Celery

Homemade soups are mainstays of my winter meals. I use them routinely when entertaining during the cold-weather months. Robust creations like gumbos, chili or seafood chowders -- which are really meals in themselves -- become anchors for casual suppers, while lighter versions star in opening roles for the season's dinner parties. The unremitting cold of a New England winter definitely makes a cup of steaming hot soup seem like an elixir, but there are other reasons I find a bowl of warm broth or a creamy vegetable potage irresistible.

William J. Sharp Jr. of Essex requested a pork barbecue like the kind "I purchased from the Circle Barbecue in Dundalk. I love to cook, and for years I enjoyed getting the containers of their pork barbecue, which they were famous for. They are now closed, and I'd welcome a recipe." Trudy A. Gordon of Perry Hall responded. "I first came across this recipe 13 years ago after marrying my husband. I was going through a cookbook of his, and thought this looked interesting. When I make this, I duplicate the recipe six times and freeze any leftovers."

Baby greens are giants compared to the latest minuscule culinary trend: microgreens. These are tiny versions of familiar plants such as arugula, amaranth, chard and beet greens and of plants not so well-known, including shiso, popcorn shoots and menegi (Japanese green onion). Micros are not sprouts. They are recognizable plants, plucked as soon as the first true leaves - leaves shaped like those of the mature plant - appear. Right now, you'll find them only in the trendiest restaurants, where they are employed as costly garnishes.

Frances Vitrano, who was once Baltimore's largest wholesale celery dealer, died Tuesday of heart failure at her Towson home. She was 93. Until she broke her ankle last year, she was office manager at the wholesale produce business she and her husband founded in 1932. They were once the largest purveyors of celery in Baltimore. "She was an excellent businesswoman, but what she was even better at was taking care of her employees," said Rose Geppi Fischer, a co-worker who was hired by Mrs. Vitrano in 1951.

There's some strategy to making good seafood soup: Use good-quality fish or shellfish, add the ingredients in stages, and don't overcook. Fresh fish and shellfish should be mild-smelling, with no fishy odor or trace of ammonia, and the flesh should feel firm. If you buy previously frozen seafood, be sure it hasn't been defrosted longer than two days. Because a soup made with fish or seafood combines ingredients with varying cooking times, you'll need to add the different items in stages.

They came to the water's edge carrying aluminum pans that seemed perfect for a sheet of lasagna but were filled instead with a marshy mix of sand, soil and grass. Some slid into too-big chest waders and slipped into the creek, where a biologist dressed like a frogman scooped a handful of brown and green and disappeared beneath the water's surface.One wild celery plant planted, 99,999 to go.That might seem like a lot of celery grass, or it might seem like a pittance when set against the vast waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Either way, the elementary, middle and high school students who yesterday brought their classroom-grown seedlings to Baltimore County's Rocky Point Park were literally delving beneath the surface to learn a lesson in save-the-bay ecology.

My husband, social creature that he is, hates to eat dinner alone. When work takes me out of town, he hints to friends that he is a bachelor for a few days and, as a result, always wangles a supper invitation from our friends. That is what he did this week when I was away on business. Typically, he brings wine to the hosts to show his appreciation, but this time I suggested that he take dessert instead.I made this recommendation because the day before my departure I spent several hours in the kitchen working on a recipe for warm rhubarb and strawberry compotes garnished with orange-scented whipped cream.

Avocados packed with the good stuffFor a healthful, all-natural snack, consider the avocado. Not only is it packed with dietary fiber, vitamins B-6, C, E, folate and potassium; it also has a high percentage of monounsaturated, or "good," fat, which studies have shown helps prevent heart disease, according to the California Avocado Commission. Tip: To speed ripening, place an avocado in a paper bag with an apple for two to three days at room temperature.Taste of the summerWhy wait until steamed-crab season to savor Old Bay seasoning?

If you're like most of us, you could go to your refrigerator right now and they would be in the bin: carrots, celery and parsley. The "forgotten" produce.You almost always have to buy too much for a single recipe, so you store the leftovers. And they seem to keep forever. Now, it's time to think out of the bin.Carrots, with their bright, sweet taste, celery with its salty crunch and pungent parsley are bold enough to star in dishes of their own. You just need a sprinkling of imagination.We asked several cooks and cookbook authors what they do to give these humble vegetables top billing at mealtime.

Several days ago, my hairdresser spent the better part of my appointment telling me about the high school graduation party for 40 she was planning for her daughter. Between snipping and blow-drying my hair, she asked for menu suggestions. Later that week a neighbor asked where to buy invitations for a big celebration she was organizing for her husband's 75th birthday.These requests made me realize that even though most of us entertain small groups the majority of the time, there are occasions when inviting a crowd is necessary.