This morning, as part of our Best of 2007 coverage, we revealed our favorite female-celeb chef of 2007. Well, now it's time to reveal our favorite male-celebrity chef. The readers' choice mimicked my own and it was a close race between Alton Brown and Anthony Bourdain; in fact, they're currently tied at 23 percent each. However in the end, I'm going to have go against my heart and go with my brain. Our choice for male-celebrity chef of the year is Gordon Ramsay.

This year Ramsay really dominated his category. He had two successful US television shows — Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares — several interesting shows on BBC, a video game in the works, two more Michelin stars, a new cookbook, and he found time to run a marathon. Not to mention he did all this even with burned bits down under.

Say what you will about Ramsay, but he is a successful — if not awfully busy — bloke and 2007 was really his year.

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Crab is a lovely Christmastime luxury. While I love it freshly cracked, there is something undeniably glamorous about crispy, flaky crab cakes. Miniature crab cakes are scrumptious, bite-size appetizers and the larger version is delicious as a first course served over a bed of greens. Perhaps it's because my mother was born in Maryland, but I feel every home cook should know how to make crab cakes. For that reason I've found two recipes for you to enjoy; one is simple and the other a little more challenging. To check them out, read more

Every year CasaSugar and her sweetie throw a big, holiday party called a Feuerzangenbowle. The place is well decorated with homemade-snowflake chandeliers, but the highlight of the party is the actual Feuerzangenbowle — German for "tongs of fire punch" — which contains fruity and mulled wine and a flaming rum. A sugar cone is soaked in rum and placed above the punch. It is then lit and the flaming sugar drips into the holiday wine. It's definitely a festive and unique way to ring in the holidays!

This photo was taken before the cone was lit, but if you'd like to see photos of it aflame, as well as get the recipe and techniques on how to make the Tongs of Fire Punch at home, read more

When I was a wee little kid, I remember our neighbors bringing us jars full of flour, sugar, and other dry ingredients as a Christmas present. They were wrapped with beautiful bows and ribbons, but I didn't understand how a jar full of dry ingredients equaled an awesome Christmas gift. Then, a few days later when my dad turned that jar into a batch of fantastic cookies I figured it out. They gave us the ingredients and the recipes needed to make something tasty.

If you were hoping to handout holiday cookies this year, but didn't quite get around to it, why don't you do the next best thing and give them the ingredients they'll need to make their own? It doesn't have to be cookies either, you could do pancake mix, soup mixes, cakes, or hot chocolate. To help you figure out where to begin I've rounded up some recipes, as well as tips on how to prepare them. To get inspired, read more

You probably already know this, but I love the act of planning a party as much as the party itself! While Yum had 52 weeks of baking adventures this year, I planned 52 virtual parties! From the look to the drinks, I supplied you with inspiring ideas, tantalizing recipes, and crafty invitations. The invite sets the tone, atmosphere, and mood of an event so I always send handmade invitations. It also makes a lovely keepsake of the party. I've browsed all of the invites and picked out my top five. Pictured clockwise from the top right, they are:

• A Pride and Prejudice–themed book party
• A tropical-print invite to a luau-dinner party
• A gorgeous black, white, and blue wedding invitation
• A classic Thanksgiving invite
• A booklet invite to a knitting party that includes instructions on how to knit

How about you? What was your favorite invitation?

Yesterday, the New York Times ran an interesting article about the current state of the Food Network. Not only has it canceled Emeril Live — Emeril himself is not leaving the network and enough new episodes have been filmed to fill 2008 — but ratings have slumped over the last year. According to the article, the network's ratings have slipped to a daytime average of 544,000 people from 580,000 a year ago. Likewise, its weekend shows have lost 15 percent of their audience, causing Food Network to pay back several advertisers.

Although they're losing out on new Emeril episodes, as well as the upcoming Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow show (strange note — the article states that Food Network passed on it as it wasn't "the right fit," however Batali says he never offered them the show), the network still has media-maven Rachael Ray. There will be 60 new episodes of 30-Minute Meals, as well as a new travel show called Rachael's Vacation. They are also planning new shows from British chefs Jamie Oliver and Danny Boome and Memphis restaurateurs Gina and Pat Neely. However is this going to be enough? Currently Food Network doesn't even hold the top-rated food show on cable. That honor goes to Bravo's Top Chef.

So you tell me, is it the end of an era at Food Network, or is it capable of pulling off a comeback?

This year is the fourth year that food bloggers around the world have gotten together to raise money to support the UN World Food Programme. The event is called Menu For Hope and last year they raised nearly $63,000.

Organized by Chez Pim, the raffle event runs for 10 days — now until Dec. 21 — and this year all money collected will go to the UNWFP's school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa.

So how do you donate and why would you want to?

Well, besides the warm fuzzy feeling you'll have inside, donating money will actually give you the chance to win a bunch of awesome prizes. Food bloggers around the world have come up with great prizes for you to choose from. Each raffle ticket costs $10, and you choose which prize you'd like to try and take home. The prizes cover the complete foodie gamut: cookbooks, meals out, kitchen gadgets and everything in between.

Here are some of the prizes I'd like to win:

• EU31: A personal tour of elBulli kitchen laboratory with Ferran Adria
• UE19: NYC Pizza Tour for 2 from SliceNY
• UW10: Dinner for 2 with wine pairing and a private tour of Manresa biodynamic garden with the chef, David Kinch from Chez Pim
• UW03: Your choice of three cookbooks from Ten Speed Press, from the Bunrab
• UC06: Four Indian cookbooks with spice tin, spices, Indian teas, and assorted dals from Tigers and Strawberries
• UW26: $100 Gift Certificate to Chuao Chocolatier from Candy Blog
• AP07: A bag of the world's hottest chillies, homegrown in Nagaland, India from Rambling Spoon
• EU17: Kitchen Aid stand mixer with ice cream attachment + David's latest cookbook from David Lebovitz

This is just a small sampling from a huge list of prizes. Be sure to check it out and donate to win! Visit Chez Pim for a full list of prizes and details on how to enter.

In my opinion, Christmas dinner should be an absolutely delicious, fragrant meal. At my house, we always begin our Christmas with seafood. Oysters on the half shell and crab crostini pair perfectly with bubbly, sparkling wine. At the table, serve a show-stopping pan roasted beef tenderloin with rosemary and garlic as the main course. A decadent potato gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce is luxurious along side it. Finally, round the menu out with a winter salad and pomegranate dressing. For these savory and stunning recipes, read more

Doesn't this burger look gorgeously divine? It's a French twist on the American classic with sauteed onions, a crisp potato rösti, and comte cheese. Oh to eat like Ms. Stewart! — Martha Stewart