Food

Nancy Baggett, Maryland-based culinary commentator and cookbook author, joins John Shields and Henry Hong for a radio bake-off of favorite holiday cookies. Baggett is the author, most recently, of Simply Sensational Cookies and recently solved a "Lost Recipes" mystery for NPR's All Things Considered. John Shields is owner of Gertrude's and Henry Hong the manager of Waterfront Kitchen. They join us monthly for Midday Eats.

This month Maryland native Alan Gross entered his fourth year in Cuban custody. Why was Gross arrested for providing telecommunications equipment to Cuba's small Jewish community, and why have U.S. efforts to free Gross not been successful? To examine the many angles, Sheilah speaks with Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Dr. Julia Sweig with the Council on Foreign Relations.

Holiday parties abound—what are the best ways to go from day to night?  We ask our style tutor Zoey Washington.

Wondering what appetizers to make for your holiday party? Sascha Wolhandler of Sascha's 527 restaurant lets Tom in on her secrets for great appetizers to serve during your holiday entertaining.

What to curl up with by the fire this season?  Why, a winter beer, of course. A tradition in the brewing industry has been to make special beers, often richer and more potent, in the runup to Christmas. Nowadays the beers are called "winter" brews, not Christmas, and are becoming increasingly popular.  Brewer's Art, for instance, has released the winter brew "Festivus."

She died eight years ago, but Julia Child's influence on American food and appetites lives on. French chef, public television pioneer, author and cult icon, Julia Child is the subject of a new, 500-page biography by Bob Spitz, our guest. Spitz is the author of “Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child.”

Restaurateur and wine connoisseur Tony Foreman and award-winning chef Cindy Wolf answer your questions about food and wine for the holidays, and they take Dan's chef's challenge.

We talk to Baltimore City Council President Bernard "Jack" Young who wants to force some city contractors to hire more city residents.

A little over a decade ago, a band called Oxes captured the hearts of Baltimore music fans with their loud guitars, weird meters, and even weirder performances. They're back with a new single. Today, they look back on their days as bassless provocateurs.

How to handle the onslaught of mammoth holiday meals.

More than 700,000 Marylanders don't know where their next meal is coming from. We discuss the Maryland Food Bank’s latest efforts, including a collaboration with farmers and prison inmates to get fresh produce to those who need it.
Then, only one American team, the Baltimore Stallions, has ever won the Canadian Football League's version of the Super Bowl. We talk with Jim Speros, owner of Baltimore's short-lived, but championship team.

And J. Wynn Rousuck reviews "Next to Normal" at the Vagabond Players.

This segment originally aired November 23, 2011.

This is a week where food is in the spotlight.  But getting fed isn’t always easy—approximately 720,000 Marylanders don’t know where their next meal will come from. That’s called being “food insecure.”

food - health.mp3