I’m going to start with a fact about this recipe: It needs about two and a half hours to be prepared. However, and this is a big however, only about 20 of those minutes are active cooking time. The remaining two hours are for the salad to become nice and cold. In fact, you could start this salad in the morning, let it hang out in the refrigerator all day, and finish it shortly before you’re ready to serve it. You can think of this salad as a dish that has something for everyone. For your healthy eaters, it is filled with broccoli and has an incredibly healthy dressing. If you are cooking for people who like tartness, there are the Granny Smith apples. For a hot summer’s day, this salad is served ice cold. Plus, it’s topped with bacon, which tends to be a popular ingredient for many people.
Besides being a crowd-pleaser and quite easy to make, it also is a low-maintenance dish as far as ingredients go. There are no hard-to-find items. For the lemon juice, use bottled or fresh. If you can’t find a Granny Smith apple, feel free to pick a different variety. Just gather your ingredients, get the salad started and in the refrigerator, and you have a delicious side salad ready in a couple hours.
Broccoli, apple, and bacon salad Serves 4
4½ cups broccoli florets 2 stalks celery 1 Granny Smith apple ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons sugar 4 strips bacon
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli florets, and boil for 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander, rinsing with cold water to stop cooking; drain well. Chop celery into ½-inch pieces. Core apple, and chop into ½-inch cubes with skin on. Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Combine broccoli, celery and apple in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together yogurt, lemon juice and sugar. Pour dressing on salad, and toss well. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Cook bacon until crispy, using your preferred method. Drain bacon on paper towels, and chop into a small dice. Just before serving, top salad with diced bacon pieces.
Featured Photo: Broccoli, apple and bacon salad. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.
Two reds that show off the diversity of French grapes
France is the largest country in western Europe. In the continent overall, it is second only to Ukraine and Russia, located at the eastern edges of the continent. However, the country is slightly smaller in area to the combined square miles of Colorado and Wyoming. It is smaller than the state of Texas, yet it has some of the most diverse terrain and climate of any of the wine-producing European nations. The terrain ranges from the mountainous edges of the Alps and Pyrenees to the rolling hills and plains to the north of Paris. And climate is influenced by these extremes, from the warm Mediterranean sun on its southern shores to the cool, sometimes rainy northern shores. Given this diversity of terroir, we are blessed with a full array of wines to sip or enjoy with our friends at dinner.
Our first wine, a 2019 Pascal et Alain Lorieux Chinon Red Loire Wine (originally $54.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, reduced to $24.99), is a creation of 100 percent cabernet franc grapes. These grapes are grown worldwide and are principally used for blending with other varietals, such as in Bordeaux-style wines, where they are blended with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes can trace their beginnings to cabernet franc grapes. This wine comes from the Chinon appellation, along the Loire River Valley. This appellation has been vinifying cabernet franc wines since sometime in the 17th century. In general the cabernet franc grape is similar to the cabernet sauvignon but buds and ripens at least a week earlier, allowing it to thrive in cooler climates than cabernet sauvignon, such as in the Loire Valley.
This grape adapts to a wide variety of vineyard soils. We have said before that terroir affects the grape, the color and the notes of a wine, and this is certainly true of cabernet franc. The soils of the Chinon appellation are a chalky limestone and produce a heavier, more full-bodied wine. Cabernet franc coming from the Finger Lakes Region of New York, with its gravel-based soils, tends to be a bit “thinner” than this Loire Valley wine. However, it has nonetheless taken off in the region because it produces wines of better quality and because of its ability to ripen more reliably than other reds.
The wine has a beautiful deep garnet color, producing notes of red cherries and raspberries, along with some slight undertones of plum and blackberries. The tannins are slight, with notes of cedar. This is a rich, soft wine that we paired with hamburgers, grilled to be very rare and then loaded with blue cheese and mushrooms. This wine turned the simple meal into one of elegance.
Our next wine comes from the south of France, only about a seven-hour drive from Chinon, but a world away in climate and soils. The 2020 Réserve des Diacres Châteauneuf-d-Pape (originally $39.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, reduced to $23.99) is a classic southern Rhône wine. The color is a slightly transparent purple; to the nose there are plums and blackberries. These notes follow through on the tongue, with a solid, dry presence, not “jammy” but still full of fruit and bold. There is alcohol at 14.4 percent, but it doesn’t burn your nose.
To look at the label, one would think this is a winter wine. While not a sipping wine, this is an excellent accompaniment to grilled lamb, or low-fire grilled rustic vegetables in olive oil. The wine is blended by Baptiste Grangeon, owner and winemaker at Domaine De Crista, a vineyard and winery situated on some of the best soils in the southern Rhône valley. To create an affordable wine, he sourced grapes from three different terroirs within the region, with a sand and limestone base, topped by the famous river-washed rock that holds the heat of the midday sun. The grapes are principally grenache, blended with syrah. The grenache is high in sugars, thus producing high alcoholic wines. The syrah introduces just enough “jammy” fruit to soften the grenache. This is a beautiful wine to enjoy with a backyard barbeque.
Two different wines from one country, offering widely different notes to the palate, provide one with an opportunity to enjoy a wide spectrum of experiences. Enjoy your barbecue!
Meredith Thomas of Derry is the owner and founder of Mimi Rae’s Gluten Free Bakery (mimiraesglutenfreebakery.com, and on Facebook and Instagram), a producer of small-batch handcrafted gluten-free items like cookies, scones, breads, bagels, cinnamon rolls, cake pops and more. Originally from the Chicago area, Thomas moved to New England about three years ago. She first got into making gluten-free treats shortly after her husband was diagnosed with Celiac disease — eventually, after a period of developing and mastering her technique, Thomas started selling her treats at the encouragement of her family. Find Mimi Rae’s Gluten Free Bakery at the Salem Farmers Market (Tuscan Village, 10 Via Toscana, Salem) on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at the Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market (1 W. Broadway, Derry) on Wednesdays, from 3 to 7 p.m. Thomas’s gluten-free treats can also be ordered online.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
My No. 1 thing is my mixer. I have two mixers — one for making some bigger, heftier doughs and then one for frostings.
What would you have for your last meal?
Risotto is my favorite. I like the versatility of it.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
We love Sabatino’s [North] in Derry. Their risotto is amazing.
What celebrity would you like to see trying something that you’ve baked?
I follow a lady named Tara Thueson. She’s an Instagram influencer and she’s gluten-free.
What is your favorite gluten-free item that you offer?
The chocolate chip cookies. As basic as they are, I love to just take a regular cookie and then add a little flair to it. … For example, in the wintertime I’ll add in peppermint M&Ms.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I see a lot of bakery storefronts now with these huge jumbo cookies. People get so excited for them.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Honestly, dinner is my favorite thing. We have four kids [and] we are so busy with activities and sports with the family, so it’s super important for me to always have a dinner prepared and ready to go. … My kids also love fettuccine alfredo, and the Barilla gluten-free pasta is our favorite that seems to hold up the best.
Gluten-free fettuccine alfredo From the kitchen of Meredith Thomas of Mimi Rae’s Gluten Free Bakery
1 box Barilla gluten-free fettuccine pasta 2 room temperature eggs 1 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup frozen peas ½ cup cooked bacon
Fill a pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add pasta. After five minutes, pull out one cup of pasta water. Whisk the eggs and slowly add the pasta water. Drain pasta and place back in the pot. Add egg and water mixture to the pasta and mix thoroughly. Add Parmesan cheese, peas and bacon (optional: if pasta is too thick, milk can be added to make it creamier).
“Parent-focused, child-friendly” cafe now open in Londonderry
A new cafe in Londonderry has been specially designed to cater to families with young children, with a variety of built-in amenities like a Montessori-style play area, a “treehouse” reading nook, a chalk wall, changing tables and a bottle-warming station, all in addition to a menu of coffees, teas, smoothies, baked goods, kid-friendly snack dispensers, bento boxes and more.
It’s called The Nest, and its grand opening arrived on June 6 after more than a year of planning. Owners Jamie and Ryan Getchell are themselves the parents of three kids, ages 6, 5 and 22 months old — Jamie Getchell said the idea for the business came to the Londonderry couple following their own experiences visiting cafes and coffee shops with their kids in tow.
“We’d take our firstborn daughter and there would be no changing table, or she’d start crying and people would give us these looks like we were interrupting them if they were working, and we’d feel bad,” she said. “So we stopped doing that … but then it just felt like the only place to take the kids would be Chuck E. Cheese, or a trampoline park, or some other place with loud music and flashing lights. … It felt like there was just something missing for parents.”
Photos courtesy of The Nest Family Cafe.
The couple soon started developing a business plan and conducting research, visiting as many area cafes and coffee shops as they could along the way to figure out how to best make theirs accommodating to children. Unlike at some “play cafes” in other parts of the country that charge visitors to use the amenities by the hour or the child, Jamie Getchell said those at The Nest are free to use. There’s also a “blessing corner” of the cafe that features shelves of free donated diapers, wipes, baby formula and other items for any families in need of them.
“We wanted to flip the model a bit and say that we’re parent-focused [and] child-friendly,” Ryan Getchell said. “Our goal was to design a space that gives mom 45 minutes to an hour to sip a great cup of coffee and talk with other moms while the kids can play. … We’ve had friends come in with their kids and they already beeline it right to the small chairs and the play area.”
The roughly 1,500-square-foot space includes traditional cafe seating that’s adjacent to the gated play area, designed to look like a bird’s nest. On the other side of that is a lofted reading nook, along with custom-built table seating for kids and a chalk wall mounted near the floor. Around the corner at The Nest’s rear is where you’ll find the cafe’s private family area, which has a changing table, a complimentary bottle warmer and a breastfeeding chair.
But the drinks and food served at The Nest are by no means afterthoughts — the Getchells have worked closely with their neighbor, who happens to be a regional sales manager for Peet’s Coffee. They’re now members of the company’s Proudly Pouring program, which Ryan Getchell said allows them to create their own drink menu of any of Peet’s Coffee’s products. Their lineup of drinks includes a variety of hot and iced coffees, in addition to cold brew and a full line of espresso drinks. Through Peet’s Coffee’s sister company, Mighty Leaf Tea, there are also multiple flavors of iced tea shakers, which are made with real fruit pieces and purees.
Other drink options include smoothies, of which there are five flavors out of the gate to start.
“Friends and other moms have been saying to us that if their kids are going to come, they are going to want smoothies,” Jamie Getchell said. “So we were creating all of these smoothies and we kind of gathered what we liked and didn’t like about various recipes we found.”
She added that, while the couple’s original plan had been to serve paninis, feedback on social media and in focus groups regarding potential allergy concerns ultimately led them to pivot to offering “nest boxes,” or bento boxes filled with a variety of ingredients for kids or adults. Each specialty nest box contains its own collection of pre-selected items, or you can build your own.
“Whether it’s yogurt, apple slices, turkey and cheese rollups, or tuna fish or chicken salad … it’s a perfectly portioned healthy box for a kid, or mom or dad can get one too,” she said.
The Nest is also partnering with Klemm’s Bakery of Windham to source various pastries and baked goods like doughnuts, muffins and cookies. A snack dispenser features several kid-friendly snacks and cereals, and a retail area of the shop has parents and kids covered for a variety of essential items, from diapers, wipes and spare onesies to coloring and sticker books.
In lieu of entertainment you might find at a traditional cafe like live music or poetry readings, Jamie Getchell said The Nest is partnering with several local organizations, like the Leach Library in Londonderry to hold readings, and Party Palace for costumed character appearances.
The Nest Family Cafe Where: 25 Orchard View Drive, Unit 1, Londonderry Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays. More info: Visit thenestfamilycafe.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @thenestfamilycafe
Featured photo: Photos courtesy of The Nest Family Cafe.
• Local brews and wines: Join Beer & Wine Nation (360 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) for its next local beer and wine tasting event, scheduled for Saturday, June 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will feature selections from more than 10 breweries and vineyards, including 603 Brewery of Londonderry, Fulchino Vineyard of Hollis, White Birch Brewing of Nashua, Zorvino Vineyards of Sandown and several others. Admission is free. Visit beerandwinenation.com.
• Food trucks roll in: Don’t miss the 8th annual Touch-a-Truck and food truck festival in the parking lot of Hopkinton High School (297 Park Ave., Hopkinton), rain or shine on Saturday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 50 service vehicles, construction vehicles and hot rods will be on display, and the food truck area will feature a diverse lineup of offerings. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids, with proceeds benefiting the Library of Things at the Hopkinton Public Library. Purchase tickets on the day of the event or in advance online at hplfinc.org.
• More markets return: Farmers markets in Milford, New Boston and Bedford are all expected to kick off their outdoor seasons this week. The Milford Farmers Market and the New Boston Farmers Market will each begin on Saturday, June 11 — both will feature a selection of local vendors selling produce, meats, baked goods and more. Milford’s will take place at 300 Elm St., across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is set to continue every Saturday outdoors through Oct. 8. New Boston’s, meanwhile, is due to return on the Town Common (Route 13 and Meetinghouse Hill Road), from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., also every Saturday through Oct. 8. The Bedford Farmers Market will then kick off on Tuesday, June 14, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House (393 Route 101, Bedford), and will continue every Tuesday through Oct. 11. More outdoor markets are expected to return in the Granite State in the coming weeks, including in Candia on June 18, in Franklin on June 23 and in Wilmot on June 25.
• Race to the Finnish: The Finnish Long Drink, an iconic alcohol brand produced in Finland with real liquor and sparkling citrus, is now available in New Hampshire via Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, according to a press release. In Finland, the long drink is the nation’s best-selling category of liquor — its roots go back to the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in the capital city of Helsinki, the release said, when the Finnish government created the drink as an option to serve quickly to all of its international visitors. Today it is distributed in ready-to-drink cans made with real liquor, with four flavor options: Traditional, Zero, Cranberry and Strong. New Hampshire is now one of 40 American markets nationwide where the Finnish Long Drink is available, according to the release. Visit thelongdrink.com.
Mike Gillespie is the franchise owner and operator of Pet Butler NH, a pet waste removal service.
Explain your job and what it entails.
I own and operate a Pet Butler franchise in southern New Hampshire. Our tagline is ‘We scoop poop.’ All that translates into owning a pooper scooper service, managing a couple of ‘pawesome’ employees, managing the business operations and, of course, scooping poop.
How long have you had this job?
I started the business in 2019 and began scooping in January 2020. I left my health care career in January 2021 to operate the franchise full-time.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I needed a change from health care, and this was an opportunity to start a business with minimum investment.
What kind of education or training did you need?
You need to have an understanding of business. I’ve had a couple of other small businesses over my lifetime, so personally my business training has been on the job, along with support from the franchisor.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
We dress for the outdoors and the weather. For me, the most important thing is the shoes, to keep my feet dry. Lawns can be very damp in the morning, and having wet feet all day kind of stinks.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
We started right before the pandemic, so we had no idea what would happen. It turns out that our business was needed, especially with all the Covid dogs that were adopted. We were fortunate to be deemed an essential service — animal care — so we stayed working. Business is picking up and has been pretty solid.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
What we do is pretty simple, but despite being a dog owner for many years, families with two, three or four dogs have a lot of poop in their yard.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
It’s a pretty good job if you like working by yourself, can work with minimal supervision, like dogs, enjoy being outdoors and take pride in what you do.
What was the first job you ever had?
A couple of my high school teachers had a landscaping business, so I worked for them at the end of high school.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
‘It’s just poop in a bucket.’
Five favorites Favorite book: I’m not a big reader, but I enjoyed reading the original Spenser: For Hire books. Favorite movie: Young Frankenstein Favorite music: Rock ’n’ roll music from my youth, which I guess is now called ‘classic rock.’ Favorite food: I love me a tasty steak Favorite thing about NH: Having four seasons
