"San Francisco Chronicle" news and stories

• Shrimp cocktail is an effortless holiday dish -- and is made even easier with a variety of reviewed and rated premade sauces.
• "Squash explorations lead to a delectable journey," writes Tara Duggan, who delves into the different types available and supplies a recipe for Winter Squash Soup with Kale, and a Cilantro-Almond Pesto for topping.
• Grazalema Payoyo is a "cheese worth remembering," combining tangy goat's milk with sweeter sheep's milk.
• As Champagne imports to the U.S. plummet in the face of recession, stateside drinkers may get the opportunity to appreciate lower prices.
• Suspecting a "proven correlation between the holidays and the onset of cold and flu season," Chronicle staff writer Amanda Gold recommends "Christmas feasts that won't wear out the cook."

• Lamb shoulder has it all -- affordability, flavor and tons of tasty variations.
• We always hear about diners' complaints, but here's a report about the crazies (um, that'd be us civilians) the restaurant staff has to deal with.
• Gluten-free noodles from Italy's Rustichella d'Abruzzo are here. The verdict: The rice is not so nice, but the corn is totally sweet.
• The Cupcake Kit: An "all-encompassing" kit to make cupcakes a bit more festive.
• Berkeley's Sea Salt offers a revamped bar menu with nibbles including devilled duck eggs and ahi tuna mini-burgers.
• French Laundry gets a new chef de cuisine; Corey Lee heads out on his own and Timothy Hollingsworth takes over.
• Tom Colicchio (head judge of "Top Chef") and sous chef Sisha Ortuzar have cooked up a new book of "'Wichcraft."
• Did you know that there are a myriad of olive oils to suit different needs in the kitchen? A new book might help enlighten you.

• Get down to the heart of the artichoke and learn about its bracts too.
• The asparagus season is here and the Working Cook celebrates with soup, glorious soup.
• Heirloom brown rice finally gets its due, and the Chronicle is there with tips on how best to cook it.
• The Cocktailian Gary Regan traces the history of Italy's famed Negroni and discovers a cowboy was involved.
• The tamale goes upscale. They call 'em "haute." Get it?

• A group of guys in Napa Valley prove that the 'Joy of Cooking' isn't just for the ladies with their Men Who Cook club.
• The Seasonal Cook offers her tips on choosing the perfect avocado.
• Persian New Year, Nowruz, celebrated with fragrant saffron, samanu (wheat germ pudding) and the "seven S" table.
• Trader Joe's ruby red grapefruit juice tops the competitors in the "Taster's Choice."
• Unlocking the Twitterverse one foodie at a time.

My mom has always been a jam maker. Back when I was little and my family lived in Los Angeles, we had several plum trees in the yard. Every year (that they produced fruit, they occasionally took a season off), she would cook up multiple batches of jam. Of course, that jam rarely jammed, mostly because she couldn't bring herself to use the amount of sugar necessary to activate the pectin.

The years passed and we found ourselves living in Oregon, land of wild blackberries and cheap, pick-your-own blueberries. My mom kept trying, came to terms with the necessary sugar and turned out jar after jar of gorgeous, richly colored jam. There were a couple of years there where she even made enough to sell at a local craft fair.

These days, everyone is making jam, putting my mom on the cutting edge of this particular trend. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, home canning (and home canning hobbies turned artisanal businesses) are back. I, for one, can speak to the satisfaction of having canning projects succeed. I made some apple butter last fall that I canned as holiday gifts and hearing the distinctive binging sound as the jars sealed was most delightful.

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