STAYING

FASHION PLATES



Want an out-of-the-ordinary gift idea for the holidays? We have the perfect suggestion- plates to give as art. The Plate Palette lets you be the artist- they provide the plate form, the paint, and the kiln. Even better, you can bring a bunch of friends along (minimum group number Is eight), grab a pizza and a bottle of wine (or they’ll cater for you), and have a plate party. Plates are $10-$40 depending on size. Call 363-8805 for Info.

ON THE EDGE

LISTENING For those of you whothink Dallas radio revolves around KVIL,read no further. For those of you whothink Dallas radio is deadly dullmainstream pablum that has been over-processed and neutered into seriousmonochromatic drivel, read on. There isa cure for boring radio, and it’s calledGeorge Gimarc. Actually George hasbeen around for years at a whole laundrylist of stations, challenging the status quowith his incredible knowledge of anti-establishment rock-and-roll. These dayshe’s camped out as afternoon-drive guruon 94.5 KDGE (“The Edge”), which wenton the air in July with a “this can’t beDallas” music format. It’s no surprisethat George is also the music director-the play list is new and cutting edge,about as Nineties as you can get withoutbeing there yet. -Anne Warren

COOKING You no longer need to fear the slicing and dicing of your holiday bird. Ralph Sanchez, executive chef for Lawry’s The Prime Rib and a 15-year carving veteran, can make it easy. Ralph says there are a few basic steps that can get you through the holidays looking like a pro. First, be sure to cook the bird correctly; don’t overcook it. If you’ve stuffed it, take the stuffing out immediately and let the turkey rest at least 15 to 30 minutes before carving so the juices can settle. Of course, the knife you use is very important. A carving knife or long, stainless steel slicing knife works best. When carving, cut against the grain. That way you cut the muscle and get more slices per pound. And never cut the entire bird-cut only what you need for each serving.

Cut up chicken into four parts and rinse with cold water. Place in large pot. Cover with four quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off white foam until it no longer appears. Reduce heat to low and add seasonings and vegetables. Partially cover pot and simmer for at least an hour and a half (or until chicken is tender and carrots are cooked). Remove chicken and vegetables (hold onto chicken and carrots; throw out the celery and onion). Continue simmering soup and removing excess fat. Taste and add more seasonings as needed. Cool slightly; strain with finely meshed strainer to get a clear broth. Toss in chicken, rice or boiled noodles, and vegetables when serving. We think it’s best straight up, sans any extras at all. The broth can be frozen and stored.

-Anne Warren

Ralph Sanchez the Carving King



COOKING You no longer need to fear the slicing and dicing of your holiday bird. Ralph Sanchez, executive chef for Lawry’s The Prime Rib and a 15-year carving veteran, can make it easy. Ralph says there are a few basic steps that can get you through the holidays looking like a pro. First, be sure to cook the bird correctly; don’t overcook it. If you’ve stuffed it, take the stuffing out immediately and let the turkey rest at least 15 to 30 minutes before carving so the juices can settle. Of course, the knife you use is very important. A carving knife or long, stainless steel slicing knife works best. When carving, cut against the grain. That way you cut the muscle and get more slices per pound. And never cut the entire bird-cut only what you need for each serving.

If you still feel awkward with knife in hand, Ralph will give free carving demonstrations at Macy’s on Nov. 9 and at Bloomingdale’s on Nov. 15. Call 373-1601 for more information.

-Sherri Gulczvnski

The Game of dallas

Area capitalists can flex their financial muscles in Dallasopoly, the local version of the nothing-ventured, nothing-gained Parker Brothers’ classic. Available at Tom Thumb for $19.95.

VIDEOS



THE HOME FRONT

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. Life on the home front, as these films show, brought civilians their own share of struggles.

Perhaps to balance the popular image of wartime France as a haven for collaborators, director Louis Malle’s Au Revoir Les Enfants (1988) draws a powerful portrait of a Catholic school’s



hide Jewish students from the Nazis. Excellent. In Racing with the Moon (1984), Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage play two buddies fighting and loving their way through the last months of freedom before they and often moving, thanks in part to Elizabeth McGovern as the poor little not-so-rich girl who embarks on a carps diem romance with Penn.



By contrast, A Separate Peace (1972) is a stark, wintry movie in which a boys’ prep school is a microcosm for a world gone mad with war. Lacks the verbal splendor of John Knowles’s novel, but proves Pogo right: we have met the enemy, and he is us.



The best of the may be John Boorman’s Hope and Glory (1987), a testment to the British bravery during the Blitz. Uplifting, but realistic: when their school is bombed, the students are at first stunned, then ecstatic. The is a relief after the chaos and rubble of London.

-Chris Tucker

Just Say NO to Bad Dogs

AT YOUR SERVICE As love affairs go, it began innocently enough. We fell for her quizzical brown eyes and the freckles sprayed across her nose. She nuzzled her warm little body into the lap of my ten-year-old son and slept all the way home.

But that was before Cinnamon, our five-month-old Brittany Spaniel puppy, began her reign of terror over our household. When I discovered her with the cat pinned in a. mouth grip on top of the dining room table, it was war, not love.

Enter Diane Arrington, a pet behavior consultant who makes house calls. Arrington has made cats who won’t use a litter box and dogs who chew patio furniture her business for the past 15 years. She boasts a 98 percent cure rate without resorting to harsh physical methods or punishment of any kind.

Actually, Arrington says, she trains people, not pets. Her methods are akin to the positive reinforcement philosophies of child-rearing that came into vogue in the Seventies. “Behavior that’s ignored will be extinguished,” she says, “behavior that’s praised will continue.”

The best time to call a pet behavior consultant, Arrington believes, is before you get that first look at the litter.

Next time, we’ll remember that.

Call Pet Behavior Consultants of Dallas at 330-7653.

-Ruth Miller Fitzgibbons

Birds of a Fresh Feather

FOOD Ever read the label on a Butterball turkey? Not only is there no butter in a Butterball, but with ingredients like partially hydrogenated soybean oil (the first ingredient listed in their self-basting recipe), sodium phosphates, emulsifiers, diglycerides, and a dash of carboxymethyl cellulose added in for good measure, it reads more like a science fair project than a meal for the family to give thanks for.

And scariest of all, there’s no way to figure the age of a frozen bird. One butcher we called hinted that it could even be last year’s slaughter under that wrapper. And the longer it sits on the shelf, the lower the taste quality.

This Thanksgiving, we suggest you leave the chemicals in the frozen-food section and opt for a fresh, preservative-free turkey.

Choosing fresh over frozen has its definite advantages. The fresh birds we’ve cooked are juicier than their frozen counterparts, because the meat is plumper and not as dry. And, even better, you can buy a fresh one as early as a week in advance of the big day.

For the real thing, visit Kuby’s SausageHouse Inc. (6601 Snider Plaza), Rudolph’sMarket & Sausage Factory (2924 Elm),or Brookshire’s Meat Market (2220 Coit).These establishments stock fresh birds inthe 10- to 24-pound range. Price estimatesvary from $1 to $1.90 per pound, which isonly about a dollar more than what you’dbe paying for a preservative-ladenButterball. -Lucie Nelka

BOOKS



A BOY’S LIFE

Fully grown writers of the male persuasion with something to say about the fa-male influences in their lives seem to find it easier (and safer) to do this by creating fictional young boys to do the dirty work for them. Under the cloak of childhood these precocious young minds (let us not forget Salinger’s Holden Caul-field) can innocently address such big-pic-ture topics as life, death, sex, and Oedi-pel urges and remain, for the most part, unscathed.

The Year of the Zinc Penny (by Rick DeMarinis, 1989). Ten-year-old Trygve Nap-oli’s life hasn’t been a bed of roses. Mummy can’t settle down or find love. (Would she even recognize it?) Trygve’s imagination stays in overdrive, but his insights into life and love are right on target.

The History of Luminous Motion (by Scott Bradfield, 1989). Phillip is only eight but has an incredibly complicated and sinister fix on life, much of which has been spent with his mother on the road. Overly attached to his unstable mom, Phillip is a haunted and disturbed little boy whose twisted brilliance finally erupts in violence.

Edisto (by Padgett Powell, 1984). Simons Everson Manigault is another eight-year-old who thinks like, adult. Simons lives with his eccentric college professor mother, who, wanting him to be a writer, gives him complete freedom to experience life-the results of which are often hysterical and never boring.

-Anne Warren

Catalogue It



CHECKING OUR MAIL ’Tis the season to start ordering those Christmas gifts by mail. We’ve waded through the mail-order madness for you, crossing off the unimaginative (bye-bye, Sears and Roebuck) as well as the tried-and-true (so long, Sharper Image), and come up with our four most favorite:

●Garnet Hill calls itself the originalnatural fibers catalogue. Look forwonderful flannel sheets, fabulous sleepinggowns, cozy, all-cotton sweaters, and prettykids’ clothes. 1-800-622-6216.

●Robert Redford enters the catalogue bizwith Sundance, a wish book with theSouthwestern touch-from chili pod wreathsand handmade cowboy boots to Bob’s veryown special hot sauce. 1-800-422-2770.

●Rossi Pasta sends wonderfully packedgift boxes loaded with handmade gourmetpastas in flavors like Italian spices, wildmushroom, basil garlic, and hot pepper.Plus they’ve got a full line of full-bodiedsauces. And read the labels-they’rehysterical. 1-800-227-6774.

●For the prettiest Christmas cards,wrapping paper, and tree ornaments, youcan’t miss by thumbing through this year’scatalogue from The Metropolitan Museumof Art. 1-800-635-5355. -LucieNelka



Thanksgiving Vino

WINE The Thanksgiving Day feast is a uniquely American repast and, as such, calls for American wines.

Simi Winery makes a wonderfully intense, peachy 1987 Sauvignon Blanc that sells for $8.99 at P.K.’s on Lomo Alto. For a crisp, fruity white, try Llano Estacado’s 1988 Texas Chenin Blanc. Fall Creek Vineyards’ 1988 Texas Emerald Riesling offers floral flavors and a touch of sweetness. Both are available at Red Coleman’s for $649.

J. Lohr Winery produces a lusciously fruity, Beaujolais-style 1988 Monterey Gamay ($6.49 at Centennial Liquor Stores). A light-bodied, rich in cherry fruit, non-vintage Pinot Noir from Rose Family Vineyard is a steal for $5.95 at Marty’s.

And what about leftovers? Dennis Furlong, owner of P.K.’s, recommends Simi’s 1988 Alexander Valley, Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon at $649 for those post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.

-Becky Murphy