Juice

Those of us with pleasant memories of watching a special-occasion salad unmolded to the delight of family cooks-in-training will appreciate this offering from Rosemary Goedert of Chicago. "This recipe was given to me by the mother of a friend over 40 years ago," Goedert wrote. "It's a family favorite served at every family dinner. But some of my family actually save the salad for dessert." No wonder -- this tried-and-true blend of gelatin, cream and fruit makes a festive, rich dish. We tried Goedert's recipe in a mold with a hollow center, which makes unmolding easier, according to 34 Kitchen Quick Tips.

JACK BEHNKEN, 80 Founded pet food firm Jack Behnken, who started the company that makes pet food brands including Atta Boy and Atta Cat, died of cancer Sunday in Ogden, Utah. Mr. Behnken, president and chief executive of American Nutrition Inc., started the company in 1972, calling it Animal Nutrition, after working for Kellogg Co. and Welch Grape Juice Co. It was the start of a chain of factories that produce pet food, including Southwest Pet Products in Phoenix and Northwest Pet Products in Woodland, Wash.

Those bags of prepacked greens aren't just for salads. Some lend themselves to form the base of nutritious and delicious dressings for salads and sandwiches. Here, we're combining baby arugula and using its peppery flavor with the oniony tang of chives and orange juice. The beauty of these bold ingredients is that you can substitute low-fat mayonnaise for the full-fat variety and not miss a beat of flavor. Because we squeezed a fresh navel orange to supply our juice quotient, we decided to use the rest of the fruit as a garnish.

Charmoula is the traditional Moroccan seasoning for fish, and having a version in your repertoire makes a North African-influenced dinner as close as your food processor. Here's one we like. Robin Mather Jenkins writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Moroccan Baked Fish Serves 4 -- Total time: 28 minutes 2 cloves garlic 1 piece (1-inch long) ginger root, grated 3/4 cup each, loosely packed: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro leaves 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons orange juice plus more for thinning 1 teaspoon each: cumin, hot paprika, lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed 1/8 teaspoon each: saffron (optional)

Super Suppers Cookbook By Judie Byrd Dream Dinners By Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna William Morrow / 2006 / $19.95 Likewise, this cookbook is the result of a meal-assembly franchise begun by the authors from their home base in Washington state. The twist? These recipes include directions for multiplying the servings and freezing the results. In addition, the authors provide quick tips for freezing - use dried herbs instead of fresh and don't try to freeze raw potatoes - and solutions for when the defrosted product doesn't measure up - add chicken stock if it is too dry, turn the oven up and remove the foil if it is too wet. There are crockpot recipes and grilling recipes, and a primer on the basics of freezing, including the fact that freezing does not kill bacteria, yeast and molds.

In some broiled-chicken restaurants, customers can build up an appetite watching their meal turn gently on a rotisserie before it is brought to their table. No such luck at Pollo Amigo. Here, the magic takes place behind the shiny silver doors of a refrigerator-sized oven. That's where the chickens are broiled over charcoal. When they emerge, their skins are deep mahogany, and so crisp they almost burst open at the touch of a fork. Hints of garlic, cumin and paprika provide a heady counterpoint to the mild flavor of the juicy meat.

Save water. Drink prune juice.If the U.S. Treasury actually wants to pay off the national debt, Congress should let it.Cheer up. Blacks are coming out for O'Malley, whites for Bell and Stokes.Candidate Bell has put forth no issues or position papers but he did send his goons to disrupt a rival's street theater, so that must be his message, his promise and who he is.Pub Date: 8/09/99

Q. Bug season is here, and the biting critters seem to like me more than others in my family. I'm popular at picnics because I am a magnet for mosquitoes.A friend tells me that garlic supplements work as a natural bug repellent. I have also heard there may be a vitamin that makes humans less tasty. Is there any proof these remedies work? What is the proper dose?A. We have heard for years that taking garlic capsules or vitamin B1 (100 milligrams) keeps mosquitoes at bay, but there is very little scientific evidence of their worth.

At a time when last summer's peaches and berries are mere memories, citrus fruits -- grapefruit, oranges, tangerines -- are making their way onto the breakfast table and into the lunch box. They're also the centerpiece of refreshing winter main-dish salads such as the one below.For the best flavor and texture, learn the technique of sectioning citrus by hand rather than substituting processed citrus segments packed in refrigerated jars or cans. A little practice with a sharp paring knife will reveal the simple beauty of citrus anatomy, and you'll be pleased at the difference the natural color, taste and succulence of fresh fruit makes in a salad.

Here's something different for the Thanksgiving table: a broccoli salad punched up with lemon zest, a garlicky dressing and walnuts.When you shop for broccoli, look for firm, smooth stalks ending in tender spears with tightly closed blue-green or purplish-green buds. Avoid bunches with tough, woody stalks or yellowish leaves and buds. At home, wash the broccoli in lightly salted lukewarm water, separating the florets to clean them thoroughly, then rinse in cold running water. Use a small, sharp knife to slice the florets from their stems.

Mild summer weather saved us plenty of dough. The PJM Interconnection, masters of the electric grid for 51 million of us in 13 Eastern states, says electric consumption June through August was 7.5 percent lower than in 2008. Citing National Weather Service statistics, PJM said the amount of juice required for air conditioning fell 14 percent this summer, to a level 7 percent below the average. Small favors.

Virginia Howard from Santa Rosa , Calif., was looking for a recipe for Bishops bread or cake. Several readers sent in their recipes for Bishops bread. There seemed to be two basic but different versions, one a rather simple and plain tea bread with a crumb topping, the other more involved and chock-full of fruit and nuts, almost like a fruit cake. I decided to test a recipe sent in by Holly Welch of Rohnert Park, Calif.

Question: : Chocolate works for hiccups. My father was recovering in the hospital for several weeks last summer, and many, many times he had lengthy bouts of severe hiccups. As he was recovering from abdominal surgery, these were extremely painful. His doctors tried anti-spasmodic drugs to end them, and the drugs did not help. I read about this remedy in your book, bought him a bag of chocolate chips, and voila, it worked. He is in his 70s and a skeptic. When he mentions this cure to his doctors, they think he is making it up. Anyway, he was thrilled.

I think I'm pretty safe in saying that sangria is the hottest cool drink of summer 2009. You can't exactly call this fruity wine punch trendy - it's been around too long - but it goes perfectly with the foods that are trendy right now. That means every Latino restaurant and tapas bar in the area is offering its variation on the red wine and fruit juice theme. (Not to mention non-Latino cafes and wine bars.) No other mixed drink that I can think of can be made so many different ways. These days you can use red, white or sparkling wine.

The Baltimore police officer arrested in a traffic altercation in Bel Air last week is accused of throwing a cup of tobacco juice at two motorists and flashing a Glock handgun at them, according to new details from arrest documents. Robert G. Cirello, a decorated seven-year veteran of the city Police Department and a member of its SWAT team, was off duty when he turned right into a northbound lane of Emmorton Road about 12:30 p.m. May 8. The driver of second car, who felt he cut them off, honked at Cirello, according to police documents.

It is the height of grapefruit season, a time to feast on fruit shipped in to us from warmer climes. The tastiest grapefruit in America come either from Florida or Texas, depending on whom you speak to. After listening to folks on both sides of this fruit fight, I concluded that the rivalry between these two grapefruit-growing regions resembled one surrounding a college football game. This was, in other words, another citrus bowl where almost every facet of a rival grapefruit's appeal was contested.

My daughter had several warts on her hands and was able to kill them quickly with lemon juice. She dabbed the warts with a sliver of lemon three or four times a day, and all of the warts fell off within four days. Four years ago, we heard from another mother whose daughter also had warts: "Years ago, my daughter had eight plantar warts on the bottoms of her feet. She could hardly walk, and I tried everything to no avail. "A friend of mine suggested squeezing fresh lemon juice on them three or four times a day. We had nothing to lose so we tried it. Those warts turned black and fell off so fast she was completely healed within four weeks.

Is this the changing of the guard, or is this just an aberration? Only time will tell. But the signs are pointing toward either the Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers - or both - being the teams to beat in the NFL in the foreseeable future. In other words, tomorrow won't be the last time these two teams play for the AFC championship, or are the ones others have to go through to get there. Kind of how the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts have been. At this rate, based on what has happened this month, those two - the league's marquee teams and the ones in the spotlight at the beginning of nearly every postseason this decade - are becoming the pursuers instead of the pursued.

My father and uncle both have diabetes. I would like to reduce my risk of developing this disease, and I've heard that drinking coffee can help. Is there any evidence behind this claim? There are several epidemiological studies that have demonstrated an association between regular coffee consumption and a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (Diabetes Care, February 2006). Do not count on coffee alone to protect you, however. Regular exercise and weight control are far more likely to be helpful in preventing Type 2 diabetes.

I appreciate you writing about home remedies for children when they come down with colds, but I am alarmed that you suggested lemon and honey for coughs. I feel this needs an urgent disclaimer! Honey can be dangerous for a child under age 2. A friend's 6-month-old baby nearly died from infant botulism. Honey can cause this in infants. Even honey jars have a warning that it is not for small children. Thanks for the reminder. Young children 1-year-old and younger should never be given honey.