Lemon

Short & Sweet By Melanie Barnard The Art of the Dessert By Ann Amernick Wiley / 2007 / $40 Accomplished cooks looking for a challenge will find rich territory to explore in this book from a former assistant White House pastry chef. The 96 recipes emphasize stellar presentation, and instructions for most desserts go on for several pages. The truffled brownie souffle I tried was chocolaty as promised, but the recipe seemed like a lot of trouble to go to for a dish that tasted basically like a brownie.

Whether you order chicken spiedini at an Italian mom-and-pop ristorante or the Olive Garden, chances are good the benefits of grilling lean chunks of meat over an open flame will be overshadowed by the dish's overall fat content. The culprit? Typically the skewered, breaded kebabs are served drowning in a puddle of olive oil. For instance, one recipe on cdkitchen.com calls for 1/2 cup olive oil. Another on recipezaar.com lists 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. This Grilled Chicken Spiedini adds more zesty lemon and spicy pepperoncini, a mixture that balances flavor with a more modest tablespoon of olive oil. Shopping tip: Look for pickled pepperoncini in the condiment aisle with salad dressings, pickles and peppers.

For many of us, Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer even though the calendar says it arrives several weeks later in June. This holiday certainly signals to me that the warm-weather season is upon us. By late May the temperature in New England, where I live, finally reaches the 70s, our lawn transforms itself from winter tan to a brilliant green, a profusion of flowers decides to bloom, and my herb garden comes to life. As a cook, I am reminded by this change of season that it's time to swap heartier menus for lighter, fresher ones.

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.

As a cook, I welcome all holidays because they are an excuse for indulgence in the kitchen. That's when I forget about fat grams and calories and freely use cream, eggs, sugar, butter and all those other ingredients the "food police" discourage. Confidently, I rationalize that cooking for celebrations allows for a little extravagance. With that philosophy in mind, I've pulled out the directions for a dessert that has been in my files for many years and reworked it for Father's Day on June 20.This recipe is one of my favorites.

Turn a bowl of "just fruit" into sparkling, edible jewels -- bite-size, ready-to-eat bits of fresh, ripe seasonal fruits. As appetizer, salad, dessert or snack, fresh fruit is that rare dish fussy eaters and cooks both like.Start by selecting fruits that are generally available year-round (apples, bananas, oranges) and add the best of whatever each season offers in your locale -- see recipe for suggestions.Four Seasons Fruit BowlServes 6 to 83 seedless oranges2 unpeeled tart red apples, cored and diced2 firm but ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2 -inch rounds1 tablespoon lemon or lime juiceseasonal fruits (see below)

What is the perfect summer quencher? America agrees, it's a cooling and refreshing tall glass of ice tea.Commercial ice teas are hitting it big across the country and have become one of the hippest segments in the beverage category. There are some sticky-sweet, flavored, bottled ice teas such as an artificial-tasting peach and a raspberry-lemon concoction that reminds me of Kool-Aid. Then there are some pretty clean and refreshing un-sweetened bottled teas.With all the availability and popularity of exotic teas and flavored bottled ice tea creations, I thought it was time I created some that you can whip up at home.

1997 J. Lohr Monterey ``Riverstone'' Chardonnay ($10)Few California chardonnays in this price bracket show as much personality and intensity as this sterling example from Lohr. It's one of the best sources of value from the Golden State. Although there's plenty of body, it also offers a crisp, clean finish and delicious vanilla, lemon, apple and white pepper flavors. A natural to serve with salmon or ham.

1997 Murphy-Goode Barrel-Fermented Pinot Blanc, Russian River Valley ($13).You could call this an un-chardonnay: similar in body, with a touch of oak, but a subtly different flavor profile. It's a dry wine with flavors of lemon, peach and pear, and notes of mineral, herbs and mint. Its excellent bite gives it a bit of attitude, and the length of the finish is impressive.

There aren't many restaurants that would lure me to Westminster, but Paradiso Ristorante is one of them.Food tastes authentically Italian here. Not cookie-cutter Italian-American.Salvatore and June Romeo have owned Paradiso since 1992, but moved the restaurant across the street to a renovated Sherwood Distillery building last June.In the small dining room, the walls, trim and exposed ceiling are painted the deepest shade of green. Brass candle lamps with green shades provide intimate lighting at the cherrywood tables and wide upholstered booths in the room.

The Empire strikes back - in a good way. In 2000, the giant E&J Gallo Winery lost a trademark infringement suit it brought against Bridlewood. So it turned around and bought its tiny rival. Good move. This chardonnay is far above the norm in this price range. It's finely balanced, with a crisp acidity and a light touch with oak. The flavors are what you'd expect with chardonnay - apple, lemon and nuts - but with an uncommon clarity and energy. 2007 Bridlewood Chardonnay From: Monterey County, Calif.

The more New World chardonnays I taste whose makers have jettisoned the use of oak, the more I question whether all those barrels are necessary. This bright, vibrant wine from Sebastiani conveys pure apple, lemon, smoke and mineral flavors without anything to dull them down. It's not a wine of great complexity, but it does pop on the palate and finish with bracing acidity. That beats ponderous wood flavors any day. 2008 Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay From: Russian River Valley, Calif. Price: $17 Serve with: Salmon, ham, fried chicken

Familiarity with Cam Cameron's offense and an open roster spot brought quarterback Cleo Lemon back to Westminster on Sunday for another stint with the Ravens. Lemon is the second quarterback added to the roster since John Beck suffered an undisclosed injury to his throwing shoulder in Thursday's preseason opener. Drew Willy, waived on June 18 after spending most of the offseason with the Ravens, rejoined the team Saturday. That gave the Ravens five quarterbacks at Sunday's practice, although Beck did not throw in the workout.

You should look this good at 92. That's how old Baltimore's Flowermart is this year. And the city's rite of spring, set for Friday and Saturday in the cobblestone square beneath Robert Mills' monument to George Washington, looks much like it has for years - lemon sticks, maypole dancers and lots of flowers. The Flowermart has been preserved in time, changing little over the years and comforting Baltimoreans with its appealing sameness. Even so, Flowermart always has a fresh-start feel to it. Former Mayor Kurt Schmoke once said the celebration gives Baltimore residents a chance to see their city anew.

On April 13, 2009, EUGENE, survived by a brother, Jeff Lemon; sisters, Ruth Tindal, Delores Miller, Mary Alice Lemon and Queen E. Lemon. Visitation 2140 North Fulton Avenue, Sunday, 12 to 6 PM. Family will receive friends Monday at the chapel, 10 AM. Funeral to follow at 10:30AM.

FREDERICK - Arundel quarterback threw Billy Cosh threw for 475 yards and five touchdowns last night. Wide receiver Alec Lemon caught 16 passes for 277 yards. Those two performances would normally help a team to victory. But this was not a normal night. No. 5 Arundel couldn't stop host Linganore, which stayed hot on a cold night. The Lancers gained 639 yards of offense to end the Wildcats' season with a 59-34 victory in the Class 4A state semifinals. Cosh made spectacular throws, completing 39 of 64. Lemon (two touchdowns)

It seemed like everyone wanted to talk to Arundel's Alec Lemon after last night's Class 4A East regional playoff game against visiting North County. One kid asked Lemon to sign a football, another just wanted to say hello, while some adults conveyed their best wishes. The game Lemon had will usually draw a crowd. The senior finished with 306 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns - two on pass catches, one on an interception and another on the game's opening kickoff to help No. 6 Arundel to a 49-15 victory over No. 10 North County.

Tina Fey and Oprah Winfrey. Are there two bigger female stars in pop culture today? In truth, the only thing that probably matters to most readers about previews like this is the news that the two appear together tonight in Fey's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock. That alone will likely guarantee the largest audience the series has ever known, and it is already looking like a pretty good ratings year for the sitcom about life backstage at a fictional NBC TV series. After a critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged season last year, 30 Rock opened last week with a bang, winning its highly competitive time period in the key demographics of men ages 18 to 49 and men ages 18 to 34. It did that against CSI (CBS)

4 goals allowed by the Annapolis Area Christian girls soccer team in going 11-0. The Eagles, who have won the past two Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Conference championships, have posted seven shutouts. Coach Paul Brophy said a big key has been the fine play of senior sweeper Christie Valentine, who moved to the back after playing forward her entire career. 5 touchdowns by Arundel wide receiver Alec Lemon in the team's 46-25 win at Meade on Friday. The Syracuse-bound senior caught four passes from Billy Cosh and ran for a TD as the Wildcats came back from a 13-point first-half deficit.

The usually potent Arundel offense started slowly last night at Meade, but quarterback Billy Cosh and wide receiver Alec Lemon helped change everything in the second half. Cosh threw five of his six touchdown passes in the second half, including three to Lemon in a 27-point fourth-quarter outburst that helped the No. 10 Wildcats rally from a 13-point first-half deficit to pull away for a 46-25 victory over the Mustangs. Overall, Cosh completed 26 of 41 passes for 364 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.