Polly’s Pancake Parlor, family-owned and opening for its 66th season in May, is a Sugar Hill institution in a circa 1830 building with million-dollar mountain views. Stone-ground on the premises, the pancakes are made from cornmeal, whole wheat and buckwheat…
Dining Room Take those serious dining room chairs and give them a fairy-tale garden look with a sheer fabric slipcover. A gathered, full, flouncy look will add to the charm. For a more tailored look, use crisp linens with an…
Marie Bozzi and her husband Peter finally had a comfortable home in New Jersey. They had spent several years finding just the right furniture and, with the help of professional decorators, they felt their home was complete. But then came…
To many, the principles of feng shui bring to mind the positioning of furniture in a living room, or the traffic patterns of a functional kitchen. In reality, feng shui is a much more holistic approach to living in accordance…
During several weeks in March, when the nights are cool and the days are warm, the sap flows from maple trees all over New Hampshire. There are more than 60 maple producers in the state, and many offer tours and…
Over at the Bedford Village Inn, owners Jack and Andrea Carnevale have announced the recent appointments of Joseph Brenner to the position of Executive Chef, and Jodi Geiser as Chef de Cuisine for the property’s four-diamond kitchens. Brenner has worked…
People change places. This may seem obvious, but it bears repeating when you’re trying to assess the trends and the expectations of a small state like ours — one that has undergone substantial growth in just a decade or so.…
February was Fine I just received and read the February issue of your fine magazine and just wanted to say thanks for the consistently high quality from start to finish. I read all of your editorials. I particularly liked the articles on…
I’ve heard you described as one of the state’s premier Irish wits. How would you interpret that? I’d interpret that to mean we have an alarmingly low number of wits in the state. Seriously, how’d you get that reputation? I…
Matching chocolates to wine can be difficult or even controversial, but Theresa Anderson of Swan Chocolates in Merrimack offers her “Seven Swan Sweet Pairings” that are a foolproof guide to getting the most out of chocolate and an accompanying wine.…
Instead of our suggesting where you should go, this time we thought we’d turn the tables and ask people what their favorite places are to eat where the desserts are outstanding. Here are their personal recommendations: “Mise En Place (Wolfeboro,…
Like many families from the Boston area, Tom and Ellen Draper were looking for quiet, natural beauty when they bought a small log cabin on a lake in the Monadnock region. As they settled into their vacation home, the Drapers…
The Colby Hill Inn in Henniker (428-3281, www.colbyhillinn.com) is once again having their “Chocolate Lovers’ Weekend” March 5-7. It’s a great chance to not only indulge in chocolate, but learn a few tricks of the trade by acclaimed pastry chefs.…
A friend of mine told me, “The most important lessons in your life take place when you’re doing something you don’t want to do.” I wasn’t thinking about that on the night I went to “Play Among the Stars.” I…
The Cultured Club “Get Cultured” in your November 2003 edition tried to do an overview of New Hampshire arts. [Your list of] performing arts venues glaringly omits Keene’s Colonial Theatre, University of New Hampshire and Plymouth State University. Out of…
Back in the 1880s, Dr. Augustin Thompson patented a nostrum called Moxie, which he produced at a small plant in Lowell, Massachusetts. He said the carbonated drink was “food for the nerves which has been proven to cure imbecility and…
With an entire symphony orchestra on stage, you can’t expect a raffle winner to be named without some kind of fanfare. And so, in fine game-show style, the announcement is accompanied by a darkly dramatic timpani roll, then punctuated by…
Have you been invited to a wedding recently? E-mail askann@nhmagazine.com with your questions. I have received a wedding invitation with a choice of menu. I am a vegetarian. They are offering beef or salmon. What do I do? They are…
Independent brides, considerably older and possibly better educated than in past decades, do seek tradition, but with a twist. One of the things they most look for now is color. Brides are shocking their mothers by putting color — even…
In the deep of winter, create an evening of fun and warmth by hosting a wine and cheese tasting party for friends and family. It’s easy to do. Just gather a variety of interesting wines and cheeses, and pair them…
Simple in concept, but complex in flavor. That’s how one food writer recently described Cuban cuisine. In fact, there are two distinct styles of cooking on the island: the classic and the new, or nuevo Cubano. The classic style uses…
Visit Don and Lillian Stokes at their Hancock home, and you quickly understand that birds are big there. Their sweeping lawn and fields have nine birdfeeders and 25 birdhouses of all shapes and sizes. The gardens and grounds are designed…
Talk is cheap. A complete kitchen overhaul is not. But it’s worth every penny if you make sure it’s exactly what you want. To overhaul our kitchen we decided to enlist the help of a professional kitchen designer for the…
Water is a compelling element — first, when our country was young as the source of power and transportation, and now, after technology has taken a different twist, for its sheer beauty. A sawmill built by a river dam in…
You’ve Probably heard of people who buy countless cookbooks every year, but who have absolutely no intention of ever cracking one open to prepare a dish from its pages. Instead, they use them for leisure reading: They prop themselves up…
To raise money, some groups offer raffles, hold bake sales and dances. That wouldn’t do for the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of New Hampshire, a non-profit organization for building professionals. The HBRANH needed a fundraiser, and Dick Benson, the…
The highway turns into a circular driveway. The driveway turns to a path. The path leads to and then through this home on Granite Lake. Upon approach, the home appears first as a blue wideboard wall, obscuring the water, and…
