Blender

Suggested subtitle for the Afghan Whigs' current tour, which played the Theatre of Living Arts Saturday: Greg Dulli's Pop History in a Blender. For over two hours and twenty minutes, the effusive Dulli, the Whigs' singer and primary songwriter, forged connections between eras and styles that are often kept separated. He introduced his lusty, Replacements-influenced rock original "66" with a few rapped verses of 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny"; transformed one of his lovesick ballads by firing up a rocking rendition of Lauryn Hill's "Ex Factor"; offered a brief history of New Orleans piano from Jelly Roll Morton through James Booker; did a credible version of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden": sang bits of Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom" and Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" in a sweet falsetto; and at one point near the finale, tipped his hat to James Brown by collapsing from what seemed like exhaustion, only to turn it out one more time.

"Vroom, vroom," revved the blender, as the needle on its tachometer leaped to the right. A tachometer? On a blender? "It's been written up in the auto trades," said Cheryl Slavinsky, who was demonstrating Harrisburg manufacturer L'Equip's sleek, industrial-looking R.P.M. Blender. Part blender, part hot rod, it certainly wasn't the only manly gizmo at a media preview last week of new and soon-to-debut housewares - a peek at what's to come at the International Housewares Association's big March trade show in Chicago.

12 ounces frozen tiny green peas (preferably organic) 24 ounces chicken broth 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked off, stems discarded 6 sprigs fresh chervil or Italian parsley, leaves picked off and stems discarded 5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and stems removed, chopped Salt and white pepper to taste   1. Place the frozen peas in a medium saucepan, and just cover...

Dear Martha: When should I use a blender, and when is a food processor better? A: In general, a blender is for tackling liquids and a food processor is the go-to gadget for solid foods. Given the processor's different attachments - the S-curve blade is the basic one - the appliance can slice and grate vegetables, cut butter into pastry dough and chop nuts. It's great for whipping up hummus and pesto, and the shallow bowl makes scooping easy. Although you can puree with a food processor, the blade cuts through the mixture instead of blending it, so the result sometimes falls short of the desired silky texture.

Coming home from vacation with memories of the glorious food you ate extends the trip, at least in your mind. Such is the case with our recent trip to Sayulita, Mexico, a quiet beach town near Puerto Vallarta. We loved a toasted pumpkin seed dip, so thick and smoky and rich. Here, it's thinned to serve as a sauce for chicken.   Chicken With Toasted Pumpkin Seed Sauce Makes 4 servings 2 Roma tomatoes 1/2 medium onion, cut in half 1/3 habanero chili pepper 1 tablespoon canola oil 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided Freshly ground pepper 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon capers 1 cup chicken stock 1. Roast the tomatoes, onion, and habanero on the stovetop in a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning to cook evenly, about 30 minutes.

Makes 2 cups, or about 10 servings 1 5-ounce box of  baby   arugula 3 tablespoons  pistachios 2 tablespoons Dijon  mustard 2 tablespoons black pepper 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar Salt (to taste) With mixer or blender, puree arugula and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add pistachios and puree. Add remaining ingredients - oil last - and puree again.   - Courtesy of McCaffrey's   Per serving: 121 calories, 2 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 12 grams fat, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 78 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

The campaign trail is littered with perils, not the least of which are loud bar blenders. Just ask Republican mayoral candidate John J. Egan Jr. (But yell, so he can hear you.) Egan was speaking to the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Restaurant Association dinner last week at the Hunan Restaurant in Center City when the whir of the bar blender drowned him out momentarily. Sitting at the bar when this happened were two operatives for Egan opponent Frank L. Rizzo - press secretary James Baumbach and field director Michael Smerconish.

DOG HAS HIS PAW OUT TO COLORADO RIVER RAFTERS The middle of the Colorado River is the last place you'd expect to be panhandled - or pawhandled - unless you've met Blender the hound. He doesn't carry a sign saying, "Will Paddle for Food. " But he does swim up to rafts floating down the river into Moab, Utah, looking exhausted and con his way on board. "People feel sorry for him because they think he's going to drown. I know he's had lunch with us quite a few times," said Dena Merrill of Western River Rafting Expeditions.

Dear Polly: Why do most recipes for blender mayonnaise call for whole eggs, while recipes for hand-beaten mayonnaise call only for egg yolks? - C.O. Dear C.O.: Egg yolks emulsify the oil better than do whole eggs - which is important when you're whisking the mayonnaise by hand. However, a blender or food processor is so efficient that a good mayonnaise can be easily made from whole eggs. Since it is more convenient to use a whole egg than the yolk alone, blender and processor recipes specify the whole egg. However, I have made food- processor mayonnaise with egg yolks, and the result is a particularly rich and luscious mayonnaise.

The campaign trail is littered with perils, not the least of which are loud bar blenders. Just ask Republican mayoral candidate John J. Egan Jr. (But yell, so he can hear you.) Egan was speaking to the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Restaurant Association dinner last week at the Hunan Restaurant in Center City when the whir of the bar blender drowned him out momentarily. Sitting at the bar when this happened were two operatives for Egan opponent Frank L. Rizzo - press secretary James Baumbach and field director Michael Smerconish.

Makes 2 cups, or about 10 servings 1 5-ounce box of  baby   arugula 3 tablespoons  pistachios 2 tablespoons Dijon  mustard 2 tablespoons black pepper 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar Salt (to taste) With mixer or blender, puree arugula and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add pistachios and puree. Add remaining ingredients - oil last - and puree again.   - Courtesy of McCaffrey's   Per serving: 121 calories, 2 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 12 grams fat, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 78 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

12 ounces frozen tiny green peas (preferably organic) 24 ounces chicken broth 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked off, stems discarded 6 sprigs fresh chervil or Italian parsley, leaves picked off and stems discarded 5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and stems removed, chopped Salt and white pepper to taste   1. Place the frozen peas in a medium saucepan, and just cover...

Coming home from vacation with memories of the glorious food you ate extends the trip, at least in your mind. Such is the case with our recent trip to Sayulita, Mexico, a quiet beach town near Puerto Vallarta. We loved a toasted pumpkin seed dip, so thick and smoky and rich. Here, it's thinned to serve as a sauce for chicken.   Chicken With Toasted Pumpkin Seed Sauce Makes 4 servings 2 Roma tomatoes 1/2 medium onion, cut in half 1/3 habanero chili pepper 1 tablespoon canola oil 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided Freshly ground pepper 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon capers 1 cup chicken stock 1. Roast the tomatoes, onion, and habanero on the stovetop in a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning to cook evenly, about 30 minutes.

Dear Martha: When should I use a blender, and when is a food processor better? A: In general, a blender is for tackling liquids and a food processor is the go-to gadget for solid foods. Given the processor's different attachments - the S-curve blade is the basic one - the appliance can slice and grate vegetables, cut butter into pastry dough and chop nuts. It's great for whipping up hummus and pesto, and the shallow bowl makes scooping easy. Although you can puree with a food processor, the blade cuts through the mixture instead of blending it, so the result sometimes falls short of the desired silky texture.

Sting? This one really hurts The music magazine Blender has assembled a list of the worst pop lyricists of all time. The list of 40 is both ecumenical and eye-opening, roping in a whole herd of the music business's most sacred cows: Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Common, Diddy, Alanis Morissette and Jim Morrison, to name a few. (It also includes some digs at the guys who wrote Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings. ") But the winner (if that is the right word) is none other than Sting, whom the magazine exorciates for his "mountainous pomposity, cloying spirituality [and]

Although Rachael Ray is one of America's best-known foodies, no one is likely to call her a gourmet. But the maven of 30 Minute Meals certainly qualifies as a gourmand. The 5-foot-3 dynamo loves eating food at least as much as she loves cooking it. On this afternoon, she's in the Manhattan studio of her new chat-and-chop show, Rachael Ray (seen on 6ABC weekdays at 10 a.m.). The overhead light grid is turned off, the audience has filed out, and a staffer is vacuuming the rug in preparation for the day's second taping.

Like fresh tomato sauce, pesto is ideally made in summer, when basil thrives on warmth and abundant sunshine. The dark-green basil sauce is pungent enough to enliven a banquet table of dishes, whether it's drizzled over a salad of sliced ripe tomatoes, tossed with hot pasta, spread over pizza, brushed onto grilled chicken, or slathered onto roasted potatoes, bread or bread sticks. A bit of pesto can turn even a simple soup into a magnificent dish like the minestrone served in Italy's seaport city of Genoa.

"Vroom, vroom," revved the blender, as the needle on its tachometer leaped to the right. A tachometer? On a blender? "It's been written up in the auto trades," said Cheryl Slavinsky, who was demonstrating Harrisburg manufacturer L'Equip's sleek, industrial-looking R.P.M. Blender. Part blender, part hot rod, it certainly wasn't the only manly gizmo at a media preview last week of new and soon-to-debut housewares - a peek at what's to come at the International Housewares Association's big March trade show in Chicago.

If it does nothing else, Coyote Ugly brings new meaning to the term "cocktail shaker. " Don't call 'em bartenders, these sultry tavern toughies who grind seductively before male boozehounds, then spritz them with soda when they get too close. Don't call 'em lap dancers, either. Slap dancers is more like it. Coyote Ugly is the name of the movie and the name of the Manhattan bar where the servers, urban cowgirls who flash-dance, tuck their big-city dreams into the skimpiest of halter tops.

Summer is the season for entertaining, from inviting a few friends for an evening on the patio to having the neighborhood over for a barbecue. Whatever your plans, your party will be especially festive if you pay extra attention to the bar. A single, signature cocktail can become a theme in itself. And a table laid with a collection of unique, sparkling glasses and bottles can be a focal point for the gathering. THE WELL-STOCKED BAR If you entertain frequently, setting up a home bar may be a worthwhile investment.