Rosemary

If you can bypass the butter, popcorn is a low-fat, whole-grain snack full of fiber. But it can be tough to resist the beast. This Rosemary Cheese Popcorn recipe gussies up fat-free microwave popcorn with an herb and cheese and a single tablespoon of butter to make the popcorn stick. When buying microwave popcorn, watch out for "butter flavoring." Recently the Associated Press reported that a man who had eaten three bags of microwaved popcorn a day for several years was diagnosed with a severe respiratory ailment known as "popcorn lung."

Sweet rosemary, with its evergreen needles and pungent piney aroma, is the herb of remembrance - perfect for holiday decorating, cooking and giving away. "It's incredible with potatoes, with pork, with chicken," said Yvonne Russell, a Spring Valley, S.C., gardener known for her affection for the herb. Rosemary often is found in garden shops and specialty groceries this time of year, shaped into whimsical trees, bundled in burlap or colorful foil. For Russell, the plant's spicy aroma evokes memories of her mother's and grandmother's kitchens.

My cooking students tell me repeatedly that when entertaining they look for dishes that can be prepared ahead and need only minimal last-minute attention. They don't want to be burdened with so much kitchen work that they miss socializing with their guests.I certainly kept that thought in mind as I planned the menus for this fall's classes. For my first session, I chose a Provencal theme and selected simple racks of lamb that are seasoned with garlic and herbs, then roasted for 25 minutes.

Corrective actionQUOTED FROM a recent, memorable press release out of the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Millersville:"Dennis was in the rear of his house target shooting when he had some type of malfunction with his revolver. In an attempt to correct this problem he discharged one shot into his abdomen. Dennis had been drinking."-- Devon SpurgeonA monumental matterTHE BUICK Regal that had stopped dead in the middle of West Street before lunch was still there, still stopped, after lunch.

John M. Tubergen Jr., 80, a deaf man who helped pioneer television news for the hearing-impaired, died May 4 of pneumonia in Westerville, Ohio.Sitting beside an anchorman for Chicago station WNBQ, Mr. Tubergen used sign language to report the news for the five-minute television program "World News for the Hard of Hearing," which was broadcast in 1958 for 13 weeks. His entry into the field came in the 1950s when he missed a tornado warning because he couldn't hear a newscast. He had been a newspaper proofreader.

Q. I was given a very attractive rosemary topiary for a holiday gift. I love the scent and plan to use the leaves in recipes. But how do I keep the plant growing indoors?A. Place it in the sunniest window you have or keep it under a grow-light or an ordinary fluorescent fixture for 14 to 16 hours each day. Water it when the top of the growing mix feels dry. And trim the foliage to keep your plant healthy and bushy.Q. I have one spot in a perennial bed next to my house that stays under water after a rain.

Rosemary D. Schisler, 75, former seafood store ownerRosemary DiPaula Schisler, retired owner of S. DiPaula & Sons Seafood & Produce, a wholesale and retail seafood business in Rosedale, died from apparent cardiac failure Thursday at her home in Essex. She was 75.For more than 50 years, Mrs. Schisler was a daily presence in the store, which her grandfather, Salvatore, opened early in the century. Her son, Thomas E. Schisler Jr. of Baltimore, took over the business when she retired in 1986.

IT IS STEW season -- a time of year when interiors matter, both the interior of my home, where I hole up to avoid the winter weather, and my personal interior, which often gets a going-over on long winter nights.People have various ways of defining their innermost being, their essence, their intrinsic being. For me, when I think of my inner self, I think of my stomach.Lately, my innermost being has been craving something warm, something substantial, something that will hold me down when the big winds hit. That something is stew.

Check attitude at the doorFROM A flier promoting the Blessing of the Bikes and bike show today at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Lothian:"No alcohol or drugs on church property. No attitudes."-- Andrea F. SiegelDressing behind the timesJEFF HOLLAND, minister of propaganda for the Maritime Republic of Eastport, was commenting recently on how he sometimes likes to don a Colonial-style three-point hat and walk around the Annapolis City Dock, dispensing bits of history to curious tourists.

Rosemary C. Gregory, a Lutherville homemaker and volunteer who served in the Navy during World War II, died Thursday of respiratory failure at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. She was 75.Born in Burnside, La., Rosemary Torregrossa grew up on her father's plantation. When her brother, a pilot, was killed during World War II, she joined the Navy and was assigned to administrative jobs in the Washington area. At a government office in Arlington, Va., she met Francis Gregory, a native Baltimorean.

The cool and quiet of Rosemary and Larry Mild's Severna Park home was broken again by the ringing phone. Reporters were calling to probe their reaction Thursday to news that the Libyan intelligence officer convicted of planting a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103 - the bomb that killed Rosemary's daughter over Lockerbie, Scotland - had been released from prison. Scottish authorities allowed Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, to return to Libya and his wife and five children. "You ask how I am?"

Peacefully on April 9, 2009, CARLEEN P. SIMMONS; beloved daughter of the late Carroll (Smiley) and Rosemary Simmons; devoted sister of Nancy M. Corcoran, Susan C. Whitmore, the late Cheryl (Sherri) M. Smith, and her longtime friend Rhylander (Rhynnie) G. Holmes. Survived also by loving nieces and nephews. A Memorial Celebration will be held on Sunday, May 3rd at 3 P.M. at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 8030 Bradshaw Road, Kingsville, MD 21087. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Burton Manor, 601 Cornell Street, Aberdeen, MD 21001.

On a frigid winter's day inside his suburban Maryland home, Jim Duke is sipping a cup of hot tea made from nature's bounty. If it were a balmy winter or early spring day, he would pick rosemary and lavender from his garden to make the pale brew. Instead, he steeps some of their dried leaves, then adds a whole flower that resembles an inverted daffodil. The tea preparation isn't just about chasing winter's chill. A month shy of his 80th birthday, Duke believes the herbs and flowers in his homemade tea are good for his memory and overall health.

On February 23, 2009, ROSEMARY K. (nee Lloyd), beloved wife of John Nowakowski, devoted mother of Joseph M. Nowakowski and Lori A. Long and her husband Charles. Also survived by one sister, three brothers, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Friends may call at the family owned LILLY AND ZEILER, INC. FUNERAL HOME, 700 S. Conkling St. on Wednesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. with a Christian Wake Service at 4 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Brigid's Church on Thursday at 9 A.M. Interment private.

Laura M. "Din" Wilson, former chairwoman of the board of the Steeltin Can Corp. whose philanthropic interests included educational, cultural and medical institutions, died Wednesday of cancer at "Nubbin Ridge," her Green Spring Valley home. She was 86. Laura Dell Meacham was born in Baltimore and raised at Nubbin Ridge, which had originally been her parents' home. Her father, Laurence B. Meacham, a West Point graduate and World War I cavalry officer, had been president of Steel and Tin Products Co., later Steeltin Can Corp.

Rosemary Stafford-Baldwin, a Colts cheerleader from 1956 to 1969, remembers how cold it became in the second half of the game. My recollections are still vivid. First and foremost, it was a privilege not only to be chosen a cheerleader, but also to be at that game. However, we were not aware how historically significant the game would become. We were grateful to be, for the first time, in New York's Yankee Stadium, walking on the same ground where our Babe Ruth did his magic. We traveled by train that Sunday morning, with the band, majorettes, sportswriters and fans.

If any local fine-dining restaurant has a better shot than another of surviving in this economy, it would be the Brewer's Art in Mount Vernon. My reasoning is simple here. First, when anything is going on at the Lyric or Meyerhoff, the place will be busy. Second, the Brewer's Art doesn't have to depend on events for business. As far as I can tell, every college student and young professional in the city hangs out there. The bar and lounge area were packed on a weeknight, and the downstairs lounge was even busier.

In the fall, when the magical landscapes of New England prove irresistible, our house turns into a bed and breakfast. A friend and her teenage grandson are traveling through our area to look at colleges, so we asked them to come for appetizers. The next day, a couple who live in Paris will stop by as they make their way through the Northeast on a leaf-peeping tour. Oh, and just to keep the phrase "the more the merrier" relative for us, our 6-year-old granddaughter and 3-year-old grandson will be coming out from Boston for an overnight stay while their parents attend a wedding close by. You get the idea!

Demrick Paul Mayes, owner of a tile installation company who enjoyed cooking, died Oct. 11 at Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly of complications from a cardiac arrest he suffered three months ago. The Arnold resident was 47. Mr. Mayes, who was known as Rick, was born in Baltimore and raised in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Anne Arundel County. After graduating from Glen Burnie High School in 1979, he went to work for several tile contractors before establishing his own company, R&M Tile Installation, in 2006.

Suddenly on October 9, 2008 ROSEMARY Katherine Sherinsky (nee Brown); beloved wife of John Carl Sherinsky; devoted mother of Mark David Sherinsky and his wife Dina; dear aunt of Maureen Kaminski and Sheri Adams; loving grandmother of Amber and Courtney Sherinsky. Friends may call at the CVACH/ ROSEDALE FUNERAL HOME, 1211 Chesaco Ave. on Sunday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday 9:30 A.M. St. Clement Catholic Church. Interment Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.