Holiday Goodies

In many European cultures, it's tradition to eat seafood on Christmas Eve. My family's Hungarian traditions always had us eating some sort of fried fish or stew. Italians particularly hold this tradition to the extreme, eating anywhere from 7 to 13 different types of seafood dishes for dinner. It's called the Feast of the Seven Fishes. The odd numbers have symbolic meaning in both Catholicism and numerology. Seven represents the seven sacraments—and sins. In numerology, seven represents perfection. I find that seafood stews are some of the most hearty and satisfying of all the fish dishes. One seafood stew that I find most special is Cioppino, a true Italian-American invention.

Created by Italian immigrants in San Francisco, Cioppino was first made out of necessity. The Italian fisherman made it for lunch on their boats with whatever catch of that day. Now Cioppino has become so famous that it can be found on restaurant menus throughout San Francisco and beyond. Supposedly the word Cioppino comes from the word ciuppin, which in the Ligurian dialect means "to chop," since the seafood that goes into the stew is typically cut into manageable pieces. But the soup/stew can contain more than just chopped fish. Clams, mussels, and other shellfish make great additions, rounding out the wonderful sea flavor of this tomato-based soup.

Like the perfume of freshly squeezed orange juice or the whisps of flavor that float on the air when chicken soup is simmering, the smell of melting chocolate and almonds softens my resolve not to eat just one of what I am planning to make: chocolate rocks.

They couldn't be easier. Or more forgiving. Or more interesting to experiment with. Caramelize some whole almonds, and hide one inside. Chocolate rocks are prefect for hiding things. A raisin. A hazelnut. Dried cherries or cranberries. Minced orange peel. Before you put them in the refrigerator, sprinkle them with fleur de sel. Or roll them in grated coconut. Cinnamon dust. Star dust. Whatever you have. And the best of all is that they take just minutes to make.

We just can't resist a festive cocktail to liven up the holidays. Here are three sure to please martinis that will help you deck the halls with traditional flavors of the season.

Winter Wonderland Martini

2 oz. Three Olives Cake Vodka
2 oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. White Creme de Cacao
1 oz. Heavy Cream

Combine in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass, sprinkle with coconut flakes and stir. Garnish with a white chocolate wafer (if desired)!

Candy Cane Lane Martini

2.5 oz. Three Olives Cake Vodka
1 oz. White Creme de Menthe
1/2 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
Heavy Cream
Dash of Grenadine

Add grenadine to the bottom of chilled martini glass. Shake remaining ingredients and strain into martini glass to create swirl effect!

Eggnog Cocktail

1 oz. Three Olives Cake Vodka
2.5 oz. Eggnog
3/4 oz. Amaretto

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass. Top with grated cinnamon or nutmeg and enjoy!

- Recipes courtesy of Three Olives Vodka

January is the traditional month for new diets. I get kind of amused reading this week's Time magazine which chose 3 of the new diet books to review. The first one disallows wine, salt, sugar and artificial sweetener. The second forbids carbonated drinks, coffee, gassy foods including cabbage. The third forbids dairy, white rice, and processed foods. And the last one forbids volume. Eat anything you want but just choose small portions.

Are you beginning to see a pattern here? Why does every new diet start off by telling you what you cannot eat?

People have had problems with excess weight ever since mankind began to grow food. The hunters and gatherers weren't fat. They spent a lot of time just searching for food and were grateful for what they could find. And the game and berries they found also spent time searching for nourishment and water and didn't store fat either.

But that was then. This is now. We are besotted with food, drink, choices, and chance. What on earth can we do?