I recently wrote a piece about a meal I had eaten in San Francisco and was questioned by the copy editor about my use of the word “truite,” the French word for Trout. If only the editor had consulted www.foodlexicon.com, a strangely useful website great for providing food related translations between English, French, German, Danish, Dutch and Spanish of about 24,000 words.

During the week after Christmas, I was running around town when I stopped into a store called Plum (naturally, it’s a food named store) and found something to add to my collection of food jewelry - a pendant necklace of a quarter-inch slice of blood orange, coated in resin. It’s so beautiful and quirky, my new main squeeze and I get stopped constantly about the piece. Lemon slice pendants are also available. www.plumneworleans.com for more info or to order your own wearable slice.

Intrigued by the buzz about the movie Sideways - a story of two guys travels through Santa Barbara County’s Wine trail - I picked up the book by author Rex Pickett. Yes, I’m one of those who needs to read the book before seeing the movie. The story is fun, a peek into a guy’s world, a true blue buddy story with a lot of wine-ing. In fact, the book is riddled with wine speak that is hilarious, smart, weary, wonderous and all points in between. As a consequence, I’ve been enjoying a renewed vigor for Pinot Noir, swigging several of the wines mentioned in the book. It’s tempting, trust me.
After the book (or instead if you’re not a reader, go see the movie - Paul Giamatti is getting good notices and it may be time to stock up on Santa Barbara County Pinot for the slew of Awards show parties to have or attend in honor of getting “Sideways.”

Marcelle nailed the traditional King Cake, but how about something a little wacky? In Picayune Mississippi, Paul’s Pastry Shop bakes and fills King Cakes that are more like over-sized donuts and there are 40 filling flavors to choose from. Some are outrageous! Your favorite candy bar is Almond Joy? No problem. How about Mississippi Mud: Walnuts with Chocolate Cream and a Chocolate/Walnut Glaze or Reeses: Chocolate Cream over Peanut Butter.
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Maybe you have one and are proud, maybe you have one and hide the fact. Either way its worth noting that the slow-cooker was introduced in 1970 and this year marks the first annual January celebration of National Slow Cooking Month.

I have signed up for a gourmet slow-cooking class offered at a local culinary school. The chef is brilliant and it’s always good slow down to learn something.

As mentioned earlier, it SNOWED in New Orleans on Christmas. Wasting no time whatsoever, we quickly gathered the icy snow and made mint juleps, gin and tonics (my favorite) and for the kids, poured mint and blackberry-flavored snowball syrup over the icy slush.

It is no secret that I am obsessed with Hello Kitty - but only for her food related stuff, like the Sushi or Bakery stuff. What popped up this year for a holiday gift? A Hello Kitty toaster that pops up toast-shaped and colored note paper. So cool. Check Sanrio stores or www.sanrio.com.

This is really fun stuff: They look and smell like food favorites, but control your urge to take a bite and hop in the bath (or shower) instead. Pisces Soap makes the most luscious food look-a-like soaps to ever grace a bathtub. From the “Decadent Fudge Brownie” dusted with “powdered sugar” (cornstarch) to a bagel with cream cheese, buttered toast, animal crackers, a chocolate bar and even a grilled cheese sandwich! www.piscessoap.com

Avid readers of books on cooking, food, history, and such will be thrilled with the first U.S. printing of Ian Kelly’s “Cooking for Kings, the Life of the First Celebrity Chef.”
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I’m obsessed with fortunes from fortune cookies and have a collection that spans over 15 years and fortunes from the world over. My favorites are the strange, direct translations that don’t quite make sense - “Love is like a rose, it has thorns; friends are like vegetables. Ooookaaaay. Although it’s true that Ancient Chinese warlords sent messages secreted inside cakes, fortune cookies are not Chinese, they were invented in Los Angeles around 1920.
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