No Wonder Santa Has Such A Belly

Think you’re a pretty smart cookie when it comes to Christmas baking? Check out these fascinating facts from a Land O’Lakes Holiday Bakeline survey:

Some 3.4 billion cookies are baked in American homes during the holidays, enough to circle the globe more than six times.

While women remain the dominant cookie bakers - 64 percent of them do so - a full 30 percent of men make cookies, too.

Cookies are the most popular snack people would leave for Santa’s reindeer, named by 53 percent of those polled, beating out carrots and lettuce. (Yeah, right - like Santa shares.)

Asked what part of a gingerbread man they eat first, 41 percent picked the head, while only 11 percent went for the legs. Another 29 percent said they didn’t eat gingerbread men at all, mostly members of PETHOG (People for the Ethical Treatment of Holiday Goodies).

The toll-free bakeline is open to answer cookie questions from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 24, at (800) 782-9606. Or you computer types can check out the new Land O’Lakes Web Site at http:/ /www.landolakes.com

Candy grams

If you’re already tired of Christmas cookies for your holiday sweet tooth, try the latest Scottish craze - dipping Mars bars in fish and chips batter and deep-frying them.

By the way, according to the Wall Street Journal, Scotland has the highest incidence of heart disease in Western Europe.

Oh night bovine

Dreaming of a red (meat) Christmas? The Washington State Beef Commission is offering a free brochure, “Create a Roast Tradition,” with roasting tips, a timetable for various cuts and recipes for Lemon Herb Roast, Filet of Beef with Dried Bing Cherry Stuffing and Beef Rib Eye Roast with Savory Sauce.

For a copy, call (206) 464-7403, fax (206) 587-5058 or write to: Washington State Beef Commission, 2200 6th Ave., Suite 105, Seattle, WA 98105.

Pretty poultry

And if there’s a bird in your holiday menu plans - particularly a whole roasted turkey, chicken, duck or goose - the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that you check to make sure there’s a shield-shaped design with the letters “USDA Grade A” printed on the packaging before you buy.

That means the fowl has passed government inspection and will be “free of defects such as missing parts, broken or disjointed bones, bruises and pinfeathers, which detract from its overall appearance,” and “have maximum skin coverage which helps keep the meat moist during cooking.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing