What are we talking about this week in the OnMilwaukee.com editorial office? Well, read on and find out. Maybe you'll find something you like, too.
Presto Multi Cooker -- When I first unwrapped the Presto Multi Cooker on a recent Christmas morning, I hadn't yet fully immersed myself in the world of cooking. The multi cooker basically served as a stock pot, used mainly for cooking soup, pasta, and other low-maintenance meals. Over the years though, it's become an indispensable part of my kitchen. I use it for steaming veggies, frying up some wings and occasionally as an extra stove top. Pick one up for about $40 at Walmart and enjoy. -- Andrew Wagner
Activent -- This replacement air register vent is thermostatically controlled to open and and close, which means you can easily and automatically adjust the temperature in a specific room of your home. While in most of my house I don't really need such an item, there are a few places where this option is extremely alluring and a potentially way to save on HVAC costs. I got one for my bathroom which is the coldest room in the house when the A/C is on and the hottest during heating season. Sure, I can and do go down in the basement with a screwdriver to adjust the vents built into the ducts, but that's a time consuming and cumbersome job. The Activent, which takes about five minutes to install and get up and running, allows me to moderate the temperature year-round at the touch of a button and closing the vent allows the conditioned air to then cool or heat other rooms better, creating a more efficient system. A vent plus remote control runs about $75 at www.theactivent.com. At that price I couldn't afford to do all my vents, but I suspect that in your house, as in mine, you don't need them everywhere. For a problem area or two, however, this is an easy solution. -- Bobby Tanzilo
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic -- After three decades of avid reading, I finally discovered the graphic novel genre and I’m seriously hooked. Right now, I’m deeply absorbed in Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir that depicts her complicated relationship with her sexually conflicted, green-thumbed, suicidal father while growing up in rural Pennsylvania. The book took seven years to illustrate and the drawings are exquisite. (Wikipedia reports that Bechdel actually photographed herself in a specific pose before sketching every frame.) The story is extremely dark, fascinating, raw and yet so real I actually closed the book once to weep about an aspect of my own childhood. -- Molly Snyder
St. Mark's Pumpkin Sale -- The annual St. Mark's Church, 2618 N. Hackett Ave., Pumpkin Sale runs all through October. I love it not only because it's a fun way to find pumpkins, but it truly adds life and vitality to the Downer Ave. neighborhood. Sure it's fun to go to the "country" for pumpkins, but grabbing a beer at Hollander, a pizza at Via and then pumpkin picking on the East Side is great too. -- Jeff Sherman
Cortland apples -- I go through phases when it comes to apples -- by far my favorite fruit. Jonathan and Gala apples are tasty for awhile and occasionally, I'll change things up with a no-frills Macintosh or Red Delicious. But one variety that never loses its appeal for me is the Cortland. With a very white flesh and sharp but not sour taste, it's excellent on its own, with a little peanut butter or in a pie. -- Andrew Wagner
