Roast

My oven has convection-roast and convection-bake settings. I understand convection is a heat-circulating fan, but the roast vs. baking part confuses me. What difference does it make to the oven if I leave the lid off a meat pan? In food language, roast and bake really aren't different. Both are done in an open pan, usually in an oven. We refer to cooking meats and vegetables in an open pan as roasting, while cakes, cookies and pies are baked. But convection, which uses fans to circulate air, is a different beast.

Happy Memorial Day - and thank you to all our veterans who gave their lives so we can live in freedom. God bless them and their families. Coming events at Good Shepherd in Perryville include: June 2, all you can eat breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic School, 810 Aiken Avenue in Perryville. Adults - $7. Children under 12, $4. Children under 5 are free. June 8 will be the strawberry festival at the Good Shepherd Catholic School, 810 Aiken Avenue in Perryville from noon to 6 p.m. with a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7. June 15, a pig roast and live music at the Good Shepherd Catholic School, 810 Aiken Avenue from 2 to 5 p.m. Harmony Lodge will hold its monthly all you can eat breakfast June 8 from 7 to 10 a.m. The second annual Cody G. Richardson Relentless Run 5K and 3K fun walk will be held June 1 at Perryville Middle School to benefit the Cody G. Richardson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

When I'm making roast chicken, I like to keep everything else very simple. I'll typically roast green beans or asparagus, but this time I decided to go with brussels sprouts. I know not everyone is a fan, but I guess I'm the odd one out. I really like them, and was reminded that I do not eat enough of them, so into the basket they went. Roasted Brussels Sprouts 1 lb brussels sprouts 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp salt Balsamic vinegar Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse brussels sprouts.

Artifact Coffee, Amy and Spike Gjerdes' follow-up to their acclaimed Woodberry Kitchen , has been growing on me. In the span of eight days, I had two of my favorite restaurant entrees of the past year at Artifact Coffee. The first night was a 12-hour braised pork shoulder with rigatoni, tossed with roasted turnips in a pesto made from sharp-flavored ramps, the early spring vegetable sometimes called wild garlic. Another night was a sublime stew of chicken, carrots, parsnips and kohlrabi bathed in red wine.

Planning to cook a holiday roast this year? You'll first have to figure out how much to buy. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association suggests 6 ounces of cooked, trimmed beef per person. Lean boneless roasts, such as tenderloin and eye of round, will yield two 6-ounce servings per pound before cooked. Rib-eye roasts, which have more trimmable fat, will yield one to two servings per pound before being cooked. Here are other tips on selecting, storing and preparing roasts: * Choose beef with a bright cherry-red color and make sure to check the "sell-by" date.

Generations of Maryland politicians celebrated Tuesday former Gov. Marvin Mandel 's recent 90th birthday at a dinner in College Park that featured countless age jokes and heartfelt tributes, as well as a handful of awkward moments and surprise reunions. Mandel, a conservative Democrat who has maintained friendships with elected officials on both sides of the aisle, attracted such notable guests as Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer , the House majority leader.

Former Mayor Sheila Dixon listened intently, scribbling notes on a legal pad, just as she had in countless meetings. But the topics of conversation Thursday evening were not those that were discussed in City Hall — at least not to her face. Dixon sat onstage at the Comedy Factory in Power Plant Live as radio hosts and comedians skewered her over the scandals that led to her resignation from the mayor's office two years ago. They ragged on the gift cards meant for the poor that she was convicted of stealing, and one even banged a shoe — a reference to her actions at a particularly heated City Council meeting.

"I miss the gravy," confided an often-quoted nutritionist, a public vegetarian. "So I tend to cook stew and pot roast a lot for my family."She has a husband and two teen-age sons who are definitely not vegetarians."I give them all the meat, but I sneak a little gravy and put it on potatoes or pasta," she says. "The gravy has all the flavor of the meat without the meat. It's only cheating a little bit, don't you think?"That gravy goes far to satisfy meat cravings is something our forebears need not have been told by a nutritionist.

Ann Henry of Ellicott City sent us this "no fail" recipe for Mary Martara of Baltimore. Mary said she had always wanted to prepare a standing rib roast recipe but "shyed away because it is so very expensive." Be sure to follow Ann's recipe exactly. "You will have a tender, juicy roast with well-done slices on the outside and medium and rare slices on the inside," Ann says.Perfect Standing Rib Roast1 standing rib roast, 4 to 6 poundsSalt and pepperAllow roast to come to room temperature, three to four hours before serving.

Retired Carver athletic director and coach Lloyd "Sodie" White will be honored at a pre-90th birthday roast and scholarship benefit on Nov. 22 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. in the school's gymnasium at Bentalou and Presstman streets. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by contacting James Griffin at 410-233-6229 or Isaiah Foreman at 410-566-9071. On hand to honor White will be Colts Hall of Fame running back Lenny Moore, former Dunbar and University of Maryland basketball coach Bob Wade and current Edmondson football and basketball coach Pete Pompey.

New research has found that the Mediterranean diet is linked to a healthy heart. The diet is rich in vegetables, fish, olive oil and nuts. Thinking of switching or adopting some of the principals of the diet? Here is a Mediterranean diet recipe from the Mayo Clinic to get you started. Have a healthy recipe you'd like to share? Send it to andrea.walker@baltsun.com. Ingredients 1 small eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 small yellow zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 small green zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices 6 medium mushrooms, sliced 1 sweet red pepper, seeded, cored and cut into chunks 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 6 cups water 1 1/2 cups coarse polenta (corn grits)

Robert Prettyman walked along the uneven ground surrounding Anne Arundel Community College's resource management building and pointed to soil erosion, storm runoff and other evidence that the area is losing its battle against the elements. "You can see the erosion. It's a mess," said Prettyman, 51, a student at the college. He then ventured down a series of weather-beaten steps in the woods to a small waterway known as Divided Creek. Runoff from the resource management building flows through underground pipes and spills into the creek before heading to the Magothy River and Chesapeake Bay. Prettyman, a Glen Burnie resident studying ecosystem restoration and environmental monitoring, wants to stem that tide of erosion, and he recently came up with a project to reduce and naturally filter some of the runoff from the building.

7-Eleven is holding Dollar Coffee Wednesdays in Janaury. Every cup of coffee costs $1. That includes lattes, cappuccinos and stuff like that. The promotion is built around the convenience retailer's new Brazilian Dark Roast, which it calls its "richest, most full-bodied coffee to date. " During $1 Coffee Wednesdays in January, guests at 7-Eleven can try the new premium dark roast or create their favorite coffee creation in any size of cup. The dollar coffee deal is valid all day every Wednesday in January at participating 7-Eleven stores nationwide.  All the coffee condiments choices - sweeteners, flavors and toppings - are included in this price.

Victoria Gastro Pub Executive Chef Joe Krywucki reflects: Seasonal cooking is always best, especially when you have access to high quality ingredients. We use an all-natural Duroc pork, which has a superior flavor and tenderness, and local Baugher's Farm Honey Crisp apples. Pork Tenderloin 1.    Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. 2.    Pan sear the pork in clarified butter until golden brown. 3.    Roast in oven at 350 degrees F until desired temperature.

Radishes are lucky to be at any American table. Used in salads as filler and crudités plates for color they are always the last to be eaten (if they're eaten at all). It's understandable, though, because the varieties we buy from the supermarket are extremely bitter and rather unpleasant by themselves. The varieties of radish at the farmers market are more varied, but even the milder English versions are peppery and conducive to eating by themselves. The way to bite back at these is to roast them.

Sweet corn is at its seasonal peak, and its abundance is a great (and inexpensive) reason to get cooking. Sweet corn has a place in every cookout this time of year, whether in a salad, a side dish or, more likely, on the cob with butter and salt and pepper (or better yet, Old Bay). Jesse Albright, general manager at Albright farms in Monkton, sells sweet corn at the Fells Point Farmers' Market for $6 a dozen and offers preservation techniques for those of us who like to have a little bit of summer during the winter months.

WASHINGTON -- When you get right down to it there is nothing funny about being a Democrat. And some of their presidential candidates proved it the other night.The idea was that the Democratic contenders would get together in a Hollywood-style roast and show everyone their warm and human side.Speaking for everyone, I'd like to say we are still looking for it.Two of the candidates did not bother to show up or even to send representatives. And they were the predictable ones: Bob Kerrey and Jerry Brown.

When he was a kid, not yet in his teens, Frank Luber would sneak into a small auditorium at St. Joseph's Monastery in Irvington, point a spotlight toward the center of the stage and stand in its glow. Then, before an empty hall, he'd belt out a song into the microphone. "I guess there was something of the ham in me," Luber said with a chuckle as he recalled those times. "I just liked the feel of it -- showbiz, the stage." Luber, whose first real gig in front of a microphone, not long afterward, involved calling bingo numbers, is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting in Maryland, where his sonorous voice has become a perennial presence on both radio and television.

Former Mayor Sheila Dixon listened intently, scribbling notes on a legal pad, just as she had in countless meetings. But the topics of conversation Thursday evening were not those that were discussed in City Hall — at least not to her face. Dixon sat onstage at the Comedy Factory in Power Plant Live as radio hosts and comedians skewered her over the scandals that led to her resignation from the mayor's office two years ago. They ragged on the gift cards meant for the poor that she was convicted of stealing, and one even banged a shoe — a reference to her actions at a particularly heated City Council meeting.