Fresh Bread

Good bread is our bottom line. Our kitchen can run short of fresh vegetables and fruit, or pasta and meat. That's OK. But when we're out of bread, something must be done, and out comes the bread bowl.Bread is the ultimate fast food. Slice it, toast it or simply tear off a chunk and eat it. Granted, baking good bread is hardly a quick activity, and the best bread takes patience. But if you add up the total number of minutes actively spent making bread (as opposed to the time spent doing other things while it rises and bakes)

With an investment of only a few minutes of time, you can jTC concoct this scrumptious, low-fat meal. The crunchy crown for the fish fillet seals in the juices and adds a lively nut and herb flavor. Any whitefish fillet will work for this dish as long as it is at least 3/4 -inch thick. Other suggestions are grouper, cod, red snapper or halibut.Spaghetti squash is a most interesting vegetable full of vitamins, especially beta carotene.When cooked, the delicate flesh separates into spaghetti-like strands.

Stuffed pork chops are common fare, but a contemporary fruity stuffing can lend an exotic element with minimal effort.The stars of our stuffing here are air-dried cranberries which can be found now in the produce sections of most large supermarkets.In the entree recipe, the stuffing not only serves as the starch for the meal, but also keeps the meat moist. Since the meat has pockets sliced into it, you actually have two thin slices of pork that cook very quickly. Be sure not to overcook because the meat will quickly become tough and dry. The simple glaze of jalapeno jelly lends lots of flavor to the pork and is also good for basting other items such as poultry and fish.

It has to be noted at the outset: the least expensive machine took top honors in both categories at the bread-machine taste-off organized by Dr. Marianne Felice and her colleagues and students at the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. And the homemade bread ranked lowest.Experience may have played a role, however. Dr. Drew Bernstein, a pediatrician, said he's had his DAK bread machine for about three years. "I'm one of the early pioneers," he jokes. But he adds, "I love bread.

The word "casserole" all too often calls to mind the image of dated and tired dish, but that doesn't always have to be the case. Casseroles can be updated to be simple, elegant, fast and tasty enough to satisfy the changing eating habits of the '90's.This very fresh and fast dish can be completed in less than 20 minutes with the use of a food processor and microwave. In fact, the entire meal can be microwaved following some very progressive techniques.Items you should have in your pantry are: fresh garlic, scallions, 4 slices fresh bread, fresh or dried basil, Parmesan cheese (fresh preferred)

A little bundle of joy came to my house recently. It weighs about 8 pounds and just fits in my arms.That's right, I bought a bread machine.I didn't plan on it. I don't usually buy such things. I managed to avoid the entire decade of the '80s without buying a pasta maker.But a few days ago, I needed some coffee filters and I was in a shopping mall and so I ducked into one of those upscale kitchen stores, the kind with bare wood floors and hanging copper pots and wire baskets filled with gadgets.

My kitchen smells of fresh bread anddaughters, warm and hopeful, believingall is still possible. Inibble from a bowl of seedless blackmarinating olives (balsamic vinegarthe secret). Daughters, like measuredportionsof suffering, should be given onlyto those who can withstand theexperience.I am frightened by theirsoft sturdiness. Imay not be upto daughters.The train whistle seeps into the housefrom the middle of town, where no onelives. Warning:Someone is Going to Find OutI have this andThey Will Come to Stealit away.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait -- Sometime today, three cargo ships loaded with water and vital supplies will ease into the deep-water port of Al-Shuaiba behind the British minesweeper HMS Cattistock.They will be the first supply ships since the invasion, and their arrival is a welcome step in the slow process of restarting this stalled country."The port's the ticket," said one U.S. Army officer. "When the port opens, you can do away with these truck convoys."Long caravans of flat-bed trucks have rumbled slowly north into Kuwait since the fighting stopped.