Every time I get on the phone with my mom these days, we find ourselves in a political conversation, weighing the pros and cons of the candidates running in the Democratic primary (I come from a long line of registered Dems). Neither of us have made up our minds, mostly because we're still mourning John Edwards' exit from the race. However, for the rest of you out there who have made up your minds, you can tell the world which candidate you're supporting with a kitchen apron. Both the Hillary and Obama aprons are available on Cafepress.

There aren't as many good aprons for the Republican candidates out there. The Kitchn (where I learned about all these cool aprons) featured one sporting Romney's (although as of yesterday, he is out of the race) face as well as one that pairs New York City Mayor Bloomberg with Ron Paul. That picture is after the jump.

Granted, you probably want to be completely done with all the food preparation just as your guests arrive to your house for your Hall of Fame-worthy Super Bowl party, but realistically, will you ever really step out of the kitchen, even if you've hired a caterer?

Whether you do or not, you might want to protect that team jersey you're wearing for the game day party with an apron, and luckily, Elizabeth Scokin Productions has created an apron specifically for the Super Bowl festivities. Now I know that this might be getting a little bit too Sandra Lee (who matches her barettes to her baby t-shirt to her apron to her stand mixer), but the New England Patriots apron is navy blue with matching sash and has red and white trim, just like the team's colors. Of course, at $100 a pop for these aprons, you may not want to actually wear it while you're cooking; throw it on as your "party outfit" just before your guests get there!

P.S. Let's not tell Marisa, who's supporting New York, that they also make a Giants apron!

Cooking is so popular that aprons are actually a good choice for a holiday gift this year. Aprons provide pockets where you can keep spoons, dish towels or even small containers of spices close at hand. They're also very convenient for wiping your hands and keeping everything, from cooking oil to flour, off your clothes.

On top of their practicality in the kitchen, they also come in many surprisingly appealing designs - no old-fashioned frills or lace to be see. At least, there isn't any to be seen on any of the aprons from Anthropologie. The flower shower apron ($28, above center-left) features a brilliant color-burst in red or green and is as funky as it is feminine. The utility half-apron ($28, above far-right) is more like a tool-belt than an apron, and an even better choice if something less traditional is what you're interested in.

After turning on Bravo last night, I was surprised to see that a repeat of Top Chef, was playing in the time slot that would ordinarily feature a new episode. I checked out the show's website to see if there was any news and, while I didn't find anything about air times other than a lot of banners reminding me that a "new episode airs every Wednesday at 10pm," I did notice a couple of newish features. They have added an Are You A Top Chef? feature to which you can submit photos and recipes of your own creations. Some, but not all, of the entries will be posted on the website. Bravo is also selling some Top Chef merchandise, which might be a good holiday gift for a Top Chef fan. They have a "I'm not your bitch, bitch!" t-shirt, immortalizing Dave's words to Tiffani last season, a Chop! apron, designed by Project Runway's Nick Verreos, who was a part of season 2 of that show, and an assortment of Top Chef-logo dish towels, aprons and oven mitts.

Take a look at the recaps from previous episodes to get caught up in the season. Hopefully we'll get to see a new episode next week:

• Season Premier
• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4
• Episode 5
• Episode 6

Sure, these cute 1950s retro kitschy aprons, oven mitts, and other cooking clothes (is there such a thing as "cooking clothes?) from Kitsch'n Glam would be a great gift for Mother's Day, but I'd sure like to have a couple for myself!

Designer Anna Michelle Wang was inspired by her aunt for all things retro and created Kitsch'n Glam, her own line of mostly aprons that have bright patterns, and shapes that go beyond the usual "front flap" style that wraps around the waist and ties in the back. Some of the aprons are shaped in a halter style and are cute enough to be dresses themselves (though I wouldn't do that since they don't have a backside). Kitsch'n Glam also carries oven mitts, hot pads and tea towels, as well as aprons for men. Not that a man couldn't wear a pink floral printed halter-style, of course.

The watermelon patch print pictured above is $61.90. Not cheap, but it is designer.