Chicken

Serves 6 Aja Jackson makes this dish with Walkerswood Jamaican curry powder, but you can also use other brands. If you want to add a chili pepper to the dish, put it into the simmering chicken at the beginning of cooking. CHICKEN 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar Juice of 1/2 lemon (save the squeezed half) 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 5 sprigs fresh thyme...

The US Postal Service cannot be described as "on the brink" of insolvency; it sailed over that cliff in 2006, when Congress decreed it must fund employee pensions and benefits 75 years in advance. But despite losing $3.2 billion in the first quarter of the year, the Postal Service will not make the hard decision to close 3,700 branches, making the creeping behemoth that is the Catholic Church seem nimble and bold. When its books bleed, the church shutters buildings like a Buddhist monk, serenely indifferent to fury.

Serves 4 Agrodolce, or sour and sweet, write the authors of “The Gastrokid Cookbook,’’ “is considered something of an art in Italian kitchens.’’ This agrodolce turns the meat dark and succulent, they say, yet sweet. It was created by accident by one of the authors’ wives. 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, smashed Salt and pepper, to taste 4 boneless chicken breast halves ...

Each spring brings another flock of backyard chicken books. Sometimes they're how-to's, or memoirs, but there's usually at least one cookbook. This year's "The Fresh Egg Cookbook" comes from Jennifer Trainer Thompson, a Berkshires-based cookbook author. It's got anecdotes, pictures, and a smattering of advice on raising your own hens. But mostly it's a straight-ahead cookbook, and quite a capable one. Although Thompson makes a mouthwatering case for fresh eggs, not having any fresh eggs of our own (not yet, anyway)

Serves 8 Many people buy a whole roast chicken from the grocery store on the way home (see left). Once the chicken is picked over, the remaining carcass can be the beginning of a simple and rich soup. Add kitchen staples such as carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms, season the pot with paprika and cayenne pepper, and this versatile supper extends the life of a simple bird. The soup is made in two parts: the chicken carcass simmers in water while the vegetables saute for about half an hour.

Boston is a city full of wonderful restaurants and gourmet shops. But with a little exploration, it also yields great food in surprising places. Like a gas station convenience store on Beacon Hill. Banish all preconceived notions of gas station food, for Villa Mexico Cafe is a million miles from taco hell. Here, Julie King serves excellent burritos, tacos, tamales, quesadillas, and more. She used to operate a restaurant by the same name in Woburn, and her standards haven’t changed.

DARRYL’S CORNER BAR & KITCHEN 604 Columbus Ave., Boston 617-536-1100 www.darrylscornerbarboston.com Bob the Chef’s was a South End institution, serving its famous “glorifried’’ chicken with a side of jazz to one of the most diverse crowds in Boston. It began its decades-long run as a hole-in-the-wall diner and ended it with more style, as the renamed Bob’s Southern Bistro. Owner Darryl Settles, a founder of the BeanTown Jazz Festival, sold Bob’s in 2007.

The US Postal Service cannot be described as "on the brink" of insolvency; it sailed over that cliff in 2006, when Congress decreed it must fund employee pensions and benefits 75 years in advance. But despite losing $3.2 billion in the first quarter of the year, the Postal Service will not make the hard decision to close 3,700 branches, making the creeping behemoth that is the Catholic Church seem nimble and bold. When its books bleed, the church shutters buildings like a Buddhist monk, serenely indifferent to fury.

Each spring brings another flock of backyard chicken books. Sometimes they're how-to's, or memoirs, but there's usually at least one cookbook. This year's "The Fresh Egg Cookbook" comes from Jennifer Trainer Thompson, a Berkshires-based cookbook author. It's got anecdotes, pictures, and a smattering of advice on raising your own hens. But mostly it's a straight-ahead cookbook, and quite a capable one. Although Thompson makes a mouthwatering case for fresh eggs, not having any fresh eggs of our own (not yet, anyway)

LOWELL - People come to the Lowell Folk Festival to hear music, buy ethnic foods, peruse locally made art, and watch demonstrations by traditional craftsmen. This year, they also came to see noodles made five ways. The foodways demonstrations that were part of the festival in its early days were brought back last year after a 15-year hiatus. Participants were given the theme of pasta, which appeared in dishes that are Italian, traditional Jewish, Polish, Cambodian, and Pennsylvania Dutch.

A California jury has awarded nearly $2.5 million to a woman who said she almost died when a chicken bone pierced her esophagus while eating at a Round Table pizza restaurant. Fifty-nine-year-old Calla Felicity says she and her mom were eating a barbecue chicken pizza at the restaurant in South San Francisco in 2010 when the 1.2-inch chicken bone injured her. She required more than 11 surgeries and said she spent months on feeding tubes and liquid diets. The Contra Costa County jury found Foster Poultry Farms and Pizza Bytes, the franchisee for the South San Francisco Round...

Serves 8 Spanish paprika, called pimenton, adds a warm spicy kick both to the chicken marinade and the vinaigrette for dressing the greens. CHICKEN 8chicken breast halves, skin and bones intact2tablespoons olive oilSalt and pepper, to taste1teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika2cloves garlic, finely chopped2lemons, thinly sliced2bunches arugula, stemmed1bunch frisee lettuce, snipped into2-inch pieces8ounces fresh spinach, stemmed 1. Trim off excess fat from the chicken.

"Our freezer is where foodstuffs — and I use the term loosely — go to die," says Susan Mintz of Arlington. "Most of the items in there are very, very old, purchased for some specific purpose and then abandoned. " The cold truth is that, like life, most freezers house a combo of the good, the bad, the aspirational, and the functional. Many people fill their freezers with ingredients for quick and easy meals that may or may not ever make it to the table. Others stock up on seasonal foods for the long winter, but come spring, when beautiful, local produce returns to stores,...

Makes 30 to 35 Canola oil (for brushing)1½pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast½cup mayonnaiseJuice of ½ lemon3cups panko (bread crumbs)1teaspoon saltFreshly ground pepper, to taste 1. Oil a rimmed baking sheet. 2. Cut the chicken into 2-by-2-inch pieces. 3. In a shallow bowl, stir the mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth. 4. In another shallow bowl, combine the panko, salt, and pepper. 5. Set up the coatings in a line: first the chicken, then the mayonnaise mixture, then the panko mixture, then the baking sheet.

Excerpts from Ian Doreian's 10th-grade English class writing project: Joe Le, 15, writing about durian fruit: "Imagine the inside similar to the creamy filling of a Dunkin' Donut's Boston Cream donut, but not exactly as smooth. Don't take in the filling's taste, just the feeling of the cream flowing into your mouth as you take your first bite. That's almost exactly how your first tasting of a durian will go, although you'll probably be gagging and spitting it right back up if you have sensitive taste buds.

Holly Hill Farm is hosting a talk on raising backyard chickens, with farm owner Jean White on April 21 from 10 a.m. to noon. White will go over local regulations, equipment needs, chicken varieties, and the seasonal challenges of raising chickens in New England. She'll also discuss how to protect a flock from predators and what to do with aging hens. Cost is $10 for members of the Friends of Holly Hill Farm, with a maximum of $20 per family; $15 for nonmembers, maximum $30 per family.

Serves 4 Apples lend a hint of sweetness to a traditional roast chicken and paired with rosemary and thyme, the fruit becomes savory. Roast chicken is quintessential comfort food. It's also economical and easy. A whole chicken is less expensive than parts and if you have 15 minutes to prep the bird, you can have dinner on the table in a little over an hour. This bird cooks in a hot oven surrounded by apples, carrots, and onions tossed with fresh herbs. The chicken is intentionally large.

Serves 4 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, thickly sliced 1 clove garlic, cut into 4 pieces 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 whole chicken (3 ½ pounds), cut into 8 pieces Salt and black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 2 large tomatoes, diced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)

There is a secret at Thai North restaurant in Brighton: Not everything here is what it appears to be. For the uninitiated, the menu at this tidy 12-seat eatery seems like it offers mostly standard Thai food, with mostly standard results (pad Thai, chicken pineapple). Food and service are competent, but unremarkable. The wait staff will seem more tolerant than pleasant. Why customers are not told about the small black chalkboard propped against the wall near the back of the restaurant remains a mystery.