221110

Friendly fusion

Eclectic band Annie In The Water hits Manchester

The music of Annie In The Water is a contagious hybrid of rock, funk and rhythm infused with a feel-good reggae groove. It’s the kind of sound that’s kept Michael Franti bouncing around the globe for decades, done with capability and verve.

For many years the band was a duo; singer-guitarists Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester met while attending college in upstate New York in 2006. When a female friend fell into a lake trying to tie up her boat, they found a name, and gigged steadily in the region.

Ten years later, Lashomb and Hester began assembling what would grow into a six-piece band. One of their recruits was drummer Josh West, then at a crossroads when his longtime band decided to forego touring for local shows. West stuck around for a couple of years, departing to work on his own record; the collection of songs, completed during the pandemic, will drop next spring.

West returned to the group last summer. In an interesting twist, he replaced the original drummer of Lucid, the band he’d been in before joining the first time. Along with Hester, Lashomb and West, members now include bassist Chris Meier, Matt Richards on keyboards, and percussionist Brock Kuca.

It’s a big sound, West agreed in a recent phone interview.

“We’re really taking the time to explore what it means to play in a band with that many people and all these layers, and make sure that we’re not overplaying,” he said. He’s known Richards since his days in Formula Five and Meier from his earlier band Space Carnival. “We hadn’t really done much playing together; but we’re friends… we’ve respected each other’s musical abilities.”

Influences for the group come from a myriad of sources. West is a big fan of drummer Bernard Purdy, who played with Steely Dan and others, along with Carlton Barrett of the Wailers. He also names Snarky Puppy and Ghost Notes as favorite bands. Others in the group cite festival mainstays like Grateful Dead and Phish, along with ’90s alt rock.

A recent Halloween show was indicative of the group’s wide-ranging oeuvre. “We’re playing everything from Prince to Blink-182 to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Radiohead, to Daft Punk,” West said. “A big eclectic kind of influence there, but I think all these songs really speak lyrically and are kind of timeless pieces.”

When it first came together, the band was mainly a vehicle for the original duo’s material. A debut album, Time To Play, “was pretty much all songs that Brad and Mike had written 10 years ago,” West said. The second studio effort was more collaborative; though he wasn’t on the sessions for this year’s The Sun At Dawn, West called it evolutionary. “Since I’ve been back, that kind of energy has carried over.”

West recalled a recent songwriting session at a hunting camp in northern Vermont, where the band is now based. “We each brought a song to the table, and on top of that, we all have little parts,” he said. “It’s really a very democratic process, [with] open and equal energy… which is very inspiring.”

The newest lineup is already poised to follow up Sun At Dawn.

“We’ve got pretty much a new record of songs that we’ve written in the last three months,” West said. “We’re getting ready to hit the studio for this winter.”

That energy has translated to the stage. “The camaraderie in the band between members is at an all-time high; we’re firing on all cylinders right now,” West continued. “Pretty much every show we’ve been playing lately, the energy is tangible in the room; it’s just something you gotta come check out.”

Jordan Paul’s JigsMusic agency booked the band’s Veterans Day show at Shaskeen Pub in Manchester.

“I’m so excited to bring Annie in the Water back to the Granite State,” Paul said in a recent text message. “We haven’t seen them since before the pandemic. I know they’ve been picking up a lot of steam with their new lineup and I’m very excited to see this new chemistry everyone’s been talking about.”

Annie In The Water w/ DJ SP1
When: Friday, Nov. 1, 9 p.m.
Where: Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester
Tickets: $10 at the door
More: See facebook.com/annieinthewater

Featured photo: Annie In The Water. Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 22/11/10

Local music news & events

• Billy double: Piano player Ben Eramo, who fronts tribute act Cold Spring Harbor, began playing at age 4 and became enamored of Billy Joel at 11 when his teacher gave him a copy of “My Life” to learn. He did so quickly, then soaked up the rest of his songbook. He and a friend formed a duo dedicated to Joel’s music in middle school. Since then, the now four-piece band has become one of the region’s favorites. Thursday, Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst, $35 at labellewinery.com.

• Key difference: A band that regularly leads an open mic in a music-friendly restaurant, Andrew North & The Rangers kicks off the weekend there with a free show. They’re in fine form of late, evidenced by a pre-Halloween set at Feathered Friend Brewing that included covers of “Werewolves of London” and “Ghostbusters” along with sneaky nods to “Thriller” and Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein.” Check it out on archive.org. Friday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m., Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord. See andrewnorthandtherangers.com.

• Comic relief: Now that autumn leaves and campaign signs are gone, it’s a good time to laugh, and Comedy Night with three well-known standups provides such an opportunity. Paul Nardizzi is a regional favorite who appeared on the Conan O’Brien Show and Comedy Central. Jody Sloane got her start entertaining tourists while driving a Duck Boat tour bus in Boston. Dave Decker opens the bring-your-own-food affair. Saturday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m., VFW Post 1670, 143 Court St., Laconia, $20 at venue or call 524-9725.

• Sunday swing: Two local treasures join up as The Freese Brothers Big Band and Alli Beaudry perform an afternoon show. Formed in 1982 to “support and encourage the development of the musical talents of the public” and foster music appreciation, the family troupe dates back to the 1930s; their shows highlight the Golden Era of Big Band. Manchester-born Beaudry is an effervescent singer, songwriter, and booster of her home city. Sunday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $29 at palacetheatre.org.

• Dynamic duo: This week’s alt comedy night is a special one, with Eddie Pepitone and JT Habersaat sharing the stage. Whoever first said, “you can take the boy out of NYC, but you can’t take NYC out of the boy” most likely had Pepitone in mind. The Staten Island native moved to L.A. over two decades ago for a part in Old School and became a mainstay in clubs there. Habersaat just wrapped his annual Altercation Fest in Austin. Wednesday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, shaskeenirishpub.com.

Enola Holmes 2 (PG-13)

Enola Holmes 2 (PG-13)

The case-solving younger sister of Sherlock Holmes returns in Enola Holmes 2, a very satisfying second chapter of this story.

Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is trying to break out as a working detective on her own but her would-be clients seem surprised to see how young and female she is — is her brother (Henry Cavill) available? Just as she’s about to abandon Victorian London to return to the family home in the country, young girl Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) shows up to hire Enola to search for her sister. Sarah Chapman (Hannah Dodd), a big sister-type whom Bessie lived with and worked at the match factory with, has gone missing, and Bessie dearly wants her back. Enola quickly takes the case, going undercover at the factory and trying to figure out what secrets Sarah had uncovered just before she disappeared.

As Enola digs into her case, Sherlock has a stumper of his own, and the two frequently cross paths, especially once Enola gets tangled up in the death of another matchgirl.

And then there’s Tewkesbury (Louis Patridge), the noble Enola befriended during her search for her vanished mother, Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter) in the first movie (Eudora, you may remember, turned out to be a suffragette who had been cleverly siphoning family money to pay for the cause). Tewkesbury is now a progressive member of the House of Lords. Enola might not return his letters but she has been watching him walk to Parliament fairly regularly even if she won’t admit to having more than friend-y feelings for him.

Enola Holmes 2 is a big, yummy slice of cake — pretty and tasty frosting, lots of flavorful sponge and a thin layer of tartness in between the layers. There is actual there there in terms of the history — a real Sarah Chapman organized a strike of matchgirls over working conditions in 1888. And we have nice further development in terms of character relationships — Enola and Sherlock’s oddballs-with-mutal-respect-and-affection, Enola and Eudoria’s daughter-mother bond, Enola and Tewkesbury’s growing romance. We also get the beginnings of some canonically important Sherlock relationships as well, one with a really nice bit of backstory. It’s all well drawn, with each mini story getting just enough depth, just enough little moments that we can enjoy the characters as well as their adventure.

Brown remains the excellent star at the center of this solar system. She makes Enola plucky without being cartoonish and believable in her blend of confidence and occasional moments of uncertainty.

It was a joy to get to know these characters in the first movie and just as much fun to revisit them. I don’t usually say this but here’s hoping for Enola Holmes 3. A

Rated PG-13 for some violence and bloody images, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Harry Bradbeer with a screenplay by Jack Thorne (based on the books by Nancy Springer), Enola Holmes 2 is two hours and 10 minutes long and is available on Netflix.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (TV-14)

Weird Al Yankovic gets a — biopic I guess? with the excellent Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which is streaming on the Roku Channel of all places, a fact which is kind of perfect, tonally.

Little Alfie Yankovic (Richard Aaron Anderson as a kid, David Bloom as a teen and a super game Daniel Radcliffe as an adult) grew up loving Mad magazine and the Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) radio show and sneaking Hawaiian shirts. His parents (Julianne Nicholson, Toby Huss) just wanted him to stop doing all the things he wanted to do and being the way he was so he could grow up and get a sensible job at the factory, like Al’s dad. But Al fell in love with the accordion and dreamed of one day writing his own lyrics for other people’s songs. Even after getting caught at a polka party as a teen — you know how teens like to peer pressure each other into playing polka — and incurring his father’s extreme wrath, Al never gave up. He moved out and started playing his music for audiences and eventually saw enormous success, even when he moved from parodies to writing completely and totally original songs, as the movie emphatically and repeatedly states, like “Eat It.”

Other things that happen in Weird Al’s life: He has a passionate relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood, who is having a blast), he is offered the role as the new James Bond, he sells more albums than The Beatles, he is an international assassin maybe. And through it all, what he really wants is the love of his father, whose violent reaction to accordions comes with a surprising backstory.

Weird is both the dumbest movie I’ve seen in a long time (and I mean that as a compliment) and possibly the only correct way to make a biopic of a living person. It isn’t just Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, it’s Walk Hardest — so committed to its own delightful stupidity that you can’t help sharing in the delight. This movie contains a requisite dark period where Weird Al basically turns into Jim Morrison. There is a running subplot involving Pablo Escobar. There is a Gallagher reference (kids, ask your dorkiest grandparent).Thomas Lennon has a small part as a door-to-door accordion salesman who is basically The Music Man’s Harold Hill. And everybody here, including the oddly buff Daniel Radcliffe, is playing everything absolutely unblinkingly straight. It is marvelous, in that it is a marvel to behold this much unfiltered ridiculousness in one movie, one Roku movie produced by Funny or Die Productions (which made a trailer for a Weird Al biopic as a bit nearly a decade ago).

Everyone here is a delight, from Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol to Quinta Brunson’s Oprah Winfrey, but it is truly Radcliffe who wins the Just Going For It award. He is earnestly unhinged and it is great. A

Rated TV-14. Directed by Eric Appel and written by Weird Al Yankovic and Eric Appel, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is an hour and 48 minutes long and is available on the Roku Channel.

Featured photo: Enola Holmes 2

Album Reviews 22/11/10

Hellsingland Underground, Endless Optimism (Sound Pollution Records)

So the deal with this album is it’s the latest from a bunch of old Swedish rock ’n’ roll guys who don’t care if you make fun of them for being old. They’ve done a ton of albums and have finally gotten tired of loud guitars, so they “decided to add more piano, synthesizers and atmosphere instead.” Admirable, isn’t it? And they wrote their press blurb sheet themselves, which is cool. Like, after a lot of blah blah blah, it says here, “We also fired our drummer Patrik Jansson, but found a new one in Johan Gröndal. He is fantastic.” So, yeah, I like these guys personally, and they admit to hating Mötley Crue, which means they’re normal, but is the music any good? Actually yes, yes it is, especially if you’re into Starz, Bowie, things like that, arena-rock tempered with honky tonk and such. They have my full blessings. A

Spell, Tragic Magic (Sound Pollution Records)

The core of this Vancouver, Canada-based throwback-prog-metal act is just two guys, guitarist Cam Mesmer and drummer Al Lester, although they’re supported here by an array of temps who should probably go permanent if they want this to be a serious project, just my two cents. Influenced by such bands as Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Rush and (purportedly) old-school Mercyful Fate, which is slightly hard to pinpoint here, but Triumph and Rush-style stuff isn’t. Some pretty different riffing here, odd time signatures, really good engineering values and all that; in fact this might have made something of a splash back in the days when a slightly occult-ish vibe was desirable. But it does get a little hokey when they’re phoning in some obvious filler (“Ultraviolet” for example, despite its being something of an apparent push track). But anyway, there you are, something that blows away bands like The Darkness without being too obvious about it. A

Playlist

• Ho ho ho, kiddies, there’s nothing like a little early holiday cheer, which will (hopefully) be provided this week by a bunch of new albums that are officially due out on Friday, Nov. 11! The biggest news this week is something for our mainstream rock fans out there, a new album from living fossil man Bruce Springsteen, called Only The Strong Survive! Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that Bruuuce’s guitarist Steven Van Zandt (also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve or That No-Neck Dude From The Sopranos) is from Winthrop, Massachusetts? See, you learn something new every week just by checking in here! Ack, ack, whatever, furball, here we go, another full length album of rock ’n’ roll from Bruuuce and his boyeez, I can’t wait to get disappointed by the latest rock music single from this working-class hero dude who could buy a few Hilton hotels out of the loose change in his couch, let’s go see what the hubbub is all about this time (which will hopefully be better than last time, lol, remember how much people hated that last album?). But wait a minute, folks, this first single, “Do I Love You,” is pretty cool overall, especially if you’re old and often enjoy 1960s girl groups like the Supremes. Ha ha, look at Bruuuce, getting’ down with the rock and soul, just cold partying while three sets of Josie And The Pussycats dancers rock out and dance to the brass and xylophone. I’m totally inspired, I have to admit, Bruuuce has finally given up the whole “political rock” nonsense, put down his guitar and accepted his role as a really white version of James Brown and plus girl dancers! Buy buy buy!

• Gold Panda is the stage name of English electronic record producer and songwriter Derwin Schlecker, who loves making weird electro music in genres that have short or non-existent shelf-lives, like “post dubstep” and “micro-house,” don’t you love it when techno dudes just make up a genre that might loosely describe their beats, which usually just come from random loops that came out of their playing with their ProTools or whatever for 10 seconds? But wait a minute, hold up homies, forget everything I just said because I’m listening to “The Corner” from the new Gold Panda album The Work, and it’s pretty usable and kind of neat or groovy or whatever they say nowadays. The beat is a trippy ’70s sample, sounds like, and the dude’s voice is a dead ringer for the singer from Pet Shop Boys.

• British singer Louis Tomlinson originally rose to fame as a member of the English-Irish boy band One Direction. Faith In the Future is his new album; “Bigger Than Me” is its tire-kicker single, basically Hoobastank without any training wheels (or originality for that matter, but it’s OK).

• We’ll end with certified weird person Jimmy Edgar, a conceptual artist and sound designer from Detroit, Michigan. This dude is influenced by minimalism, Yves Klein and Immaterialism, the doctrine that material things do not exist. Would that that were actually correct and this guy’s new album, Liquids Heaven, weren’t staring me in the face right now, but here it is, so let’s get this over with. Right, right, so the first “single” is “Slip n Slide,” a tattered electro mess with a lot of wub-wub vibe. Starts out kind of dumb but then becomes workable enough. If you like weird cyborg-pop patter this would be the place.

If you’re in a local band, now’s a great time to let me know about your EP, your single, whatever’s on your mind. Let me know how you’re holding yourself together without being able to play shows or jam with your homies. Send a recipe for keema matar. Message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Survival of the Richest, by Douglas Rushkoff

Survival of the Richest, by Douglas Rushkoff (W.W. Norton, 212 pages)

Five years ago, Douglas Rushkoff was offered a large sum of money (half of what he makes each year as a professor) to give a speech at a secluded resort somewhere in the West. He arrived expecting his audience to be “a hundred or so investment bankers” who wanted to hear his thoughts on the future of technology. Instead, he had an audience of five hedge-fund billionaires, and they were only peripherally interested in technology. What they really wanted to talk about was how they can better survive the coming apocalypse.

Writing about this experience in 2018 on Medium, Rushkoff said that the billionaire preppers didn’t have a particular apocalypse in mind, just a general collapse of the world as we know it, which they called “the event.” “That was their euphemism for the environmental collapse, social unrest, nuclear explosion, unstoppable virus, or Mr. Robot hack that takes everything down.”

The men were already building their apocalypse-proof compounds, but needed guidance on how to protect themselves from people: not only the mobs who would want to get in, but the security forces they’ve already hired and have on standby at this very moment. How do they keep their post-apocalypse employees from turning on them? How will they deal with the uncomfortable moral dilemma of shutting doomed people out?

It’s a safe bet that Rushkoff hasn’t been invited back for a follow-up session, as he takes a dim view of the billionaires’ worldview and suggests that some of their business practices are what make an apocalypse possible in the first place. He expounds on that criticism in Survival of the Richest, the book-length expansion of that initial Medium essay. It’s a relatively short but compelling look inside the apocalypse industrial complex, even if it does make your bug-out bag look woefully insufficient and the billionaires look morally bankrupt. (For the record, he’s not talking Musk and Bezos billionaires, but “low-level” billionaires, meaning they’re probably guys we wouldn’t have heard of even if Rushkoff had named them.)

There are, living among us, people whose everyday lives are all about imminent annihilation — not for them maybe, but for the rest of us. In New York, for example, there’s a venture called American Heritage Farms that is designed as communities where people can thrive after a grid collapse. In Texas, a company called Rising S is selling luxury underground bunkers in which people who can afford the $8.3 million can ride out a nuclear strike with their own underground pool and bowling setup. And perhaps weirdest of all, there’s an entire “aquapreneur” subset of billionaire preppers who are planning a Waterworld-type escape by living on their own seagoing city-states. “Why fear rising oceans if you’re already living on the ocean?” Rushkoff asks.

Rushkoff, who is a professor of media theory and digital economics at Queens/City College of New York, explains his theory of how the billionaire prepper mindset evolved contrary to the promise of the internet, which was supposed to unite humanity. Instead, he argues, it created the techno-bubble that drove us further apart, not only in terms of income inequality but also in how we see the world and our place in it. The billionaires, he says, see themselves as uniquely valuable, which forms the moral basis for their plans for self-preservation. “The would-be architects of the human future treat the civic sector as antagonistic to their grand designs. They believe they can do it better,” Rushkoff writes. As an example, he devotes one chapter to the “Great Reset” promoted by World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, who promotes sweeping technological changes such as biometrics, mass surveillance and geoengineering in order to repair the sins of capitalism. Some of our political and technological overlords, he argues, are not only preparing for doomsday but actively trying to bring it on.

Despite the grand talk of building a better world with or without a life-as-we-know-it-altering event, Rushkoff says the billionaires see the rest of us as “little more than iron filings flying back and forth between the magnetic poles set up by the rich and powerful.”

But he doesn’t let the rest of us off the hook. All of us suffer to some degree from the apocalypse-now mindset. “We either mirror the mindset or rebel in a way that reaffirms it,” Rushkoff writes.

It’s only in the last pages that he offers hope: “We are not yet over the cliff. We still have choices,” he writes, then throws out a few pages of suggestions, many of which seem to have nothing to do with the various doomsday scenarios at the fore of the conversation today. (It’s hard to see how “buy local” and “promote the rights of gig workers” relate to Vladimir Putin launching nukes at Ukraine.) But he has a powerful message in his indictment of the billionaires whose strategy for armageddon is leaving the rest of us behind. “Our nervous systems do not operate independently but in concert with other nervous systems around us. It’s as if we share one collective nervous system. Our physical and mental health is contingent on nurturing those connections. Leaving others behind is futile and stupid.”

It’s a bit of a kumbaya ending to a generally incisive book. More hopeful is a quote he includes from an interview with aboriginal scholar Tyson Yunkaporta, who said, “Apocalypses are never just complete extinction, you know. My people have been through heaps of apocalypses and they’re quite survivable, as long as you’re still following the patterns of the land and the patterns of creation. As long as you’re in touch and moving with the landscape.” So even if you can’t afford an underground bunker, there’s hope. B+

— Jennifer Graham

Apple parfait

It is almost “eating season”, which is what I call the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. It seems that every weekend, as well as a good number of weekdays, is filled with food-centric events. While it’s fun to indulge, I also try to keep things healthy. All that being said, I still crave a sweet treat. That’s where these parfaits become the answer.

These apple parfaits are really healthy and incredibly easy to make. Even better, they can help use all the apples you have left from your orchard trip earlier this fall. Any apple will work; base your recipe on the variety you prefer or whatever you have on hand. I used brown sugar in this recipe to add a caramel note, but if you’re in a pinch, granulated sugar will work. Vanilla yogurt is key to this recipe, as it adds sweetness without overpowering the apples. Greek vanilla yogurt is my preferred option, as it makes for a richer parfait. You can substitute regular vanilla yogurt, if needed.

The most difficult decision for this recipe is what container you use. I served mine in brandy snifters, but there are so many options. Half-pint canning jars, martini glasses or wine glasses could be used. If at all possible, use a clear dish so you can see the layers.

Now you have a beautiful, healthy way to quench those dessert cravings!

Apple parfait
Makes 4

3 medium-sized apples peeled, cored and diced
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2⅔ cups vanilla Greek yogurt

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add apples, and sauté for 1 minute.
Add sugar and cinnamon, and sauté for an additional minute.
Transfer apples to a plate to cool, about 10 minutes.
Place ⅓ cup yogurt in the bottom of each individual serving container.
Place ⅛ of cooked apples in each glass.
Add ⅓ cup yogurt to each glass.
Top with remaining apples.

Featured Photo: Apple parfait. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Dylan Richardson

Dylan Richardson of Henniker is the owner of Let’s Get Cupcaked (letsgetcupcaked.com, and on Facebook and Instagram), a home business specializing in hand-crafted cupcakes in a variety of flavors, in addition to some special-order cakes and other desserts. Cupcake flavors have included everything from carrot cake and chocolate peanut butter to Oreo, German chocolate, maple bacon and more. Gluten-free and dairy-free cupcakes are also available upon request. Earlier this year Richardson began holding cupcake pop-ups at Henniker Brewing Co. (129 Centervale Road), where he’ll usually offer a rotating menu of homemade cupcake flavors. He also recently participated in a beer flight and cupcake pairing at Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry. Future pop-ups and other appearances are regularly posted to the Let’s Get Cupcaked Facebook page.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

In-hand, it’s my rubber spatula. Those are the most versatile and useful things. … I always feel that a good music playlist is a must-have. I just feel like if you’re a happy baker, then you have happy cakes.

What would you have for your last meal?

A Buffalo chicken mac and cheese pizza. It hits every spot that you can think of. … If we’re talking dessert, it would be a slice of cherry pie and a cup of black coffee.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Every Friday my fiancee and I have date night and we always like to go to Strange Brew [Tavern] in Manchester. … Great food and live music, and it’s just a fun place to hang out and soak in the atmosphere.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your cupcakes?

That’s a no-brainer. Paul Hollywood, for sure. The Great British Bake Off is one of my favorite shows. It really kind of sparks my interest in trying new things, and just gets me out of my comfort zone with baking.

What is your favorite cupcake flavor that you offer?

Oddly enough, my carrot cake is really well-received. I don’t know why. … I actually wasn’t a big fan of carrot cake when I was younger, but I’ve really fallen in love with my carrot cake recipe, and everyone seems to really enjoy it too.

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

I mean, it’s definitely been around as a trend for a couple of years now, but I’d say that food trucks are still going strong. You see them at breweries, at craft fairs and local food marts and all that kind of stuff.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

When I was a kid, my grandmother would always make cherry cheesecakes in these little muffin tins. Every time we would go over to her house, those were there. … And so, I’ve adapted that recipe, and it’s a nice easy little snack that lasts for a week in the fridge.

Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes
From the kitchen of Dylan Richardson of Let’s Get Cupcaked

¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large room-temperature eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup room temperature buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and mix on a low to medium speed (do not over mix, or your cakes will be light and fluffy). Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full with cupcake mixture and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until you can pull a toothpick out of the cake without residue on it. Cool, using a cooling rack for the best results, and so they don’t over bake in the warm tray. Frost only when cool.

For the peanut butter buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter (soft)
3 ½ cups confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup peanut butter

Place butter into a mixing bowl and mix until creamy (no lumps). Adding one cup at a time, place confectioners sugar into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the heavy cream, salt, vanilla extract and peanut butter, on high speed until fluffy. (Optional: add extra peanut butter or confectioners sugar to the mixture to achieve desired flavor and consistency). Top buttercream onto the cupcake. For extra flavor and aesthetic, finish with shavings of Baker’s chocolate bar.

Featured photo: Dylan Richardson of Let’s Get Cupcaked. Courtesy photo.

Feasts to go

Order your Thanksgiving essentials now

Now’s the time to get everything you need for your home Thanksgiving feast, from turkeys and hams to various side dishes, dessert pies and more. Check out this list of New Hampshire restaurants, markets, bakeries and other businesses offering takeout specials for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24.

• A Market Natural Foods (379 S. Willow St., Manchester, 668-2650, myamarket.com) is taking orders for Mary’s certified organic free range turkeys and Misty Knoll Vermont-raised turkeys for Thanksgiving, in addition to pies (flavors include pumpkin, granola-topped apple, chocolate cream, harvest berry, chocolate olive oil and cranberry spice) and quiches (flavors include spinach and bacon, chicken, sausage and potato, bacon and chive, garden vegetable, broccoli and cheddar, Greek, Italian, ham and cheddar and mushroom and cheddar). Order pies, quiches and Misty Knoll turkeys by Nov. 14. Order Mary’s organic turkeys by Nov. 17. Pickups will be on Monday, Nov. 21, for Misty Knoll turkeys and Wednesday, Nov. 23, for pies and quiches. Mary’s organic turkeys will be available while supplies last.

• All Real Meal (87 Elm St., Manchester, 782-3014, allrealmeal.com) is taking orders for fully prepared Thanksgiving meals in two sizes (feeding three to four people or seven to eight people), featuring slow-cooked turkey breast with gravy, cranberry apple stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, brown butter green beans, cranberry sauce, homestyle cornbread and turtle cheesecake for dessert. Meals will be delivered on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and will be ready to reheat the next day.

• Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) is taking orders for several a la carte sides for Thanksgiving, like turkey gravy, traditional bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, whipped maple sweet potatoes, butternut squash, maple walnut glazed carrots, herb-roasted green beans, cranberry relish and sausage and cranberry bread stuffing; as well as assorted dinner rolls, breads, nine-inch dessert pies (flavors include apple, pumpkin, pecan, cherry, chocolate cream, coconut cream, maple cream and more) and other sweet treats, like chocolate flourless torte, pumpkin bread, cranberry orange bread, lemon-glazed raspberry scones and assorted holiday shortbread cookies. Order by Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com) is taking orders for fresh Bell & Evans turkeys for Thanksgiving, in addition to homemade sides (stuffing, butternut squash, sweet potato casserole and more); and pies (flavors include apple, Boston cream, blueberry, cherry, pecan, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb and more), as well as a variety of other scratch-made sweets and desserts. Order turkeys and sides by Nov. 13 and desserts by Nov. 20.

• Apple Hill Farm (580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com) is taking orders for a variety of flavors of pies for Thanksgiving, including apple, pumpkin, pecan and more. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be available through Wednesday, Nov. 23. Starting on Thanksgiving Day, the farm stand will be closed for the winter season.

• Atlantic Grill (5 Pioneer Road, Rye, 433-3000, theatlanticgrill.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty a la carte items for Thanksgiving, including entrees (duck confit or fig-stuffed pork roast); sides (mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato hash, macaroni and cheese, herb stuffing, green bean casserole, crispy Brussels sprouts with a balsamic glaze, honey- roasted carrots, turmeric and black pepper caulini, turkey gravy and cranberry chutney); soups and salads (Caesar salad, harvest salad, Wine Country salad, lobster bisque, butternut squash bisque and seafood chowder); and desserts (apple crisp or pumpkin pie squares). Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from noon to 8 p.m., and all items will come with reheating directions.

• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street (171 Kelley St., Manchester, 624-3500, thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) is taking orders for several flavors of pies for Thanksgiving, including apple, Dutch apple, banana cream, chocolate cream, strawberry, butterscotch, Key lime, pumpkin, coconut cream, lemon meringue and others — a full list of flavors can be found on The Bakeshop’s Facebook page. You can also order “half and half” pies (for example, half apple and half pumpkin), as well as cupcakes, dinner rolls, pumpkin whoopie pies, cinnamon rolls, assorted pastry trays, holiday cakes and more. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Bearded Baking Co. (819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, beardedbaking.com) is taking orders for festive 8-inch cakes (pumpkin French toast or caramel apple), 8-inch creamy pumpkin cheesecakes with a gingersnap crust and optional whipped cream, pies (apple, pumpkin, pecan and chocolate cream), cupcakes (flavors include carrot, chocolate, vanilla and pumpkin with several types of buttercream options), vegan apple cider doughnuts and Parisian tortes. Order by Nov. 17. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Benson’s Bakery & Cafe (203 Central St., Hudson, 718-8683, bensonsbakeryandcafe.com) is taking orders for homemade pies for Thanksgiving, available in a variety of flavors from apple, pecan and pumpkin to chocolate cream, banana cream, blueberry, chocolate pecan and bourbon chocolate pecan. Order by Nov. 20.

• The Big Bad Food Truck (Hampton, bigbadnh.com) is taking orders for special catering trays for Thanksgiving, featuring turkey packages with all the fixings, including mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, brown sugar glazed baby carrots, coleslaw and sweet corn. Items can also be ordered a la carte. Orders will be hand-delivered between Monday, Nov. 21, and Wednesday, Nov. 23 — all who place an order will be contacted within 48 hours to coordinate a time of delivery.

• Bite Me Kupcakez (4 Mound Court, Merrimack, 674-4459, bitemekupcakez.com) is taking orders for several specialty items for Thanksgiving, including strawberry shortcake, chocolate whipped cream cake, chocolate flourless torte and 6-inch cheesecake, in addition to dairy-free loaves (banana, banana chocolate chip, pumpkin and apple); and various dairy-free pies, cakes, cookies and more. Apple, apple crumb, pumpkin and blueberry pies can be made both dairy or dairy-free. You can also order brunch platters, featuring coffee cakes, muffins and doughnuts (vegan options are available as well). Order by Nov. 15. Those who place orders will be contacted the week of Thanksgiving to arrange a pickup time.

• The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, blackforestcafeandbakery.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty a la carte items for Thanksgiving, including entrees (chicken and creamy mushroom thyme sauce, slow-braised short ribs, Italian sausage lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, and chicken and sun-dried tomato penne); sides (focaccia stuffing, turkey gravy, cranberry orange sauce, sweet and white smashed potatoes, maple and Dijon carrots and parsnips, cream of curried butternut squash soup and maple bacon Brussels sprouts); scratch-made dips and spreads (spinach chipotle dip, Southern pimiento cheese and herbed goat cheese spread) and party trays (cheese trays or garden vegetable trays with dip). Desserts are also available to order, including 9-inch pies (traditional apple, Dutch apple, cranberry apple, pumpkin, pecan and chocolate cream); cakes (coconut, carrot, cannoli, chocolate mousse and gluten-free drunken pumpkin mousse); and assorted holiday cookies (shortbread pumpkins or colorful fall leaves, maple walnut leaves and pecan chocolate-dipped acorns). Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be available through Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 6 p.m.

• Blue Loon Bakery (12 Lovering Lane, New London, 526-2892, blueloonbakery.com) is taking orders for various holiday pies, breads, quiches and pastries for Thanksgiving — options include apple cranberry galettes, butter, chocolate or almond croissants, ham and cheese croissants, sticky buns and more. View the full holiday menu at toasttab.com/blue-loon-bakery. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to noon.

• Brothers Butcher (8 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 809-4180; 142 Lowell Road, Hudson, 577-1130; brothers-butcher.com) is taking orders for fresh free-range turkeys for Thanksgiving, in addition to a la carte sides, like sausage and herb stuffing, traditional bread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, butternut squash and turkey gravy; and 10-inch pies (flavors include apple, pumpkin, pecan and chocolate cream). Pickups will be on Monday, Nov. 21, Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe (436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 262-5929, buckleysbakerycafe.com) and Buckley’s Market & Cafe (9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522) are taking orders for cakes (“The Great Pumpkin” whoopie pie, apple spice, apple crisp cheesecake and double chocolate); 8-inch pies (pecan, apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream and blueberry crisp); and loaves and rolls (Parker House rolls, cranberry almond crumb cake and dairy-free pumpkin spice bread); as well as assorted breakfast and dessert pastry trays. Order by Nov. 19.

• The Cake Fairy (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 518-8733, cakefairynh.com) is taking orders for festive 9-inch pies (flavors include apple, pumpkin and chocolate cream), apple crisp, 4-inch cheesecakes (plain, strawberry and pumpkin), whoopie pies (pumpkin or chocolate) 5-inch breakfast breads (banana, coffee cake, cranberry orange and pumpkin), and 5-inch Thanksgiving butter cookies. Order by Nov. 19 (cash is preferred). Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. First come, first served items will also be available that day while supplies last.

• Caroline’s Fine Food (132 Bedford Center Road, Bedford, 637-1615, carolinesfood.com) is taking orders for special meals for Thanksgiving — options include pork ballotine stuffed with a savory sausage herb and apple stuffing, turkey ballotine stuffed with a savory sausage and stuffing, or roasted beef tenderloin with a horseradish cream sauce. A la carte sides are also available, from herb-roasted sweet potatoes, sausage sage stuffing and roasted butternut squash to roasted Brussels sprouts with Parmesan and thyme, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and roasted root vegetables. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from noon to 3 p.m., and reheating instructions will be included.

• Carter Hill Orchard (73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving pies available in a variety of flavors, like apple, Dutch apple, pumpkin, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb and more. Order by Nov. 20.

• Castleton Banquet & Conference Center (58 Enterprise Drive, Windham, 898-6300, castletonbcc.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving catering meals to go. Two dinner package options are available — featuring traditional whole turkey with house bread stuffing, or spiral glazed ham — both with homestyle mashed potatoes, butternut squash, dinner rolls, and your choice of apple, pecan, pumpkin or blueberry pie. A variety of items are also available a la carte, including sides by the quart (glazed carrots, green beans amandine, roasted Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, homestyle mashed potatoes, house bread stuffing, turkey gravy and homemade cranberry relish) and baked goods (dinner rolls by the dozen, or 10-inch apple, pumpkin, pecan or blueberry pies). You can also personalize your holiday dinner, with hors d’oeuvres by the dozen (scallop and bacon skewers, crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms, asparagus and Asiago wraps, smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese bites, petite arancini, almond raspberry brie tarts and spanakopita); and various white and red wines are also available to add to your package. Order by Nov. 17 at noon. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Cherry Bomb Cookie Co. (Exeter, find them on Facebook @cherrybombcookieco) is taking orders for a variety of specialty decorated sugar cookies, with designs that include Thanksgiving turkeys, pies, fall leaves, pumpkins and more. You can also order freshly baked triple chocolate chip cookies and do-it-yourself decorative sugar cookie kits. Order by Nov. 16. Pickups will be on Monday, Nov. 21, Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) is offering special customizable “Thanksgiving in a Box” packages, featuring your choice of a first course (apple cider and fall squash soup, oyster and scallop chowder, fall greens and grilled pear salad, market greens or sweet potato, roast apple and goat cheese pierogi); an entree (cider-brined turkey, crisp porchetta, four-grain “risotto” with mushroom and parsnip ragout, juniper and smoked sea salt-crusted salmon and peppercorn and rosemary-crusted veal rib roast); and a dessert (apple pie slice, pecan pie slice, pumpkin pie slice, sea salt caramel chocolate cake, ricotta cheesecake with cranberry-apple chutney and harvest rice pudding brulee). Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 24, until 1 p.m.

• The Common Man (25 Water St., Concord, 228-3463; 304 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-3463; 88 Range Road, Windham, 898-0088; Lakehouse Grille, 281 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-5221; 10 Pollard Road, Lincoln, 745-3463; 21 Water St., Claremont, 542-6171; Foster’s Boiler Room, 231 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2764; 60 Main St., Ashland, 968-7030; Lago, 1 Route 25, Meredith, 279-2253; Camp, 298 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-3003; Airport Diner, 2280 Brown Ave., Manchester, 623-5040; Tilt’n Diner, 61 Laconia Road, Tilton, 286-2204; Route 104 Diner, 752 Route 104, New Hampton, 744-0120; thecman.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving meals to go for up to four people, featuring oven-roasted turkey breast with housemade pan gravy, whole-berry cranberry sauce, signature stuffing, country mashed potatoes, maple-roasted butternut squash, garlicky green beans, dinner rolls and butter sweet bread and a slice of pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream for dessert. Optional a la carte items are also available for four, including glazed ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, Brussels sprouts with bacon and caramelized onions, and house baked apple, pecan or pumpkin pies. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord, 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.coop) is taking orders for fresh natural or organic turkeys for Thanksgiving, in addition to full meals or a la carte sides, like mashed sweet potatoes, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, apple-roasted green beans, stuffing, turkey gravy, maple ginger carrots and housemade cranberry sauce. Prepared meal orders are due by Nov. 13. Turkeys should be ordered as soon as possible. Pickups will start on Monday, Nov. 21, for turkeys and will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for prepared meals.

• Copper Kettle To Go (39 Main St., Wilton, 654-2631, copperkettletogo.com) is taking orders for festive pies for Thanksgiving, with flavors that include pecan, pumpkin, Dutch apple, blueberry cream cheese, coconut custard, Kentucky Derby and pumpkin whoopie pies, in addition to small- and large-sized turkey dinners (feeds to two four people and five to six people, respectively) of turkey, stuffing, squash, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce and gravy. Pickups will be through Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m.

• Crémeux French Pâtisserie (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 320-4702, cremeuxfrenchpatisserie.com) is taking orders for several types of scratch-made French desserts for Thanksgiving, including lemon and honey tarts, maple and walnut tarts and tarte bourdaloue (pear tarte). Order by Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Crosby Bakery (51 E. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-1851, crosbybakerynh.com) is taking orders for 8-inch or 10-inch pies (serving six to eight people or 12 to 15 people respectively) — flavors include apple, apple crumb, blueberry, banana cream, cherry, coconut cream, coconut meringue, chocolate cream, lemon meringue, mincemeat, pumpkin and pecan; apple and blueberry can also be ordered sugar-free). You can also order assorted dinner rolls; savory specialties like gorton (Canadian pork spread) and salmon pie; cookie platters, pastry platters and more. Order by Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. Pickups will be Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• The Crust & Crumb Baking Co. (126 N. Main St., Concord, 219-0763, thecrustandcrumb.com) is taking orders for 6-inch or 9-inch pies (flavors include classic or chocolate pumpkin, Key lime, cherry, blueberry coconut crisp, blueberry streusel, apple streusel, forest berry crumb, maple bourbon pecan, chocolate cream, maple cream and coconut cream); quiches (broccoli cheddar, spinach tomato feta and bacon onion Swiss); and cakes (sour cream coffee cake, ginger pear crumb, flourless chocolate torte, chocolate-chocolate layer cake, lemon-raspberry layer cake and pumpkin spice cheesecake); as well as Shaker squash rolls and butter rolls. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Ding Dong Deliver (dingdongdeliver.com) is a ghost kitchen powered by Great New Hampshire Restaurants, which owns T-Bones Great American Eatery, CJ’s Great West Grill and the Copper Door restaurants. Featured items for the week of Thanksgiving include roast turkey dinner packs, butchered roasts, freshly baked pies and cakes and more. Ordering will be available from Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m., for deliveries and pickups on Wednesday, Nov. 23, to the Manchester and Bedford communities.

• Fire and Spice Bistro (70 Route 108, Newfields, 418-7121, fireandspicebistro.com) is taking orders for custom pies and muffins for Thanksgiving — pie flavors include apple, blueberry, pumpkin, chocolate cream, pecan pie and a traditional meat pie with slow-cooked pork, potatoes and spices, while muffin flavors include blueberry and coffee cake. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, from noon to 5 p.m.

• Frederick’s Pastries (109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725; 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253; pastry.net) is taking orders for a variety of festive sweets and treats for Thanksgiving, including caramel pumpkin mousse cheesecake cups, apple tarts, autumn wreath cakes, caramel pecan cheesecake and more. Order by Nov. 10. Beginning Nov. 11, Frederick’s will serve a menu of limited holiday-themed offerings.

• Fresh AF Bakeshop (34 Church St., Kingston, 642-8609, freshafbakeshop.com) is taking orders for a variety of freshly baked items for preorder for Thanksgiving, including 9-inch pies (apple crumb, pumpkin, sweet potato and marshmallow, blueberry, banana pudding, black bottom chocolate mousse and “whiskey business” pecan); 6- or 8-inch cakes (“fallfetti,” pumpkin, triple chocolate brownie and apple cider doughnut); cupcakes (chocolate fudge, funfetti, pumpkin spice, apple cider doughnut, blueberry crisp and pecan turtle pie); macarons (blueberry cobbler, pumpkin roll, apple pie, caramel chai, death by chocolate and pecan cheesecake); and other treats, like take-and-bake apple crisp, jumbo cinnamon buns, frosted cookie platters and more. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• The Fresh Chef Press (775 Canal St., Manchester, 716-7197, freshchefmp.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty a la carte items for Thanksgiving, including butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, fresh cranberry sauce, green beans, Italian sausage stuffed mushrooms, red bliss mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, vegetable-stuffed mushrooms and more. Order by Nov. 18.

• From Gracie’s Table (Brookline, fromgraciestable.com) is taking orders for several flavors of pies for Thanksgiving, including apple, apple crisp, pumpkin and chocolate truffle. Order by Nov. 20 for pickup at Brookline’s Finest (181 Route 13, Brookline). A 15 percent discount is available to those who order on the website.

• Granite State Candy Shoppe (832 Elm St., Manchester, 218-3885; 13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591; granitestatecandyshoppe.com) has several Thanksgiving- and fall-themed treats, like milk, dark and white chocolate turkey mold pops, one-ounce chocolate turkeys and eight-ounce pumpkin pie almonds.

• Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, featuring roasted turkey breast with stuffing, roasted garlic and herb potatoes, honey glazed carrots, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy, along with a seasonal mixed green salad with an apple cider vinaigrette. You can also add on various optional items to your order, like brioche Parker House dinner rolls with a whipped molasses honey butter; and several desserts, like apple galettes with salted caramel, cranberry swirl cheesecake slices and pumpkin pie slices. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from noon to 8 p.m., and will come with specific heating instructions.

• Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant (233 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) is taking orders for ready-to-eat family-sized whole roasted turkey dinners, featuring small (feeds two to six people), medium (feeds six to 10 people) and large (feeds 10 to 14 people) meals. Dinners come with gravy, stuffing, whipped potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and either apple, pumpkin or chocolate cream pie. Individual-sized roasted turkey dinners are also available. Curbside pickups will be on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Harvey’s Bakery & Coffee Shop (376 Central Ave., Dover, 742-6029, harveysbakery.com) is taking orders for 8-inch or family-sized 10-inch pies (flavors include apple, blueberry, coconut cream, Boston cream, lemon meringue, cherry, chocolate cream, banana cream, pumpkin, pecan, squash, pork, chicken and custard); as well as dinner rolls sold by the dozen (Parker House, butter, whole wheat, cloverleaf, knot, crusty white, Vienna and snowflake). Order by Nov. 17.

• Hulda’s Swedish Baked Goods (Brookline, swedishbakers.com) is taking orders for traditional items like limpa (Swedish rye bread), cardamom braids, kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon rolls), pepparkakor (ginger spice cookies) and more. Order by Nov. 16. Pickups will be on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Brookline, or at the Milford Farmers Market (Town Hall Auditorium, 1 Union Square, Milford) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Johnson Golden Harvest (412 W. River Road, Hooksett, 210-2031, johnsongoldenharvest.com) is taking orders for fresh free-range turkeys from Vermont’s Misty Knoll Farm, in addition to several flavors of homemade pies, freshly baked breads and various gluten-free goodies. Order by Nov. 16. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Joyfull Eats (Deep Meadow Variety, 93 Linden St., Exeter, 778-1526, find them on Facebook @joyfulleatsnh) is taking orders for several specialty items for Thanksgiving, like lentil loaves, green bean and spinach casserole, oat stuffing, mashed butternut squash, corn muffins, apple crumble pie and pumpkin pie. Items can be ordered a la carte or as a meal package, with three sizes available (feeding one to two people, four to six people or eight to 10 people, respectively). Order by Nov. 20 at noon. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Local Baskit (10 Ferry St., Suite 120A, Concord, 219-0882, localbaskit.com) is taking orders for specialty meal kits for Thanksgiving, partnering with local farms, restaurants and other businesses. Options include a Brussels sprouts kit featuring local ingredients from Two Mountain Farm in Andover, as well as a stuffing meal kit, plus pies from Apple Hill Farm in Concord or pumpkin cheesecake or ricotta pie from Modern Pastry of Boston. Check out Local Baskit’s go-to charcuterie boards too, on the Grazing Baskit page on their website. Order by Nov. 18.

• Meadow Ledge Farm (612 Route 129, Loudon, 798-5860, meadowledgefarm.com) is taking orders for pies for Thanksgiving — flavors include apple, apple crumb, apple blueberry crumb, blueberry, triple berry, strawberry rhubarb, cherry, pecan, apple cream, blueberry cream, cherry cream, pumpkin cream, chocolate cream, banana cream, lemon meringue and lemon blueberry meringue. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Moulton’s Kitchen & Market (10 Main St., Amherst, 673-2404, moultonsmarket.com) is taking orders for a variety of Thanksgiving essentials a la carte, like carved roasted turkey breast, herbed turkey gravy, whipped mashed potatoes, traditional bread stuffing, spiced butternut squash and freshly made whole cranberry sauce, as well as freshly baked apple or pumpkin pies (sizes include 6-inch or 9-inch). Order by Nov. 15 at noon. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, through 4 p.m.

• Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese (497 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 606-1760, mr-macs.com) is taking orders for both hot-and-ready and take-and-bake trays of macaroni and cheese, as well as macaroni salads, assorted green salads, desserts and more. Placing orders at least 24 hours in advance is appreciated.

• New England’s Tap House Grille (1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com) is taking orders for its traditional French-Canadian holiday meat pies, made with pork, beef, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic and a house-made crust and ready to bake at home. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 3 to 6 p.m.

• Northwoods Brewing Co. (1334 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, 942-6400, northwoodsbrewingcompany.com) is taking orders for a variety of items out of its in house bakery for Thanksgiving, including nine-inch fruit pies (apple, blueberry, bumbleberry, four berry and strawberry rhubarb); nine-inch cream or custard pies (chocolate cream, coconut cream, custard and pumpkin); quiches (meat and cheese or vegetable and cheese); as well as assorted bread loaves, scones and crullers available in a variety of flavors (see the full flavor list at the bottom of the online order form). Order by Nov. 20. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Osteria Poggio (18 Main St., Center Harbor, 250-8007, osteriapoggio.com) is taking orders for several a la carte sides for Thanksgiving, including potatoes au gratin, cranberry relish, duck fat roasted Brussels sprouts, ginger candied yams, brioche rolls and corn muffins. Pies are also available, with flavors like blackberry ginger apple, pumpkin dulce de leche, cranberry curd and coconut cream. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Pinard Street Bakery at Charlie’s (1 Pinard St., Manchester, 606-1835, pinardstreetbakery.business.site) is taking orders for freshly baked 14-inch pies for Thanksgiving — flavors include apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream and a savory pork pie with onion, carrots, potatoes and a homemade spice filling. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups will be on Monday, Nov. 21, Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Popovers on the Square (11 Brickyard Square, Epping, 734-4724; 8 Congress St., Portsmouth, 431-1119; popoversonthesquare.com) is taking orders for several in-house bakery items for Thanksgiving, including pies (apple, pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream, chocolate cream, Key lime and apple crumb); gluten-free pies (apple, pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream and chocolate cream); and other assorted goodies, like fall leaf, pumpkin or turkey sugar cookies, pumpkin cheesecake and fresh fruit cheesecake. Order by Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Presto Craft Kitchen (168 Amory St., Manchester, 606-1252, prestocraftkitchen.com) is taking orders for several specialty take-and-bake sides for Thanksgiving, like homemade mashed potatoes, country-style stuffing, garlic green beans, maple sweet potatoes with marshmallow, mashed butternut squash, hand-pressed cranberry sauce, honey-glazed carrots and turkey gravy. Two-pound or four-pound oven-roasted turkeys are also available to order, as well as “all the trimmings” packages of sides that feature mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread rolls and butter, gravy, cranberry sauce and two vegetables. Presto Craft Kitchen’s sister business, Custom Eats & Sweets, is also taking orders for pies (pumpkin, apple, blueberry, banana cream, chocolate cream, coconut cream, cannoli cream and cookies and cream); and cakes (lemon mascarpone, pumpkin praline cheesecake, pistachio and ricotta, triple chocolate, apple crisp cheesecake and more). Order by Nov. 14.

• Queen City Cupcakes (790 Elm St., Manchester, 624-4999, qccupcakes.com) is taking orders for a variety of festive cupcake flavors for Thanksgiving, including gingerbread cookie, chocolate salted caramel, cherry almond, sweet potato, apple cider and more. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• The Red Arrow Diner (61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) is taking orders for its specialty homemade desserts for Thanksgiving, including multiple flavors of 10-inch pies, double-layer cakes, “Dinah fingers” (homemade Twinkies), eclairs, whoopie pies and more. Orders can be placed online with at least a 24-hour notice in advance of pickup.

• The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) is taking orders for pies, cakes, breads, dessert platters and more for Thanksgiving, all in a variety of flavors. New this year, bakery orders can be placed through the website, or by emailing or calling. Order by Nov. 20.

• Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout & Catering (38 W. Broadway, Derry, 425-6116; 13 Rockingham Road, Windham, 685-8122; 254 Wallace Road, Bedford, 488-2877; rigatonysitalian.com) is taking orders for complete Thanksgiving dinners to go, featuring 18-to-20-pound fully cooked turkeys with mashed potatoes, stuffing, butternut squash, roasted corn, cranberry sauce and homemade gravy. You can also order various Italian specialties, from antipasto, lasagna and eggplant Parmesan to stuffed shells, meatballs and stuffed artichokes; and homemade pies (flavors include apple, pumpkin, pecan, blueberry, chocolate cream, coconut cream and lemon meringue). Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Roundabout Diner & Lounge (580 U.S. Highway 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, 431-1440, roundaboutdiner.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving meals to go, featuring house roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, butternut squash, peas and pearl onions, cranberry relish, homemade gravy, cinnamon applesauce and your choice of a homemade pie (pumpkin, apple, blueberry, pecan, banana cream, coconut cream, Key lime and chocolate cream). Two package sizes are available, serving either six to eight people or 10 to 12 people. You can also order most of the sides a la carte. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, or Thursday, Nov. 24, through 2 p.m.

• Smoke Shack Cafe (226 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 404-2178, smokeshackcafe.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving meal packages to go, which include smoked turkey, cornbread, gravy and cranberry sauce, in addition to your choice of sides (butternut squash, corn saute, green beans, jalapeno and sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy). You can also order various holiday pies (pecan, apple, pumpkin and chocolate cream), and other a la carte items, like bacon-wrapped turkey breast with jalapeno and sausage stuffing. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups will be on Thursday, Nov. 24.

• St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (1160 Bridge St., Manchester, 625-6115, stnicholasgreekchurch.com) will hold its third annual bake sale and live auction on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature several homemade Greek pastries available for sale, as well as various specialty items that will be auctioned off from noon to 2 p.m.

• Sweet Hill Farm (82 Newton Road, Plaistow, 974-7279, sweethillfarm.com) is taking orders for 9-inch pies in a variety of flavors, including apple, apple crisp, blueberry, blueberry crisp, triple berry, strawberry rhubarb, pecan, pumpkin, Key lime, peanut butter mousse, peanut butter cup and chocolate French silk. Some pie flavors are available either baked or frozen, while others are available frozen only. Order by Nov. 15. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• The Sweet Spot (353 Riverdale Road, Weare, 529-6667, thesweetspotnh.com) is taking orders for 9-inch pies (apple, apple crumb, pumpkin, pecan and cherry); 6-inch or 8-inch pumpkin cheesecakes with graham cracker or walnut crusts; assorted biscotti or decorated sugar cookies; quick breads (pumpkin apple or cranberry walnut with a streusel and orange glaze); enriched snowflake rolls, gluten-free multigrain boules, sweet potato soup (available pint- or quart-sized); and Jake’s Ice Cream, available in pints or quarts (flavors include vanilla, cinnamon or pumpkin). Place your orders as soon as possible.

• Tammaro’s Cucina (469 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 377-7312, tammaros.com) is taking orders for half-sized (feeds six to eight people) and full-sized (feeds 12 to 14 people) trays of home-cooked Italian meals for Thanksgiving, from meat or cheese lasagna to spaghetti and meatballs, chicken or eggplant Parmesan and more. Order by Nov. 21. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• The Traveling Foodie (Merrimack, jrmcateringllc.com) is taking orders for whole turkey dinners for Thanksgiving, available roasted or smoked, with a lineup of fresh sides that includes sausage apple stuffing and gravy, roasted garlic Brussels sprouts or green bean casserole, mashed candied sweet potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, butternut squash, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls. You can also order all of these sides a la carte, in addition to others, like baked macaroni and cheese and garlic cheddar biscuits, and salads, like red bliss potato salad, garden salad and pasta salad. Order by Nov. 11. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack).

• Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) is taking orders for whole roasted turkey dinners, which come with maple-roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts with pancetta and aged balsamic dressing, mascarpone whipped potatoes, porcini mushroom ciabatta stuffing with Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted pine nuts, heirloom cranberry and Marsala wine compote, fresh herb gravy focaccia and loaf of ciabatta (feeds six to eight people). A variety of a la carte items are also available to order, including main courses (carved roast turkey, herb-roasted leoncini ham, prosciutto-wrapped pork loin, roasted salmon, boneless prime rib, roast beef tenderloin and porchetta roast); antipasti platters; sides (honey-glazed root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, green beans with almonds, cranberry Marsala wine compote, acorn squash cups and sage crema, prosciutto-stuffed shells, maple-roasted sweet potato, balsamic roasted carrots, mascarpone whipped potato, turkey pan gravy, porcini mushroom ciabatta stuffing and Tuscan macaroni and cheese); soups (roasted butternut squash and ginger, traditional Italian wedding and sausage and kale); 10-inch pies (Cortland apple, pecan and pumpkin) and other desserts (tiramisu squares, flourless chocolate torte and and pumpkin cheesecake). Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Twelve 31 Events (100 N. Main St., Concord; 261 Main St., Tilton; 818-0012, twelve31.events) is taking orders for various a la carte sides to accompany your Thanksgiving feast, from garlic mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes with a brown sugar glaze to cornbread stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, green beans with sliced almonds and butter, and pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, or Wednesday, Nov. 23, at either location, and all sides will come with heating instructions.

• Twelve Pine Restaurant & Gourmet Marketplace (11 School St., Peterborough, 924-6140, twelvepine.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, featuring whole roasted fresh turkey, old-fashioned herb stuffing, traditional mashed potatoes, roasted green beans or Brussels sprouts, cranberry orange relish, pumpkin soup, crusty dinner rolls and your choice of apple or pumpkin pie. Most of the sides and desserts can also be ordered a la carte. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23, through 6 p.m.

• Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotischocolates.com) has various Thanksgiving-themed chocolates and treats, including hollow chocolate turkeys, fall-themed Swiss fudge and chocolate cornucopias filled with mixed nuts.

• Whisk Chick (Derry, whisknchick@gmail.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @whiskchickbakes) is taking orders for specialty sweet boards (think charcuterie-style, but with a collection of freshly baked sweet treats and candy-dipped items), in addition to whole pies, with flavors that include apple, pumpkin, pecan, banana cream and chocolate cream. Order by Nov. 18.

• Wicked Good Butchah (209 Route 101, Bedford, 488-1832, wickedgoodbutchahnh.com) is taking orders for turkeys, roasts and hams for Thanksgiving — ordering as soon as possible is recommended, with pickups on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Wild Orchid Bakery (836 Elm St., Manchester, 935-7338, wildorchidbakery.com) is taking Thanksgiving orders for pies (apple or pumpkin), as well as apple crisp, chocolate turkey cakes with chocolate buttercream, four-layer pumpkin cakes with cinnamon buttercream, assorted cupcakes, fresh bread rolls and more. Order by Nov. 14. Pickups will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

• Yankee Farmer’s Market (360 Route 103 E., Warner, 456-2833, yankeefarmersmarket.com) is taking orders for fresh Vermont-raised turkeys for Thanksgiving, in addition to locally made pies (flavors include pumpkin, apple crumb, blueberry crumb, chocolate cream, coconut cream, pecan, maple walnut and cherry), and breads (flavors include pumpkin, cranberry orange and banana). Order by Nov. 10. Pickups will be on Monday, Nov. 21, Tuesday, Nov. 22, and Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Dinner is served

Where to go out this year for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, Nov. 24, and restaurants and function halls are accepting reservations now for everything from special holiday dinners and specials to all-you-can-eat buffets.

Do you know of a restaurant serving Thanksgiving eats that’s not on this list? Let us know at food@hippopress.com.

• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) is taking reservations for a special Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Join them for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner featuring turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh yams, peas and onions, butternut squash, rolls, soup, salad and your choice of dessert. There will also be a grand Thanksgiving buffet with crackers and assorted domestic and imported cheeses, fresh fruit, peel-and-eat shrimp, prime rib, baked stuffed haddock, turkey orzo and more. Takeout meals will also be available.

• Backyard Brewery & Kitchen (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com) will be serving its full menu on Thanksgiving Day from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., in addition to a traditional turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, peas, salad and a dessert. Reservations are welcome.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will serve a special four-course prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 24, from noon to 6 p.m. in its dining room and tavern. The meal will include your choice of an appetizer (Cape Cod oysters, Maple Brook Farm burrata toast, winter squash bisque, spiced grilled shrimp, Vernon Farm chicken terrine or duck confit); a salad (harvest salad or local kale and Brussels sprouts); an entree (Misty Knoll Farm free-range turkey, fine herb-seared halibut filet, smoked duroc pork loin, pan-roasted Faroe Island salmon, grilled filet mignon or stuffed delicata squash); and a dessert (pumpkin pie, maple creme brulee, coffee granita, apricot tart or carrot cake bread pudding). The cost is $110 for adults and $55 for kids ages 10 and under. The Bedford Village Inn’s Trattoria Fondi will also be open for breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m., and for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. The restaurant’s igloos will also be reserved on Thanksgiving with a $150 rental fee and a $400 food and beverage minimum.

• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) is taking reservations for a special all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving Day buffet on Thursday, Nov. 24, in its function hall, with seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for five or more people. The cost is $21.99 per person. On the restaurant side, plated meals will be available for $19.99 per person (no reservations required).

• The Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022, coachstopnh.com) is taking reservations for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 24, with seatings from noon to 3 p.m. A special holiday menu will be served. Entree options will include roast turkey, baked Virginia ham, slow roasted prime rib, baked stuffed haddock, veal Oscar or seafood linguine. All entrees will come with turkey soup, apple cider, mashed potatoes, homemade bread stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, baby pearl onions and green peas, hot rolls, sweet bread, homemade pie and coffee. Preorders are also available for takeout and delivery, with deliveries within a 5-mile radius.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) will serve a special three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu on Thursday, Nov. 24, with seatings from noon to 2 p.m. Meals will include your choice of a first course (apple cider and fall squash soup, oyster and scallop chowder, fall greens and grilled pear salad, market greens with a house cider vinaigrette, or sweet potato, roast apple and goat cheese pierogi); an entree (cider-brined turkey, crisp porchetta, four-grain “risotto” with mushroom and parsnip ragout, juniper and smoked sea salt-crusted salmon or peppercorn- and rosemary-crusted veal rib roast); and a dessert (freshly baked apple, pecan or pumpkin pie, sea salt caramel chocolate cake, ricotta cheesecake or harvest rice pudding brulee). The cost is $65 per person.

• CR’s The Restaurant (287 Exeter Road, Hampton, 929-7972, crstherestaurant.com) will serve a special Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 24, with seatings from noon to 5 p.m. The meal will feature an a la carte menu with holiday specials and the restaurant’s most popular dinner items.

• The Derryfield Restaurant (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com) will serve a special family-style Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 24, with seatings at 11 a.m., noon, 1:15, 2:15, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. The plated meals include a full turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, butternut squash, mixed seasonal vegetables, a salad and dinner rolls. Reservations are required (four-person minimum). The cost is $27.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids under 12 (substitute all white meat for $2 extra). Takeout is also available.

• Epoch Gastropub (The Exeter Inn, 90 Front St., Exeter, 778-3762, epochrestaurant.com) will serve a special multi-course menu for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 24, with seatings from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Options will include pumpkin butternut squash bisque, autumn spinach salad, local artisanal cheeses, traditional roast turkey, maple soy salmon, pumpkin butternut squash ravioli, whipped garlic mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, brioche bread stuffing, house made pies, tarts and assorted pastries and cakes. The cost is $60 for adults, $25 for kids ages 6 to 12 and free for kids under 5. Reservations are being accepted online via OpenTable.

• Fratello’s Italian Grille (155 Dow St., Manchester, 641-6776, fratellos.com) will serve a special Thanksgiving Day buffet in its ballroom on Thursday, Nov. 24, featuring a chef-carved station of turkey with pan gravy and slow roasted prime rib au jus. Other items will include turkey pot pie, shrimp scampi, vegetable gnocchi, pumpkin bisque, string beans and shallots, candied butternut squash, mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, assorted pies and desserts. The cost is $39 for adults, $18.95 for kids ages 4 to 11 and free for kids ages 3 and under. Call to make a reservation.

• Granite Restaurant & Bar (The Centennial Hotel, 96 Pleasant St., Concord, 227-9005, graniterestaurant.com) will be open on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving its regular menu in addition to Thanksgiving-themed specials. Reservations are full, but you can call the restaurant to be placed on a waiting list in the event of a cancellation.

• The Hills Restaurant (Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, 721-0444, hampshirehills.com/the-hills-restaurant) will serve a special three-course Italian feast the night before Thanksgiving, on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 4 to 9 p.m., featuring your choice of chicken Parmesan with linguine, meatballs and Italian sausage with linguine or cheese tortellini alfredo, along with cheesy garlic bread or fresh bread, mixed greens or Caesar salad, and tiramisu or cannolis for dessert. The cost is $30 for adults and $15 for kids ages 12 and under.

• The Homestead Tavern & Restaurant (641 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2022; 1567 Summer St., Bristol, 744-2022; homesteadnh.com) is taking reservations for Thanksgiving now, serving a variety of specialty entrees, like a roasted turkey dinner, baked Virginia ham, roast prime rib of beef, baked stuffed haddock, veal Oscar, fresh broiled salmon and seafood fettuccine. All entrees will be served with turkey soup, apple cider, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, hot rolls, sweet bread and homemade pie.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurantnh.com) is accepting reservations now for its annual Thanksgiving dinners, which are all priced at $40 and include your choice of one appetizer (clam chowder, Swedish meatballs, fresh fruit plate with sorbet, or you can substitute for shrimp cocktail, escargots or onion soup); a Caesar or garden salad; one entree (roast turkey, herb-crusted roast sirloin, maple salmon, panko-crusted haddock, or pasta primavera); and one dessert (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, sorbet, cheesecake, chocolate ganache cake, lemon mascarpone cake or chocolate mousse cake). The roast turkey entree comes with mashed potatoes, butternut squash, roasted Brussels sprouts, stuffing and cranberry sauce, while all other entrees are served with your choice of mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or rice and your choice of butternut squash, roasted Brussels sprouts, pickled beets or applesauce.

• The Red Arrow Diner (61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) will be open during its regular hours on Thanksgiving Day at all four locations — from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Concord, Londonderry and Nashua, and 24 hours in Manchester. Among their menu options is a traditional Thanksgiving meal, featuring a plate of turkey with mashed potatoes, squash, green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy.

• Roundabout Diner & Lounge (580 U.S. Highway 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, 431-1440, roundaboutdiner.com) will serve a special plated family-style dinner for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring slow-roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, red bliss mashed potatoes, butternut squash, peas and pearl onions, cranberry relish, dinner rolls, homemade desserts and more. The cost is $29.95 for adults and $15.95 for kids under 12.

• SALT Kitchen & Bar (Wentworth by the Sea, 588 Wentworth Road, New Castle, 373-6566, saltkitchenandbar.com) will serve a special Thanksgiving Day buffet on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in its ballroom. The meal will include a deluxe carving station of golden roasted turkey, along with seasonally composed hot entrees, an Italian antipasto station, a New England raw bar, a Belgian waffle station, artisan cheeses and a Thanksgiving dessert display. The cost is $89.95 per person. The restaurant will also offer a plated three-course holiday menu on Thanksgiving Day from 1 to 9 p.m. — those options will include maple-brined free-range turkey, grilled Atlantic salmon, brown butter tortelloni and sliced filet of beef. The cost is $69.95 per person ($26.95 for kids under 12) and reservations are recommended.

• Temple Street Diner (200 Temple St., Nashua, 521-7133, templestreetdiner.com) will be open on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 24) from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., serving breakfast all day. Beginning at 10 a.m., a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings will be available for $22.99. Reservations are being accepted for parties of five or more. Deliveries will also be available on Wednesday, Nov. 23, after 3 p.m.

• The Wild Rover Pub (21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722, wildroverpub.com) will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 22/11/10

News from the local food scene

• Festive pours: Join Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis) for its sixth annual Wine & Cheese Festival, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13. Two sessions are available each day — from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., or from 2:30 to 5 p.m. — for attendees to come to the vineyard for a full tasting experience. You’ll receive your own souvenir wine glass and have the opportunity to taste meats, cheese, oils, desserts and more from around the world, along with a complimentary wine tasting. The cost is $49 per person, and attendees should print out their emailed receipt to use as their ticket. Fulchino Vineyard is also planning a three-day Christmas festival from Friday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 11 — that event will feature food samples from all types of local artisan vendors, along with family photo opportunities with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Visit fulchinovineyard.com.

• Let there be light: LaBelle Lights, the highly successful outdoor holiday light display that debuted at LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111) last year, is back for a second season. The show returns on Wednesday, Nov. 16, and will continue most Wednesdays through Sundays, from 4:30 to 9 p.m., through Jan. 15 (except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle told the Hippo last year that plans were already underway to bring back the holiday celebration for a second year even before the first one had yet to come to an end. “We thought we would have 20,000 visitors throughout the three months … but as it turns out, [we’d] already had that many in the first month,” she said. The outdoor light displays are located on The Links at LaBelle Winery golf course and are designed for visitors to walk casually along a designated path, according to the website, which is also stroller and wheelchair accessible. Similar to last year, the new season will also feature several special theme nights over the course of the three months, such as a “crazy Christmas hats night” on Dec. 2, a “best Santa costume night” on Dec. 23, and a two-day “WinterFest” on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, among others. Tickets to LaBelle Lights are $16 for adults and teens, $10 for seniors over 65, $8 for kids ages 4 to 12 and free for kids ages 3 and under. Visit labellewinery.com/lights.

• Restaurant farewell: Hooksett’s Bavaria German Restaurant has permanently closed its doors, according to a recent post from owners Anton and Monika Berger announcing their retirement. “We hope you will understand this decision was not easy,” the Oct. 20 post reads in part. “We would like to thank all of our patrons for the many years of good business and friendship. It was our pleasure to have served you.” The Bergers had owned the German eatery since March 2010 — Anton Berger had more than four decades of experience as a chef prior to coming to New Hampshire, including at a more than 200-seat restaurant and outdoor beer garden in Munich, Germany. The Hooksett restaurant was known for its authentic German options made fresh daily from family recipes, from jägerschnitzel to bratwurst.

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