The pre-Thanksgiving blowout on Your Table

If this was a 1980s sitcom, the Wednesday edition of The Star's food section would be billed as A Very Special Your Table.

To put it mildly, we're bringin' it for the Super Bowl of Cooking next week, Thanksgiving.

Our theme is The Simple Feast. We've got a wide selection of recipes -- from bird to bread and all ports in between -- that will make Wednesday's food section the only thing you'll need to get an easy repast. (Really. Some of y'all have hassled me when I've called stuff "easy" and apparently it wasn't; this time I mean it.) We've got a budget party for folks who don't want a big spread, but we've also got a checklist for people who are having all manner of kith and kin to the table and need to organize entertainment, seating .... and whatnot.

How simple is some of this stuff? Our own staff members brought some of their favorites to the office Friday for a taste test, and, as the columnists would say, "A good time was had by all." Prudence Hilburn kicks in a few of her classics, and Pat Kettles and Ben Cunningham tell you what to drink to make all of these flavors of fall come alive.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming to Your Table

Wednesday's food section for The Star, Your Table, features Anniston resident Frances Garland and her Dagwood sandwich, which was named one of the best in the country by the folks at Mezzetta (the pepper kings.)

In addition to Garland's zingy sandwich, we explore new ways to cook bratwurst, a super-fast fish dish and try to venture out into the vegetable kingdom with fennel in a nice, crisp salad.

Prudence Hilburn leads a tour of cakeland.... and that's balanced nicely with the nutritionist from The Biggest Loser talking diet secrets of the formerly fat.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming to Your Table

Wednesday's Anniston Star will (we hope) take you on a food adventure to the Mediterranean. Our trip begins by demistifying eggplant -- that beautiful, versatile vegetable that still gets a wide berth from American consumers. We're making hummus, grilling lamb a la the Greeks and exploring pizza worthy of a discerning college student.

Ben Cunningham will key us into some beers to quaff with Med chow, while Pat Kettles gives us the skinny on classy American chardonnays. The wine region of Italy's Piedmont is represented by a look at the 700-year-old tradition some of its wineries have.

Mediterranean food trends have been on the rise for a number of years, but their ingredients have eluded the marketplace in Calhoun County. However, some recent store remodeling has brought a wide (wide) swath of products that lend themselves to this heart-healthy way of life. For some general inspiration, the folks at Kraft have compiled a primer on Med dining. Among their suggestions: simple grain and pasta dishes (above) that are easy to make and are easier on the waistline and checking account.

All this, plus your restaurant inspections, Prudence Hilburn's Gourmet touch and expert tips for grilling a steak better than you'll find in a restaurant.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming to Your Table

In Wednesday's Your Table, the definitive newspaper cooking section of Northeast Alabama) we'll blow up the idea of the traditional tomato sandwich. My life has been filled with 'mater samiches over the years, going back to the days on the farm when August hit and we'd canned hundreds (actually felt like close to 1,000) quarts of tomato products.

While I respect the white bread/mayo/mater goodness of a simple sandwich, I think some of the ideas in the paper Wednesday will intrigue you.

We've also got Prudence Hilburn's Gourmet Touch tapping another summer staple: sweet corn. Pat Kettles looks at the rise of American wine production.

All in all, a good mix for summertime dining. Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming to Wednesday's Your Table

We take a lighthearted look at outfitting your college student's first "kitchen." We tell you the only cookbook you'll ever need and how to get a starter kit up and going for $75.

Also cooking this week: Ben Cunningham talks about the traveling joys of beer in Pitcher This, and Pat Kettles helps us unravel prosecco in Uncorked. Prudence Hilburn's Gourmet Touch taps into the tomato bounty, with cream of tomato soup recipes, and we've got pulled pork shoulder you cook in the Crock-Pot. Capping off our selection of almost 20 recipes: a celebration of pie.

Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming to Your Table Wednesday

Hot summer days sure got here fast. That means watermelons can't be far behind. Even if you aren't a fan of the big, green globes of goodness, you'll be inspired by our clever watermelon carving ideas. Oh, it goes well with shrimp, too.

Also, Prudence Hilburn tells you how to have a low-maintenance party, there's a slew of ideas for inexpensive eating, and if you've spotted fresh clams at the local seafood counter, we tell you how to cook them.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

On the thrill of the grill

As was Andy, we, too, were enticed by Thrill of the Grill last night, after an afternoon episode of Memorial Day grilling (chicken breasts, boneless, rubbed with chili powder, sprinkled with garlic powder and black pepper and doused in beer near the end of their cooking.)

Part of our attention to TOTG came because the 5-year-old keeps wanting Bobby Flay to come down here for a cornbread throwdown with her. She wrote him a letter to that effect and got an autographed picture in return; a big hit. Her cornbread is good, real good, by the way, especially with a side of pulled pork barbecue.

Anyway, the grilling culture in the U.S. continues to be a source of fascination and cookbooks. In Wednesday's food section, we've got a slew of grilling recipes that are a little different from the traditional fare. Mario Batali lends an Italian twist to grilling, and it's an interesting result.

Coming to Your Table Wednesday

The food section in the Star covers most of the culinary bases. We've got the South's favorite summer sport -- grilling -- paired with a plethora of girly drinks in honor of the Sex and the City movie that opens in theaters Friday.

Couple that with some summer desserts, breaking news of the beer beat in Pitcher This, and you're good to go for another week of at-home dining and entertaining.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Rainy day doldrums? Piece of cake

Here's reason No. 964 on why I don't like cake mixes: Relying on them removes the possibility of random acts of cake.

Case in point. It's a rainy Saturday (for the past year, this hasn't been a problem around here, but it's been moist this spring). Everyone's cooped up. Nerves are getting frayed. You have no money to go shopping or to the movies or anywhere else, for that matter. You don't want to get out in the rain and burn that liquid gold called gasoline.

Got flour? Got some eggs? Rummage a little deeper in the cabinet and find baking soda or baking powder, and you've got the bones for a cake.

Nothing brightens a day like a spontaneous baking project. It's not hard to make a cake from scratch. In last week's food section, there was a story on the art of old-fashioned cakes; they were easy. A real cake is denser than those pre-fab, chemically enhanced crumb puddings that come from cake mixes. They stand up to icing, decorating, and a smaller piece goes along way, because the dominant feature in the real, homemade cake isn't chemical leavener and... air.

Here's one of the recipes we ran last week. Give it a go.

Aunt Nettie's Orange-Nut Cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

1 unpeeled orange, washed, coarsely chopped
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup each: buttermilk, chopped nutsConfectioners’ sugar

Heat the oven to 350 . Combine the orange and raisins in a food processor; pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Pour 1/4 cup hot water over the mixture; set aside.Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar-butter mixture, beating until smooth with each addition. Stir in the reserved orange-raisin mixture and the nuts.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.Bake 40-50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack; cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Coming to Your Table on Wednesday

Wednesday's food section in The Star continues a sad, reality-based theme we've been hitting for awhile now: how to eat cheaper.

Entertainment Editor Deirdre Long took a week to experiment, shop and find a formula on how a family of four can eat a whole week worth's of dinners on $40. Seven nights; two 20s.

We've got a her menu, plus a few other stories offering shopping tips, a cookbook based on bargain dining at home and tricks stores try to use to get you to spend more.

After all that depressing -- but helpful -- economic news, turn to the back of the section for an exegesis on cheesecake. It's not just a sweet dessert (although we include a classic cheesecake recipe and a no-bake chocolate cheesecake). It can be savory, spicy and used in myriad ways.

Prudence Hilburn's Gourmet Touch touches on chicken (radically on sale for the past week, by the way) and Pat Kettles Uncorks some nice wines available locally.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

In the South, every month is iced tea month

Apparently there are parts of the country that consider iced tea only a summertime beverage.

Infidels.

The Nectar of the South needs no monthly designation, but, if we were the types to pay attention to such things, then it should be noted that June is Iced Tea Month.

Down here, of course, we're speaking only of sweet tea -- not "sweetened tea" as the English teachers would try to have us say it, but "sweet tea."

A few points to note on sweet tea:

You CANNOT add sugar to cold tea and have it taste right. You will get a glump of sugar in the bottom of your glass, and that's nasty. Restaurants (and horrid banquet caterers) that force their guests to dump sugar into cold, unsweetened tea ought to be put out of business.

Add the sweetener when the tea is freshly brewed, and the result is an evenly sweetened pitcher of tea.

Good things happen in brew time. Yeah, yeah, the box says let the tea bags steep 5 minutes -- almost as though some brewmeister squad is going to fine you for letting the teabags sit in water longer than that.

Coffeemakers rule. If you've got a drip-coffeemaker, then putting the bags in the basket where your coffee/filter would go and brew away. Water running across and through the tea leaves gives a much more consistent brew and keeps you from the dreaded curse of weak tea.

You can sweeten with things other than sugar. There are 300 kinds of honey, the National Honey Board reminds us. Depending on the type of flowers the bees happen to be working, you can get anything from lavender honey to the common clover.

Honey Mint Iced Tea

Makes 4 servings

4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

2 tea bags, green or black

1/4 cup honey

Suggested pairing: Wildflower honey. Wildflower honey is amber to dark amber in color with mild floral overtones. Extremely versatile, it is delicious in fruit and vegetable salad dressings, excellent in baked goods and makes a delicious table honey. Clover honey may also be substituted for wildflower.

In large heat-proof pitcher, pour boiling water over mint and tea bags. Whisk in honey. Let steep 5 minutes (seet the note above if you want stronger tea). Remove tea bags; cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, pour over ice (We'll leave that in there for folks born north of Kentucky).

Honey Raspberry Iced Tea

Makes 4 Servings

2 cups freshly brewed tea
2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice

1/4 cup honey

Suggested pairing: Raspberry honey. Raspberry honey is light amber in color with a mellow, smooth flavor and unique raspberry finish. This sweet honey pairs well with vanilla flavors, champagne, chocolate and with fresh fruit, such as pears and peaches. If raspberry honey is unavailable, clover honey may also be used.

In a large, heat-proof pitcher, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined and honey dissolves. Chill until ready to serve. Pour over ice to serve.

Icy Fruit Tea

Makes 6 servings

4 tea bags

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup crushed, packed fresh mint leaves

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 fresh lime juice

Ice cubes

1 1/2 quarts carbonated water

Suggested pairing: Orange blossom honey. Orange blossom honey is a white to extra light amber honey with a pronounced aroma of orange blossoms. It has a sweet, fruity taste and is a great table honey. Orange blossom honey also excels in fruit and vegetable salad dressings, and in marinades for fish and poultry.

For concentrate, place tea bags in medium bowl. Add boiling water and steep 10 minutes. Remove tea bags. Add honey and mint; mix well. Mix fruit juices in 1-quart container. Add tea mixture and refrigerate until ready to use. For tea, fill 12-ounce glass with ice cubes. Add 1/2 cup each concentrate and fill glass with carbonated water.Serving Suggestions:Garnish with a pineapple spear and mint sprig.

Noodling around in Wednesday's Your Table

Your Wednesday Anniston Star food section has a complete guide to pasta -- both whole wheat and regular -- and how to match the right sauce with the right noodle. These aren't fussy recipes; imagine that they're created by busy Italians who've got better things to do than squeeze tomatoes all day.

Pat Kettles takes us to Bordeaux in her Uncorked column, and Prudence Hilburn kicks off a collection of classically sweet recipes.

For an ender, we've got rhubarb and the formula for making a perfect from-scratch cake.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.

Coming in Wednesday's Your Table

A new, expanded food section comes to The Star tomorrow. We've gotten lots of questions from readers about how they can do more of their own cooking, as well as requests on how they can save money.

The result: The Community page that had been running on Wednesday has been turned into an expanded community news section on Saturday. That leaves more room for the world's most common denominator -- food.

In Wednesday's Your Table, there are more than a dozen recipes, ranging from salads to sweets. Prudence Hilburn dishes on strawberries, while Todd South's Check, Please column looks at the art of tipping at a buffet. Pat Kettles explains the finer points of wine un Uncorked. Restaurant inspections and Mother's Day gifts wrap up the section nicely.

Enjoy. And remember that life's too short to eat bad food.

Where there are women, there's fire

Coming in tomorrow's Your Table, we're reviewing two grilling cookbooks written by women -- and that cover the gamut of outdoor entertaining.

We've also got some homemade pasta by Prudence Hilburn, a fool-proof muffin recipe, some cooking ideas for kids headed off to college in the fall and a guide to the hot wines of our time.

Coming to Your Table

Forget turning a young man's fancy to love -- spring is for cookbooks, and some fine ones are out there this season.

For Wednesday's food section of The Star, we talked to Southern chef, teacher and author Virginia Willis about her book due out next month, "Bon Appetit, y'all." Wonderful stories, practical recipes with elegance and panache... and a deviled egg recipe that calls for whipped butter in the filling.

Pat Kettles gets us Uncorked with wines that pair with grilled cheese (see the posting on here for other recipes) and Prudence Hilburn lends her Gourmet Touch to cakes that uses ingredients at home in most pantries.

There are the restaurant inspections, tips for healthy eating and more than a dozen recipes coming Wednesday to Your Table.

Salad days? It's a whole month!

Know how every month seems to be designated National Something Month? The people who produce salad goods have claimed May.

We're always trying to get a head start on things here at The Star, as noted by our salad story a week ago -- Lettuce rejoice -- and Friday will be our weekly food gathering, with the spotlight on salad. Right now, there's a slew of salad greens seedlings in our back yard ... just waiting for the rabbits who seem to think the Bibb, buttercrunch and Boston lettuce are planted just for them.

When we say salad, so many people get locked into iceberg lettuce drowned in dressing. Not only does that fail to do justice to the wide variety of salad greens out there (another cooking jihad: the end of iceberg lettuce as a main ingredient), it too narrowly defines what a "salad" is. We'll have pasta salad, some chicken salad, a range of vegetable and fruit mixes.

Righteous.

Salads can be a healthy way to eat fresh, seasonal ingredients. When crammed with high-fat toppings and buried in dressing, they can also be some of the worst meals out there. Hear us, fast-food folks.

One element becoming popular with salad connoisseurs is soy -- a staple in Asian diets for centuries. Soy is jam-packed with protein—the only plant food that has the same equivalent as an animal product. Studies have shown soy protein will decrease your appetite, keeping you full longer and less likely to snackbetween meals or gorge at dinner time.

I don't recommend tossing a hunk o' tofu on the salad bowl, but edamame (right) adds a simple crunch and some lovely color.

According to Dr. Mark Messina, adjunct associate professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University, some studies have even shown soy to decrease body fat.

“There is some data, although it is quite speculative, that soy causes loss of body fat,” says Messina. “Even if weight loss is not increased to a greater extent with soy versus other proteins, body composition may be improved—less fat, relatively more lean muscle tissue.”

Soy also has been shown to lowers "bad" cholesterol about 4 percent, which is supposed to risk of coronary heart disease by about 10 percent.

Obesity has been linked to diabetes in many individuals. Along with protein, soy contains isoflavones which may reduce blood glucose and insulin levels while stopping fat tissue build-up and enhancing the breakdown of fat.

While lowering your blood glucose levels, soy can reduce your blood pressure as well. The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately 50 million Americans and one billion people worldwide.

Substituting soynuts (right) for other protein sources in a healthy diet appears to lower the blood pressure in postmenopausal women, and may also reduce cholesterol levels in women with high blood pressure, according to a report.

That said, don't blow a healthy salad on a ton of dressing. Here are some soy versions, courtesy of the Soy Foods Council, naturally. They're a little different than traditional dressings, but quite tasty.

Creamy Ranch Dressing
1 ¼ cups soymilk
12 oz silken tofu, drained
1 oz package ranch salad dressing
Mix the ingredients together, and you have a low-fat, protein-filled ranch dressing. In a ¼ cup there are only 48 calories, as opposed to regular Ranch dressing which contains 140 calories in 2 tablespoons, or 280 calories for ¼ cup.

Thousand Island Dressing
12 oz silken tofu, drained
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
¼ cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onion.

After combining the tofu, water, vinegar, lemon juice and chili sauce in a blender, stir in the pickles, green peppers and onions. For ¼ cup, there are 50 calories, 3 grams of soy protein and 7 grams of carbohydrates as opposed to regular Thousand Island that has 59 calories per tablespoon or 236 calories in a ¼ cup.
Finally, here’s a healthy alternative for a Caesar dressing. This is what you’ll need;

Caesar Dressing
3 garlic cloves, preferably large
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 ¼ cups cubed firm silken tofu
¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients. There are 17 calories per serving, 1.4 grams protein, 1.6 total carbohydrates and .4 grams of fiber.

Remember that the word “salad” is not exclusive to lettuce topped with veggies. There are also various bean and pasta salads, and this Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad is sure to spice up any fiesta. Here’s what you’ll need:

Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad
2 cans (15 oz.) black soybeans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped green onions
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup chopped cilantro, optional
Juice from 2 limes (about ¼ cup)
1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soybean oil

Combine the first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Make dressing with lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and soybean oil; combine well. Pour over salad ingredients and toss lightly to combine. Chill several hours before serving.

This recipe makes about 8 cups with 117 calories per serving, 8 grams protein (6 grams soy protein), 16 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 340 mg sodium, 40 mg calcium and 5 g dietary fiber.

No 'leek' in flavor

Among the offerings for Wednesday's food section is a no-fuss way of putting on a spring-inspired brunch. Among the recipe suggestions are pancakes made from leeks.

Now, we've fielded a few questions in recent weeks about leeks (rhyme unintentional, I assure you.)

Leeks have become one of my favorite vegetables to cook with. They're related to onions and such, but the flavor profile is totally different. In case you aren't familiar with them, they look like green onions (scallions) on steroids. Their flavor is stronger than scallions, but not quite as pungent than common bulb onions. You cook mostly with the white part, although I do use the leaves when I'm making vegetable stock.

When cooking with leeks, be sure to wash them carefully, opening up the tightly packed leaves to rinse away any dirt or debris. I often will slice some, fry them up in butter, then toss them in a roasting bag with small, red potatoes that have been cut in half or quartered. A splash of olive, oil, some salt and pepper, and you've got dinner. Sliced leeks sauteed in butter also liven up mashed potatoes.

A recipe from our brunch package uses four fresh leeks. Get it out of your head that pancakes have to be breakfast food drenched in syrup. Call them really, really thick crepes, if you must, but do give them a go:

LEEK PANCAKES

4 large leeks, white parts only, washed and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, plus additional for greasing the pan
1 teaspoon plus a pinch of sea salt, divided
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup flour
1 cup kamut flour (you can get it at Whole Foods grocery) If you don't have it, just go with a regular all-purpose flour.
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, saute the leeks in 6 tablespoons of butter with a pinch of salt until soft and just barely beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well-blended. Add the flour, kamut flour, 1 teaspoon salt and the white pepper and baking powder and whisk together until combined. After the leeks are cooled, mix the leeks into the batter, being sure to add all the melted butter from the pan.

Heat the same cast-iron skillet over medium heat, adding a little more butter if necessary. Ladle a heaping tablespoon of batter for each pancake into the pan, and cook until bubbles form and the underside is golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip and finish cooking about 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, keeping the pancakes warm on a plate near the stove.

Total time: 45 minutes plus cooling time
Servings: Makes 5 1/2 dozen small pancakes

Each pancake: 34 calories; 1 gram protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 16 mg. cholesterol; 58 mg. sodium.

Coming to Your Table on Wednesday

The main story of the section focuses on how to (affordably) eat more fresh fruit by growing your own. We're all about berries and apples, the vines and trees of which are now being sold at home improvement stores and nurseries. You've got about another month left to plant them before summer's heat sets in.

Of course, if you plant berry vines and apple trees right now, don't go thinking that you're going to have bushels in the summer. It takes awhile for them to get established.

However, the vines (bines, in some vernaculars) can be trained into artful garden features, making them as beautiful as they are functional. And, as anyone who's tried to clear a garden in Alabama can tell you, wild blackberries grow like, well, weeds. The domestic, thornless varieties do just as well, and they're less hazardous to your hands, arms and children who cannot resist them. Paired with blueberries, raspberries and apples, they make a fine little family orchard. See our story on getting started.

We're continuing our efforts to bring cost-cutting measures to feeding your face. This week features the gourmet food buys that can be snagged at dollar and super-discount stores. Indeed, by canvassing the overrun shops (Big Lots, etc.), you can find high-end items that needed to be cleared off the shelves at retailers, but that are still perfectly good to use.... and often not available here at traditional groceries.

And, if you're too poor to go out for entertainment, then the new TV season should inspire you. We've got a handful of menu ideas based around the small-screen hits.

Pat Kettles' Uncorked looks at the wines of Washington, Ben Cunningham takes us through Prohibition history in Pitcher This, and Prudence Hilburn has an easy yet elegant Vichyssoise in her Gourmet Touch.

Eat up.

Lettuce rejoice in spring salads

As a child, I thought iceberg lettuce was the coolest thing on earth. It was misty green, round and neat. Most important, it came from a store.

To my thinking, anything wrapped in plastic and bought from the store must SURELY be better than those rows and rows of lettuce growing in our common, old, dirty garden. Who needed four different kinds of bibb lettuce? Or an entire row of oak leaf -- both the red and green? All I knew was it was a pain to go out every night and truly have your pick of lettuce. We ate salad every night until summer's heat chased the home-grown greens away.

And then the iceberg came to the table on a semi-weekly basis for the rest of the year.

It wasn't until I actually started paying attention to my taste buds -- and got away from home-grown salad greens -- that I realized iceberg lettuce actually has less taste than a piece of ice. Yeah, you can cleave the big green ball in two, but surely there are better things to do with our food dollar than spend it on water and cellulose and no other flavor.

Therefore, I confess that salad greens are one of the few food elements that I'm a total snob about. (Really. Stop laughing, those of you who've heard my rants on margarine, shake-and-pour pancake mix, white bread and boxed cake mixes... )

In Wednesday's Your Table, the highlight is on salads, with nary a leaf of iceberg lettuce in sight. We'll help you sort out what all that green stuff is in the produce section. We'll also pass along some quick, simple dressings worthy of those greens.

In addition, we'll have Pitcher This by Ben Cunningham, who'll describe the "perfect pour." Pat Kettles in Uncorked gives you wine suggestions to serve with your Easter meal, and Prudence Hilburn's Gourmet Touch has a braided egg and cheese concoction perfect for a brunch.

Wednesday's Your Table: fast and practical

We've gotten a lot of questions recently about how to cook cheaper and faster. It's always a popular subject, so we've put together a collection of recipes that use potatoes -- does it get any cheaper -- and a microwave.

This isn't rehashed leftovers. We've got lasagna, vegetable stacks, potatoes au gratin and everything you can do with a potato: all in 30 minutes flat.

In addition to the practical potato, there's a series of stories looking at sourdough bread and how to make your own starter. Prudence Hilburn has a tasty vegetable casserole, and Pitcher This, our local beer column, updates the beer legislation.

Happy eating.