Gourmet

TIf you're tired of making the same old PB&J, guess what? Your kids are probably tired of eating it, too. "It's easy to get in a rut, eating the same thing everyday for a month," said Joe Fleischman, a dad who's been on lunch-making duty for his children Lauren, 6, and Hadley, 4. The lunch box sandwich swap stops here. We asked Fleischman, executive chef and food production manager with Washington County Hospital, and another dad, John Walla, owner and chef at Black Eyed Susan near Williamsport, for tips on how to send your kids to school with gourmet foods in their lunch boxes.

katec@herald-mail.com It was a dark and stormy night. Really. But despite the downpour, lightning and thunder, 60 women ventured out in the rain to the Women's Club in Hagerstown last Tuesday evening for a gourmet cooking demonstration. Shellie Ralston presented an upbeat program on hors d'oeuvres. "How's everybody this evening?" she practically sang as she greeted her audience. She told them she planned to use a few basic ingredients to create a lot of different options.

Farms, Fun and Food - which is not your typical bus trip - will be held Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The trip starts and ends at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center off Sharpsburg Pike. Participants will board a luxury motor coach to discover the inner workings of three farms: a dairy operation, a beef operation and a goat operation. This is a great learning opportunity for adults and children. And your day does not end with the farm tours.

FREDERICK, Md. - The 10th annual Catoctin Affair will be held Friday, April 11, in the grand ballroom at Holiday Inn FSK. The black-tie event raised more than $134,000 last year. All proceeds from the event support the programs of the Mental Health Association of Frederick County. The evening features gourmet fare from 12 local restaurants and caterers, wines, music, dancing and live and silent auctions. For information about joining the committee or becoming a corporate sponsor call Cindy Burdette at 301-698-4974 or go to www.catoctinaffair.

Movie review What is ratatouille? It's a dish made by sauting eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, onions and tomatoes. But it's also a movie opening in theaters Friday, June 29. The story line for "Ratatouille" is very unusual in that the creators at Pixar use a rat as the main character. A rat isn't exactly man's best friend. Most people think of rats as dirty, disease-carrying, thieving rodents. Nonetheless, this has a recipe for a hilarious family film: Add Remy the rat, mix in his living in a Parisian bistro and his dream of becoming a gourmet chef, and ta-da.

The Boarman Arts Center has a creative way of solving gift-giving worries during the holidays. The center's 13th annual Christmas show and sale, which continues to Wednesday, Dec. 22, features handmade items from more than 50 artists, as well as gourmet foods. For the collector, the show features fine art, framed old postcards, baskets, pottery, masks and rocking horses. There also are goat-milk soap products, candles, finely carved and handpainted toys, jewelry and woodwork.

Bruce Neumann remembers learning the word gourmand in his ninth-grade English class and knows the difference between gourmand and gourmet. A gourmet is someone whose taste is a bit picky - a tad discriminating. Neumann seems comfortable in the more laid-back gourmand category; he likes food, he says, plenty of food. Neumann likes to eat, and he likes to cook. He shares a Ringgold farmhouse with his wife of 29 years, Becki, an elementary school teacher who has studied to become an Episcopal priest.

Just about everybody knows one - a person who says they don't want anything for Christmas, doesn't have any ideas what they want or who seems to have everything. Shopping for that person can be a guessing game, with the giver just hoping to get a smile when the gift is unveiled. It is the thought that counts, right? But, it's difficult to wrap a thought. So here are some gift ideas for that enigmatic person: · Top-of-the-line steaks or other gourmet meals. There are numerous mail-order companies that offer quality steaks, even gourmet dishes already prepared that just need to be cooked.

Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce On June 6, Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors approved the following businesses for chamber membership: Honorable Nigel Dardar, town council member for Hancock; MED Trends Inc. doing business as Jen-esis Communications, Toppings Pizza Co.; and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. MED Trends Inc. is an information-technology solutions company focused on providing solutions for federal agencies. Toppings Pizza Co. is independently owned and operated by Greg and Marjorie Kane.

Kathleen (K T) Lynch, daughter of Kevin and Jeri Lynch of Hagerstown, has been chosen as a State Finalist in the National American Miss Maryland Pageant, to be held Aug. 14-15 at the Frederick Holidome and Conference Center in Frederick, Md. The winner of the pageant will receive a $1,000 cash award, the official crown and banner, a bouquet of roses and air transportation to compete in the national pageant at Disneyland in California. The National American Miss Pageants are for "Today's Girl" and "Tomorrow's Leaders.

Chips. Wings. Brownies. Maybe a pot of chili. Is there anything more to know about Super Bowl food? No there is not. Yet here we are on the eve of the big game, and faster than you can say Barefoot Contessa, we are being snowed under with recipe books full of “imaginative” Super Bowl foodstuffs, most of which have no business coming anywhere near a football game. First of all, if we wanted imaginative, we wouldn't be watching football, we would be watching the St. Petersburg ballet.

Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce On June 6, Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors approved the following businesses for chamber membership: Honorable Nigel Dardar, town council member for Hancock; MED Trends Inc. doing business as Jen-esis Communications, Toppings Pizza Co.; and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. MED Trends Inc. is an information-technology solutions company focused on providing solutions for federal agencies. Toppings Pizza Co. is independently owned and operated by Greg and Marjorie Kane.

TIf you're tired of making the same old PB&J, guess what? Your kids are probably tired of eating it, too. "It's easy to get in a rut, eating the same thing everyday for a month," said Joe Fleischman, a dad who's been on lunch-making duty for his children Lauren, 6, and Hadley, 4. The lunch box sandwich swap stops here. We asked Fleischman, executive chef and food production manager with Washington County Hospital, and another dad, John Walla, owner and chef at Black Eyed Susan near Williamsport, for tips on how to send your kids to school with gourmet foods in their lunch boxes.

The Professor and I stopped for lunch at the Gourmet Goat and GG's Restaurant on Potomac Street in downtown Hagerstown. Stepping through the door, a line on my left ran past a refrigerated case holding bowls of bountiful salads. The black board above listed soups and sandwiches. Homemade desserts rested near the cash register. I chose a hot pastrami sandwich with Muenster cheese on rye toast with mustard, onion, potato chips and a pickle. I carried my tray to a table by the window and there, perched high on a stool, I watched the noon-time world go by outside.

Farms, Fun and Food - which is not your typical bus trip - will be held Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The trip starts and ends at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center off Sharpsburg Pike. Participants will board a luxury motor coach to discover the inner workings of three farms: a dairy operation, a beef operation and a goat operation. This is a great learning opportunity for adults and children. And your day does not end with the farm tours.

Total Fitness Specialists Inc. More than 100 people joined a weight loss and fitness program through Total Fitness Specialists Inc. that began in January. Participants in the program went through an initial weigh-in, measurements and body composition analysis. Each week, trainers sent out e-mails with workout, nutrition and lifestyle suggestions, and there were weekly Saturday workout classes followed by a question-and-answer session. The following people were recognized for outstanding performances: · Greg Brown lost the most weight - 42.8 pounds - and reduced his waistline by 9 inches.

Palettie is located on Alternate U.S. 40 in downtown Boonsboro in an old two-story brick building. The word that came to mind after dining at Palettie was sincere. We felt like we had entered a friend's dining room. The food was real, the waitresses were energetic and the setting was attractive. The cook, Lettie Gordon, "is just a mom who likes to cook" explained our waitress. And so we were presented with an uncomplicated menu by a gregarious woman in a room filled with local art by Laura Renee Davis.

By OMNI VORE Palettie is located on Alternate U.S. 40 in downtown Boonsboro in an old two-story brick building. The word that came to mind after dining at Palettie was sincere. We felt like we had entered a friend's dining room. The food was real, the waitresses were energetic and the setting was attractive. The cook, Lettie Gordon, "is just a mom who likes to cook" explained our waitress. And so we were presented with an uncomplicated menu by a gregarious woman in a room filled with local art by Laura Renee Davis.

FREDERICK, Md. - The 10th annual Catoctin Affair will be held Friday, April 11, in the grand ballroom at Holiday Inn FSK. The black-tie event raised more than $134,000 last year. All proceeds from the event support the programs of the Mental Health Association of Frederick County. The evening features gourmet fare from 12 local restaurants and caterers, wines, music, dancing and live and silent auctions. For information about joining the committee or becoming a corporate sponsor call Cindy Burdette at 301-698-4974 or go to www.catoctinaffair.

The Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association will present the Tri-State area's largest and most extensive floral event, the 14th annual Flower and Garden Show, on Saturday, March 15, and Sunday, March 16, in the Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. This year's theme is "Celebrate Spring!" The event will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A variety of vendors will take part in the show. Show participants include experts in nurseries, lawn and garden equipment, pottery and statuary, landscaping, tree services, stone products, herbs and violets, pools, spas, outdoor furniture, florists, wild bird products and natural gourmet gifts from the garden.