Jambalaya

Valentine's Day is history, moving on to Mardi Gras. For some folks, Mardi Gras means a one-day celebration on Fat Tuesday itself; for others, that day is just the end of a revelry period that began on thethe Epiphany. And some folks call it Carnival. Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar in Annapolis, for instance, has been wading waist-deep since Jan. 30 in a celebration they're calling Carnaval. The restaurant has been featuring menu specials inspired by street food from South American, Central America and the Caribbean   - chorizo and black bean fritters, Cuban chicken croquettes, Brazilians-style chile-spiked fudge and jibarito short rib sliders, which use flattened fried green plantains stand in for bread.

WE HEAR Rob Tregenza's movie, "Talking to Strangers," was a big hit in the Big Apple over the holiday season. Vincent Canby of the New York Times called the Baltimore-made film a "stylistic tour de force" and "a nearly perfect antidote to today's jazzy conception of montage."The movie's star -- Ken Gruz -- recently returned home to the Big Crab from L.A. and is currently, ah, talking to new strangers for the Kennedy Center screenings of "Talking to Strangers" and Tregenza's latest feature, "The Arc," on Jan. 20.*MEGA DEVELOPER Erwin Greenberg held a "Jambalaya Jam" kick-off bash at his posh harborview high-rise condo last night for the Baltimore Opera.

Easy-to-fix and low-fatPolenta with chicken, and black bean tortilla bake are just a few of the low-fat easy-to-fix meals in a new edition of "Skinny One-Pot Meals" (Surrey Books, 1997, $12.95) by Columbia-based cookbook author Ruth Glick. Glick has added new recipes with popular Asian and Southwestern flavors, and all recipes have less than 30 percent calories from fat.If you're a fan of Creole and Cajun cooking, you'll be happy to know that Sutton Place Gourmet now carries tasso, lean pork shoulder highly seasoned and smoked for hours.

Sunfest and surfingOcean City will be concentrating on two "S" words this weekend: sun and surf. The 22nd annual Sunfest will feature LTC kite festival, boat show, treasure hunts and a fun run. Boardwalk parade takes place today at 9: 30 a.m. Other highlights include wildlife exhibits, scarecrow making, arts, crafts, a bonfire and a sand sculpting contest.For some sporting competition, O.C. visitors can head to the 8th Street beach Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and watch contestants in the Maryland State Surfing Championships.

Even before we walked into Ethel & Ramone's on a clear winter night, we wanted to love the place. What could be bad about a cozy restaurant on a pretty little street in Mount Washington, helmed by a man who trained under the legendary Paul Prudhomme? Thoughts of fried oysters and jambalaya had our mouths watering. Once inside, expectations continued to rise. From our small table by the door, we could see the open kitchen, where chefs were ladling soups, searing seafood and bopping along to the cheerful zydeco music.

It may not be grammatically correct to call a city the "most unique" in the country, but that didn't stop New Orleans from doing so - and not too many disputed it. From its food to its music, from the parties it threw to the literature it spawned, New Orleans culture was so distinct, and so influential, that Hurricane Katrina and the Pompeii-like flooding that followed - deadly as they were - couldn't erase it. The city's rich culture is safe, having...

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.

In an instant, Ravens return specialist Jacoby Jones lost his grip on the football and his job security. During the AFC divisional playoff game between the Houston Texans and the Ravens in January, things went awry for Jones in what became his final game with the Texans. Jones became a relative pariah in Houston after he muffed a first-quarter punt that led to a Ravens touchdown. He later fumbled another punt in that game, which ended in a Texans loss. Fans took their frustrations with Jones to message boards and Twitter, demanding the Texans get rid of him. They got their wish in May, when the Texans cut Jones after trade rumors surrounded him during the NFL draft.

Twenty years ago, Kevin Kelly ended his paid tour of Houmas House by tossing a quarter into a wishing well fashioned from a huge, sugar-cane syrup kettle. "I wished that one day I'd own a plantation," Kelly recalled. Wishes do come true. Kelly, a 48-year-old bachelor from New Orleans, has done well in shipping and real estate. Last May, he returned to Houmas House and bought the 21-room Greek Revival mansion in Darrow, La. Another of the grand old houses of the Deep South was saved.

Let the good times roll with a Mardi Gras dish that leaves the cook free to two-step instead of standing guard in the kitchen. This chicken and Cajun sausage jambalaya can be made ahead, whenever it's convenient. A quick trip to the store for French bread, pecan pralines or pecan ice cream, and chicory coffee rounds out the preparation for this supper of Louisiana favorites.Andouille (pronounced awn- DWEE) is a heavily smoked, coarsely ground, spicy Cajun sausage. Outside of Louisiana, it is available in specialty-food stores and through mail-order and online sources.