"holiday parties" news and stories

Pascale La Draulec gushes about the ease and allure of a retro cookie swap shindig -- one that could overload even the Cookie Monster with dozens upon dozens of cookies.

But if you want something a little friendlier on your midsection, you might want to try kiss-theming your holiday celebrations. Pucker up!

How about some good news from the business world for a change? That sound you hear is the collective sigh of immense relief from workers in office towers and business parks country-wide, for it turns out that this year many offices are choosing to forego their annual office holiday party. But wait, it gets better -- for, in many of those offices that are still having parties, the event is not just being scaled down financially but scaled up culturally. Welcome to the phenomenon of the office book party.

An office book party is one in which, in lieu of the usual God-awful wrapped "present" for an agonizing round-robin of anonymous Kris Kringle, everyone brings a wrapped book. This way, rather than leaving with wrapped bottles of hotel hand lotion or regifted chocolates, everyone leaves with a book. For some book parties, there is a theme -- for one such I've seen, it's "your favorite novel," in which you leave your name inside the cover with a note about why this novel is your favorite -- but for most of them, the only rule is to bring a book someone would like to receive as a gift.

• Everything you need to know, kitchen-wise, about Thanksgiving, including four different kinds of turkey and gravy, four different kinds of stuffing, six different types of potatoes, and even four variations on cranberry sauce.
• What to do with the turkey carcass.
• What to cook the other 29 days of November.
• Gifts for the cook on your list.
• Ideas for a simple, chic holiday party.
• More recipes from this month: Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls, Greek Salad Pita Sandwiches, Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Cayenne-Spiced Walnuts, and The Perfect Pie.

Ugh. Cauliflower.

I've tried to like it, but I just don't. And it's not like I hate vegetables. I even like the ones a lot of people don't like, such as yams and spinach and asparagus. But cauliflower...blah. I always get a little bummed when I'm in the store and I see a new frozen dinner that I might like, and for some reason they throw cauliflower in there. For a different color or something (it certainly can't be for the taste).

But for you cauliflower lovers, check out this recipe for Cauliflower Soup at The Boston Globe. It's not only warm and tasty (they say), but cauliflower is a good thing to eat after the holidays, when we're all trying to shed those extra pounds.

• Nostalgic foods you can make for the holidays, including Potato Latkes and Spicy Popcorn.
• Yes, you can find some healthy fast food.
• A recipe for the intriguing Black Cake.
• Forget those little candy canes. How about some 14 inchers?
• Massachusetts Governor-elect Deval Patrick is also a gourmet cook. (Also check out some of his favorite recipes.)
• A new book coming out says that the next big trend is "gastroporn." Um, hasn't that been going on for a few years now?
• Um...wow.
• This week's recipes: Mincemeat, Frangipani mince tartlet, and Chocolate Caramel Turtles.