Ingredients:
6-8 fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
2-3 oz. bourbon
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. water
Directions:
1. Muddle mint leaves, sugar and water in a glass.
2. Fill glass with crushed ice.
3. Pour in bourbon.
4. Garnish with a sprig of mint
Enjoy. More
The Compass School in Kingston hosts its 10th Annual Eco Fair on May 18. It’s a day of fun for students, parents and the public featuring music and entertainment by the Toe Jam Puppet Band, live animals, family yoga, lawn chess, face painting and henna, rock climbing, bouncy house, photo booth, games, silent auction, plant and seedling sale, food vendors and more. Please come out to show your support for all the great things that the school does on a daily basis. Free, though some activities require the purchase of a $10 wristband. Saturday, May 18 from 11am-3pm. 537 Old North Road, Kingston. 788-8322. More
We all know someone who has selflessly served our country. Show the soldiers who have fought for our freedom how much you appreciate their efforts: Attend the 6th Annual Tribute to the US Armed Forces, the Lafayette Band Armed Forces Salute Free Concert, to be led by Conductor Joe Pelosi who is now in his 50th year with the band. Also performing are RI State Bugler Michael Jackson and the Hummingbirds vocal trio. Other highlights include an appearance by the color guards and a military equipment and uniform display. Donations will be accepted at the door to fund the Disabled American Veterans of RI Medical Transportation Program. This is a free event. Saturday, May 18 at 7pm. North Kingstown High, 150 Fairway Drive, North Kingstown. More
Even if you are not from the South, it is still acceptable to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, especially for a great cause. Angels On Horseback Therapeutic Riding School is hosting their 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby Fundraising Party. On Saturday May 4 from 4-8pm, visit the Haversham House in Westerly and experience the Kentucky Derby like never before. Wear your Derby apparel and hats when you watch the event live on the big screen. There will be a Southern Style buffet, whisky tasting, cigar sampling and mint juleps provided by the Sons of Liberty Distillery. There will be a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, red carpet photos and hat contest. Angels On Horseback was established in 2003 as a non-profit organization. All of the proceeds go to their program of equine assisted therapy for adults and children with mental and physically challenging conditions. Saturday, May 4 from 4-8pm. 336 Post Road, Westerly. Tickets are sold at Spangles and the Westerly Chamber of Commerce. More
Some things we take for granted, like a house and food – yet other people don’t have them. WARM (Westerly Area Rest Meals Inc.) just celebrated the opening of its new center on Spruce Street. The development is called the Rev. Jean Barry Center for Social Services. This new building includes six 1-bedroom, affordable apartments and services individuals with physical and mental issues. Another part of the development are two 2-bedroom apartments on Pierce Street. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with the Town Manager Steven Hartford joined the WARM Center to celebrate the completion of the $2.24 million revitalization effort in Westerly. In the past several years WARM has been supplying shelter and food for the first-time homeless, those who have been hit hard by the recession or laidoff. “By providing homes coupled with supportive services, we are working to close the door to homelessness and provide services to get people back on their feet,” says Russ Partridge, Executive Director of WARM. This amazing program can put people into happy and healthy homes and more importantly give them hope of a better future. More
Women’s Wilderness Weekend of RI is celebrating its 37th year with an exciting Women’s Wilderness Weekend to be held at the 2,300 acre W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich. Participants will sleep in heated rustic cabins, dine on delicious buffet-style meals and enjoy live music by Aubrey Atwater. The weekend itinerary features hikes, meditative gardening, photography, canoeing, card making, yoga, canning, an obstacle course and more. Additional for-fee activities include massage, facials, tarot and reflexology, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund. May 3-5. $209. Call 826-7401 for more information. More
Bring the kids and celebrate the 33rd Annual May Fair in East Greenwich at the Academy Field and Swift Gym on May 5. There will be tickets available for games, food and rides at the event. There will be a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, prizes and obstacle courses for the kids. It is not just for kids either; parents can enjoy live entertainment, food, sales and a silent auction and raffle. This is both an indoor and outdoor event so rain or shine, make sure to stop by. The fair benefits the Barbara M. Tufts Cooperative Preschool. Organized by teachers and parents of the preschool, the fair is a fun day for both volunteers and attendees. Even families not affiliated with the school are welcomed to join in for an exciting day. Sunday, May 5 from 11am-3pm. For more information call 368-1200. More
A hybrid between a retail store and a craft fair, the South County Artisan’s Market is home to an assortment of art and handcrafted gifts from local artists. Located on the renovated second floor of the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown, the unique business gives artisans an opportunity to sell their craft and keep all of their proceeds. Unlike many artist showcases, which take a percentage of the profits as a commission, the South County Artisan’s Market believes that the artists should keep what they earn.
Since October of last year, the business has housed many local artisans and attracted countless buyers. Artists can rent a space in the Market for a minimum of three months for a monthly fee and sell their craft every day. The items available for purchase include paintings, woodworking, jewelry, handcrafted soap, clothing, sculpture, furniture and much more. In addition, the South County Artisan’s Market is one of the first businesses to readily offer genuine art made by local Native American artists.
Starting May 1, the market will be open seven days a week all summer long. The concept of this shop is a win-win for everyone: the owners, the artists and the shoppers. Since the artists are able to keep all of their profits, it allows them to continue cre- ating their beautiful crafts and allows us to keep enjoying them. The South County Artisan’s Market may look like a normal store to the naked eye, but it is a rain-or-shine craft fair that lasts all year long. More
I’ve been writing about food, restaurants and chefs for SO Rhode Island since this magazine made its debut in September 2007, and since 1998 for its parent company which also publishes Providence Monthly and The Bay. I figure I’ve written hundreds of articles and restaurant reviews during my career as a food writer, which began in 1983. During that time I’ve also written several books about Rhode Island, its wonderful restaurant scene and its many talented home cooks.
It has been a dream job, but now it’s time to slow down a bit, and this is my final column for SO Rhode Island. I’m giving up almost all aspects of my career as of this month. The only thing I’ll be doing from now on is writing cookbooks and restaurant guides. That will keep me more than busy.
In 2006 I wrote The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook, which was published by Globe Pequot Press. Last year, my publisher asked me to update the book, and The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook, Second Edition came out a few months ago. The 292-page book has been totally updated and now features 30 new recipes from some of the hottest restaurants in the area. The second edition also features new color photography that illustrates how beautiful our state is, and how appealing our delicious food is – from arancini to zeppoles.
The book contains more than 200 recipes that are unique to Rhode Island, especially from the southern part of the state. I write about our beloved johnnycakes, the thin variety from Newport County and the thicker version found in South County. I sing the praises of Allie’s Donuts, Block Island doughnuts, May breakfasts and the breakfast sandwich favored by local sportfishermen.
And then there’s our amazing seafood – real Rhode Island chowder with its clear broth, the red clam chowder we enjoyed at Rocky Point and the creamy scallop chowder from The Mooring Restaurant in Newport. So many of my favorite recipes are in … More
The first EatDrinkRI Festival kicks off April 19-21, showcasing the best and brightest of the local culinary scene. The Sunday morning Grand Brunch features some of the area's best chefs, including James Mark from north, Jonathan Cambra from Tiverton's Boat House and Melissa Denmark and Danielle Lowe from Ellie's Bakery. Here, they share the recipe for their blue cheese and walnut scone.
1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture appears sandy and the pieces of butter are slightly smaller than a pea.
2. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the blue cheese and walnuts.
3. Slowly add the heavy cream. Fold everything together until the ingredients are almost fully combined. Be careful not to over mix, as this is what causes tough and chewy scones.
4. Remove the mixture from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 10” x 20”). Fold the left side into the center, and then fold the right side on top, like folding a letter to fit in an envelope. This is called a tri-fold.
5. Roll the folded dough out again to the same size rectangle and repeat the folding two more times. This technique is what creates flaky layers.
6. Once you have done three tri-folds, roll the dough to the same size rectangle and place onto a sheet pan and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
7. Once the dough is very cold and stiff, you can cut the scones into desired shapes. Use a knife to cut scones into squares or triangles, or use a circle cutter to make round scones.
8. Place onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Brush each scone with egg wash and a small pinch of sea salt. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
This scone from Ellie's Bakery, will be served at the EatDrinkRI Festival's Grand Brunch at the on Sunday, April 21. More
Sometimes I get a little uninspired in the kitchen – like boxed pasta and shaker cheese uninspired. Talk about dullsville. Luckily, I recently enlisted in my first Newport Cooks class, and my zest for zesting, passion for mashin', and tasting for basting were reignited. Newport Cooks, led by Mary Weaver, presents culinary classes featuring professional chefs and instructors from Newport and the surrounding areas. My friend Kerry, a fabulous cook herself, had been raving about these classes for months, so I knew I was in for a savory affair.
This particular class was lead by Chefs Chad Hoffer and Tyler Burnley of tsk (Thames Street Kitchen) at the Newport Cooks Kitchen in Middletown. Though I originally thought that us "students" would be helping to prepare the dishes, I much preferred what actually happened: the talented chefs prepared the meal in front of the class and gave step by step instructions while we all took notes and, of course, drank wine. They prepared a sunchoke (similar to a potato, in the same family as the sunflower – oh, and delicious) bisque, confit lentils, sauteed kale with anchovy butter (which I wish all butter tasted like), and roasted chicken with preserved lemon stuffing. It. Was. So. Good.
Thanks to Chef Chad and Chef Tyler, I now know what a sunchoke is (potatoes are so 2012), that probably everything on earth is better "confit", and how to actually slice into a bird the right way. We've been doing it oh-so-wrong on Thanksgiving all these years, apparently.
The next class I have my eyes on is all about making French patisserie, because, well, life really is too short not to enjoy a good macaroon. More
Your kids might not grow up to be NBA superstars, but they can feel like tiny Lebrons at Adventureland’s new Bankshot gaming area. The family fun center in Narragansett has added a trick basketball component to their offerings of video games, go karts, batting cages, carousel and more. Bankshot involves banking a ball off of different surfaces to land trick shots – think of it like mini golf, Harlem Globetrotters style. The park is rolling out the new court during April vacation this month, and will have celebratory events all spring, like free mini-golf for moms on Mother’s Day and free Bankshot for dads on Father’s Day. More
Today is a somber day for many Rhode Islanders: the tenth anniversary of the Station Fire, which took the lives of 100 people. It also marks the beginning of a documentary web series that will tell some of the stories of the lives affected by the tragedy. Episodes of The Station Web Series will run weekly on the project's YoutTube channel. Various installments will include interviews with survivors, family members of the victims, first responders and medical personnel, lawmakers and fire safety professionals. The project is the work of Paul Lonardo, Gina Russo and David Bettencourt, and is based in part on From the Ashes, a book that Londardo and Russo co-authored about the fire. Russo is also the current president of the Station Memorial Foundation. Check out the first episode below:
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Projo reports that a "ten-foot phallic snow sculpture" in South Kingstown has been getting some of the neighbors hot and bothered. The police came multiple times – though we think they might have been faking those last couple – to the home off Middlebridge Road where the sculpture was erected, but decided that they weren't at liberty to touch the owner's private... property. Though the person responsible claims the sculpture will last for days, we think that just leaving it exposed like that will lead to softening and significant shrinkage. Anway, here's a photo... you know you want to look:
By now you may have heard that Winter Storm Nemo is bearing down on New England and preparing to drop anywhere from 1-265 inches (give or take) of powder in the Northeast, and possibly anything from a few flurries to a catastrophic blizzard of biblical proportions around the region, including New York, New Jersey, DC, Miami, Atlanta, Albuquerque, the US Virgin Islands, Belize, Hawaii (the island of Oahu only), New South Wales, Isengard and The Shire. Here is the latest Storm Tracker XL5000 DopplerMaster Radar Luxury Edition III satellite photo of Nemo's approach:
Always concerned for the wellbeing of our readers, we've compiled a list of the following snow preparedness tips so you can be ready for The Wrath of Nemo:
-Stock up on milk and bread.
-While you're at the market, might as well pick up other food that you might need to eat an actual meal instead of subsisting off milk and bread like a Dickensian street urchin.
-Hold up the entire damn line at Stop & Shop like there's no one else waiting while you look for that expired coupon for milk and/or bread.
-Act like it has never snowed before. Ever.
-Call a parent, grandparent or older relative so they can remind you how this is nothing compared to the Blizzard of '78.
-Start live-Tweeting the storm now so that your hash tag wins. #snowedin #statingtheobvious #didImentionitssnowing? #catchinguponHomeland
-Post a Facebook update encouraging everyone to stay safe and warm. Seriously. Do it now. Do you want your friends to die a horrible, freezing, snowbound death? You've got to warn them!
-Gather the supplies you'll need if there's an extended power outage: candles, flashlights, warm blankets, non-perishable food, booze, satellite phone, animal pelts, whale blubber, a trashcan to throw through the front window of whatever store you're planning to loot.
-In the event of both a parking ban and a power outage, set your car on fire to stay warm and avoid costly parking … More
The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the only organization in the state that provides funding for humanities projects, has announced their 2013 Major Grants Awards. These grants, totaling $188,088, have been awarded to 22 organizations across the state and will go towards projects ranging from supporting new interpretive materials for public exhibitions for cultural sites, supporting K-12 civic education, piloting GIS and smartphone technology, reopening the FirstWorks dialogue surrounding the controversial ballet Rite of Spring in its 100th anniversary and assisting Rhode Island’s 14th regiment, a group of high school aged reenacters who will camp and march down the Blackstone River Bikeway Path this spring. As far as South County is concerned, a grant of $11,650 was awarded to the Jamestown Historical Society to create and improve didactic signage at the Jamestown Windmill that was built in 1787. The signage will improve the visitor experience, docent training and be integrated into a middle school science program to create a connection between the sciences and humanities. More
Providence Media, the leader in local lifestyle and the publisher of your favorite (right?) local magazine(s), is looking for an Internet Ninja to join our team. (No, that won’t be the actual job title.) This person will be responsible for managing our total online presence, including four websites corresponding to each of our magazines (you can name them all, right?) and various social media presences, including Facebook and Twitter.
What you would be doing…
-Posting all content from our magazines to the web.
-Creating original, web-only content.
-Managing social media for all four publications on Facebook and Twitter.
-Expanding our social media presence into new platforms.
-Selling and managing web advertising.
-Creating newsletters and e-blasts.
-Devising and executing an overall online presence with an eye toward both the editorial and the marketing/PR sides of things.
-Spending a lot of time on the Internet.
-Staying up on the latest trends and developments in online media; determining which ones are worthwhile and which ones are little better than cat memes.
-Learning lots of industry jargon and buzzwords, then trying not to confuse us with them.
What you should know/be able to do…
-Construct a halfway decent sentence.
-GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION!!! in a more effective and less obnoxious manner than that.
-Distract our audience from getting actual work done through strategic deployment of status updates, tweets, blog posts and other Internet ephemera.
-Care about the communities and cultures of Rhode Island. Get interested in them, develop relationships with them and spotlight the most interesting parts.
-SEO. What is it? How do you do it? We’re not entirely sure either, but if you don’t already know it we’re going to send you to a class to learn it.
-Sell advertising. (Duh.)
-Graphic design, photography, Photoshop, HTML, etc. – those kinds of skills … More
Mohegan Sun in nearby Connecticut is gearing up once again for its spectacular Wine Fest, January 25- 27. Festivities kick off on Friday night with a bourbon tasting. During the weekend more than 1,000 fine wines, spirits and craft beers will be available for tasting, along with signature dishes from nationally known restaurants. More celebrity chefs than ever will be on hand, including Todd English, Bobby Flay and Jasper White. Various packages are available for part or all of the weekend. For details, visit www.mohegansun.com.
Winter at the Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington is anything but dull and quiet. Flight nights are scheduled for January 9 and 23, February 6 and 20. A “dark and decadent” event is set for February 16, and a winemaker’s dinner is planned for February 23. Visit www.jedwardswinery.com for details, or call 860-535-0202. More
It's officially time to turn up the Christmas tunes and start making progress with your holiday gift shopping. Shop local this year and support independent and local businesses like Block Island Trading Company. They’ve got you covered from festive home-décor and stocking stuffers to great holiday gifts. Located in the Shoppes at the National Hotel on the corner of Water Street and Dodge Street, they will be open Friday through Sunday up until Christmas from noon to 3 p.m. Do good for the economy and support hard-working business owners in your local community. Can’t make it to the store? No worries, Block Island Trading Company offers PayPal-Bill Me Later, allowing buyers up to six moths to pay for all their purchases. Put a little sparkle into the “the most wonderful time of the year” and shop outside of the average chain stores. More