fries, chicken fingers, hot dogs and barbecue items, plus specialty desserts. Always a draw during the festival, members of the North Hampton Fire Department serve breakfast sandwiches first thing on Saturday morning.
Throughout the weekend is a full schedule of live musicians, performing on one of two stages. More than 75 local crafters selling their wares are also participating.
A new feature of the festival, the Pine Hospitality Group of Hampton is sponsoring an art show, featuring local artists that will be painting murals all day Friday at the Beach Cabana Bar. Each artist will have the opportunity to win a People’s Choice award for their work.
Culinary demonstrations from NESN’s Wicked Bites are scheduled between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s special events will also include two cornhole tournaments, the second of which will have signup opportunities that day. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, local organizations will gather on the Main Stage for a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums, as well as six local school color guards, will be in attendance.
Saturday’s festivities will conclude with a fireworks display on the beach at 8:30 p.m. Sunday will kick off with a 5K road race that morning, held along Ocean Boulevard and ending at the Beach Cabana Bar. As the festival winds down, a lobster roll eating contest will take place at 2 p.m. on the Main Stage, with Gov. Chris Sununu as the honorary master of ceremonies.
5th annual NH Bacon & Beer Festival
When: Friday, Sept. 10, 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: Ocean Boulevard, Hampton Beach Cost: $10 each day for adults and free for children ages 12 and under; all foods and drinks are priced per item Visit: seafoodfestivalnh.com No pets are allowed. Free shuttle services are provided in a variety of parking areas nearby, including at the Hampton Park & Ride (Timber Swamp Road) and at the Municipal Parking Lot (High Street) — see website for details. Masks are required while on board the shuttle buses.
Schedule of events
Friday, Sept. 10
• 1 p.m. Festival begins; all craft, food and beer tents will be open
• 1 to 9 p.m. Live music and entertainment on both stages
• 2 p.m. Food judging contest begins; vendors will compete for titles in a variety of categories, including Best Fried Seafood, Best Chowder and Best Lobster Roll
• 6:15 p.m. Contest winners will be announced on the Main Stage
Saturday, Sept. 11
• 10 a.m. All craft, food and beer tents reopen for the day, and live entertainment resumes
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Culinary demonstrations with NESN’s Wicked Bites
• Noon to 4 p.m. Cornhole competitions in the Beach Cabana Bar
• 3 p.m. Sept. 11 20th anniversary tribute on the Main Stage
• 8:30 p.m. Fireworks display on the beach, presented by the Hampton Beach Village District
Sunday, Sept. 12
• 7:30 a.m. 5K road race begins, taking place along Ocean Boulevard and ending at the Beach Cabana Bar
• 9 a.m. All craft, food and beer tents reopen for the day, and live entertainment resumes
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Culinary demonstrations with NESN’s Wicked Bites
• 2 p.m. Lobster roll eating contest on the Main Stage
Featured photo: Lobster roll from Rye Harbor Lobster Pound. Courtesy photo.
• Achieving grape-ness: The Hollis Grape Festival will return to the Hollis Town Common (Monument Square) on Sunday, Sept. 12, from 4 to 8 p.m. The event features gelato and other food options, local artisans selling their wares, face-painting, and photo opportunities in the grape stomping barrel. Live music will begin at 6:45 p.m., featuring Marco Turo performing the music of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Dean Martin. All proceeds benefit the Hollis Police Benevolent Fund, the Hollis Fire Explorers and the Hollis-Brookline Agricultural Scholarship Fund. Visit fulchino-vineyard-inc.square.site.
• School Street Cafe expands: The School Street Cafe of Dunbarton has partnered with Banks Chevrolet (137 Manchester St., Concord) for its second location, which opened inside the building on Sept. 1, according to its website and social media pages. Like at its predecessor, you’ll find a variety of breakfast and lunch options, as well as coffees and freshly baked pastries. The School Street Cafe first opened in August 2020 in the former MG’s Farmhouse Cafe space (1007 School St., Dunbarton) and offers build-your-own breakfast sandwiches, pastries and yogurt parfaits. Visit schoolstreetcafe.com.
• A bacon lover’s dream: There’s still time to get your ticket to the NH Bacon & Beer Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 11, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Tour Center and Biergarten (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack). The fifth annual event returns for the first time since the spring of 2019, featuring uniquely crafted bacon-infused eats from more than a dozen local food vendors, in addition to beer samples and live local music throughout the afternoon. Hundreds of pounds of bacon provided by North Country Smokehouse are being distributed among the restaurants, food trucks and other vendors, each of whom has the creative freedom to incorporate it how they would like to in their featured dishes. General admission is $60 per person, which includes access to up to 24 beer tastings and food samples while they last. Designated drivers can receive access to the food samples only for $35 per person. All proceeds benefit the High Hopes Foundation of New Hampshire. Visit nhbaconbeer.com or check out our coverage of the festival in the Hippo’s Sept. 2 edition, on page 24
Fernando Reyes is an auto detailer and owner of Always Faithful Mobile Wash, an auto detailing and cleaning service based in Nashua.
Explain your job and what it entails.
Auto detailing entails going through a vehicle and removing all of the grit and grime from the inside, giving it a deep vacuum, and some people may elect to have some [interior] shampooing done to remove hardened stains they can’t get out on their own. Then, we give the vehicle a thorough wash on the outside, wax it and take out all the windows [to clean them]. When we’re done it looks like it’s back to new showroom quality. … We offer mobile services, so we eliminate the process of someone having to drop their vehicle off at a shop; they can stay within the comfort of their own home, and we just show up and get to work detailing their car on site.
How long have you had this job?
I’ve been in business since last year.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I used to do [auto detailing] as a hobby. Me and my friends are avid car enthusiasts, so we like seeing nice cars as well as working on our own. … I was at the point in my life where I felt like, when you’re working for an employer, you don’t get appreciated or valued for the hard work you put in. I wanted to do something where I could be my own boss and make my own schedule, and instead of relying on an employer to value me, I could have a community and a clientele that would value my hard work. … I came up with the idea [for a detailing business] and started doing some research.
What kind of education or training did you need?
[The work] is basically the same thing you do when you go to a car wash and wash and vacuum out your car. … Being a military veteran, I’ve been able to apply the attention to detail I learned in the Marine Corps to make sure we get every little nook and crevice of the vehicle and clean places that you wouldn’t think [to clean]. … There are, however, some [auto detailing] training [programs] we’re looking to do in the future, just to help us with our technique and to be able to do [the job] quicker so that we can [serve] more clients in a day.
What is your typical at-work attire?
We have uniform shirts. I elected to go with fluorescent colors, like highlighter yellow and orange, so that when we’re out in the community, especially if we’re on a main strip [of road] doing our job, we stand out, so we can avoid accidents or injury.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
When we first opened, things were pretty good. We had gotten some contracts … with clients. Then Covid struck, and we had a lot of canceled appointments. We decided to try to stick it out and make the investment to keep the business alive. … I said, ‘Let’s see how the second year goes,’ and we played our cards right. We got a lot of repeat customers from the work we did [before the shutdown], and those customers have given us a lot of word of mouth.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
I wish I had known this was a thing that I could do and actually generate enough income to live comfortably. I would have started doing it sooner.
What do you wish people knew about your job?
That our business depends on Mother Nature. If the weather is good, we can accommodate [clients] and provide our services. If it’s not, we have to reschedule.
What was the first job you ever had?
Dunkin’ Donuts.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
Fear is the best motivation, so go for what scares you, because you never know what lies on the other end.
Five favorites Favorite book: Horrible Harry series Favorite movie: Bad Boys Favorite music: Latin/Spanish reggaeton Favorite food: Chinese Favorite thing about NH: Weekend getaways up in the mountains
Nashua’s SummerFun program wraps up for the year with an outdoor screening of this year’s excellent animated featureRaya and the Last Dragon (PG, 2021), a Disney movie featuring the voices of Awkwafina (as a dragon), Kelly Marie Tran (Raya), Sandra Oh, Gemma Chan and Daniel Dae Kim. The movie screens on Friday, Sept. 10, at dusk at the Greeley Park Bandshell (100 Concord St.).
Outside the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) on Friday, Sept. 10, you can sit under the stars and watch a robot come from the stars in WALL-E(G, 2008), that Pixar classic featuring the voices of Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Garlin and an interstellar opening segment scored to (as Wikipedia reminded me) “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” from Hello, Dolly!. The movie starts at 7 p.m.
Catch Honey I Shrunk the Kids (PG, 1989) on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) as part of the ongoing Movies For a Cause. Tickets cost $12. This week’s movies (1989’s PG movie Field of Dreams screens Wednesday, Sept. 15) benefit CASA.
Playtime can recommence
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) reopens Tuesday, Sept. 14, after its regular end-of-summer refresh. The museum will also feature its annual Toddlerfest, with drop-in activities for younger visitors (now that older kids are back in school) such as wacky art projects, bubble dance parties, science experiments and bug investigation in the museum’s Learning Garden, according to a press release.
And make plans now for the NH Maker Fest, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which will be held inside and outside the museum with no tickets required, the press release said. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays with timed tickets for 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to noon. Buy tickets in advance online; masks are required for all visitors over 24 months. Admission costs $11 for everyone over a year of age ($9 for seniors).
Fireworks & a parade
Hollis will hold its Old Home Days on Friday, Sept. 10, and Saturday, Sept. 11. On Friday, events run from 5 to 10 p.m. and include a midway and rides, exhibitors and food vendors and DJ Carryl Roy, at Nichols Track and Field. On Saturday, Sept. 11, the midway and rides are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Old Home Day parade starts at 10:30 a.m. and runs from the middle school to Nichols Field. A firemen’s muster will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., also at Nichols. A pet pageant takes place at 3 p.m., live music is scheduled throughout the afternoon and into the evening and fireworks are scheduled for 8 p.m., all according to hollisoldhomedays.org.
