Move over Stirrings, there's a new cocktail mixer on the market and it's made with 100 percent organic fruit juice. Meet Modmix ($9.99), the mixer for the luxury spirit. I was lucky enough to speak with one of the founders, Tricia McCracken, at the Fancy Foods Show. She explained that the mixers pair well with all types of liquor, including bubbly. For a non-alcoholic drink, she suggests diluting the mixer with sparkling water. Modmix comes in six flavors: citrus margarita, French martini, lavender lemon drop, mojito, pomegranate cosmopolitan, and wasabi bloody Mary. Unlike most mixers, Modmix is neither too artificial or too sweet — they taste surprisingly like fresh juice. I loved the French martini, a subtle blend of pineapple juice with a vibrant raspberry color, and the wasabi bloody Mary, a thick tomato juice that packs a spicy punch. The best thing about Modmix is that they have a very pure, intense, authentic fruit flavor. Have you tried Modmix? Did you think it was a step above other cocktail mixers?

It's always seemed a little too effortless to finish off a box of Girl Scout cookies, but if they are a little easier to dust off this year, it's not just in your head. To offset the cost increases of cookie ingredients, Girl Scouts of the USA made the decision to shrink its cookie boxes by a centimeter, package fewer cookies into boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Tagalongs, and reduce the size of its Lemon Chalet Crèmes. According to the organization, the cost of flour rose by 30 percent, assorted cooking oils by 40 percent, and cocoa by at least 20 percent. The company felt this was the best method of dealing with increasing raw material prices. Alternatively, Girl Scouts could have used cheaper ingredients, or raised cookie prices from their current price of $3.50 per box.

This doesn't come as a surprise to me, since last year producers began rolling out shrunken products in reaction to the price of food on the rise. I'm secretly a bit excited — for once, the downsized box may be enough for me to stop short of a stomachache.

How do you feel about this news? Does it affect your decision to buy the cookies?

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Expand your horizons with this recipe that pairs a classic steak with root vegetables. Carrots, parsnips, and beets are cut like french fries, but cook up quicker than the average potato.

Chopped tarragon adds freshness. For an alternate presentation, slice the vegetables into thin coins before sautéing. Serve with a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy the weekend! Look at the recipe: read more

Red and gold are the perfect colors for an elegant Chinese New Year dinner. Use Asian prints and symbols as accents. Start by covering the table in a rich red tablecloth. Set the table with gold plates, gold napkin rings, and golden stemmed flatware. Instead of a floral arrangement, place a large golden bowl in the center of the table. Fill with vibrant tangerines.

Glass barware with a dragon motif is divine for serving shinsei sangria. Run globular votives down the middle of the table. Place fresh bamboo planters in the corners of the dining space. Write the name of each guest on the back of traditional red envelopes and use instead of place card holders.

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When I was watching this week's Top Chef, I knew from the get-go that Radhika was going home. You could tell her heart wasn't in the game. When I spoke with her over the phone, she was unenthusiastic about her experience and future. However, she's surprisingly "buddies with Stefan"! To find out what she had to say about her fellow contestants, restaurant wars, and the judges, read more