Everything you need to know about being a well-rounded Southern woman will be unveiled next weekend at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Fashion shows, smart shopping, creative cooking, healthy living—even a little beefcake—will be part of the 2009 Richmond Southern Women’s Show next Friday through April 19. First, the beefcake. The brave men of the Richmond Metro Area Firefighters will be back by popular demand for a fashion show and fundraiser next Friday at 5 p.m. Bring money and help fill their boots for the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The entry deadline for the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off is April 20. Home cooks can submit their original recipes at http://www.bakeoff.com. One hundred finalists will earn a trip to Orlando, Fla., in 2010 to compete for the $1 million grand prize.

It’s not often that I recall any meal eaten in an airport. But three years ago, while waiting for a delayed flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, I stumbled upon Schlotzsky’s—and then didn’t shut up about it for months. There is only one location in the Richmond area (but several heading toward Virginia Beach), but the drive from my western Henrico County digs to the Chesterfield County Schlotzsky’s is worth the mileage.

One of my foodie friends is always taunting me with his lunch finds, so conversations with him usually end in cravings. When we were finally able to have lunch together, we went to the object of some of his raving—and my craving: The Black Sheep, on West Marshall Street in the Carver neighborhood. That’s where I met the perfect sandwich.

Discover an array of international food selections at the fourth annual “A Food Tasting” on April 4 from 14 p.m. at the Petersburg Regional Art Center, 132 N. Sycamore St. in Petersburg. “A Food Tasting” offers an opportunity to sample Latin American, Italian, Asian, Greek, and even English pub food. On the domestic side, there will be treats such as barbeque, chicken salad, beef tenderloin, and clam chowder. Great desserts and beverages are also included. More than 15 food vendors representing Petersburg area restaurants and caterers will offer their finest selections.

When Susan O’Hara Christopher makes barmbrack, a yeasty fruitcake, she can’t help thinking of her home. Her ancestral home. The O’Hara family ancestral home was Raheen in County Galway in Ireland. The recipe she uses came from Lady Augusta Gregory, an Irish folklorist who was a key figure in the Irish literary revival of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Lady Gregory’s estate was Coole Park, next door to Raheen, and she used to make this cake and serve it to such writers and actors as W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge, Lennox Robinson, Sean O’Casey and Barry Fitzgerald, said Christopher, who lives in Wicomico Church.

The title of the book is “101 Things To Do With Meatballs.“ So you can imagine my disappointment. I’m imagining the suggestions will be along the lines of “leave them out for a week and use as golf balls,“ or “press them in place around windows as putty,“ or “paint them white and give them to friends as novelty ping-pong balls that don’t bounce.“

FORT LEE The four Army cooks from Fort Bragg rushed around the field kitchen—really, a glorified tent—toiling over steaming pots and simmering pans as they prepared lunch. What was on the menu? Glad you asked.

Annie Chalkley stood amid the morning mayhem that during Lent is the kitchen at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, eyed the cap and apron I carried and said without hesitation: “Suit up!“

Many animals store, or cache, food when it’s abundant so they can reduce the risk of starvation later, when food might be scarce. Some animals, including bobcats and orb-web spiders, cache food for short periods of time—hours or days. Others, including red squirrels, Eastern chipmunks, gray squirrels and blue jays, cache seeds for much longer.

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There’s a certain fast-food chain that makes a famous burger made up of two beef patties, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles and secret sauce all layered between a double-decker sesame seed bun. Sound familiar? This burger chain’s name begins with the letter “M,“ and it serves more than 58 million customers worldwide on a daily basis and has 31,000 franchises operating in nearly 120 countries. Marketing a variety of burgers, fries and shakes as well as breakfast items, this chain also employs about 390,000 people.

Spinach Mushroom Frittata

Makes 6 servings