Onion

Eager to enrich the language and the lore of Maryland weather, we recently posted a query from Gene Heyler of Columbia, who wanted to know whether Marylanders had any colloquial names for early spring snowfalls. In northern Pennsylvania, he said, they speak of "Easter snows" or "onion snows." Ruth Ann Ches of Baltimore had one: "As a child, we talked about the `robin snow,' which occurred after the sightings of the first robins in the spring." Perfect.

If Marshall McLuhan was right that "the medium is the message," in the case of wildly popular fake news, the message must be: Laugh your head off or you'll just end up crying your eyes out. But what if a few angry and motivating tears are what we need? What if all this laughing is pacifying us - making us inert? I hate to say it - I love my Amy Poehler fix as much as the next gal - but I fear therapeutic irony is rendering us politically impotent. We are drawn to fake news for obvious reasons.

Serves 4 to 6 2/3 cup fresh mayonnaise or store-bought 1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste 4 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed 1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2 cup diced white onion (about 1/2 medium onion) 1/4 cup currants or raisins 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the curry powder. Add the chicken, apple, onion, currants, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss gently.

Downloaded singles 1.Too Little, Too Late, JoJo 2.Money Maker, Ludacris featuring Pharrell 3.Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol 4.How to Save a Life, The Fray 5.SexyBack, Justin Timberlake[Courtesy iTunes] Downloaded albums 1.Continuum, John Mayer 2.FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake (explicit version) 3.Grey's Anatomy, Vol. 2 (TV soundtrack), Various artists 4.The Last Kiss soundtrack, Various artists 5.FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake (clean version)[Courtesy iTunes] Podcasts 1.Comedy Central: Stand-up (video)

Beans of any type suit me fine. Lentils may top my list of favorite pulses, though, because they don't need to soak before cooking and they cook so fast. It's easy to make a main dish with lentils and have dinner from scratch on the table in less than an hour. This dish draws on the Arabic traditional dish called mujadrah (moo-JAH-dra), especially beloved in Lebanon and Egypt. For centuries, it has nourished the poor because it provides plenty of complete protein, without meat. Mujadrah also has pleased the rich, because it just tastes so good.

A stop at a Middle Eastern bakery and a stack of freshly baked pitas rekindled my appetite for lahmajoun, a dish I learned to make from Armenian-American friends in Detroit. It's a terrific solution for the dinner rush. I'm told that lahmajoun (la-ma-ZHOON) translates from Arabic to "meat dough," but if you think of it as individual pizzas, you would be closer to the mark. Robin Mather Jenkins writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe and analysis. Menu suggestion Lahmajoun Chopped salad of cucumbers, onions and tomatoes Orange sherbet Lahmajoun Serves 8 -- Total time: 30 minutes 1 pound lean ground lamb 1 onion, finely chopped or grated 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes 8 whole-wheat or regular pitas 1/4 cup pine nuts 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Modern Asian Flavors: A Taste of Shanghai By Richard Wong Quick & Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes By Nancie McDermott Chronicle Books / 2006 / $19.95 This cookbook lives up to its name. A former Peace Corps volunteer in rural Thailand, McDermott returned smitten by Southeast Asian cuisine, and is now a food writer and cooking teacher in North Carolina. The recipes won't overwhelm the everyday chef who lacks expertise and hours of preparation time. The book sticks with the basics of Vietnamese food -- no fusion or pan-Asian here.

Faster than the delivery guy can arrive at your door, you can have "homemade" pizza ready, using a variety of options for the crust. Refrigerated pizza dough, which is often sold in 1-pound bags in the dairy section of the supermarket, is the closest thing to pizzeria pizza crust. Ready-made pizza shells, such as Boboli, are more of a bread than a crust, but they have a pleasant flavor and are very convenient. BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONION PIZZA MAKES 4 SERVINGS 1 (14-ounce) prepared pizza crust, such as Boboli 6 slices bacon 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups thinly sliced onion 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped Optional: Add halved cherry tomatoes and / or cooked spinach Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Michelle Rice of Rapid City, S.D., was looking for an old-fashioned steam burger or sloppy Joe recipe of the kind you might find served at church events or other community gatherings. Christine Pullen of Fultonville, N.Y., sent in the recipe used at her church's bazaars. She says it is, hands down, everyone's favorite. She also says that it's typically served over hot dogs at her church, though it is equally delicious by itself on hamburger or hot dog buns. While this recipe serves only six, it is a simple one to make in larger quantities.

The mild sweetness of shallots and the fresh crunch of spring onions complement the arrival of warm weather and a season of rebirth. Spring onions are genetically identical to the common onion, says Wayne Mininger, executive vice president of the National Onion Association. But they look and taste different because they are planted very close together and harvested prematurely to give a milder flavor than a common onion, he says. Though spring and green onions are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between them.