Tag: 230803

In the kitchen with Lindsey Bangs

Lindsey Bangs has always had a passion for baking. Her mom taught her how to bake, buying her her first cookbook when she was just 2 or 3 years oldA few months ago, she decided to step away from her job as a medical receptionist to focus on I Whisked It full time. She specializes in custom cakes, cupcakes and cake jars as well as hot chocolate bombs with homemade marshmallows and French chocolate during the winter. You can find I Whisked It at the Bedford farmers market every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. through Oct. 17, and the Candia farmers market the third Saturday of every month through Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I would have to say my small offset spatula. I reach for it for everything from smoothing brownie batter in pans to decorating cakes.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would start with a croissant with apricot or raspberry jam, Rhode Island-style calamari, halibut tacos and cheesecake with a traditional graham cracker crust and raspberry coulis.

What is your favorite local eatery?

I love Tuckaway Tavern in Raymond. .

Name a celebrity you would like to see eating in your restaurant?

I would love to have any of my favorite musicians, like Dave Matthews or Chris Carrabba, buy a cake from me just so I could thank them for the music and lyrics that so often keep me going. Or one of the cast members from Friends or The Office. They’re all responsible for delivering so many laughs in my house.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

I love my Pina Colada cake jar. It’s layers of light coconut cake, coconut cream buttercream and a pineapple coconut filling. It’s so good.

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

I’ve noticed a lot of food, drink and even ice cream flight options, so it’s not just beer anymore. It’s great because I love being able to try a little bit of everything.

Banana bread
From the kitchen of I Whisked It

¾ cup sugar
1½ cups mashed bananas (three large)
¾cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan with shortening, butter or non-stick spray.
Mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour into the greased loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean (60 to 70 minutes). Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack with the pan on its side for 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan. Let cool completely before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.


Featured photo: Lindsey Bangs. Courtesy photo.

Friends and family on the farm

Vernon Family Farm hosts agritourism events

For the past nine years, Vernon Family Farm, a livestock farm in Newfields, has been supplying the community with fresh meat, farm-to-table meals and agritourism events like live music and outdoor classes hosted by other organizations. Their next event will be on Friday, Aug. 4, from 4 to 8 p.m. with dinner and live music by New Hampshire Grateful Dead tribute band Not Fade Away.

Having grown up in New London in a family that raised and processed animals for consumption, Jeremiah Vernon developed a love for the farming lifestyle. This interest was reinforced while attending college in Maine.

“There was a big dairy farm near the school and the dairy farm had a restaurant … and I just became enamored with the whole farm scene they had going on over there,” he said. “That was sort of my start of production farming and basically I’d been farming for other people for about 10 years and then in 2014 we bought our own property and started our one farm.”

What started out as Jeremiah’s passion has turned into a family affair, his wife Nicole Vernon, a Spanish teacher at Exeter High School, co-owning the farm with him.

“It’s what I wanted to do having worked on farms for so long. This is who I am and what I want to do,” he said. “Nicole at the time [was] on the outside looking in as far as her farming experience, but now 10 years in she’s as deep in it as I am. … Now it’s definitely a shared passion and shared career.”

The farm has come a long way since growing 1,200 broiler chickens on leased land in 2012. They now annually produce about 15,000 to 20,000 chickens as well as other livestock, like pigs and sheep and a small amount of vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas, on their 33-acre property. They have a farm store open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., host dinners on Thursdays and Saturdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and have even created a second business, Vernon Kitchen. While the catering company used to be a part of Vernon Family Farm, it made more sense to have it be its own entity that the Vernons could hire to cater events.

“[It] means that we can do more events more often and we also have more resources available to us,” Jeremiah said. “It is also the highest-profit market aspect of our business, so having a customer buy a ticket and sit down for a fried chicken dinner, that’s the most profitable way we can get that chicken to you.”

On average, about 50 to 100 people attend these events, with upward of 300 on nights when there is live music. Tickets can be purchased on their website ahead of time or upon arrival for music events. For non-music events, a $5 cover is charged that is donated to various nonprofits.

In addition to dinners, entertainment and tours, the farm also functions as a space for other businesses to use for classes on yoga and meditation, cooking and art.

“Our farm is very beautiful, like many in New Hampshire,” Jeremiah said. “We have a big wildflower meadow, nice seating, there’s animals everywhere [and] ample parking. It’s a nice … creative space to occupy.”

Upcoming events at Vernon Family Farm

Kids Art Classes: Treehouse Construction
When: Friday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. to noon
Where: 301 Piscassic Road, Newfields
Visit: vernonfamilyfarm.com

Not Fade Away
When: Friday, Aug. 4, 4 to 8 p.m.
Where: 301 Piscassic Road, Newfields
Visit: vernonfamilyfarm.com

Featured photo: Event at Vernon Family Farm. Photo courtesy of Vernon Family Farm.

The Weekly Dish 23/08/03

News from the local food scene

• Sample wine and bourbon and golf: Don’t miss Bourbon, Wine & Nine at Stonebridge Country Club (161 Gorham Pond Road, Goffstown) on Friday, Aug. 4. Sample wines, bourbons and food from Drumlins Restaurant. Live music will also be featured, as well as a nine-hole scramble tournament and a putting contest. Golf registration starts at 2 p.m. and tee-off is at 3 p.m. The tasting tent opens at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $60 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• Try traditions from Zimbabwe: Sycamore Community Garden will hold the third and final event in its current guest speaker series on Sunday Aug. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at NHTI (31 College Drive, Concord). Board member Sibongile Ndlovu will lead an interactive food preservation workshop. Learn how to properly dry tomatoes through a Zimbabwean food preservation technique and learn about the importance of food preservation in Zimbabwe through Ndlovu’s personal experience and cultural background. Everyone will help in cutting and preparing the tomatoes for sun drying. The event is free. Visit sycamorecommunitygarden.org or sign up via eventbrite.

• Get vegan Southern eats: Vegan pop-up vendor Southern Fried Vegan hosts Vegan Brews N BBQ at Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Unit 1, Derry) on Thursday, Aug. 10, 4 to 8 p.m. Menu items are nut- and gluten-free and the menu includes jambalaya, totchos, cajun corn and more.

On The Job – Maggie Verrette

Spin instructor

Maggie Verrette owns her own indoor cycling business called VibeCo Cycle (458-7652 info@vibecocycle.com, vibecocycle.com) in Salem where she also works as a spin instructor.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I am the owner of VibeCo. I am also an instructor there, and I manage the entire studio, and I basically wear a bunch of different hats. I dabble in a lot of different aspects of running the business, as well as instructing and leading. I started VibeCo on my own, and it’s the only one, not a franchise.

How long have you had this job?

We opened in 2021, so we just celebrated two years.

What led you to this career field?

I was an athlete growing up, so I’ve always been super into fitness, team aspects and leading. When I graduated from college, I started instructing at a small studio, and I wanted to find a way to make it a bigger part of my life and make it my career path. When there was an opportunity to start my own business and open my own studio, I thought it was a perfect way to pursue that.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I went to Ithaca College and was a business major with a concentration in management, and I was also on the gymnastics team. I studied business for four years, and that was very helpful to what I ended up doing.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Since it’s physical activity, I’m usually just in leggings and a sports top.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

I’d say one of the most challenging things is finding the perfect people to work for you, and since I’m so involved in the business and it’s so important to me as a small business owner, it can be difficult to find people who are as committed and dedicated to helping. I have been very lucky with the people that I do have, but it’s always hard to find more people to add to this team.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had known how much I was going to love it. I was super nervous to go for it, so if I had known that it was going to be as fun and successful as it is, then maybe I would’ve been more eager when it started.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish other people knew that I put everything into it 24/7, so I am always doing work for the business and for my team and making sure people are happy all the time and that everything runs smoothly.

What was the first job you ever had?

The first real job I ever had was teaching spin classes, but I taught gymnastic classes in high school once a week.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you have ever received?

To always make sure that your customers were happy and everything else would follow through after that. —Maya Puma

Five favorites

Favorite book: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Favorite movie: The Wolf of Wall Street
Favorite music: Hip-hop
Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese
Favorite thing about NH: Being so close to the beach and the city at the same time

Featured photo: Maggie Verrette. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 23/08/03

Dear Donna,

Is this pizza cutting board old? I recently picked this up at a flea market and I’m wondering. Thanks so much for any information.

Sandy

Dear Sandy,

First let’s tell you what this is: a German bread board. Sometimes you can pick up some that are old. Most, though, are still being used, in Germany and other countries. They aren’t used for cutting pizza at all. Pizza paddles can be wood but a totally different shape. That’s why you probably don’t see any cut marks on it.

They are sweet and still useful decorative pieces. Very collectible, so depending on what you spent for it you could have a little large treasure. The values run in the range of $100 to $200. Older ones are preferred, but even modern ones have high values too.

Thanks for sharing with us, Sandy, and enjoy your find. They look great hung on a wall when not in use.

Kiddie Pool 23/08/03

Family fun for the weekend

Make it a museum day

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open daily through Labor Day — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission costs $12 for ages 3 and up.

• Check out the new Science Playground at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827). The playground can be accessed from inside the Discovery Center through October from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is included in admission to the center, which cost $12 for adults, $9 for ages 3 to 12 and $11 for ages 13 through college and for seniors, according the the website. Planetarium shows cost an additional $6 per person. The center is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 3.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820) is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and ages 65 and up, and $30 for a family, according to the website.

Save the date for the museum’s PlaneFest on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day’s activities are held outdoors and are free to families, with a focus on elementary and middle school-age kids, according to a press release.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) continues its Wacky Art Wednesdays, Learning Garden Fun on Thursdays and Science Fridays with programming at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon. Admission costs $12.50 ($10.50 for seniors).

And, save the date: The museum will hold its Teddy Bear Clinic from 9 to 11 a.m., with teddy bear snacks from 11 to 11:30 a.m. The event, which is sponsored by Portsmouth Regional Hospital, features a check-up for a teddy bear or other stuffie kids bring with them, and ends with the “patient” getting a certificate of wellness, according to a press release. The clinic is part of morning admission to the museum.

Also in August, the Children’s Museum will hold a Kick Off to Kindergarten on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free for kids entering kindergarten and their families; register by Monday, Aug. 7, according to the website. The event will include a craft, a scavenger hunt, Biscuit the Dog reading Biscuit Goes to School and more, the website said.

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