1. Bake Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Earlier this summer I transferred a rhubarb plant withering away in my garden to my sister-in-law’s more fertile backyard. That woman has a green thumb like no one else I know and was able to not only save the plant but reenergize it. I think of rhubarb as a spring plant – when I was a kid, my mom often made rhubarb sauce in May. I didn’t have a taste for it then but I do now. Under my sister-in-law’s care, the plant bore huge, ruddy stalks with leaves the size of elephant ears. I cut some and made a crisp baked in a cast-iron skillet. The recipe calls for strawberry and rhubarb together (a common pairing), but I subbed blueberries to use up some of the stash I froze a few weeks ago. It’s an unusual combination, blueberries and rhubarb, I’ll say that. But it’s good – not overly sweet.
2. Visit the Vault
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
When my co-worker said that we were hitting the Vault a few weeks back, I was overjoyed. Finally, the time had come that we would all band together and rob the gold bullion depository at Fort Knox. How I had waited for this day; my years of scheming were soon to come to fruition. But it actually turned out that by “hitting the Vault” she meant “visiting a nice new Downtown cocktail bar that we were photographing for the magazine.” Which was a little disappointing to me. Alas, life is an ocean of disappointments, and I am naught but a swimmer caught in the tide.
Despite the lack of gold bullion, I made the most of my visit to the Vault – turns out the place is pretty awesome. The patio is spacious, the atmosphere pleasant, and the view of the river dang near unbeatable. I felt very fancy hanging out up there. The drink prices are about what you’d expect for a place that nice, but I think with summer rapidly approaching its end, it’s worth a little splurge for one last drink in the sun.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Catch a Free Screening of Out of the Picture
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
If you’re reading MilMag on the regular, there’s a good chance you’re plugged pretty well into arts and culture. And if that’s the case, there’s a good chance you’d really enjoy this documentary on the changing world of art criticism by Mary Louise Schumacher, who performed that function in Milwaukee for decades. It’s a nuanced and at times moving film, portraying both the wreckage of an eroding media landscape and also fascinating glimpses at how the sausage is made in those outlets that remain in the game. Out of the Picture is finding a niche audience around the world, playing at nine film festivals; Madrid is next week. This weekend you can catch it in “the community where our film was conceived and produced,” as Schumacher puts it, with a screening at MIAD on Saturday.
4. Listen to Spirit of the Beehive’s You’ll Have to Lose Something
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Spirit of the Beehive stole my heart with 2021’s Entertainment, Death – an exciting cyclone of guitar riffs, synth washes and distorted samples that wreak havoc before scattering its elements everywhere. But listening back a few years later, I had to wonder if the brilliant storm I heard was really just a mess.
I no longer doubt the Beehive after listening to You’ll Have to Lose Something. The band’s new album has the same whiplash energy as its predecessor, but more restrained and measured. It also feels less dream-like, with horror lyrics inspired by the end of a relationship. The result is less of a free-wheeling joyride, but it feels more focused and honestly, enjoyable for repeat listens. For a band that’s always stretched the limits of rock, they might’ve found their perfect balance.
5. Read Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
I just got back from a wonderful trip to Germany/Denmark, and while I was there, I was lucky enough to scoop up a copy of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. You see, this novel isn’t out in the U.S. yet – it comes out Sept. 3 – but it is out in Europe so imagine my joy when I saw it sitting on the shelf at an English bookshop in Berlin. I read it in just a few days, and it was fantastic. It’s about three sisters dealing with the loss of their fourth sister and trying to figure out how to find the beauty in life again after such a tragic event. I cried, I laughed, I set the book down to do a big deep breath (sometimes you just have to let something you read sink in for a moment). It was a beautiful book about love and loss. I highly recommend it!
