Onion Soup

SOUTHWESTERN COOKING IS one of the "hot" trends in the culinary world.This flamboyant cuisine evolved from influences by native Americans, Spanish and European settlers and also as a result of adapting Mexican cuisine to appeal to American palates and ingredients.This recipe features a sprinkling of Southwestern flavors and ingredients and was developed for unique holiday entertaining. Simply brush a turkey breast with a flavorful mixture of onion recipe soup mix, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, ground cumin and oregano -- then pop it in the microwave or conventional oven whichever you prefer.

If one dish gave slow-cookers their culinary-backwater reputation, this was it: pot roast with creamy mushroom sauce, unrepentantly unrevised and un-updated, in the 1995 version of "Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery."Pot roast with creamy mushroom sauceServes 6 to 81 (2- to- 2 1/2 -pound) boneless beef chuck roast1 envelope dry onion soup mix1 can condensed cream of mushroom soupPlace roast in a slow-cooker. Add soup mix; top with undiluted soup. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes or over cooked noodles.

POLENTA IS a trendy dish.Once considered a "poor man's food," polenta now shows up on fine china in the most elegant of restaurants in Baltimore and throughout the country as an appetizer or the centerpiece of a main course. A highly satisfying food made from cornmeal, polenta is preferred over pasta or bread in certain regions of Italy, notably the Veneto and Friuli regions.Depending on the cornmeal used, the texture of polenta can be either coarse or fine. Using a mixture of both can result in a just-right combination.

Churchill's Restaurant, 225 N. Liberty St., 727-0910. The atmosphere at Churchill's puts it in front of many restaurants. The second-floor dining room is warm and inviting -- up a winding stair from an equally inviting but more casual bar. Churchill's seems to have high aspirations, but does not always meet them. We found the food good, but not great, for some rather lofty prices, and the friendly service grew less attentive as the evening wore on and the dining room filled up. The French onion soup and the vegetables that accompanied our entrees were the clear standouts -- along with the perfect red rose that graced each table.

Thompson's Sea Girt HouseThompson's Sea Girt House 5919 York Road, 435-1800. This popular establishment has been part of Baltimore's restaurant scene for more than 100 years. There are many traditional dishes on the menu, as well as touches of Spanish fare, which reflect the change in ownership several years ago. I found the Onion Soup a la Anciana unusual and quite good with its light base and sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Some of the other offerings were not as flavorful. The $13.95 four-course dinner special, which is offered weeknights, draws many diners.

Thompson's Sea Girt House, 5919 York RoadThis popular establishment has been part of Baltimore's restaurant scene for more than 100 years. There are many traditional dishes on the menu, as well as touches of Spanish fare, which reflect the change in ownership several years ago. I found the Onion Soup a la Anciana unusual and quite good with its light base and sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Some of the other offerings were not as flavorful. The $13.95 four-course dinner special, offered weeknights, seems to draw many diners.

I like a restaurant with self-confidence. At least I guess that's what it is when you're a chain that opened in 1996 and you call yourself Stoney River Legendary Steaks. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Every steakhouse has to have a concept that sets it apart from the other places that offer large portions of beef. Stoney River's is that it sells lifestyle as well as steaks. You know how crazy busy mall eateries can be, especially the new hot ones; but this one promises "Steak.

Esther Britton of Rapid City, S.D., was looking for a recipe for baked beans. She said that she really did not want to have to soak the beans overnight so she wanted a recipe that used canned beans instead of dried. Belle Woolf of Vass, N.C., sent in a recipe she had for making baked beans using canned pork and beans. Her recipe has the addition of several other ingredients, such as apples and cumin, that give this somewhat standard dish a twist. The beans were sweet and tangy and would be a perfect side dish for any type of barbecue.

It's barbecue season, and it's the flavor of the yellow onion that gives many summer dishes their tangy, yet sweet kick. Because of its high sulfur content, the yellow onion has a richer taste than the white onion. The lion's share of the onion crop - 88 percent - is dedicated to yellow onions, says Kim Reddin, a spokeswoman for the National Onion Association. Yellow onions differ by season, and are generally broken down into two categories: spring/summer and fall/winter. In the spring and summer, the onions are higher in water content, and therefore have a more mild flavor, making them great for raw applications, such as toppings on hamburgers and hot dogs.