Golden season of the Oro Blanco
It's green and round and looks like an overgrown grapefruit -- well, it is a grapefruit, a new variety called Oro Blanco, a cross between regular white grapefruit and the pomelo, or Chinese grapefruit, that is less acidic. The result is a grapefruit-like fruit with sweeter flavor. Oro Blancos were developed at the University of California, Riverside. The season for the fruit is December through mid-April. Watch for them at Eddie's of Roland Park's Charles Street store, where they sell for 99 cents each.
Keeping up with Pace
Tex-Italian pasta fiesta, orange Picante pork chops, and Texas two-step chicken Picante are among the recipes in the "Pace Family Recipe Roundup 50th Anniversary Cookbook" (Time-Life Books, $14.95). The book celebrates the span of years since Pace founder David Pace decided to spend full-time on marketing his spicy tomato-and-jalapeno-based sauce. The book is in some bookstores and warehouse clubs, or call (800) TRY-PACE.