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
We know them. We cherish them. Some of us are them. And, whether we like it or not, at some point, they’re usually right.
If you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about mothers.
Whether you’re a writer, blogger, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, have friends with kids, or have a lovely mom of your own, you probably have story to tell about motherhood. It could be a remarkable moment of motherhood that changed your life. Or the instance that your own mother inspired by moving mountains. Or even that moment your niece drew an entire mural on her parent’s bedroom wall, because, “that’s how much she loves them.”
Whatever the story may be, Listen To Your Mother: Providence is going to tell it.
Part live reading and part social media phenomenon, Listen To Your Mother: Providence brings together 14 talented writers to share their original stories on motherhood. It’s about celebrating the beauty, the beast and barely rested roller coaster ride of mamahood. With cast members from as far as New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts and as close our own backyard in Little Rhody, the show is about bringing people who are mothers, have a mother, know a mother or aspire to one day be a mother together in a celebration of one of the hardest jobs on earth.
Date: Saturday, May 4th
Time: 2pm – 5pm
Location: Providence Public Library on Empire Street
Tickets (which are only $14!) can be purchased here: http://ltymprovidence.brownpapertickets.com
Charity: 10% of ticket sales goes to the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative who supports the local immigrant community by providing literacy, citizenship and job readiness programs at no cost. LTYM is excited to support their efforts in making sure every citizen in Rhode Island feels empowered to take care of their families and be thriving members of the community.
JOIN THE CAST AND CREW AFTER THE SHOW AT PROVIDENCE …More
Now that the votes have been cast and counted, and the president has handily won a second term, the long and convoluted process of dissecting this election will begin. The data wonks will begin combing through demographics and vote tallies searching for hard numbers to chart Obama’s path to victory. The pundits will either fume or gloat, depending on their party affiliation, but either way will bloviate and prognosticate and offer post-mortems. The Obama team will give itself a well-deserved pat on the back for reassembling (most of) its 2008 coalition and once again running a formidable ground game. And, of course, the Republican Party is likely to assemble quickly and noisily into a circular firing squad.
There will be many attempts by various right-wing factions to explain Romney’s loss. The more pragmatic among them will mix undeniable truths (Obama’s undoubtedly superior get-out-the-vote machine, the failure of Republicans to court a wider swath of the growing Latino population) with unanswerable questions (Should so-called “Moderate Mitt” have emerged sooner? Did having Romney sidelined during Sandy drain his momentum?). The more rabidly ideological base will find any which way to spin this into a reaffirmation of their impenetrable world views, rattling off arguments ranging from tin-eared and out-of-touch (they lost because Romney was never a true conservative) to downright insane (Obama was manipulating the jobs numbers; the Democrats control the weather and unleashed Superstorm Sandy to turn the election).
And while the Republicans have their firing squad, the Democrats will have their circle jerk. Liberal strategists, pundits and supporters will weave the admittedly numerous strands of good news into a warm, fuzzy security blanket to keep out the cold, hard facts of a divided country that just barely skewed left this time. They will claim a mandate, a decisive refutation of the conservative agenda, despite a slim …More
Who: Longston Johnson
What: Urban streetwear designer
When: 8pm, Saturday May 26
Where: Little Bastard Co. Headquarters, 285 Main Street, Woonsocket
Why: It’s not just a t-shirt line, it’s a lifestyle… and a movement
It’s a big day for 27-year-old Longston Johnson: he’s hosting a grand opening party at his brand new Little Bastard Company Headquarters, which is part clothing boutique, part art gallery. After having success at area boutiques, pop-up shops and online, he’s proud to set up a retail store in his hometown of Woonsocket, which has seen its fair share of trouble.
By the time I arrive, the party has been in full swing for almost four hours. Still, the room is filled with music and laughter. A DJ spins hip-hop, kids breakdance on the floor, an orchestrated rap battle takes place — put mildly, it’s awesome. I spot Longston in the back of the room, leaning up against a table, receiving well wishes. He’s excited, but exhausted.
“You should have seen it earlier,” he says nodding at the crowd. “This place was packed.” It’s still packed (by my definition at least), and I’m glad to hear he’s had such a great turnout. He deserves it. Longston’s a hardworking guy who’s already done much to give back to his city: organizing canned food drives, raising money for cancer and feeding the needy at church.
And then there’s the guns. Community members have been outraged by both the name of the brand and its logo – silhouettes of kids, one of which holds a pistol. Those in opposition to the “provocative” store are having a field day on message boards: “Not a positive message for our already troubled city,” and “What in the world are they selling? That is disgusting.”
At first, Longston was angry. “My teenage rebellious side came out,” he says. “I wanted to protest, pitchfork, …More
Who: Pete Dorrance
What: Skateboarder and social activist
When: 5:30pm, Monday, April 30
Where: A house on the West Side of Providence
Why: ‘Cause skateboarders are awesome, duh
Pete Dorrance skates as much as he can. Between his full-time job (working with autistic students) and chipping away at his dream (starting a nonprofit), he’s a busy guy. Still, skateboarding always factors heavily into the mix. He’s been skating for 20 years; he knows no other way. “When I was a kid, my parents took me to Waterbrothers — a surf and skate shop in Newport. They had a halfpipe next to the shop, which was right on the beach,” he recalls.
Pete grew up in suburbia and skated in his neighborhood; occasionally, he came to Providence to street skate. Regardless of where he chose to shred, he always faced opposition. “Skating has become more accepted, but it’s still a constant battle for skateboarders to street skate and find new terrain,” he says. “Skaters still get tickets, police still confiscate boards and security guards still hassle kids.”
Skaters need to seek out new places to shred in order to ramp-up their own repertoire of tricks and keep up with the increasing level of “mind boggling” competition that currently exists out there. Pete and his crew got sick of butting their heads against the proverbial wall; a few of them banded together and hence the idea for the nonprofit was born.
“There are not nearly enough skateparks and until that problem is fixed, skating will always be a battle,” Pete says. He thinks that more cities and towns should recognize the need for certain unused public spaces to be sanctioned for skating. “We’re in the process of starting a nonprofit called RIPS, which will stand for Rhode Island Public Skateparks or Revitalizing Inactive Public Spaces.”
While the group hasn’t yet settled on the antecedent of their …More
The local nonprofit Project Undercover, which provides things like socks, underwear and diapers to needy children, is going to have a good day on Tuesday, September 18. How do we know? Because on that day all three Rhode Island Whole Foods locations (601 North Main St., 261 Waterman St. and 151 Sockanosset Crossroad, Cranston) will donate 5% of the day’s sales to benefit the charity. It's a great opportunity to support a great cause while buying things you already need anyway.More
In an industry as fickle as restaurants, longevity is a rare prize. Most restaurants don’t last more than a couple of years – meanwhile, Mills Tavern is celebrating a full decade. Starting this month, the restaurant will mark this milestone with its new Spring Anniversary Menu, reintroducing some of the signature favorites from the past 10 years. Highlights include the “Mills Sandwich,” Hudson Valley foie gras with a black currant buttermilk biscuit and tea braised figs; Open Faced Braised Rabbit Ravioli with wild mushroom truffle cream sauce; and Beef Tartare Over Bulgur Wheat Salad with cornichon emulsion and sunny-side up quail egg.
Be sure to check Mills Taverns’ website for the date of its special anniversary dinner. In the last week of April the restaurant will host a special six-course tasting with wine pairings. Chef Ed Bolus will be in the kitchen with guest chef Jules Ramos of Eleven Forty Nine; Ramos was the first executive chef at Mills. Tickets are $150 per person, with $25 benefiting Festival Ballet.More
Steven McKellar sits on the vintage patterned sofa in Fete’s green room; Civil Twilight’s lead singer looks relaxed, albeit fatigued, as he looks up from his Narragansett Lager. I ask him if he knows he’s drinking Rhode Island-made beer: Narragansett is indeed a real place. “Oh,” he says, examining the can. “This is local?” He hasn’t lived in South Africa for roughly eight years now, but that fact does nothing to quell his distinctive accent, which at times sounds largely British. “I like it,” he says, simply. “It’s really quite good.” In a navy plaid shirt, perfectly faded denim and dark, tousled hair, Steven is the epitomical rocker. Choosing not to employ a stylist, the guys just wear “whatever.” In fact, those faded jeans belong not to him, but to his older brother Andrew, who plays guitar in the band.
Drummer Richard Wouters is in stark contrast to Steven, with his fair skin, long limbs and blush-colored button-up. While Steven speaks deliberately, Richard’s words are free-flowing and airy: “We did a show on the river here [in Providence] once,” he tells me. “It’s really cool down there.” He’s speaking of their June 2010 appearance at Waterplace Park; the band played as part of WBRU’s Summer Concert Series, which is – ironically – happening as we speak, on the other side of town. Civil Twilight have been brought in again by the radio station to headline that show’s after party, which apparently they hadn’t yet realized. It’s three hours until show time, their third show in as many nights. One evening prior, they performed at Mohegan Sun, and the day before that, the band gigged at Brooklyn’s famous Knitting Factory.
Regarding their heavy touring schedule, Steven reveals, “It’s all a bit of a blur, though I remember a thing above Hell – that was Providence, I think.” I figure that he’s referring to the now-defunct Jerky’s. (The band played a show there in early 2010.) The two friends …More
By now you’ve no doubt heard about the East Side dustup between Councilman Sam Zurier and residents/constituents Dee Dee and Dr. Gary Witman. (Full disclosure: Zurier is a former education columnist for us.) In case you’ve missed it, a quick review of the facts: Dee Dee sought out the assistance of her councilman, freshman Democrat Sam Zurier, to get the sidewalk in front of her home repaired. Her husband Gary, a prominent physician, was rendered quadriplegic in a freak swimming accident and is wheelchair bound, making the damaged sidewalk an impassable obstacle for him. Zurier rallied to have the repairs done, with the expectation that the Witmans would oblige with a campaign contribution. When that contribution never materialized, Zurier sent the couple a letter expressing his disappointment. Later, the whole affair winds up splashed on the front page of the Sunday Projo and a mini-controversy ensues, with Witman eventually going on Buddy Cianci’s radio show to call for the councilman’s resignation. (A bit of a disingenuous move, since, as Rhode Island Public Radio’s Scott MacKay points out in an excellent editorial, Witman herself is no stranger to the quid pro quo world of Rhode Island political fundraising.)
In short, a rookie councilman made a rookie mistake. In the process, a city service was rendered to a resident who really needed it and no palms wound up being greased to get it. The real shame here isn’t Zurier’s admittedly boneheaded letter, but that this story has managed to find such legs. The time and energy invested in sustaining this tempest in a teacup seems like a waste, particularly when considering the people involved. Zurier is one of the smartest and most thoughtful members of City Council, a Yale grad and a Rhodes Scholar in a political body that has more often been populated with wardheeling hucksters. Witman is a reliable and active supporter of the Democratic Party. The Projo reporters who broke …More
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