Food Items

Carroll County's public assistance and food stamp recipients, approximately 1,500 of them, didn't get welfare checks or food stamps in the mail this month.Instead, they got new cards that allow them to withdraw cash from MOST automatic teller machines and pay with plastic at the supermarket.The conversion "is going very well, considering," said David Ensor, assistant director for income maintenance at the Carroll County Department of Social Services.He said the staff found only a few glitches, such as incorrect codes entered into the computer.

I believe in bootlicking boosterism as much as any columnist, so if you want to tell me that Baltimore has the best crabcakes, the nicest harbor and the most plentiful downtown parking in the world, hey, I'll pass it on.But I have to draw the line when it comes to pastrami. Journalistic integrity and my own taste buds demand it.Loyal readers (i.e., blood relatives) know that I am somewhat of a pastrami expert. I have eaten it in such exotic and unlikely locations as Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

The Hunt's Methodist Church will hold its annual Christmas bazaar, luncheon and dinner tomorrow and Saturday. Bazaar hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, and turkey dinner 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, with bazaar hours from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Call 339-7770.The 16th annual Mistletoe Mart will be held Thursday through Saturday at the Church of the Ascension, 23 N. Court St., Westminster. Participating will be 37 craftspeople from 10 states. Home-cooked foods will be available.

Every May, Pimlico hosts one of Baltimore's most striking juxtapositions: Thousands of infield revelers guzzle beer and soak in live music while a stone's throw away, the prim and proper set sip Black-Eyed Susans and don fancy hats. It's hard to imagine a more polarized scene. That's Preakness for you. This year, all eyes are on the infield. After the Maryland Jockey Club banned the long-standing BYOB policy last year, infield attendance plummeted. Now, the club is trying to lure back partyers with a bottomless-mug special, a younger-skewing live-music lineup and a controversial ad campaign.

Kenny Day, Tailgaters are investing in technology to spice up their parking-lot parties, impress their friends and take advantage of modern conveniences. Along with elaborate spreads of food and drink, fans are carting expensive grills, gas-powered blenders, flat-screen televisions and satellite dishes to stadium parking lots. And the technology industry is doing its best to capitalize on the interest. Companies like Rhode Island-based KVH Industries Inc. sell a satellite system for tailgaters who want to stay connected with sports, news and movie channels.

If you take low-dose aspirin for your heart, can you also take ibuprofen for pain? You can, but the timing is critical. If you take ibuprofen first, it fills up the same molecular site inside platelets that aspirin binds to. If ibuprofen is already there, the aspirin can't bind, which means aspirin's potent anti-clotting action can't get started. To get around this, you can take low-dose aspirin, typically 81 milligrams, in the morning, then wait an hour or two before taking ibuprofen for pain.

What time is the Preakness Stakes run? At about 6:20 p.m. How long does it last? Usually 2-3 minutes. How much are Preakness tickets? InfieldFest tickets are $60; Mug Club is an extra $20. Other ticket prices vary. Call 410-542-9400 or go to preakness.com. What is Pimlico's address? 5201 Park Heights Ave. in Baltimore What time does Pimlico open? Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday for the infield, Top of the Strech and the facility; 10 a.m. for the Village and Turfside Terrace.

Adam Eagan, managing partner at the Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse, N.Y., knows a thing or two about good food and beer. It is, after all, what he does for a living. At least four or five times during the football season he packs up his car and makes the 51/2-hour trek from upstate New York to Baltimore, where he lived for 28 years, to join some of his buddies for a "killer" tailgate in Lot H1 at M&T Bank Stadium. He was introduced to this group of foodie fans some years ago by his best friend from high school, Mark Maloney, and was impressed with what they were putting together for food and beverage at their tailgate.

The cost of an Oriole Park meal will rise this year, but families that order carefully should be able to skirt some of the higher prices.Beer, soft drinks, hot dogs and nachos -- ballpark cuisine at its finest -- are scheduled for increases, according to price lists released yesterday.Joe Foss, Orioles vice chairman for business operations, attributed some of the price increases to higher-quality foods being served this season.This year, concession stands and vendors will offer only all-beef hot dogs, and kosher will replace kosher-style franks, he said.

The Baltimore County police and fire departments are sponsoring a food drive Saturday for the Citizens Outreach of Baltimore County, which assists needy county families during the holiday season.From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., citizens can take nonperishable food items to Metro Foods, 7930 Eastern Blvd., across from Eastpoint Mall, or to a lot between Montgomery Ward and Hechinger's at Security Square Mall in Woodlawn.