"about.com" news and stories

I love find cookbooks I can actually use. A lot of cookbooks have recipes that I'll never make, so it's great to find one that has some useful, tasty recipes I can actually tackle.

The About.com Guide To Shortcut Cooking is such a book. It's a good first book for someone who wants something on the basics, and it covers everything from soups, salads, and desserts to pasta, side dishes, and appetizers (they have other guides as well, including Home Cooking and Southern Cooking). The author is Linda Larsen, and the recipe for Bacon Mac and Cheese Soup sounds great, just oozing with smoky cheesiness.

Remember yesterday when I told you that Cherries Jubilee was something I've never had, along with Baked Alaska, Pig's Feet, and Mutton? Well, I guess I have to add this to the list too.

It's National Crab Meat Newburg Day, proving once again that just about every food in the universe has its own food holiday. I'm not a fan of crab (or lobster for that matter), but here's a recipe from the folks at About.com, who say it's great over rice. This recipe from AllRecipes uses dry sherry and sour cream, and here's a recipe for Crab Meat Newburg Casserole.

Easter doesn't seem like one of the bigger drinking holidays. Christmas? Sure. Valentine's Day? Sure, especially if you're not with anyone. But Easter? Well, I guess any situation where you have to deal with your family is a situation where you might want to drink.

About.com has a variety of Easter-oriented cocktails, and, of course, they're a little sweeter than many cocktails, in keeping with the holiday. But they aren't for kids!

You said "One of my new year's resolutions is to 'be happier.'" Well, that's all well and good, but you can't just sit there and pout about not being able to figure out how to make yourself happy!

Maybe you should eat something, which is a real step toward resolution. About.com has put together a short list of five foods that will help elevate mood, and we're not just talking about happily diving head-first into a hot fudge brownie sundae. In fact, you could take About.com's picks and set a menu for an entire day! Start the day with a breakfast of oatmeal, topped with walnuts, have a lunch of poached salmon and a side of lentils, then drink a cup of tea in the afternoon. You'll be skipping to Happytown by dinner!

I have a confession to make (let it out Bob, confession is good for the soul). Two, actually. Not only have I never made my own eggnog for Christmas, I usually just buy the store bought stuff. Yeah, I know.

It's not that the store stuff is terrible. I wouldn't drink it every year if I didn't like it. It's an OK substitute for people like me who are lazy intimidated by eggnog recipes. I mean, making a drink with sugar and eggs that you have to separate? I've never wanted to do it (though if I did, this one sounds good).

While surfing around I found this recipe for an eggnog called a White Christmas. It sounds like a nice twist on the classic.