While it's hard to improve on classic comfort foods like mashed potatoes, a little tweak can go a long way. Goat cheese, leeks, and chives take this standard side dish to a new level of scrumptiousness. This recipe may be more complex with a couple of extra steps, but trust me, it is worth it! They're so delicious that no butter or gravy is required. The pure flavors of tangy goat cheese, savory leeks, and soft onions will satisfy anyone. If you want to impress your guests with these mouthwatering mashed potatoes, read more

As part of our Best of 2008 series, we asked you which food magazine was your top pick this year. Although there are many great food publications, we had a clear winner: Bon Appétit had 25 percent of the vote. Yum agrees; it was our favorite glossy, too.

To ring in 2008, Bon Appétit underwent a complete redesign. The initial response to the mag's contemporary graphics and new logo was mixed, but Bon Appétit's recipes continued to be innovative and reliable, and the culinary content relevant. Even better, the love was mutual: The publication approached us to be featured in its Blog Envy feature.

Tell us: What makes Bon Appétit your favorite?

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A recent experiment suggests spiked eggnog may be safer to drink than its PG counterpart. NPR attempted to solve the age-old mystery of whether adding alcohol to eggnog, which contains raw eggs, eliminates risk of food poisoning. To answer the question, NPR sought the help of Rockefeller University microbiologist Vince Fischetti.

Fischetti compared bacteria levels in store-bought, alcohol-free eggnog to a recipe his lab makes every year. The science team's heavily spiked version requires the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for weeks before drinking. The results? His eggnog's alcohol eliminated all bacteria. In contrast, the commercial eggnog was teeming with bacteria strains commonly found in dairy.

The microbiology lab conducted a separate experiment to see whether its alcoholic eggnog was strong enough to kill off salmonella strains. The results proved inconclusive.

Are you intrigued or disgusted by Vischetti's recipe for eggnog? Will these findings have you adding more alcohol to your eggnog this year?

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Last Friday night I found myself at an annual ornament-exchange holiday party. The event is in its ninth year, but this was my first time attending. Before we began to open ornaments, white elephant-style, the hostess felt the need to introduce "the newcomers" (myself and another girl). What she failed to do was introduce anyone else!

I was acquainted with a handful of guests but would have liked to have known everyone's name. The hostess's attempt to make us feel like a part of the group backfired: I felt awkward, uncomfortable, and like an outsider.

When hosting a party, remember that introductions are a formal presentation of one person to another in which each is told the other's name.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Please share your introduction horror stories with us below!

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Christmas is a couple of days away, but there is still time to shop. If you don't know what to get that special someone, browse the gift guides below for inspiration. You're sure to find the perfect present — happy shopping!

Last-Minute Gourmet Gifts	Homemade Edible Gifts	Gifts Under $25
Stocking Stuffers	Gifts For the New Cook	Gifts For the Busy Cook

For gift guides galore head over to HolidaySugar.

This year instead of hosting a formal Hanukkah dinner, invite friends over for a festive happy hour. Serve guests a selection of vegetable latkes with a buffet of traditional toppings like applesauce, sour cream, and smoked salmon.

Classic potato latkes are delicious alongside cauliflower curry latkes. Zucchini latkes with red pepper jelly and smoked trout add a touch of elegant sophistication to the menu. Spinach latkes with feta-yogurt sauce are original and unexpected. For these recipes, read more

Tortellini with mushroom cream sauce might be something you reserve for an upscale Italian restaurant rather than your kitchen. But when you enlist the help of pre-made tortellini and dried mushrooms, the entrée turns out to be far less complicated than it sounds. The recipe calls for dried porcini mushrooms, but would taste delicious with any dried mushroom variety, such as chanterelles, shiitakes, or maitakes. To see the recipe, read more

When I was growing up, we had a special Christmas plate that was reserved for serving Santa Claus. Every Christmas Eve, my sister and I would take the pretty plate, place the most perfect cookies on it, and set it out by the tree. To relive old memories, I went looking for the long lost plate. Alas, it was nowhere to be found.

Can you help me find a suitable replacement? Head off to market in search of a beautiful Christmas plate worthy of Saint Nick.

Bookmark your discoveries in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Christmas Plate. Happy Hunting!

To learn how the bookmarking feature functions, please refer to geeksugar's explanation. To get you started, check out a list of my favorite online stores: read more