We’re super excited to welcome Ferns and Fiddleheads to the Kitchen! Tess McGowan and Issa Arango-Tobon are an indie-folk duo performing their original music in the Providence, RI area. In this episode they fill us in on their latest musical exploits including the release of their two new EP’s! We recorded this episode in late summer 2025 and by the time it drops both EP’s will be available so be sure to check them out (fernsandfiddleheads.bandcamp.com). Tess and Issa also give us some inside tips on making Birria Tacos, and reveal the secret (almost) to aunt Sherry’s scones. Be sure to join us for this awesome episode!

Performed by Ferns and Fiddleheads:

Scenic Route by Tess McGowan

Colorado in Spring by Tess McGowan

Gave In by Issa Arango-Tobon

Performed by The Coconotes:

Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver, © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Check out Ferns and Fiddleheads’ EPs Scenic Route and Long Midnight Drive at fernsandfiddleheads.bandcamp.com

Instagram: @ferns.and.fiddleheads

Tik Tok: @ferns.fiddleheads

Learn more about The Proving Ground studio: @theprovinggroundri; theprovingground.studio

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Visit our website at twocatkitchen.net

Singer songwriter George Ajjan The Ajjancy (http://theajjancy.com) joins us for a fun and informative episode! George talks about his experiences navigating the independent musician landscape, and gives great insights into the current state of the music scene and how it has been both beneficial and detrimental for independent artists. We also hear some of his new music, and, just in time for the holidays, George reveals how to wire your freezer for the best all-fruit sorbet. All in all an episode not to be missed!

Performed by The Ajjancy:

Magdalulu by George Ajjan

Enivrer by George Ajjan

Jude & I by George Ajjan

Check out more of George’s music at http://theajjancy.com

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This episode we’re joined by Beth Berry, artistic director and playwright for GEAR Productions! GEAR stands for Give Everyone a Role, and is an organization that strives to provide positive performance experiences for students of all interests and abilities. Beth talks about her roots in theater, fills us in on the history of GEAR in this their 25th year, and lets us in on the secret to making Chocolate Biskvi, a 3-layer Swedish Cookie! The Coconotes join with Sophia Pearson to give us their take on a few songs from past GEAR shows, and we feature a guest appearance by Paul Colombino singing his song Finding Home from the show Knowing Home. We also hear about GEAR’s upcoming all-abilities show Space Daze happening this November 22nd and 23rd. Check out GEAR’s website at gearproductions.org for more information!

Performed by The Coconotes:

Now Awaken by Beth Berry, to the theme from Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity from The Planets by Gustav Holst

Zero by Beth Berry, to the tune Hernando’s Hideaway by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler, © Word Collections Publishing

Save Me a Bite by Beth Berry, to the tune Comedy Tonight by Stephen Sondheim, © Stephen Sondheim

Performed by Paul Colombino:

Finding Home by Paul Colombino

Learn more about GEAR at gearproductions.org

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Rhythm, rowing, and roasting are on the agenda as we talk with our good friend Jenna Hetzell! Jenna is a drummer who was also a collegiate rower and is currently the owner and roaster at Seaworthy Coffee Roasters. Jenna talks us through the importance of rhythm in each of these endeavors, and lets us in on the secret to whipping up the tastiest scrambled eggs ever! The Coconotes contribute a couple of covers, and we top things off an encore of the Two Cat Comedy Hour featuring- you guessed it- cat jokes! Another supurrlative episode here on the Two Cat Kitchen!

Performed by The Coconotes:

Red Mosquito by Eddie Vedder, Jack Irons, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Stone Gossard, © Universal Music Publishing Group

Java Jive by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake, © Sony/ATV Tunes LLC

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

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Visit our website at twocatkitchen.net

We’re excited to welcome acoustic blues and roots musician Sonny Boy Jorgensen to the program! Sonny tells us how he got into the blues and brings us songs by Chicago blues artists Little Walter and Hudson Whittaker aka Tampa Red. Sonny also brings a fantastic cheesecake recipe, and gives us the skinny on his trademark biscuit recipe. The Coconotes finish thigs off with a ride on the Midnight Train- right here on the Two Cat Kitchen (meow!)

Performed by Sonny Boy Jorgenson:

It’s Too Late Brother by Al Duncan, © 1956 UMG Recordings, Inc.

It Hurts Me Too, Trad. Arr. Hudson Whittaker

Irene, Trad. Arr. Huddie William Ledbetter

Performed by The Coconotes:

Midnight Train by R. McKinney, © Two Cat Music

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Two Cat Kitchen travels to the Saunderstown Weaving School in Saunderstown, RI for this exciting episode! We talk with Norma Smayda, founder of the school, about its origins and history and some of the programs they offer. The library at the Weaving School has more than 2300 books in its collection as well as many other items and is a significant resource for weavers and scholars. We check in with Betty Rozum, a librarian who has been working with Norma to catalogue the collection and make it more accessible to students at the school and other weavers. We also hear some traditional weaving songs from years gone by. Join us this episode for a fascinating glimpse into the world of weaving!

Weaving Song, Trad. arr The Coconotes

The Song of the Weavers, Trad. arr The Coconotes https://collections.americanantiquarian.org/millgirls/items/show/57

The Work of the Weavers by David Shaw

Weave and Way by Norman Blake

Browse the Saunderstown Weaving School library collection at: www.librarycat.org/lib/SWSLib

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Welcome to season 3 of the Two Cat Kitchen and we start things off with a bang! We have special musical guests Alpaca Lunch with some great old-time tunes and fascinating insights into the music and life in general. In lieu of a recipe this month we feature culinary excerpts from an interview that was part of the Gathering the Stories of Appalachian Foodways oral history project. Katie Bills, a senior at Berea College, interviewed Mrs. Mildred McFadden about her experiences in the kitchen. The project was supported by the Appalachian College Association Colonel Lee B. Ledford Research Scholarship Award. We hope you enjoy the interview and the great tunes from Alpaca Lunch!

Performed by Alpaca Lunch:

Scott No 1 by Bill Driver

Green Valley Waltz, Trad. arr. Alpaca Lunch

28th of January, Trad. arr. Alpaca Lunch

What You Gonna Do With the Baby, Trad. arr. Alpaca Lunch

Ragged But Right, Trad. arr. Alpaca Lunch

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It’s our last episode of season 2 and we’ve got a fun-filled extravaganza to cap things off! No special guest this month but we do have not one but two informative segments- Two Cat Corner featuring poems written by our own Sara Grady, and a new feature here on the Kitchen called Two Cat Science. We delve into a couple of interesting studies involving- you guessed it- cats! The first looks at how cats rely on body size awareness when negotiating small openings, and the second examines contrafreeloading or the willingness of cats to work for food when equivalent food is freely available. Sounds fishy to us but check out the segment for the low-down! And we cap things off with a recipe for Langues de Chat featuring out new AI bot culinary assistant Tomy. All in all a hum-dinger of an episode!

Performed by The Coconotes:

Solace of You by Corey Glover and Vernon Alphonsus Reid, © Songs Of Smp, Hifi Asset Acquisition Co Lp

Performed by Two Cat Tango:

Down to the Mission by R. McKinney, © Two Cat Music

Cat Science articles:

Pongra´ cz, Cats are (almost) liquid!—Cats selectively rely on body size awareness when negotiating short openings, iScience (2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110799

Mikel M. Delgado, Brandon Sang Gyu Han, and Melissa J. Bain (2022). Domestic cats (Felis catus) prefer freely available food over food that requires effort. Animal Cognition 25:95–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01530-3

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