If the planning is effortless, so much the better.

That’s why we were so pleased to discover Cookies & Corks—a young business founded by two young moms who met via their kids’ activities.

Cookies & Corks is a new twist on wine pairing: dry wines with sweet foods. The company sells cookies and recommends which types of wines to pair with them.

Then, instead of popping the cork and serving a plate of cheese, you serve a plate of cookies.

These are not just any cookies, but sweet-and-savory cookies crafted specifically to pair with the wines. Your own recipe for chocolate peanut butter cookies, for example, would need to be tweaked a bit to work as well as the Cookies & Corks version does.

Open the box, pop the cork and enjoy.
Photo courtesy Cookies & Corks.

Here’s what’s in store for your get-together:

 
Each box contains 15 all-natural cookies—five each of three flavors. Wine pairing suggestions are included, and the wines are easy to find.
 
If the concept of cookies and wine sounds quirky to you, there’s only one thing to do: Get a box of Cookies & Corks and see for yourself. Sophisticated and novice wine drinkers alike will have a fun time, enjoying the tasty cookies and marveling about how well the pairings work.

You don’t need to throw a party: Cookies & Corks for a quiet movie evening is also a special event.

And the next time you give a bottle of wine, including the matching box of Cookies & Corks will make it memorable.

Learn more at CookiesAndCorks.com.

Photo by Molly Little | SXC.

Here’s our first baking tip of the 2011 “baking season”: cookies.

With a lot of holiday baking to do, it’s tempting to put two cookie sheets into the oven at once. But unless you have a convection oven, you need to place just one sheet dead center for even baking.

Rotate. If you’ve got to bake two at a time, you’ll need to rotate the sheets halfway through. Not only switch racks, but also turn the baking sheets front-to-back.

Cool. The sheets need to be cool before you add more dough. Otherwise, the dough will start to melt when it hits the hot metal. We have two large cookie sheets and rotate them.

Finally, if you need to buy cookie sheets, spend for the best, commercial-weight ones. You’ll have them for a lifetime. Even if they’re double the cost, they’ll pay you back by not warping over time.

The best cookie sheets tend to be stainless steel rather than nonstick, but use parchment paper and cleaning is easy.

And buy the largest size that will fit into your oven. It’s better to have extra space on the sheet than not enough.

For great baking tips, check out The Baking Answer Book, a wonderful compilation of tips by Lauren Chattman.
  

The bento comprises a box-shaped container with compartments. The boxes range from beautiful lacquer to plastic lunchbox to disposable take-out containers. They can be one level, as in the photo, or stacked. The defining feature is the variety of foods.

Bento is more than restaurant fare: Japanese homemakers prepare them for family members’ lunches, as well as for their own. The goal is to provide an attractive variety of foods.

So today’s tip is: Think bento, with American ingredients, for lunch or dinner.

A restaurant bento box. Photo by
Blue Lotus | Wikimedia.

You can whip up your bento from scratch, and/or use up leftovers. It’s easy to incorporate healthy foods. You can serve the foods on one plate, or put each item on a small plate or other dish.

Consider an assortment of small-portion foods including:

 
By the way, the word “bento” originates from a slang term in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 C.E.) meaning “convenient” or “convenience.”

To us, it means “tasty variety.”

Check out some of our favorite international foods.
  

There isn’t much quality difference between high-priced and lesser-priced vodka. Mid-priced Smirnoff has won the gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition blind tasting.

If you’re more interested in value than status, take a look at Wódka vodka.

Wódka, the brand name, is the Polish word for vodka. The generic-looking brand accepts a lower profit margin to deliver an “egalitarian” product. A 750ml bottle costs just $10.00 to $12.00. Think of it as affordable premium vodka.

We liked drinking it straight. In a mixed drink, no one will know the difference.

This rye-based vodka is triple-distilled by Polmos Bialystock Distillery in Poland. Don’t be fooled by vodkas that tout that they are distilled 10, 20 or 100 times. After the third distillation, the human palate can’t discern a difference.

In 2010, Wódka won both a gold medal and a Best Buy award from the Beverage Tasting Institute, scoring 90 points—the most inexpensive vodka with a 90+ rating.

What if your friends, impressed by status vodka brands such as Chopin, Grey Goose and Ketel One, question why you purchased Wódka?

Tell them it not only tastes good, it’s on trend. According to Mintel International Group, a research firm, one-quarter of all spirits drinkers reported moving to lower-cost brands in 2010.

Learn more at WeLoveWodka.com.

Check out the history of vodka.

Find vodka cocktail recipes in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.

*The U.S. Government Standard of Identity for vodka: “Vodka” is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.

Nuts are healthful and flavorful additions to baked goods and other recipes.

But if you don’t use them, they go stale.

First, they’ll loose their crispness and get soft. Then, the oils in the nuts will go rancid.

Factory-sealed bags have an expiration date, but that only promises that nuts in the unsealed bag will be fresh through that date.

The minute you open the bag and let the air in, the nuts will slowly start to degrade.

If you buy loose nuts, or those that have been packaged in cellophane or paper bags by the retailer, they’re even more susceptible to the elements.

Stale nuts will take on a musty or rancid smell; one bite will tell you if they’re still fit for use.

So today’s tip is how to rescue nuts that are not at peak.

Photo of Squirrel Brand cashew nuts by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.

 
 
If The Nuts Have Lost Crispness

To crisp soft nuts, spread them out on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Place them in a 250°F oven for 5 minutes. Taste, and if you want them crisper, roast them for another 5 minutes. Roasting or toasting nuts also enhances the nutty flavor. For maximum nuttiness, toast at 350°F for 10 to 20 minutes (or toast in a hot frying pan) until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

You can also try toasting the nuts in the microwave. Experiment in small increments to avoid burning: the time will vary based on your microwave and the nuts.

If the nuts are in the shell, shake them. Nutmeats that rattle in their shells are usually stale. Bake them in the shells at 225° for 2-1/2 hours. Let them cool 30 minutes before cracking and testing.
 
 
If The Nuts Are Rancid

If the oil has turned rancid, try rinsing the nuts thoroughly under hot water. The surface oils, which are the most exposed, typically go bad first. You may be able to remove them.

Otherwise, you can leave the nuts for the birds and the squirrels.
 
 
How To Use Up Nuts

Most of us don’t bake cookies every week. But we do make other foods that can be happily enhanced with nuts.

 
 
Speaking of nuts, the best gourmet nuts we’ve had are from Squirrel Brand Nuts (in photo).

They’re too good for the squirrels, but if you want an exquisite nut experience (and holiday gift idea), check out the selection.