Bean Sprouts

In this, the summer of self-sufficiency, when everyone with a patch of dirt or an hour of sunlight is trying to grow enough vegetables to fill the larder and cut the food bill, the new frontier is grow your own bean sprouts. And, as a matter of fact, you don't need that patch of dirt, and direct sunlight isn't such a good idea. All you need is a Mason jar, some cheesecloth and the bean seeds. Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis and I took on the project after a lesson in food safety from Homestead Gardens' education coordinator, Gene Sumi.

During Lent, even those who don't give up beer or Godiva do tend to think about meatless meals. And rightfully so, since going meatless is seen as a sacrifice by many of us. Vegetarians, on the other hand, have been going meatless forever and most seem to suffer no ill effects from their properly planned diets featuring protein sources other than "meat. " (And that includes beef, poultry and seafood, people.) One easy meatless way to get that protein is to turn to tofu, aka soybean curd.

Restaurant owner Phu Do and his business partners toured noodle restaurants in big cities across the country before opening Noodles Corner last July. They found inspiration in Chicago and brought the concept home to Columbia, where their stylish restaurant is located.A few non-noodle stir-fries are prepared in their sleek open kitchen, along with some noodle-less appetizers and salads. But the heart of the menu is pasta in every Asian variation, from fat lo mein noodles and wide chow fun noodles to Singapore-style rice noodles and sizzling Japanese udon.

A Howard County bean sprout processor has ceased operations after state and federal inspectors reported chronic unsanitary conditions, according to court records. Last week, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Maryland against Mount Airy-based Vegi-Pak Farm LLC, general manager Brian Lee and President Sun Ja Lee seeking a permanent injunction until the facility can be brought into compliance. A consent decree details a list of required actions, including cleaning the facility, storing seeds safely and treating them to reduce pathogens.

This is a quick and low-fat Chinese meal to rival your local favorite restaurant. I have used only vegetables, which I chose for their variety of flavors, colors and textures. Most supermarkets sell fresh Chinese noodles in the refrigerated section of the produce department. Dried Chinese noodles can be found in the Chinese or Oriental food section of the market. Either type works fine. If authentic noodles are difficult to find, use thin spaghettini. Lo mein actually means mixed noodles.

Souris' Saloon has been at the corner of York and Allegheny since 1934, but these days it's not the same Souris'. At the end of last year it was taken over by new owners and turned into more of a restaurant, less of a bar. It also expanded; much of the space you see now was a dry cleaner's and storage area.I never went to the old Souris', but apparently the best of what used to be there has been kept and renovated. The pressed tin ceiling was preserved, as well as the wooden booths and paneling, the mirrors and wonderful art deco appointments.

I HAD high hopes for Saigon Remembered, a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in August in North Baltimore. After all, owners Huy and Trang Nguyen's previous establishment, Saigon, had established a devoted following in the seven years it existed on Belair Road. Moving into shiny, big digs directly across the street from the Senator Theatre sounded like a good idea. Perhaps my hopes were a little too high. During two visits - one with a Vietnamese-American friend who prepares top-notch Vietnamese food - I found much of Saigon Remembered's fare bland and lacking in key ingredients.

Making egg rolls from scratch is what Marlene Bauer of Brandon, S.D., wants to do. Carolyn E. Katkus of Crystal Lake, Ill., responded to her request with a recipe and two variations.Katkus wrote, "Several years ago I took private cooking lessons from a lady who was taught at the Shanghai Culinary Institute. I have enclosed the recipes she gave us and had us make. I suggest you purchase the wrappers. The better ones are the Philippine ones, which are much thinner. My husband and I make big lots of egg rolls, partially cook them, and freeze them in small units, usually four.

The following glossary provides basic information on the most commonly available vegetables offered at well-stocked supermarkets and at Asian markets.* Bamboo shoots: Fresh bamboo shoots have just recently become available in this country; the canned version doesn't even begin to compare to the fresh. When using fresh bamboo shoots, peel off the skin and cook the shoot in boiling water for 20 minutes, then prepare as directed in the recipe.When buying canned bamboo shoots, choose cans marked "winter" for superior quality.

My wife and I were discussing the fact that some recipes call for unsalted butter and others call for salted butter. She asked why, and I said it's strictly a matter of the amount of salt in the overall dish. She said she thinks it goes beyond that, that the type of butter has a greater impact on the dish than just saltiness -- and mentioned texture as a possibility. Who is right? I really like that word "discussing" when talking about who is right and who is wrong in a "discussion" between husband and wife.

In this, the summer of self-sufficiency, when everyone with a patch of dirt or an hour of sunlight is trying to grow enough vegetables to fill the larder and cut the food bill, the new frontier is grow your own bean sprouts. And, as a matter of fact, you don't need that patch of dirt, and direct sunlight isn't such a good idea. All you need is a Mason jar, some cheesecloth and the bean seeds. Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis and I took on the project after a lesson in food safety from Homestead Gardens' education coordinator, Gene Sumi.

This is a quick and low-fat Chinese meal to rival your local favorite restaurant. I have used only vegetables, which I chose for their variety of flavors, colors and textures. Most supermarkets sell fresh Chinese noodles in the refrigerated section of the produce department. Dried Chinese noodles can be found in the Chinese or Oriental food section of the market. Either type works fine. If authentic noodles are difficult to find, use thin spaghettini. Lo mein actually means mixed noodles.

Efforts have been made to gussy up this new Thai restaurant in a Perry Hall shopping center. The track lighting and shabby-looking chairs could make the space depressing, but colorful tapestries and stylized paintings of flowers go far to brighten the room. But it's the smile of owner Bangone Khambay, who bustles around taking orders and filling water glasses, that makes Bouala's Thai Restaurant seem so sunny. Khambay, who was born in Laos and lived in Thailand, opened her restaurant in Perry Hall because there are no other Thai restaurants nearby, she said.

My wife and I were discussing the fact that some recipes call for unsalted butter and others call for salted butter. She asked why, and I said it's strictly a matter of the amount of salt in the overall dish. She said she thinks it goes beyond that, that the type of butter has a greater impact on the dish than just saltiness -- and mentioned texture as a possibility. Who is right? I really like that word "discussing" when talking about who is right and who is wrong in a "discussion" between husband and wife.

I HAD high hopes for Saigon Remembered, a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in August in North Baltimore. After all, owners Huy and Trang Nguyen's previous establishment, Saigon, had established a devoted following in the seven years it existed on Belair Road. Moving into shiny, big digs directly across the street from the Senator Theatre sounded like a good idea. Perhaps my hopes were a little too high. During two visits - one with a Vietnamese-American friend who prepares top-notch Vietnamese food - I found much of Saigon Remembered's fare bland and lacking in key ingredients.

When it comes to the Redskins and Ravens, there's no middle ground. And we can prove it. The idea was to find a sort of Mason-Dixon Line separating Ravens and Redskins territories on the eve of Sunday's Beltway Bowl - the second meeting ever between the Ravens and the other team. Using a topographical map, Lou Yost of the U.S. Geological Survey in Virginia graciously figured the geographic midpoint between PSINet Stadium in Baltimore and FedEx Field in Landover. Precisely, the midpoint is the railroad tracks near Fort Meade.

Efforts have been made to gussy up this new Thai restaurant in a Perry Hall shopping center. The track lighting and shabby-looking chairs could make the space depressing, but colorful tapestries and stylized paintings of flowers go far to brighten the room. But it's the smile of owner Bangone Khambay, who bustles around taking orders and filling water glasses, that makes Bouala's Thai Restaurant seem so sunny. Khambay, who was born in Laos and lived in Thailand, opened her restaurant in Perry Hall because there are no other Thai restaurants nearby, she said.

When it comes to the Redskins and Ravens, there's no middle ground. And we can prove it. The idea was to find a sort of Mason-Dixon Line separating Ravens and Redskins territories on the eve of Sunday's Beltway Bowl - the second meeting ever between the Ravens and the other team. Using a topographical map, Lou Yost of the U.S. Geological Survey in Virginia graciously figured the geographic midpoint between PSINet Stadium in Baltimore and FedEx Field in Landover. Precisely, the midpoint is the railroad tracks near Fort Meade.

Restaurant owner Phu Do and his business partners toured noodle restaurants in big cities across the country before opening Noodles Corner last July. They found inspiration in Chicago and brought the concept home to Columbia, where their stylish restaurant is located.A few non-noodle stir-fries are prepared in their sleek open kitchen, along with some noodle-less appetizers and salads. But the heart of the menu is pasta in every Asian variation, from fat lo mein noodles and wide chow fun noodles to Singapore-style rice noodles and sizzling Japanese udon.

Making egg rolls from scratch is what Marlene Bauer of Brandon, S.D., wants to do. Carolyn E. Katkus of Crystal Lake, Ill., responded to her request with a recipe and two variations.Katkus wrote, "Several years ago I took private cooking lessons from a lady who was taught at the Shanghai Culinary Institute. I have enclosed the recipes she gave us and had us make. I suggest you purchase the wrappers. The better ones are the Philippine ones, which are much thinner. My husband and I make big lots of egg rolls, partially cook them, and freeze them in small units, usually four.