Vinegar

In India, we offer fennel seeds after meals. This helps avoid flatulence. Fennel is also good for sore throat and sinus problems. I use the following recipe for my sinus trouble: Combine 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1 clove, 1/2 -inch piece of stick cinnamon and 1 teaspoon brown sugar in 2 cups of water. Boil it until there is 1 1/2 cups of liquid left, strain it and drink it hot with a little milk. You can substitute honey for the brown sugar. In India, we use many such home remedies from our grandmothers to avoid overusing antibiotics.

Well, yes, you could just open a can. But homemade baked beans offer much, much more. They offer a connection to the past. One of my favorite food writers, Della Lutes, opens her 1935 classic The Country Kitchen with an accounting of her father's birthday feast in 1882: "A great pan of beans was baked, nice, white Michigan [or New York State] beans, soaked overnight, parboiled in the early morning with a pinch of soda, then washed in cold water and boiled again with a slab of salt pork and an onion, until the outer skin burst.

Grilled Duck Breasts With Cassis Glaze Over Carrot Salad Serves 4 -- Total time: about 40 minutes 2 skinless duck breast halves 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fruit vinegar or red-wine vinegar 1 teaspoon each: dried thyme leaves, salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil 1/2 red onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup cassis (black-currant liqueur) or currant preserves 1 bag (8 ounces) shredded carrots 1/4 cup currants Place duck breasts in shallow bowl.

CHARLES KEENEY was ready. On the table was a board with a homemade volcano made of clay. Gathered around Charles, a member of Union Bridge's Cub Scout Pack 459, were his grandmother Pat Keeney - who also is his den mother - and fellow Scouts anxious to see his experiment. After pouring a small container of vinegar into the volcano's hole, white foam poured out. Charles' experiment was part of the troop's science fair. Each Cub Scout demonstrated an experiment. "I put baking soda in first and then added the vinegar," Charles said.

I heard that there was a study about possible bad effects of low cholesterol in children. I am concerned about this because my teenagers have cholesterol levels of 103 and 110. What were the problems? I would like to know where this was published so I can share it with their pediatrician. For years, there have been puzzling reports that low cholesterol levels may be associated with impulsive and violent behavior in adults. Animal studies (in dogs and monkeys) have also found a link between low cholesterol and aggressive behavior.

Like the armchair traveler who is content to read about daring adventures, prepared Asian stir-fry sauces hold out the promise of new and exotic tastes - without the dangers of deciphering ingredient labels in a foreign language. But sadly, when it comes to flavor, something is usually lost in the translation. Unlike classical French sauces and reductions, Asian sauces are relatively simple to pull together. Whisk together a few uncomplicated ingredients and skip the MSG (monosodium glutamate, an allergy trigger for some people)

If a little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down, a lot of dressing has been equally effective in helping us swallow lettuce and bland salad garnishes ranging from carrots to alfalfa sprouts.Even the presence of enticing or exotic greenery on the plate won't foster a slimmer you if it is slathered with blue cheese dressing (at 77 calories and 8 grams of fat per tablespoon) or a classic dressing of 4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar (at 91 calories and 10 grams of fat per tablespoon).These figures do not include the calorie-rich sugar (15 calories a teaspoon)

Around the house* Welcome summer. Roll up rugs and expose bare floors for a cooler look; replace heavy draperies with lace curtains; substitute artwork with flowery prints; cover toss pillows in bright chintz or crisp awning stripes.* After grilling outdoors, make sure to clean the grids while they are still warm for easier clean up. Scrape clean with a wire brush or rub with crumpled foil.* Scrub grout in-between tiles with undiluted vinegar and a toothbrush.* Remove stains from marble with lemon juice or vinegar.

It's the Thai fire extinguisher -- a cooling cucumber salad that douses the fire of spicy foods. Author Jeanne Jones included the recipe in "Light and Hearty" (Crown Trade Paperbacks, $24).Thai Cucumber SaladMakes 4 servings1/2 cup rice vinegar2 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chilies, or about 1 tablespoon dried chilies1/2 cup sliced shallots2 cups sliced cucumbers2 tablespoons chopped peanuts2 tablespoons chopped cilantrogreen onion for garnishCombine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan.

Some people have trouble with colors. They look good in blue, for instance, but awful in brown.I have trouble with vinegar. It works fine when I use it as a meat marinade. Or when I clean the carpet with it. But it gives me fits when I get it near seafood.The other night, for example, I cooked some fish in boiling vinegar. It was not a great success. When I took one bite, the flavor of vinegar was so strong my mouth puckered up like I was a grouper.I tried this "Soused Fish" dish because I liked its name.