Popcorn: kernels about the harvest
Goodbye, sweet harvest of summer. Hello, autumn pickings, for hot popping all year. Sweet corn commands intense attention because of the short turnaround between plucking […]
Food/Drink
Winning Bloody Marys, craft brews, wines
Do you turn the Bloody Mary into a meal? Judge quality by the kick of spice in a juiced-up glass? Prefer properly pickled garnishes over […]
2020: year of the drive-in for food, fun
A burger would be on my short list for best last meal on Earth. Not just any meat slinger’s burger, but a perfectly seasoned, chargrilled […]
Summer shows go on, in novel ways
All the world’s a stage but COVID-19 compromises the traditional platforms and performers that we count on for entertainment this summer. For some troupes, that’s […]
Take 12: for moms, other mentors or you
Mothers get their day this month, but maybe that should apply to other mentors too. And perhaps our kind words, deeds and gifts should extend […]
Wisconsin meat raffles fill taverns on wintry days
At least 30 years have passed since my husband and I walked into a small-town tavern one wintry morning, in search of a beer and […]
HobNob gains attention for excellence in hospitality
The James Beard Foundation typically pays attention to the nation’s edgiest and newest chefs and restaurant concepts. An easy majority of the annual Beard semifinalists […]
Take 12: All in good taste for 2019
Extraordinary dining is not about category or price. This year I found it at farms and an aquarium, from rural Wisconsin to the seaside of […]
Winning recipes: grasshopper cheesecake, choco cheesecake bars
Two home bakers in Wisconsin have taken the top prizes in the Taste of Homes recipe contest, “Best-Ever Baking”. Sue Gronholz of Beaver Dam was […]
Sip craft cocktails at farm-based distilleries
My hardest task on this nothing-short-of-perfect August afternoon is to choose. Key Lime Pie or Pineapple Upside Down Cake? Cranberry Gimlet or Vo-Mosa? All are […]
Fair food: more skewing of skewered cuisine
Long gone are the quaint summers when food on a stick during a county or state fair meant eating an ice cream bar, cotton candy […]
Offbeat bars: Le Tigre, John Bryant’s, Cleo’s, more
Inside a plain-jane strip mall, between a hardware store and compact ethnic grocery, is a cat house of sorts. One with low lights, cash-only transactions […]
Ellsworth: cheese curd king
In Wisconsin is a high level of enthusiasm for squeaky-fresh cheese curds, a mild and young variety of cheese. We love stringy-hot, breaded curds to […]
Food trends: CBD oil, dietary adaptations, speedy service all matter
What a long way we’ve come since two guys in California – Roy Allen and Frank Wright – sold root beer in glass mugs for […]