(aka your new favorite excuse to eat out)

If you’ve been stuck in that winter food rut (same 3 places, same order, every time)… good news: Taste 2 Towns: Mansfield-Windham Restaurant Week kicks off Monday, January 26 through Sunday, February 8.

Restaurants in Mansfield + Windham will be rolling out special takeout offers and prix fixe menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night treats, so you can do this as casually (one takeout night) or as aggressively (full-on food tour) as you want. Full details and participating spots are here.

To make it more fun, we’re running a Taste Passport Challenge during Taste 2 Towns.

To enter: Complete at least 4 of the 6 passport items below and send us pictures of your meals, plus where you got them and what you ordered.

Send your photos + details by Sunday, February 8:

We’ll pick 4 winners, and we’ll announce the prizes in a future newsletter (so yes, the prizes are currently a surprise… like a mystery bag, but hopefully with fewer weird items 😄).

Alright Tolland County… stretch pants on standby. 🍕🔥

🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Jasmine, a sweet, playful Shepherd-mix puppy who’s good with kids, dogs, and cats and ready to claim a forever home.

🏡House of the week: This 1920 brick colonial in Stafford Springs is serving “classic charm, modern glow-up” with 4 beds, 2 baths, 2,308 sq ft, a fully renovated kitchen, a cozy propane fireplace, and a heated four-season porch that screams coffee-with-a-book energy. Bonus points for the private garden (yes, it literally mentions blueberries) and all those original built-ins that make the place feel like it has a soul. Have a look!

🇮🇹New opening: Sciarrettas Little Italy just opened on Route 87 in Columbia serving espresso + rotating cannoli flavors (Nutella, tiramisu, limoncello, and more)… and they’ve got Italian imports coming soon too.

🔭Sky report: Jan 20–23 is prime “dark sky” week right after the new moon, so look east for Jupiter blazing all night and catch Saturn low in the west, with the skinny crescent moon sliding past it on Jan 22–23. By Jan 26, the first-quarter moon starts brightening things up and hangs near the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) in Taurus, while Orion and Gemini stay loud and proud overhead like the winter sky’s greatest hits album.

If you’ve ever wanted to get into gardening but didn’t feel like buying a bunch of fancy stuff, the milk jug greenhouse is your move. It’s a mini DIY greenhouse made from a regular plastic milk jug, and it lets you start seeds earlier because the jug traps warmth and protects everything from wind and cold. Super simple, kinda genius, and it makes you feel like the type of person who “totally has a garden plan” even if you’re winging it.

How to make a milk jug greenhouse:

You can grow a ton of stuff in a milk jug greenhouse too. Think lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, herbs like parsley and cilantro, and even snap peas if you’ve got a little patience. Flowers work great too, especially marigolds, zinnias, black-eyed Susans, and anything that normally survives a little early-season drama.

My tips: label the jug (because “mystery greens” is fun until it isn’t), don’t skip drainage holes or you’ll create a swamp, and put it somewhere it gets good sun but not full all-day blast at first. Also keep the cap off so it doesn’t turn into a steamy seed sauna, and check it after heavy rain so it doesn’t flood. Low effort, high payoff, and you’ll feel like a gardening genius by week two.

SUNDAY 1/25

Coventry | Winter Farmers Market | 10am-12:30pm - So, normally a farmers market might not be a Buzzworthy Activity (although, I think they are), this is one you don’t want to miss. This week, the Coventry Winter Farmers Market (78 Ripley Hill Rd) is celebrating their National Seed Swap Day! Along with browsing through the fantastic vendors, you’ll be able to pick up FREE seeds throughout the market!

Keep reading the newsletter for an easy craft you can do start those seeds while there’s still snow on the ground!

Last week’s word scramble was Farwell Barn, that big iconic barn sitting up on Horsebarn Hill Road at UConn in Storrs. It’s a 19th-century post-and-beam barn (aka the real deal) that started as a family farm barn before the campus grew up around it.

It was built around 1870, then the property got scooped up by the Connecticut Agricultural College in 1911 (the early version of UConn), and the old house on-site sadly burned in 1976. Today the house remains are an archaeology site where UConn programs have dug up artifacts like coins and combs, and the barn itself made the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Hebron | Yoga Nidra | 6pm $ - Get immersed in a guided meditation/sound bath/yoga session at Pathways to Peace Yoga (269 Church St). Shoot Priscilla a message for more info/to book your spot.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Square Peg - Vernon | Kt Lay | 6pm

Coventry | Ladies Night Out | 6pm - The Limitless Ladies Network will be meeting at Lakeview Restaurant (50 Lake St) for an evening of networking, positive energy, and meaningful conversations, with holistic practitioners. RSVP

Coventry | Open Studio Workshop | 6-7:30pm $ - Grab some friends (and maybe a drink or two) and create a wooden flower arrangement you can keep in your house indefinitely (we have one in our house that’s going strong after over 5 years). Book your time at Wood & Word Blooms (21 Bread & Milk St), you won’t regret it. Tix

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Bidwell Tavern - Coventry | Tino & Malone | 6:30-9:30pm

TRIVIA

Bond 124 - Somers | 7-8:30pm

Somers | History of a Farm Winery | 6-8pm $ - Interested in how the Worthington Vineyard (359 Mountain Rd) came to be? Learn all about the history of the property, taste some wines (guided tasting), have a few snacks, and have any questions you may have answered for $35. Tix

Somers | Free Product Tasting | 6-7pm - Fortune Fuel (11 S Rd) is offering a chance to try their offerings, for free! I have no stake in this place, just wanted to give you a heads up you can try some shakes and teas gratis. Shoot them a message if you’re interested.

Stafford Springs | Oracle Readings | 3-6pm $ - Take a spiritual journey through the meta-physical with an Oracle reading from Hillary at Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St). Book your session

Tolland | Veteran’s Social Hour | 7-9pm - The Spot (200 Merrow Rd) is hosting a social hour (or two) for veterans looking to connect with others who have served. Stop by, and make some new friends, or reconnect will old ones. Shoutout to CJ and Matt for making this happen.

TRIVIA

Rocking Horse - Vernon | 7pm

Somers | Music Bingo | 6-8pm - Have a glass of wine (or several - make sure you have that DD - not talking about Dunkin) at Worthington Vineyards (359 Mountain Rd), and play a very fun game of music Bingo. Free to play, and prizes for each round!

Stafford Springs | Milonga | 8-11:55pm - Get your groove on with a beginner tango lesson, dance practice, and finally an all out dance party with The terrified Tango Orchestra at Middle River Gallery (60 Main St).

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Rocking Horse - Vernon | Diva and the Playboys | 8pm
⬢ Bond 124 - Somers | Floyd Patterson | 7:30-10:30pm
⬢ Joanna’s - Somers | Midlife Crysis | 6:30-9:30pm
⬢ Greenleaf Cafe - Hebron | Karismics | 8:45-11:30pm

Columbia | Painting & Assemblage Workshop | 1-2pm $ - Create a piece of art that incorporates painting along with vintage embellishments at Trailside Treasure (1 Cards Mill Rd). More deets/sign up

Coventry | Author Event | 1pm - Take the drive to Booth & Dimock Library (1134 Main St) to chat with author David Niemitz. If you’re into fantasy books, I think it’s worth checking out. I’ve already added his series to my to-read list (great reviews online!). Get a chance to have your writing questions answered!

Ellington | Winter Farmers Market | 9am-12pm - This week’s theme at the Ellington Winter Farmers Market (37 Maple St) is Winter Essentials. As we get deeper into the season, make sure you have all you need to make it to the spring thaw in a couple months!

Stafford Springs | Book Swap | 2-4pm - Bring up to 5 books you’re looking to pass on to Stafford Cidery (68 Main St) for a free book swap. Write a little one-line description on a post-it note and attach it to the front of the book (you can give a little thumbs up or down too). Make sure to support the Cidery and grab a drink while you’re there!

Vernon | Mediumship Gallery | 6-8pm $ - The BoHo Experience (193 Talcottville Rd) is hosting an intimate mediumship gallery with Robin Attardi Zenczak. Reserve your spot

Vernon | Opening Reception | 2-4pm - Check out the newest exhibit at Arts Center East (709 Hartford Tpke) entitled Cycles of Light. Get a little culture in your life, and check out some amazing artists!

Vernon | Paint Pouring Art | 4-6pm $ - Take a stab at this resurrected art form, with a beautiful, fluid masterpiece at Get Sunmed (425 Talcottville Rd). All supplies included, limited spots, $25 each. Send Michelle a message to book

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Four Seasons By the Lake - Stafford | Killin’ Time | 6-10pm
⬢ Blackledge Country Club - Hebron | Tino & Malone | 6:30-9:30pm
⬢ Three J’s Cafe - Bolton | Karaoke | 8pm-12am
⬢ Rocking Horse - Vernon | Feedback! | 9-11:30pm

Andover | Paint It Gray Watercolor | 9-10:30am $ - Step into the world of minimalist greyscale painting (it’s actually a lot cooler than it sounds) at Over AndOver (415 Rte 6). Class fee is $55 and can be paid through Venmo - I’d suggest sending a message to check availability.

Stafford Springs | Chamber Concert | 1pm - Add a little elegance and class to your day, with a free concert from the Quiet Corner Quartet at Middle River Gallery (60 Main St). Be honest, you don’t have much else going today - makes it perfect to check out the very cool Main St in Stafford Springs.

Vernon | Chili Cook-Off | 11am - First Congregational Church of Vernon (695 Hartford Tpke) is holding a chili cook-off, to see whose recipe reigns supreme (at least in the opinion of the congregation). To participate, submit your recipe to [email protected] - be forewarned, if you win, the winning recipe will be shared with everyone.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Worthington Vineyards - Somers | Luke DeRoy | 1-4pm
⬢ Four Seasons By The Lake - Stafford | Kevin Howard | 2pm

🦗🦗🦗