There’s a great line in Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book (in my very yellowed 1960 paperback copy, it’s on page 15), in her directions for a dish she calls Skid Row Stroganoff. After telling you how to brown the ground beef, garlic, and onion, she offers this gem: “Add the flour, salt, paprika, and mushrooms, stir, and let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink.” Priceless.
But what does that have to do with this year’s 26th Annual Kitchen Tour to Benefit The Music Hall, you say? Well, I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing all 12 kitchens that are on the tour already. And The Stolzer Home has this fantastic view of the Piscataqua River Back Channel. Most of us don’t smoke anymore, but I can just picture the cook in this fantastic kitchen staring happily out her big front window at that gorgeous water view whilst, for example, her roux and stock start to thicken. I’m afraid I’d be prone to burning things with that lovely scene to gaze at all day. Read More
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Hard to believe it has been nearly a year since the 25th Annual Kitchen Tour to Benefit The Music Hall in 2016. But I’m here to tell you, this year’s tour is almost here. Which brings me back to this blog space to share some info on the gems we are featuring this year. It’s May 13, the Saturday before Mother’s Day. You’ll love the area we’ve chosen this year – the Little Harbor neighborhood of Portsmouth, all very walkable. You can stroll with friends or family from kitchen to charming kitchen. Read More
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One of the first things that I really knew about The Music Hall was that they put on an annual Kitchen Tour. Thinking about it as I write this week’s blog, it’s kind of funny seeing how I very rarely spend any time in my own kitchen. Each year, I’d gather up a group and we’d make a day of it. It was always interesting to see what the inside of these houses and condos that I had walked or driven past for years really looked like.Read More
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As best I can figure it, about two weeks ago someone in New England must have said something stupid about winter, like “I think it’s over.” And we all know that such insults do not go down well with winter, who can be as cranky as a chihuahua with a hangnail if not given proper respect.
Fortunately, we didn’t have a film discussion last week, so the damage was tolerable. Now all we have to do is use up the end-of-the-world food, water and candles that we bought for the occasion.Read More
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As you know, this Friday is Saint Patrick’s day. If you are anything like me, the idea of venturing out to a local bar to celebrate the holiday is unappealing (long lines to get in, longer lines for the restrooms, and people who have consumed more Guinness than they probably should have) we have a great alternative for you!Read More
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Today is the day, the day I have been waiting months for, today, I get to see Pat Benatar in concert! When I was younger, I used to have kitchen dance parties, my mother would put on the radio and we’d dance around the kitchen in our socks singing into soup spoons. As a child of the 80’s Pat Benatar was one of my very favorites. “Heartbreaker”, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, “Love is a Battlefield”, and of course, “We Belong” all make me what to get up and dance, no matter where I am. Read More
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Oscar’s self-inflicted wounds are starting to knit together and the temperature of the film world has returned to normal. The trailers at the MallPlexx 28 are wall-to-wall with explosions, comic-book characters, and summer teen-hero crap. Everything, in other words, is back to normal, which means that film lovers are pretty much on their own for a while, unless you count rays of hope like Get Out, which is killing it.Read More
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Well, that was interesting. The Oscars I mean. It’s like the ceremony felt the need to challenge the Super Bowl for drama, coming up with a surprise ending that kept people glued to their TV sets long after they should have gone to bed.
I can’t complain, because the better film (Moonlight) finally got its due. All’s well that ends well, and despite a few questionable calls (Emma Stone … really?), the night was a success, even Jimmy Kimmell. And the affection shown for movies should fill us all with a burning desire to see more great movies, no matter how late we have to stay up.Read More
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