Food

So, About Those Cupcakes…

My darling cousin Kim got married a few weeks ago. Early in the wedding planning, she asked a few family members if they would make cakes for her reception — she didn’t want anything fancy. I was one of the “asked” and couldn’t have been happier. But of course, I couldn’t make “just a cake.” […]

Magazine

Nutcracker Performances in New England 2008

2008 Nutcracker Performances Don’t miss it! Scroll through these state-by-state listings of local performances of the beloved ballet, The Nutcracker. View Yankee‘s backstage photos of Boston Nutcracker ballet dancers and read Annie Graves’ memories of “One Enchanted Evening” atThe Nutcracker. CONNECTICUT Nutcracker Performances Brass City Ballet Westover School Middlebury, CT December 6, 7, 2008 203-598-0186 […]

Magazine

A Cornmeal Heirloom

What I always noticed first when Josie cooked were her hands. Her fingers were slender but gnarled, like a sweet witch’s, and from the base of her knuckles to her wrists they were swollen with arthritis. I often wondered how she could create such amazing dishes with these two distorted tools.Josie was my surrogate grandmother. […]

Yankee

Drawn to Detail at the DeCordova

One of the great things about art making is that there are no rules. Just as “art” is anything an artist decides it is, a “drawing” can be almost anything, from traditional mediums such as charcoal, graphite, or pen and ink on paper to pastels, watercolors, and oil stick. In general, any art created in […]

Gardens

Why Leaves Turn Different Colors in Fall

Green to Orange and Red: The green we see in tree leaves is the pigment chlorophyll. Stored in chloroplasts in the watery cytoplasm of plant cells, it is responsible for creating food for the plants. Chlorophyll uses the sun’s energy to split water molecules and recombine them with carbon dioxide in the air to make […]

Yankee

Art of Ancient Iraq

The art and culture of the ancient Middle East is not one of my strong points, so I am not going to pretend to say anything particularly profound about Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum, which opens at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on September 21 and runs through January […]

Yankee

Bird Mancini | Funny Day Music Review

I really didn’t know what to make of Boston-based Bird Mancini when they slid their last album across my desk a few weeks back. They’re introduction letter described themselves as kind of a quirky accordion classic-rock band. After about 50 minutes of listening to their music, I was still pretty confused, but relieved that the […]

New Hampshire

Foliage Drive: Isaac Frye Highway

By Sara E. Pratt Lyndeborough Start with breakfast or lunch at the Melting Pot in the town of Wilton. After exploring the myriad downtown shops and taking a peek inside the 1886 brick Town Hall Theatre head west out of town on Route 101. Pass the junction with Route 31 South and begin looking for […]

New Hampshire

Peterborough: Harlow’s Pub

By Dave Weisberg New Media Manager, Yankee Publishing Hidden away on the corner of School and Grove Street in the center of Peterborough is a classic European-style pub called Harlow’s. The warm, cozy atmosphere and the mix of the crowd gives Harlow’s a family atmosphere, while the small outdoor deck and seating area makes it […]

Design

New England’s Finest: Home Office Accessories

1. This posh 16×16-inch Morris pillow ($140) features a wool-felt stripe motif appliqued on organic cotton flannel (cheery Pod pillow, $164). Made by Balanced Design of Providence, Rhode Island. 401-486-3589; balanced-design.com 2. Stimulating and playful, this Color Blox hand-hooked wool-felt rug (seven sizes, $80-$1,925) pops against a neutral color palette. Made by Dash & Albert […]

Yankee

Like Breath on Glass

When I was doing graduate work at Simmons College back in the early 1970s, I often spent my lunch break next door at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, that elegant little palazzo frozen in time on Boston’s Fens. The art, the architecture, and the atmosphere, especially the indoor garden, were like a vacation abroad, if […]

New England

Hot Dogs: New England’s Best

I’ve been eating a lot of hot dogs lately. And when I talk about eating hot dogs, people e-mail and tell me about their favorites. Right now, Flo’s Hot Dogs in southern Maine, on Route 1 in Kittery, and Fred’s Franks in Wakefield, Massachusetts (exit 40 off Route 128 at the roundabout), are topping my […]