Keebler has been on quite a roll with their TownHouse line of crackers (the Bistro crackers are quite good). They're releasing several different flavors of their Toppers crackers, the latest being Garlic & Herb.

How are they? They're OK. The problem I have is that the garlic and herb flavors aren't quite strong enough. They have a really strong flavor of their regular buttery Toppers and then the mild garlic and herb flavor kicks in. I wish the flavor was stronger, like the garlic and herb crackers that you can get in the Ritz line and the Triscuit line and various veggie-flavored crackers.

Toppers are so named because they are a bit thicker than typical crackers and have a little curved "bowl" so you can put toppings on them without stuff fall off. According to the back of the box, you can "top 'em," "dip 'em," "serve 'em," or have them "stand alone." That last one sounds kinda odd. What, you don't eat them at all, you just let them sit there untopped and alone? Weird.

For over ten years now, Wolfgang Puck has been serving the stars at the Governor's Ball - also known as the official "after party" for the Academy Awards, where all the nominees congregate to look glamorous, talk to the press and eat dinner. Not all of the secrets of the Oscar ceremony itself, like what the stage is going to look like, are revealed ahead of time and the menu for the Ball was clearly a bit hush-hush to start. Fortunately, little by little, information leaked out.

The Ball is not going to be a sit-down affair, but an elegant/casual cocktail-type of party, an the overriding theme this year will be "Oscar goes organic." The food, in addition to being organic and/or humanely raised will be small or bite-sized, and will include favorites (and Puck standbys) like sushi, grilled Kobe beef, Spicy Tuna Tartare in a Sesame Miso Cone, Smoked Salmon Oscars with French Farm-Raised Osetra Caviar and Roasted Pumpkin Squash Ravioli with White Truffles. And, of course, there will be plenty of champagne and chocolate Oscar statuettes to go around.

With the exception of Tim Zagat (of the Zagat guides), who felt that the menus were "kind of strange", the reviewers praised the dishes prepared by executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff, designed with the help of first lady Laura Bush and social secretary Lea Berman. They used mostly American ingredients, with nods to the specific countries represented by guests. Chicken wasn't prominently featured, although Kobe Beef, Maryland blue crab, shrimp and lamb were chosen repeatedly, and every main was accompanied by lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables. The wine selections were also good, with lots of boutique wines that were clearly identified on dinner menus.

Professional football players have heavily regulated diets, but regardless of what they're eating when they're off the field, they're clearly working off those pounds when they play. The same cannot be said for the rest of us. During the Super Bowl, it is estimated that 30 million pounds of food, of which 4 million is fat, will be consumed across the country. Chips are the most popular snack, with 11.2 million pounds of potato chips sold for the game. Other snacks put up impressive numbers, as well: 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. And it doesn't look as though they counted calories from beer, sodas and other drinks in these numbers.

To avoid packing on the pounds during the game, there are a few simple things you can do:

• Eat breakfast or lunch before the party, so you won't be as hungry and as likely to binge.
• Try and go for a walk/run in the morning before the game and burn off a few extra calories.
• Try drinking diet soda or water to avoid the hundreds of calories that come from drinks alone.
• When it comes to snacks, make a low fat/low calorie dip to bring to the party, such as salsa, a bean-based dip or a yogurt dip made with nonfat yogurt.
• Limit your chip consumption by sticking to veggies or lower fat crackers for dipping - especially if you're planning on chowing down on pizza or buffalo wings.

One last suggestion? Stand up and cheer for your team when they get a first down and do your own little touchdown dance when they score. Taking the opportunity to burn off a couple of extra calories never hurt.

This is the 12th edition of a book that has been around for nearly three-quarters of a century, evolving to suit consumer tastes and technological advances in the kitchen as time goes by. The book goes into great depth when explaining all the basics of large scale food preparation, from different cooking techniques and timetables to guides to menu planning and wine/drink selection. There is also a good deal of information that pertains to shopping in large quantities and food storage both before and after the food has been cooked. The recipes include dishes in all categories so there will be something to suit the tastes of just about any group, although they can be adapted to suit different tastes or simply used as a template for new flavor ideas.

I think we've said it before, but it never hurts to say it again: Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Statistically speaking, "40 percent of all champagne and sparkling wine sales in America occur in the last six weeks of the year." This accounts for champagne given as hostess gifts during the holiday season and any drunk at holiday parties, but there is no doubt that the most popular night of the year to enjoy some bubbly is New Year's Eve. Are you going to be one of the many enjoying some bubbly tonight?

I suspect champagne will make an appearance in my evening, as will a bottle of the lovely Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscadelle, a dessert wine. I do wish that I had a bottle of Vodka O2, the sparkling vodka, to try out this evening, but I suppose that there will be plenty of time for that next year.

There's plenty of time before the ball drops tonight in Times Square to figure out what drink - or drinks - you are going to serve while you while away the last moments of 2006. Technically, it's a once in a lifetime event, so it's worth the effort to add something more interesting than a glass of red wine to the evening. Cool Cocktails: The Hottest New Drinks and the Best of the Classics is a book that has both new and exciting drinks, at least one of which is a good choice for a party, and older favorites that you can turn to again and again. The author of the book is Ben Reed, a well known London mixologist, who actually won the title of Cocktail Bartender of the Year a few years ago and stars in a BBC program, Shaker Maker. The recipes are arranged by spirit and there are sections for nonalcoholic cocktails and hangover cures, as well.

As a bonus in addition to the recipes, the book's prose lives up to the "cool" descriptor in the title and is a pleasure to read. We do recommend, however, that you try the drinks (Chocolate Mint Martinis, Brazilian Mules and Orange Daiquiris are just a few) to really appreciate the book, in addition to reading Reed's advice and admiring the outstanding photography.

New Year's Eve is the perfect night for a long cocktail party. While they still take some planning, the combination of good drinks and small, munchable foods (as opposed to a sit-down dinner) is perfect for entertaining. Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks, and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style is a fun, relatively short book that will help you put parties together in no time. It has plans for 12 "gently themed" parties (so no pressure to theme your own) along with decorating tips, menus and signature cocktails. The recipes are for finger food-types of dishes that can usually be made ahead. Depending on how fancy you want to go with food and drinks, the recipes might not be the book for you if you tend to opt for really cutting edge bites, but they are far from boring. They include Asparagus Parmesan Bites, Curry Coconut Scallops and Wild Mushroom Tartlets. And whether you use the 60 or so recipes or not, the menus and tips are still helpful, especially if you need a hand getting things off the ground.

While appetizers are great for afternoon munching and snacks when entertaining, they are a must-have when it comes to parties, and with New Year's Eve coming up, now is a good time to start planning your menu. The Big Book of Appetizers: More Than 250 Recipes for Any Occasion is a book that will definitely get you through the night. The recipes range from simple to complex, family-friendly to high class and include dishes that can be made ahead in addition to those that can be tossed together at the last minute.

The topics in this book include nuts, cheeses, bread, pastry, meats, salsas and dips. Some of the recipes are quite simple, like the Taco Popcorn, while others are a little more gourmet, such as the Grilled Fennel with Truffle Oil and Parmesan Curls. The most interesting section might be the "soup shots" chapter, since the soups are no more difficult to make than other appetizers, but their presentation can really take a party to a new level. The book has a reference chapter, in addition to the index, that divides the recipes into categories like "quick and simple," "good and good for you" and "vegetarian," and will probably be your go-to page if you do a lot of entertaining.

The expectation of party-goers, especially around the holidays, is that there will be fattening foods at every party they attend and that there will be lots of it. There are a number of ways to avoid holiday eating pitfalls, but the best way to avoid adding an extra pound per party is to start with healthier foods. This isn't always possible at other people's homes, although you can bring along a dish with you, but you can certainly make your own parties a success and still serve foods that taste good and are good for you. The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook is a book that was written with this goal in mind and it has lots of party-friendly ideas that won't blow your diet. Whether you follow South Beach or not, the meals are still very balanced and everyone should be able to find something that will appeal to them in here.

There are 20 menus for different occasions and 150 recipes in the book. Each one includes a nutritional breakdown, as well as detailed instructions, prep times and serving sizes. Some of the recipes are scaled for only two, like the Valentine's Day dinner suggestions, but others are suitable for crowds. Since every little bit helps, even if you only augment your current holiday favorites by adding on healthier recipe, this can still be a good reference to have on hand.

The holidays can get pretty expensive, with gifts, food and entertaining expenses piling on until after the New Year (especially if you want to hit one or two after-Christmas sales), so it is always great to find a way to save some money without loosing out on quality. Food is one area where it is difficult to cut back, since price and quality are often closely linked. Paying more will usually get you better meats, cheeses and chocolates, for example. When it comes to wine, however, price are quality are not necessarily as closely inked - not unless you're talking about $100+ bottles of wine, anyway. Since AOL Food has a much larger staff than we do, they went through many bottles of wine to find five great ones that are $5.99 a bottle or less, perfect for serving with holiday dinners or bringing along as a hostess gift to a party because they are guaranteed to taste good without breaking the bank.

1. Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet ($4.99)
2. Amaicha Torrontes ($4.99)
3. Banrock Station Shiraz ($5.99)
4. Barefoot California Merlot ($5.99)
5. Barefoot California Chardonnay ($5.99)

Real Simple: Celebrations is a collection from the publishers of Real Simple magazine that covers all the details of major events and occasions that come up during the year, presenting ideas to make them as simple and easy as possible. It's probably a bit late now to take them up on their Thanksgiving ideas, but they also cover birthdays, graduations and just about all major holidays - at least, all the ones that are usually associated with food and large gatherings. All of the events are arranged in chapters by holiday, so while you can mix-n-match ideas from all over the book or use one of the several multipurpose plans, you can also easily just stick to their outline for a particular party.

As far as the planning goes, some people find Real Simple to be like "Martha Stewart-lite", since every detail from invitations to decor and cooking to cleanup is covered. The "lite" part comes in because the recipes and instructions always seem very do-able, rather than daunting. Since it never hurts to have a little peek inside a new book before you give in and make the purchase, you can download a few pages (pdf) from the Real Simple website and take a look for yourself.