CHECK OUT : NEWS AND TIPS FREEBIE LEAFLET.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

Last year, Americans consumed more than 26 pounds of rice per capita. There are lots of tips and ideas for cooking with all kinds of rice (including long, medium, short, arborio, jasmine, basmati, brown, etc.) in ``Rice 101: Everything You Need to Know About Cooking With Rice.'' The brochure includes 46 stir-in recipe ideas such as Maui Wowi, Moo Goo Rice, Rice Parmigiana, Mock Apple Cobbler, etc. For a free copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Rice 101, USA Rice Federation, P.O. Box 740121, Houston, Texas 77274.

New on the shelf

Monterey Crackers, a new line of flavored crackers from Carr's, appealed to tasters. The crackers come in four flavors: hearty wheat, savory wheat, roasted vegetable and sesame and onion. The crackers are large enough to accommodate many toppings, but they taste great alone, too. A 5-ounce box costs around $1.50 or less. Available at Trader Joe's.

Cookbook pick

In ``New Orleans Seafood'' (Ten Speed; $19.95), Andrew Jaeger, owner of Andrew Jaeger's House of Seafood in the Big Easy, presents an informative cookbook filled with recipes that star crawfish, oysters and other New Orleans staples. We tried the pecan trout with honey cream sauce, a recipe Jaeger created to capture Louisiana country cooking. It was delicious. Other recipes include shrimp and eggplant casserole, crawfish cakes, and oyster-spinach pie.

Snappy solution

Finally. Yogurt that really is a portable meal. Colombo yogurt's new 8-ounce cartons include a small spoon that snaps out from the lid in two parts and is easy to assemble. (We also like the eco-friendly fact that it's made from the existing plastic of the lid.) Available at supermarkets, a carton costs about 80 cents.

Boo!

Marshmallow Peeps Ghosts have been introduced just in time for Halloween. They join Marshmallow Pumpkins and Spooky Cats. Peeps fans can receive a free Marshmallow Peeps holiday crafts and recipes brochure, ``A Peep for All Seasons,'' by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Peeps Holiday Ideas, 1300 Stefko Blvd., Bethlehem, Pa. 18017-6620.

Healthful food

Who says healthful food has to be bland and boring? Certainly not the Kaiser Permanente heart patients who have put together a cookbook called ``To Life,'' which includes recipes from Kaiser physicians, patients and San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. All recipes meet strict guidelines for fat and sodium content. The book also includes nutritional information from Kaiser doctors.

Proceeds from the book will benefit Mended Hearts, a non-profit group that provides education and support for heart patients and their caregivers.

To order, send a check for $20 to: Mended Hearts, c/o Kaiser Permanente, 280 W. MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, Calif. 94611. (The price is $17 each for mail orders of five or more copies.)

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Photo: (1--Color) no caption (Brochure cover - Rice 101)

(2--Color) no caption (Monterey Crackers)

(3--Color) no caption (Cookbook - New Orleans Seafood)

(4--Color) no caption (Colombo yogurt)

(5--Color) no caption (Marshmallow Peeps Ghosts)