Q. What has been your biggest culinary disaster? –Calvin, Kaukauna A. While minor mishaps in the kitchen are pretty common for all cooks, even professionals, I haven’t had too many actual culinary disasters. The most recent one I can remember actually happened just last December when I smoked two crown roasts of pork we specially READ MORE
After 30 years as a muralist, Kaukauna artist Patt Huss traded in 20-foot ceilings for canvases in 2008. She began painting representational and still life portraits, but Huss’s current passion consists of abstract works made with layers of oil paint and cold wax mixed together. “I love it because I can build the layers,” she READ MORE
Raised in a creative family, Sonja Oldenburg was introduced to the arts by her parents while growing up in Oshkosh. She was supplied with the tools to make art since she could hold a pencil. Although it was mostly scribbles at first, this was the start of Oldenburg’s art journey. Now living in Menasha, Oldenburg READ MORE
Q. Do you have any tips for getting homemade biscuits to be light and flaky? Mine always seem to come out dense. — Levi, Neenah A. Turning out beautiful baked goods can only be achieved if the recipe has the correct ratios. For example, a cookie recipe with an incorrect ratio of fat to flour READ MORE
Q. What is the difference between Panko and regular breadcrumbs? Is one better than the other and can they be used interchangeably? – Hannah, Appleton A. Panko crumbs are breadcrumbs that are larger and coarser than standard breadcrumbs which tend to be finer. Panko crumbs are prepared using only the inside white part of the READ MORE
Green Bay graphic designer and muralist Zane Statz creates work in all shapes and sizes, but his heart belongs to multistory murals. “My main passion is large-scale work,” he says. “The bigger the canvas, the more freedom I have. It lets me be more creative.” Last fall, the St. Norbert College grad was contracted by READ MORE
Q. I want to host a New England-style clam bake/boil, but clams, mussels, oysters and the like mystify me. How should I go about preparing and serving them? —Herb, Kimberly A. Clam bakes, cioppino and bouillabaisse are all delicious versions of seafood stews that are lightly simmered in flavorful broth. Regional variations include other ingredients READ MORE
In many ways, the work of 26-year-old artist and curator Tyla Hilfreich defies definition. The Appleton resident works in a variety of mediums, from printmaking and graphic arts to sculpture made from trash found on the street. In July, Hilfreich participated in UW-Manitowoc’s Really Big Prints 3.0, a gathering of printmakers creating relief prints so READ MORE
Q. What are your favorite creative burger toppings? I’m looking for something more unique than just cheese and ketchup to impress my guests at grill-outs. — Berry, Menasha A. I like this question because most of us grew up putting ketchup on everything! I’m a big fan of relishes prepared with raw ingredients. In addition READ MORE
By now, Julie Jilek could be considered a founding member of the Fox Cities’ new creative class. The claim would surely cause the Appleton native to blush and protest, but neither make it any less true. Jilek graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, but she spent her childhood growing up in Appleton. READ MORE
