Bacon

David Ryan, the economic development director for Salisbury and Wicomico County, expressed optimism yesterday that his office will find a new company to take over Purity Farms' bacon-processing plant in Salisbury that is scheduled to close the middle of next month."

Without fail at the end of each of my cooking classes, students raise their hands to ask about dishes that can be made in advance. Everyone, from restaurateurs to caterers to home cooks, loves food that can be completely prepared ahead with no last-minute kitchen angst. I certainly am among the legions who appreciate such recipes, especially when entertaining. And, of all the seasons of the year, summer lends itself best to make-ahead creations. Artichokes with a potato, bacon and chive filling, a recent addition to my repertoire, definitely fall into this category.

Mike Myers has this conflict over bacon.The 35-year-old Canadian, a comedian-turned-actor and creator of such well-observed characters as heavy-metal slacker Wayne Campbell, Dieter Sprockets the sexually confused West German talk-show host, and the swinging, snaggle-toothed British secret agent known as Austin Powers, knows the stuff is bad for him.Still, he can't help himself."

W hen comedian Jim Gaffigan needs inspiration for his stand-up routine, he looks to the low end of American life. Gaffigan loves to romanticize about lying on the sofa, eating unhealthy food like Hot Pockets and piles of bacon, or making a late-night Waffle House run. He plays the stereotypical American - whiny and ultra-lazy - like few other comedians. That could be why so many Americans relate to Gaffigan, who will perform two shows at the Lyric Opera House on Friday night.

Marylanders have a new food challenge. There's the Fat Boy burger at Chewy's, the colossal burrito at El Hidalgo in Elkridge and a giant milkshake at Chick and Ruth's in Annapolis. On Oct. 22, the Breakfast Shoppe in Severna Park will introduce the Category 3 Tony Chicken and Waffle 'Pann'wich - six pieces of hand-battered chicken breast, eight pieces of smoked bacon and six pieces of pepper jack cheese, all layered between two bacon-Belgian waffles and topped with scratch made gravy.

On June 17, 2005, GLADYS B. SCHELER; beloved wife of the late Gordon Scheler; dear sister of Irvin Bacon, Dorothy D'Anna, Norman Bacon, Joyce Goettzinger and the late Margaret Kuhns, Gertrude Southwood, Ivy Fopay, Ruth Smith, Eileen Crilley and Vernon Bacon. Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Friends may call at CONNELLY FUNERAL HOME OF DUNDALK, P.A., 7110 Sollers Point Road, Monday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Funeral Service Tuesday 10 A.M. Entombment Oak Lawn Cemetery.

Item: Hot Pockets What you get: 4 pocket sandwiches Cost: About $3.25 Nutritional content: Bacon, Egg & Cheese - 170 calories, 9 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 260 milligrams sodium, 17 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams sugars Preparation time: 1 minute in microwave, 20 minutes in oven Review: Having filled Hot Pockets with everything from Chicken and Cheddar With Broccoli to Jalapeno Steak and Cheese, ChefAmerica has turned its attention to the...

Chicken livers are the affordable luxury. Prized and priced accordingly elsewhere in the world, chicken livers come cheap in the United States. One pound will cost you about $1.50, while 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts will set you back about $4 or more. Chicken livers are so flavorful a little goes a long way, especially when spiked with mustard and plushed with cream. Serve over white rice formed in a ring mold or bundt pan. Or simply spoon rice onto plates and top with the creamed livers.

Even the Three Stooges never were as simpatico as bacon, lettuce and tomato, which is why the BLT has to be the simplest and most sublime sandwich ever invented. Some days, though, you want to gild the lily just a little bit, and this recipe for upscale BLTs moves the sandwich from a simple lunch to a more adventurous summer dinner. While any old bacon will do, try to use an artisan-style bacon, such as applewood-smoked bacon. Replace rubbery out-of-season red tomatoes with locally grown heirloom yellow and toss out the iceberg lettuce for a more exotic green arugula, perhaps.

Although some describe it as resembling a miniature flying saucer, pattypan squash is named for the tiny pattypan tins used to bake miniature English tarts and pies. Pattypan, like all summersquash varieties, is distinguished from winter squash by the stage of maturity it reaches before being harvested - not by the season of ripening. In The Compleat Squash: A Passionate G r o w e r ' s Guide to Pumpkins, Squash and Gourds, Amy Goldman describes pattypan, zucchini and other summer squash as those being ready for harvesting within one week of flowering.