Homemade

A Frederick County man was killed yesterday when a homemade bomb he apparently made exploded behind his home, said a spokesman for the state fire marshal's office.Deputy State Fire Marshal Bob Thomas said the victim, Ralph King, 22, of the 4700 block of Ijamsville Road in Ijamsville, was behind his house and between a three-car garage and a storage shed about 4:50 p.m. when the bomb exploded.Thomas said the explosion broke both of King's legs and blew off his left hand above the wrist.Thomas said the explosion was heard for several blocks and threw pieces of metal some 200 yards.

A Silver Spring man crashed his homemade gyrocopter into a field in Carroll County Tuesday afternoon after hitting a power line, officials said. Sheriff's deputies found Amirkhanian Shahram, 58, in the 700 block of Oak Tree Road in Westminster about 4:30 p.m. with no apparent injuries. The power line the gyrocopter hit as it was coming to land was not severed, and no residents lost power. The gyrocopter was heavily damaged and is being investigated by Federal Aviation Administration and other officials.

* Item: Prego 2 1/2 -Pound Family Entrees* What you get: 5 servings* Cost: About $6* Preparation time: 31 minutes in microwave, 80 to 85 minutes in conventional oven* Review: These family-size entrees are a lifesaver. If you're too tired to cook or don't have time to prepare something from scratch, you can put these on the table without worrying that you're giving appetites short shrift. We tried the Fettuccine Florentine With Chicken. The spinach and mushrooms were fresh, the chicken was tender and the whole dish tasted homemade.

Several years ago, I discovered a huge hole within a specimen tree where a large limb joined the trunk. Since the hole was facing upward, too, it was constantly collecting rainwater that was rotting the tree. However, I plugged the hole and was able to save the limb and the tree with a homemade patch that's still in good shape. Here's how: I began rescuing our tree by scraping out as much of the rotten wood as was possible. Then with a paint brush, I disinfected the hole by saturating it with lime sulfur, a powerful, plant fungicide that should only be applied to green growth when woody plants are dormant.

Item: Ms. Desserts frozen quicheServings per package: 8Cost: $15Preparation time: 1 hourReview: A friend of a friend has actually served these to guests and passed them off as homemade. Credit the thick crust (a tad sweet), the ample size and the hearty filling. I sampled the quiche Lorraine and appreciated the pleasant blend of black pepper and nutmeg with the cheese and plentiful slivers of ham. Other flavors include spinach, broccoli Cheddar, and an Italian blend made with zucchini and tomatoes.

City police and federal agents were questioning a retired Bethlehem Steel Corp. machinist after raiding his Highlandtown rowhouse yesterday afternoon and seizing more than 100 firearms -- many of them homemade -- along with tools, thousands of rounds of ammunition and several boxes of black powder, authorities said. A city dump truck and a police pickup truck were used to carry away the property, said Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman. The man, in his early 60s, had been the subject of an investigation by the Police Department's intelligence unit after information was received that he had been making weapons in the basement of the home in the 500 block of S. East Ave., Moses said.

THERE ARE JUST 12 short weeks between now and Christmas.Each week we'll run a collection of recipes you can make and store in your gift larder.Planning ahead means avoiding the Christmas rush, but it also means you'll be able to give your friends and family gifts straight from your heart.This is our second Christmas countdown collection. Some of our most popular features will return from last year, including homemade cordials and miniature cakes, but with all new recipes. There will also be some changes.

START YOUR holiday shopping in Ferndale! Two events Saturday offer a fun experience as well as convenience.*For the 13th consecutive year, the North County Knights Parent's Club kicks off the holiday season with its "Beary Christmas Bazaar" scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at North County High School, 10 E. First Ave.More than 60 artisans with handmade and customized items are expected. Santa Claus will make his appearance at the bazaar and will be on hand for photographs. The cost is $3.The Pom Squad will provide free day care for parents who would like to shop without the children.

NOW THAT the weather has started to feel more like summer, we can start to enjoy fresh produce. Local farmers will be selling their produce and homemade foods from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Piney Orchard Farmers Market, in the parking lot of the Piney Orchard Visitors Center.A lot of produce is not available yet, but farmers are selling jams and jellies, herbs, homemade baked goods and hothouse produce. Among the local vendors are Robey Farms of Odenton, Arrow Farm and Good Luck Farm of Crownsville, and Old Orchard Herbs of Millersville.

Soup's On opened back in February above a natural foods store in Mount Vernon, a few blocks from the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. This is a hidden space that you meet up a short flight of stairs from a single door at street level. Over the decades, a bunch of cafes and carry-outs have tried to make a go of it up there. The most notable success was Soo's Kimchee House. A few of the other attempts seemed doomed from the start.

Teens learn on YouTube to make the "bombs" with a few cheap, household items, then travel in groups late at night — eager to hear the boom, laugh with friends and gauge whatever damage they've wrought. According to Lt. Carlton Saunders of Howard County's office of the fire marshal, teenagers consider it a prank when they experiment with "bottle bombs," which have been found over the years in counties all across the Baltimore region. The explosions are rarely associated with damage greater than a busted mailbox, and are even more rarely associated with injuries, Saunders said.

Who knew that Goose Feathers could slide like silk going down the throat? Or that Cow's Feet really hit the sweet spot on the tastebuds? Apparently David and Kelly Keyes of Keyes Creamery at Mt. Felix Farm found these secret ingredients and ice cream lovers in Harford County can be glad they did. Ice cream never tasted so fresh as it does scooped into a bowl or in one of their famous ice cream pies. That's because the frozen treat is made from milk harvested only during the grazing season, which makes all the difference in taste, whether it's black raspberry or cappuccino crunch.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus police reported Sunday finding two Molotov cocktails a day earlier in a dormitory stairwell. The two homemade incendiary devices, filled with a flammable liquid with a wick inserted into the mouth of the container, were discovered about 10:20 a.m. Saturday by a UMBC employee in an exterior stairwell of Gunpowder-Terrace Apartments, a student dormitory on the Catonsville campus of the university, said...

If you grew up eating gefilte fish, bagels with lox and corned beef on rye, and if you've lived in the Baltimore area for any length of time, chances are you've tucked into a heaping plate of Jewish-style food at Suburban House more than once. Since 1965, this casual restaurant has been a local landmark, serving up classics like matzo ball soup, blintzes and brisket to generations of loyal customers, Jewish and otherwise. It was never exactly fine dining — the kugel could be a bit heavy, the soups a bit salty — but it tasted home-made.

Having trouble getting your cakes to look like a box of Crayolas, hamburger or race car? Duff Goldman, the extreme cake maker who's put visions of confectionery glory into many a home baker's head, has a fondant for that. In nine colors. He also has fondant cutters. Texture tiles. "Cake graffiti" color spray. Cake "tattoos." Cake pans. Cake mixes, spatulas and other tools. The Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" star and owner of Baltimore's Charm City Cakes has a new line of baking products.

They didn't play football at big schools or feel the warmth of the national spotlight. But for some NFL prospects, instant recognition - or maybe just YouTube glory - was a mere hop, flip and a jump away. A hop: San Jose State defensive end Jarron Gilbert, a third-round pick of the Bears last year, pulled off a stunning feat in the weeks leading up to the 2009 scouting combine. With a friend videotaping him, he stood at the shallow end of the pool, crouched in the water and exploded out of the water, leaping onto the deck without using his hands.

THE HOLIDAY SEASON will get a terrific send-off this evening and tomorrow when members of the United Methodist Women at Pasadena United Methodist Church have their annual country bazaar.The bazaar will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow.Shoppers can browse through the country store for homemade goodies, buy holiday crafts, pick up an item from the Nearly New Table, or take home delicious baked goods or plants.Youngsters can shop in the St. Nicholas Nook for reasonably priced gifts for family and friends.

IT'S ANOTHER SATURDAY filled with opportunities to shop till you drop or pig out on delicious homemade food at three local happenings this weekend.Chesapeake High School Band Boosters will have its annual holiday craft fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school.Nearly 200 crafts people have signed up to sell their creations. Food and refreshments will be on sale. Admission is free.Those attending are asked to bring a nonperishable food item that will be donated to a local food bank. Free child care will be available.

Marjorie L. "Margie" Nagle, whose family's renowned handmade ice cream kept devotees coming to their Carroll County general store for more than 80 years, died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her Snydersburg home. She was 92. Marjorie Lavinia Simmons was born on her parents' Snydersburg Road farm, and was 8 years old when she moved into a house and general store her parents built across from the farm and opened as Simmons General Store. Mrs. Nagle, a graduate of Carroll County public schools, began working in the general store with her parents when she was a child.

Maryland Transit Administration police have charged a 22-year-old Baltimore man in connection with the detonation of a homemade bomb on a city bus earlier this month, documents show. Alan Weeks, of the 5900 block of Radecke Ave., turned himself in Saturday after television stations broadcast closed-circuit surveillance footage of two men who were on the bus moments before the bomb went off, according to charging documents. Weeks said he was one of the men in the surveillance footage but denied any involvement in the incident.