Hey Folks; This will be the next-to-last post until next week. We should be back about mid-week for two Dark Day Challenge posts, then we will be dark again until Sunday, January 2nd, 2011.
Okay, enough housekeeping stuff, let’s talk food-related news and BONUS, more holiday-inspired recipe links!
NEWS
In local news, a favorite farm of all of us here is Denison Farm. All of us are Summer Shareholders. Well, their land is in danger of sprawl. Times Union has the story of the situation and the future plans with the Agricultural Stewardship Association on how to save it.
Madame Fromage has a great blog post on how to chat with a cheesemonger.
Alexis was featured in the blog Life: Pure & Simple as one of 6 great edible gifts. Congrats Alexis!
If you click on only ONE post, please click on this one. The Bloggess and her readers have huge hearts; this story all started when The Bloggess posted that she would give 30 gift cards away to the first 20 readers who were having a hard financial time this holiday season. What started as a generous offer turned into a blogosphere love & kindness fest with readers coming forward to help the overflow of people in need. Over 600 giftcards, totally $40,000 were organized in a multi-day event. AMAZING! UNBELIEVABLE! This is why I started a blog because its a powerful forum that can be used for much good. I’m excited to see us cultivating this kind of generosity in 2011. Hurray to The Bloggess and her readers!!!
Big restaurant news in Los Angeles. The food critic for the Los Angeles Times, for the past 16 years, was found out, then photographed and kicked out of the Red Medicine restaurant by the owner. This story is unbelieveable. The critic, S. Irene Virbila had worked very hard to be anmonymous for those years and was very shaken by the event… more of the story on LATimes. WOW!
A sad and scary story out of Chicago. A 13 year old died from an anaphylaxic reaction while eating food during a school holiday party on Monday. As a mom to a toddler with multiple anaphylaxic food allergies this story brought on immediate tears, empathy and anger all at the same time. Our condolences to the family, may she rest in peace. More on Huffington Post , Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune. Oh, and Nut-Free Mom has another thoughtful post on the story.
Alexis & Leslie’s Dark Days Challenge Meals, Week 1 & 2, were featured on a recap post over at (not so) Urban Hennery.
LA Times has some nutrition news, Harvard School of Public Health and others discuss new scientific evidence that is pointing to refined sugars and flours as the issue with obesity-related issues.
Shutterbean scored an interview with Lucinda Scala Quinn, author of Mad Hungry and a top person in the Martha Steward Empire.
The kitchn and its readers answer an important question this time of year: what holiday cookies travel well?
10 Worst Fast Food Products of 2010…. Sausage Pancake Bites or Double Down anyone?
Another must read is this post from Grist which features many many top food people giving us their “TOP FOOD BOOKS OF 2010”… I want like every book on these lists. Another must read post.
Science-of-Cooking Genius, Harold McGee, has a must-read article on NYTimes about using your microwave for candy making.
Dianne Jacob asks the question: Should Food Bloggers Write Sponsored Posts?
In S.510 news; Bill Marler breaks down the bill, with Tester Amendment, excellent post!
Another 2 great post by Mark Bittman on the “the government is going to tell you how to eat” myth that is circling some extreme right political sector. Another one about the soda tax. Food Safety News also has a rundown, including news that The House passed the bill today and is headed to be signed by The President in 2011, upon his return from Hawaii (that piece of news by Obama Foodorama– another great post about the bill). Grist also has a short piece.
The Atlantic has a story about a hot dog vendor in D.C.
From a story I linked to on Sunday, Bayer has responded to the leaked EPA memo regarding their pesticide, clothianidin causing Colony Collapse Disorder. Grist reports.
RECIPES
My favorite allergen-free cookbook author & recipe developer is Cybele Pascal. She has a GREAT recipe for all 8 allergen-free Wedding Cookies.
Rum Balls by CuiZoo (ohhhh looking soooo good!)
Food in Jars has a Roasted Chex Mix edible gift recipe.
Another edible gift, Homemade Nutella– GENIUS!
Annie Eat’s Snowflake Cookies (BEAUTIFUL!)
One Hungry Mama has three variations on mashed potatoes.
Obama Foodorama has published The White House’s Gingerbread Ornament recipe.
Creative Delites has a peppermint patty with candied mint leaves.
from scratch club 
I am so impressed by this blog. Yesterday I used your links to make some clumsy (my fault) but delicious chile-pistachio-cashew dark chocolate bark. Today I am trying my hand at fortune cookies, also from one of your links. I want to buy Michael Pollen’s new book after casually reading through today’s blog. I have gone to two new stores, started home milk delivery and gotten copies of the New York Times Cookbook for some friends for Christmas after reading your give away posting a few weeks ago. I signed up for a CSA winter share. Thanks. It is a thoughtful and entertaining site and I really hope you appreciate what a good thing you are doing. And, more importantly, I hope you keep doing it. Have a good week off, Happy Chrismakwanzahanudonli and new year.
Wow, best comment ever!!!! Thank you Dianna. You’re posts are some of the most popular on the blog, so you aren’t soo bad yourself.
I really enjoy these weekly posts. There seems to always be something that spurs me into laptop activism. This week it was about the honeybees.
Not only did I sign the petition, but I plan to write something on it in January. Also, to give you a brief hint at what’s in store, I posted my thoughts on the EPA findings to the Haagen Dazs facebook page.
You see, they’ve been concerned about the honeybees for some time.
The big question is, do they have the guts to take on Bayer and the US Government?
It’s unlikely, but I think they should be tasked with putting their money where their mouth is.