Pork

Almost two decades ago, Tashima Crudup left her grandmother's home and entered the city's foster care system, where she learned firsthand what makes a good mother. As she shuffled from family to family beginning at age 8, Crudup encountered some attentive and loving foster parents, while others were unsupportive and constraining. "I always wanted to be a foster parent," said the 26-year-old mother of five. In July, Crudup — a practicing Muslim — contacted Contemporary Family Services, a private company authorized by the state to place foster children with families.

Santa Claus and two of his elves pedaled their bicycles across Fort Avenue and up Woodall Street, stopping beside an apartment across from the Domino Sugar Factory. With Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" blasting from a boombox — and a handful of curious neighbors looking on — the trio carefully unloaded their cargo: A six-and-a-half-foot Douglas fir and a pulled pork sandwich. Up the stairway they went. Christmas had officially arrived at Marilyn Agro's home.

The minute that the weather turns summery, the air should be filled with the smoke from barbecue cookers. So on a recent sunny afternoon I drove around the Baltimore area, sniffing for smoke and eating pulled-pork sandwiches. I found several, including two very good ones. Smokers Barbeque Address --2833 Baltimore Blvd., Finksburg Phone --410-861-8675 Hours --10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday The pork in this $5.25 sandwich was dry and somewhat chewy. It was helped by a tangy sauce.

Whether you want to hear a good cover band in the crowded downstairs bar or chill in the comfortable upstairs lounge, the Waterfront Hotel has long been a place to have a night on the town. The food was better than average, but nothing to write home about. In February, new management — and a new executive chef — revamped the Waterfront's menu, along with the interior of the downstairs bar. So far, the move is paying off: The food borders on phenomenal, and the bare-bones look fits the space.

Worried legislators in Annapolis have decided it is time for them to go on a diet -- at least temporarily. No more pork, their leaders have decreed. It looks bad to dip into the barrel for $15 million in pet projects when Maryland is suffering through a prolonged recession and the state budget is being slashed by $1 billion.Instead, the bond money will be used for school construction and other munificent causes. Putting legislators on this low-pork diet (a little lard will still be left) is seen as a sure-fire way to win public applause and convince citizens the General Assembly is reforming itself.

You carried an AP story this weekend providing details on the recent "tax compromise. " The article points out that the final bill was larded up with give-aways going well beyond what we'd heard. Incredibly there's an additional $9.2 billion handout for Wall Street, one that seems to specifically reward making investments overseas. Plus $13 billion in new research and development tax credits for business. "Bonus depreciation" for job-creating investments was crafted to include "the purchase of racehorses.

Sesame Pork Salad3 cups cooked rice1 1/2 cups slivered cooked pork or chicken1/4 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed and cut in julienne strips1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into julienne strips1 medium red pepper, cut into julienne strips1/2 cup sliced green onions2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, optionalSesame dressing, recipe given belowCombine all ingredients except dressing; stir well. Toss with sesame dressing. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.Serves six.Sesame Dressing1/4 cup chicken broth3 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar3 tablespoons soy sauce1 tablespoon peanut oil1 teaspoon sesame oilCombine all ingredients in jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously.

Although I am not a football fan, my grown son is. I suggested that for the Super Bowl he serve his friends a casual supper. This all-in-one entree is robust and satisfying, yet inexpensive and easy to assemble. Pork with Chilies and Lime Over Cumin-Scented Polenta Makes 6 servings PORK: 6 tablespoons oil, plus more if needed 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1 cup diced ( 1/2 -inch-cubed) carrots 2 tablespoons (about 2 peppers) minced serrano chili peppers (see Note) 3 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed of all excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 cup flour Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 (28-ounce)

Sharon Schuler of Phoenix was looking for a recipe for Sweet-and-Sour Pork. She had lost hers years ago. The dish was one of her husband's favorites, and nothing she has tried has compared to the ease of preparation and taste of the original. Beth Edelstein sent in a recipe for Sweet-and-Sour Pork that she clipped from Sun Magazine in the early 1970s. It was one of the first dishes she made on her own for her Southern mother, who was amazed that her daughter's recipe files contained anything "so exotic."

On a whim one day, we invited one of my husband's new colleagues for dinner the following evening. I decided to serve roasted pork tenderloins with prunes and apples. The tender slices of pork topped with ebony-hued prunes and crimson apple slices in the sweet, yet tart, cider sauce made a distinctive fall main course. For sides you could garnish the pork with pairings of haricots verts and buttered carrots, or roasted butternut squash and wild rice. Add a green salad as I did and serve a good purchased sorbet.

Movies and crepes go together. The original Sofi's Crepes is still running next to The Charles, now a new Sofi's has opened directly across from The Senator. The new address is 5911 York Road, and the phone number is 410-727-5737. Tentative hours at the new location are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The Belvedere Square location is planning a Nov. 18 grand opening featuring live music and celebrity crepe-makers. Sofi's is donating 50 percent of its profits from the opening to Our Daily Bread for Thanksgiving dinners.  Across the street from Sofi's, on the same side of the block as the Senator, Jerry's Belvedere Tavern is going to town on Girl Scout Cookies.

Recipes for Coffee-rubbed pork chops and Blood orange martini Peake reflects: During a trip to the Dominican Republic, chef Anthony Peake dined at a local Dominican restaurant that served traditional Hispaniola fare. For dinner, he was served pork chops with an orange and coffee marinade. Using inspiration from his trip, he created the Coffee-rubbed Pork Chop featured entree for The Stanford Grill. Coffee-rubbed Pork Chops Ingredients: * 8  7 oz. pork chops (bone in)

Next time you're near Sandy Spring, check out Urban Bar-B-Que, 805 Olney Sandy Spring Road (Highway 108). It's that easy to recommend. If you look the place up online, you may be turned off by the redneck motif. Don't be. Urban's approach tips its hat and decor to that often-derided cohort, but they treat the style gently, with tongue in cheek. Everywhere you look in the dining room, you'll see details paying homage to redneckism. The Elvis painting, the camo hunter's cap, the framed tattoo designs and John Deere are all here.

"Are you here to sell me something? Or do you wanna drink?" Thus did a dodgy looking 20-something greet us upon our entering Dick's Last Resort at the Inner Harbor's Power Plant complex. My first thought was: "Does this guy really think I look like a Bev Nap salesman?" 12:50 We stand momentarily stunned in Dick's lobby. It looks like a Gap t-shirt display, only more crass. That, by the way, is a compliment to both places. The rest of the joint looks like its interior decorator blew his entire $138 budget at a surf-shop fire sale.

You carried an AP story this weekend providing details on the recent "tax compromise. " The article points out that the final bill was larded up with give-aways going well beyond what we'd heard. Incredibly there's an additional $9.2 billion handout for Wall Street, one that seems to specifically reward making investments overseas. Plus $13 billion in new research and development tax credits for business. "Bonus depreciation" for job-creating investments was crafted to include "the purchase of racehorses.

Every once in a while, you come across a restaurant that has distinctive, well-prepared food at sensible prices. Havana Road in Towson is such a spot; it is a find. Situated in a storefront in on Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Towson, Havana Road is small — about 30 seats — and serves only Cuban fare. But what it does with a limited menu, it does exceptionally well. Take, for example, the hummus trio ($6), an offering of black bean hummus, red hummus made with sun-dried tomatoes and hummus made with Cuban spices.

There's plenty to criticize about the eight-month federal spending plan Democratic leaders will present today to their House colleagues as a done deal. The $463 billion package was crafted by the appropriations chairmen, David R. Obey in the House and Robert C. Byrd in the Senate, to deal with the GOP's failure to pass a budget for this fiscal year, now almost half-gone. Yet their plan is far more than a simple extension of current spending in order to get on with shaping a 2008 budget.

Big windows, bold lines and glossy surfaces make the central dining area of The Falls cafe on Kelly Avenue in Mount Washington appear clean, bright and energized. Another part of the dining space offers muted lighting and a sense of privacy conducive to quiet conversation. With one curious exception, The Falls' menu is no less attractive. 11:48 a.m. We enter. The floor space of the main dining area is spacious and framed by two counters, one fronting the kitchen and the other facing a sentinel-like wine rack.

Cheryl Woodward from Baltimore was searching for a recipe she had misplaced for making stuffed pork loin. She does not remember the exact ingredients but she does recall that it had Swiss cheese and rosemary in the stuffing. Josie Englund from Wilmington, DE, sent in a recipe she thinks might be close to Woodward's original. She says that this stuffed pork tenderloin is one of those dishes that is relatively easy to prepare, tastes delicious and looks impressive. She says she makes it frequently for company.