Q. What is the difference between pickling and fermenting? — Brie, Appleton A. The quick answer to this question is foods that are pickled are prepared by placing them into an acidic solution and foods that are fermented create their own acidic solution. Both pickling and fermenting are natural methods of preservation, both produce a READ MORE
“This is who I was picked to be. I think I knew since I was a kid,” says Appleton artist Gretchen Wood. After an extended hiatus from art, Wood is bringing her self-described bohemian style of painting to the Fox Valley. Wood’s paintings depict nature, particularly animals and flowers, and are filled with bright, bold READ MORE
Q. I really enjoy smoked meats and fish, and am wondering if other things like vegetables or liquids can be smoked with a delicious result? — Brandy, Menasha A. Almost any food can be smoked. The question is if you want to or not. It really all comes down to personal preference. Smoke is an READ MORE
“Putting together shattered memories and putting them back into the painting – that’s the message I want to portray.” Alejandro Scott Becerra’s abstract “fragmental expressionist” paintings compile tapestries of colorful squares containing images from human figures to faces to inspirational words. While some might point to abstract art as obscure and hard to define, Becerra’s READ MORE
Q. I’ve eaten duck at restaurants and enjoyed it, but it seems rather intimidating to make at home. Any suggestions on how to approach it? – Rosemary, Menasha A. Duck is delicious, yet seems to be enjoyed as a special occasion type entrée by most people as its overall consumption is not very high. Domesticated READ MORE
Sprawled across Mary Catherine Baird’s gray hoodie in white script is a Mother Teresa quote, “Love begins at home.” Baird interprets the quote to mean it’s necessary to establish a foundation of love and charity at home before it’s possible to spread that kindness throughout the world. In this context, “home” can be a family READ MORE
Q. I’ve been reading about the health benefits of turmeric. Into what types of dishes can I incorporate the spice? — Ruben, Appleton A. Turmeric is a plant grown in Southeast Asia that comes from the ginger family. It is processed by boiling the plant, after which it is dried and ground into a powder. READ MORE
Q. What pantry items are worth spending a little more on than others? Which staples can you get by using generic versions? — Sherry, Greenville A. There may be some readers who will not agree with my opinion when answering this question. I hope we can still be friends! There are very few consumers that READ MORE
Name: Ray Fehrenbach Residence: Oshkosh Medium: Etching & Drawing “My vision is really just to do a lot of work. In doing a lot of work, I feel like I learn a lot about what I’m doing, and it’s really kind of about the learning process for me. When I do something that I like, then READ MORE
Q. What is brown butter and how can it be used? — Ginger, Appleton A. Brown butter is unsalted butter that has been melted over low heat until it separates into its two primary components of butter fat (also known as clarified butter) and milk solids. The butter fat floats and the milk solids rest READ MORE
