Watch Out For Beets In The New Year

While most of us are still trying to finish our Christmas shopping, much less think about the new year ahead, those efficient editors at Cooking Light magazine have already named their Top 10 Foods of 1996.

They are, in order:

1. Risotto: This creamy rice concoction, a “virtual chameleon of flavor,” has become “one of the sweetheart dishes of the ‘90s.”

2. Beets: “A comeback food that’s appearing on more and more restaurant menus,” the potassiumrich root vegetable “can be found in a vinaigrette, artfully arranged around smoked duck, and roasted in quesadillas.”

3. Roasted chicken: “Easy, economical and versatile,” roasted chicken is available “everywhere from four-star restaurants to KFC to your local supermarket.”

4. Mashed potatoes: Done up with such seasonings as fresh herbs, roasted garlic and horseradish instead of butter, they’re “hearty, comforting, healthy - perfect for the late ‘90s.”

5. Apples: “A basic that’s sprouted into hundreds of new varieties.”

6. Balsamic vinegar: “A splash gives just the right amount of zest to whatever it touches.”

7. Ginger root: “Gives an Asian hint to your food.”

8. Mushrooms: Exotics like shiitake, portobello and oyster are “a great way to inject fat-free flavor into foods.”

9. Flavored oils: They “don’t overload dishes with fat because a little goes a long way.”

10. Greens: “Stirred into pasta, beneath sauteed chicken or in salad,” such greens as arugula, watercress and endive “liven up most dishes.”

(Tofu dogs, obviously, must have finished 11th.)

Merry lit-dill Christmas

This true story from Edwina Gadsby of Great Falls, Mont., took first prize in the Claussen Pickle Challenge essay contest:

“Nearly 30 years ago my brother, 5 at the time, was helping trim the holiday tree. Fascinated by a glassblown pickle ornament, my mother recounted how in European lore the pickle is said to bring good luck, and on Christmas morning, the child who spies it first is given a gift.

“Imagine our surprise when we awoke to the sight and scent of my brother attempting to hang real pickles among the tree branches. He decided the more pickles, the more presents! To this day, opening a jar of pickles still conjures up fond holiday memories.”

Batteries not included

Finally, this delightful yuletide image comes courtesy of a Jenn-Air press release on holiday meal preparation: “A fistful of arugula and a salad spinner is a great toy for a 5-year-old.” , DataTimes