A tribute to St. Patrick: tender corned beef the smart, lazy way - includes recipes on Irish cooking

Sunset, March, 1999 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

3. Rinse the pears, and core them. Coarsely chop 1 pear and mix with salad. Slice remaining pear, moisten with a little rice vinegar, and arrange on salad. Sprinkle with chives.

Per serving: 62 cal., 4.4% (2.7 cal.) from fat; 1.3 g protein; 0.3 g fat (0 g sat.); 15 g carbon (2.5 g fiber); 13 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Metric help

Translating from American to metric standards is frustrating in the kitchen. When I'm up to my elbows in dough, I'm much more inclined to guess than dig up a chart. I found help at the hardware store: a washable-plastic Hempe conversion table. Slide a card back and forth in the sheath and a multitude of conversions are revealed: gallons to liters, degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius. It lacks small measurements like quarts and cups, but it gives a quick basis for calculating them. The table costs about $5 at Restoration Hardware; (888) 243-9720.