A & E

Looking to add some holiday cheer to your bookshelf? Check out these recent offerings:

Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman's "The Gingerbread Architect" (Clarkson Potter, $22.50) is not for the amateur baker, but you still will be inspired to break out your baking equipment.

The book offers detailed instructions and templates for creating a dozen gorgeous gingerbread houses based on classic American home designs.

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Dinner" (Red Rock Press, $24.95) is a reprint of a short story written in 1835 by a young Charles Dickens.

In it, he recounts a charming family Christmas dinner. This new and nicely illustrated version includes recipes from the period (and modern updates of them).

Carefully pack, ship holiday cookies

To ensure cookies arrive in an attractive and appetizing fashion, follow these tips form the Betty Crocker Kitchens:

• Select the right type of cookies. Sturdy cookies that have a crunchy or hard texture such as biscotti, spritz and Mexican wedding cakes are excellent choices for mailing. Cookies that have a slightly chewy texture, like snickerdoodles and chocolate chip, also ship well. Cookies having ingredients such as chocolate chips, baking bits or caramel should not be sent to warm climates, because the cookies might arrive melted and not edible.

• Pack cookies in an airtight container. Pack crisp cookies separately from softer cookies to prevent a mess. Place a cushion of crumpled wax paper or plastic wrap on the bottom of the container and line with enough wax paper or plastic wrap to fold over when the box is full. Next, be sure to wrap the cookies in pairs, bottom to bottom, with wax paper between them. Cookies should fit snugly together, but not too tightly.

• Mail the cookie container or tin in a larger cardboard box. Wrap the sealed container with bubble wrap or newspaper and place in a sturdy cardboard box, allowing 2 to 3 inches between the container and the sides of box. Fill the extra space with bubble wrap or crumbled newspaper. Secure the box with packing tape and label "Fragile, Handle With Care" on the box. Choose the quickest shipping method your budget will accommodate.

Party food by the numbers

Here are some basic party food guidelines from reasontoparty.com:

• 5 to 6 ounces of meat, poultry or seafood per person

• 1 pound of pasta serves 4 to 6 people at a sit-down dinner and 8 to 10 people at a buffet

• 1 handful of pre-mixed salad per person

• 10 to 12 appetizer items per person

• 1 full portion of dessert per person. If cake is the only option, one cake will serve 10, but 15 can be served if you're also offering pie.

• Plan for two drinks per person for the first hour, and one drink per hour per person for every hour after that.

• 1 gallon of coffee serves 20 cups.

• 1 fifth of vodka serves 25 drinks (one shot per drink).

• 1 liter of vodka serves 33 drinks (one shot per drink).

Nutrition IQ

Did you hear the big news? Twinkies are getting smaller, if not necessarily healthier. Hostess announced that it is repackaging the iconic log-shaped treat into a 100-calorie "snack pack."

Take our quiz about this cream-filled antithesis to a healthy diet.

1. How many calories are in one regular-size Twinkie? A.) 300; B.) 150; C.) 227

2. Hostess also offers Light Twinkies, purported to be more healthful. How many calories does the "light" kind contain? A.) 130; B.) 56; C.) 149

3. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum daily intake of 50 grams of sugar. How many grams of sugar are found in one Twinkie? A.) 50 grams; B.) 19 grams; C.) 6 grams

4. If you're grasping for a healthy excuse to eat Twinkies, you could tell people they supply you with which percentage of your daily calcium intake: A.) 21 percent; B.) 9 percent; C.) 2 percent

5. Which Hostess dessert product has fewer calories than a Twinkie? A.) Ding Dong; B.) HoHo; C.) Brownie Bite

6. According to Hostess, how many Twinkies are consumed each year? A.) 500 million; B.) 1.2 billion; C.) 90 million

Answers: 1: B; 2: A; 3: B; 4: C; 5: C; 6: A

Sources: calorielab.com; www.calorieking.com

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News