Christmas is here.  Tired of getting stuck in lines? Tired of being stressed out because you still have not done your shopping?  Then do what I do to relieve some stress and start cooking!  Part two of this “Holiday Helpings” edition of Get Off the Couch will follow me cooking an Italian dish and do some deserts. This week my friend Laura Uttley has decided to throw caution to the wind and be my sous chef.   For any Italian out there, you probably have heard of the “Seven Fishes” tradition on Christmas, where (yes, you guessed it) seven different types of fish are cooked. I am going to try a…

After our wildly successful Thanksgiving cooking guide last month and several calls from the Food Network to start my own cooking show (which I gracefully declined), “Get Off the Couch” has brought back the running diary of culinary creations.  Now that you have done your own Thanksgiving feast, round two is coming up with the arrival of Ole St. Nick.  This week I have enlisted the help of my wonderful sister-in-law Sarah (a former North Kingstown Patch columnist) as my sous chef (as well as her kitchen).  In part one of our “Holiday Helpings,” we'll take you through cooking the Christmas ham…

The holidays are upon us.  Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, whichever you celebrate, it's here. It’s the time of giving and being merry…and spending a lot of time with your family and loved ones. As many of us know, this can be a double-edged sword. That first day can be so exciting to see everyone, but it can easily turn sour soon after. Thankfully I'm not married, so I do not have to worry about pleasing any in-laws just yet.  But, if you have a large family like mine, you have to placate to everyone's wishes sometime and boy can that get frustrating. The holidays should …

If you have walked through Wickford lately, or have been keeping up to date on Patch, you have probably noticed the town is preparing for the Festival of Lights. The celebration, which is coming up this weekend, is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Strolling down Brown Street at night amidst all the lights and carolers helps transform a picturesque New England village into a winter wonderland. I would like to applaud the town's efforts in donating $7,000 toward the festival, easing the burden from small businesses in Wickford that normally split the costs. As someone who had spent…

Even though there were a few hitches in the road, last week’s cooking went pretty well.  That gave me the culinary courage to embark on part two of my running diary.  This week, Get off the Couch will show you how to cook a pumpkin pie, and the all-important turkey.  Since I only have one oven, I thought it best to spread out the baking over a two-day span on Friday and Saturday.Friday afternoon 12:30 - Walk into Dave's Marketplace and start getting my ingredients. I found out that frozen turkeys take about three days to defrost, so I'm going to have to buy a fresh one. Even though the turkey…

You are on your own, in your own place. Mom and Dad are far away and aren't there to cook for you. Sure, you will probably be going to go home for Thanksgiving dinner, but don't you want to cook it yourself prior to the big day?  Well if you are new to the kitchen and you want to cook a pre-Thanksgiving feast (which probably ranks up there right next to a pre-Christmas feast), let me help you out. While I'm no Iron Chef, I have been known to cook a good chicken scampi for the ladies every once in a while. I am here to coach you through your Thanksgiving feast with a running diary of my trials…

"Les Misérables" came into Providence Performing Arts Center this past week and it truly was an amazing show. J. Mark McVey starred as Jean Valjean and Jenny Latimer as Cosette, both surpassing expectations. While the show has played to a packed house all week, I feel like not enough young professionals around my age in the South County area actually get out to Providence to see shows like this or just go out to Providence for a night on the town.  What I believe to be the phenomenon behind this is the “Rhode Island Effect.” It happens when people are faced with a daunting decision of going …

I know what you are thinking: it's only fall and the idea of thinking about 30º weather and snow might not be the first thing on your mind during this Indian summer. However, now is a great time to start prepping for ski season in a variety of ways. If you are an avid skier or snowboarder, or if you are still trying to conquer the bunny hill, it’s good to make sure you are in shape to do so and also that you have the right equipment to fit your skiing style. Skiing and snowboarding are demanding sports. I have awful knees, and even worse stamina – not a good combination for a long day on the …

I love pumpkins. I love everything to do with pumpkins, especially during the fall. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee, carving pumpkins — you name it. If it has anything remotely to do with pumpkins, I am all over it.  There is a certain order which I follow each fall as to balance out my craving for everything pumpkin. First, I get pumpkin coffee. After a few weeks, I transition to getting pumpkin pie whenever possible. My favorite part about pumpkin pie is that there are no restrictions on the acceptability of what time of the day you can eat pumpkin pie. I like to start out with one slice a day …

I recently watched the movie “127 Hours”...which did a remarkable job of dissuading me from ever wanting to go hiking or camping again. Then, I remembered that the Rhode Island landscape is just a bit different from Moab, Utah, where the movie was filmed. Thus, I feel fairly confident I will not need to amputate any limbs when I go out exploring the vast Rhode Island wilderness – fairly being the operative word. There are several places close by town to venture to for camping and hiking. If you want to go camping in South County, look no further than Burlingame State Park. Burlingame is a fun…

It’s the second week of September and, although it's not officially the start of fall, summer is nearly at an end. Work starts to kick back up to normal pace, kids start going back to school and, if you’re like me, you dread this time. Who wants to sit in an office while the final beautiful days of the season tick away? And if you’re also like me, you like to procrastinate, so let’s prolong summer for a little while longer! Since we live in Rhode Island, aptly named the “Ocean State,” I am going to give you some ways to get out on the water, located right here in town. Unless you have a boat…