A relish they'll give thanks for
It's not too early to try out new recipes for Thanksgiving. Here's an easy relish dish from the California Table Grape Commission:
Combine in a heavy saucepan 2 cups of red California grapes, picked from the stem and rinsed; one 12-ounce package of fresh or frozen cranberries; juice and zest from 1 orange; and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and shiny. Cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Makes about 3 cups.
New kinds of bacon to bring home
Researchers are saying big breakfasts are back, and Smithfield, the people who know pigs, has introduced a new line of bacon smoked with natural hickory wood chips.
The Natural Hickory Smoked Bacon line has seven varieties, including a reduced-salt bacon, a lean-cut, a thick-sliced and a maple-flavored.
The bacon is available in grocery stores for a suggested retail price of about $3.50 a pound.
Calories in a glass count, too
If you're counting calories, don't forget the ones in your beverages.
Too often dieters focus on the foods they eat and forget about what they drink, according to Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientist at Weight Watchers International. Drinks: soda, alcohol, fruit juice and energy drinks can derail a diet.
She suggests serving noncaloric beverages, except for low-fat or nonfat milk, and serving fruit and vegetables instead of juices.
Kitchen tools for handling with ease
Zyliss, a manufacturer of kitchen tools, has interjected some science into a new line of products. The company has introduced ergonomically correct housewares based upon studies of how people really use their spatulas, peelers, zesters and ladles, etc.
The ladle, for example, is diamond shaped to accommodate either left-handed or right-handed people and is flat on the bottom to make it easier to stir sauces.
The swivel peeler is constructed in a way that allows cooks to peel with their arms closer to their sides. And the kitchen shears will cut with a small amount of pressure and come apart for cleaning. Products in the Gadget Line range in price from $6.99 to $15 and are available in retail stores nationwide.
Events
* Learn to how to make fried turkey 2 p.m. Saturday at A Cook's Table, 717 Light St. $40. Call 410-539-8600.
* Learn how to hold an hors d'oeuvre party in a class 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at Donna's at Cross Keys. $45. Call 410-659-5248, Ext. 112.
* A lecture on 18th- and 19th-century cooking will be held Nov. 13 at Riversdale House Museum, 6005 48th Ave., Riverdale Park in Prince George's County. $5. On Nov. 16, there will be an open-hearth cooking class at the museum. $50 and pre-registration is required. Call 301-864-0420..
* Taste the first wine of this year's vintage 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at Linganore Vineyards, 13601 Glissans Mill Road, Mount Airy. Call 800-514-8735.
* Baltimore International College is offering a class on holiday favorites 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow and Nov. 14 at 204 Water St. $30 a person. Call 410-752-4710, Ext. 126.