Bacon has a place at the table morning, noon and night. And venture beyond its natural pairings to the unusual yet sublime -- in an apple coffeecake or as a martini garnish. Enjoy.

We were opening Christmas gifts last year when my much better half dropped a package on my lap -- a cold, heavy package. Curious (and suddenly chilly), I opened it. Bacon. Six pounds of artisan bacon, ranging from thick-cut hickory-smoked to jalapeño-spiced and apple-cinnamon, varieties hailing from Virginia to upstate New York, Texas to Tennessee.

State superintendent is asking for $31 million so local districts won't have to bear additional burden as the economy forces more students to participate in free or reduced-price programs.

California may run out of money again this year to supplement school meals, in part because more struggling families are taking part in the free or reduced-price school lunch programs, the state's superintendent of public instruction said Tuesday.

Apples and pears are transformed into sublime, complex alcoholic beverages.

This is the season when food and wine articles in the national media suggest that the advent of colder weather calls for seasonal dishes (daubes, pork roasts, apple desserts) and richer, heftier wines (Zinfandel, Barolo, Port) to stave off winter's chill. True, except that our version of "chill" can be downright temperate; before heading to the farmers market and the wine shop, I sometimes still have to slather on sunblock and grab my wide-brimmed hat. Such is the disconnect at this time of year, when instincts and habits tell us to braise lamb shanks and pull out the Cabernet, but the Southern California weather often refuses to cooperate.

Sure, nutmeg and cinnamon are Christmas staples, but try adding Hungarian moula, Madagascar vanilla beans and sumac to the mix.

Blame it on the nutmeg. Of course it's a holiday staple, a sprinkling grated over eggnog, half a teaspoon for mulled cider, a quarter teaspoon in a pumpkin pie. But when a recipe calls for grating one and a half whole nutmegs, well, that's a lot of nutmeg, and the next thing you know I'm making panforte and grating away with my Microplane to see just how much (after a five-minute elbow workout, it yields a small handful). In the meantime, the piles of spices are accumulating on the kitchen counter -- cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, coriander -- and it all smells so Zanzibar-fantastic.

The Santa Ana eatery serves up cochinita pibil, a Yucatecan dish, and other commendable fare.

Push open the screen door at Peña's Restaurant in Santa Ana and you'll find reclaimed relics of California's rancho past: rusted ranch equipment, hollowed-out gourds, a poster promising gold and glory from the pockets of Pancho Villa. Occasionally, a jukebox flips on unprovoked, pumping out the wheezy bellows of an accordion. Down a skinny stretch of the dining room that runs along the kitchen, saddles serve as retrofitted bar stools, bow-legged seats that help Peña's accommodate every eater.

The restaurateur's debut cookbook, 'Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal,' uncovers a vibrant cuisine that includes street food and traditional recipes.

"Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal," the recently published debut cookbook from Brooklyn chef and restaurateur Pierre Thiam, is a vibrant and compelling collection, and a terrific introduction to a less familiar cuisine.

Officials at the nonprofit museum of wine and food say the closing is temporary and they're working on a debt restructuring that will help their mission continue.

Copia, the nearly $80-million museum of wine and food started in the town of Napa by the late vintner Robert Mondavi, has closed and is filing for protection from bankruptcy.

Your weekly serving of L.A.'s best food-related events

TODAY A trip to central Italy The wines of Tuscany, Abruzzi, Marche, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna are uncorked, poured and discussed during this enlightening wine class hosted by sommelier Justin Wilson. 7 p.m., Wine Lab Newport , 2901 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 100, Newport Beach. $25. (949) 515-8466. www.winelabnewport.com .

Restaurants can be great places to explore vintages, thanks to proprietors' expertise, passion and respect for customers' budgets.

S. Irene Virbila restaurant critic >>> For those of us who love wine, Los Angeles is a wonderful city for all things vinous. We have some of the best wine shops in the country, so competitive with one another that the selection of wines and favorable pricing trump those of most retailers in other parts of the country. ¶ Not only that: L.A. boasts a good number of wine-friendly restaurants where you can nourish a deepening interest in the grape. Not to mention the restaurateurs and wine waiters who offer engaging advice on wine with undisguised passion for pet appellations or finds. ¶ For true wine lovers, it's not about which restaurant has the deepest cellar or the deepest pockets. It's about which has the most beguiling wine list. And it's not even just about the wine, it's also very much about a wine culture where the sommeliers and servers celebrate wine and, without intimidating anybody, however green, make the subject fun to explore. ¶ It's easy to propose that $300 bottle of cult Cabernet or name Burgundy, or the wines that have just topped the charts in the Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator. But coming up with a little-known wine or up-and-coming young producer -- that takes research and ingenuity. It means tasting and tasting to find the good bottles, not just reading up online.

Many are left satisfied at charitable dinners throughout Southern California, but even nonprofits struggle to keep mouths fed as food runs out before the lines do.

Thousands of people -- needy families, single mothers with children, the recently unemployed -- converged on free Thanksgiving Day meals throughout Southern California on Thursday to feast and forget their troubles, at least while the food lasted.

One woman's vegan meal will include two rescued birds as guests. The holiday season can be challenging for those who abide by the diet free of all animal products, but the soy 'meat' will be bountiful

At Karen Dawn's Thanksgiving feast, there will be yams and stuffing with cranberries and a dessert of pumpkin-pecan pie, all set out on a table for eight.

There's still plenty to be thankful for, right?

Give thanks before the big feast with an easy appetizer -- a handpicked selection of American cheeses.

Why isn't cheese a bigger player in the Thanksgiving meal (other than the fact that there probably wasn't much of it in 17th century Plymouth)? Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to serve cheese, for reasons both lofty and practical. The lofty reason is seasonality, because this is arguably the best time of year for cheese. And the practical reason is convenience, because cheese doesn't require an oven.

Rolls, braised cabbage and mashed potatoes are homey and fuss-free

Even if you're the kind of person who types out production schedules for holiday meals -- the days laid out according to brining times and baking itineraries -- and especially if you aren't, the day before Thanksgiving can bring on a sudden crisis of faith. Will there be enough food? Where are the dessert plates? Did I forget the mashed potatoes?

The versatile vegetable is not just for the closing-act pie. Pumpkin comes out of its shell to richly flavor salads, stuffing and even a layer cake.

Of the many rituals that signify the holiday dinner, there are two that serve as the bookends that make Thanksgiving more than just another lowercase meal: the carving of the turkey to start the festivities and the serving of the pumpkin pie at the very, very end.

A buttery herb crust, earthy vegetables and turkey in a velvety sauce. It's a twist on the classic and a perfect post-holiday supper.

One of my favorite things on Earth is chicken pot pie, but one Sunday after Thanksgiving, after we'd had leftovers and there was still turkey left (due to an overly generous assessment of the size of bird needed), I thought it might be a good idea to try a turkey pot pie.

After finding the restaurant closed, the staff is told the owner 'wants to reconceive' and will give more details when he returns to the U.S.

Bastide has been shuttered again by its mercurial owner, commercial director Joe Pytka, who reportedly will give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the future of his lauded West Hollywood restaurant to his staff today after returning from a trip to Scotland.

Carolynn Spence unveils a homey new menu, but the true dining standout is the romantic courtyard garden.

The restaurant at the fabled Chateau Marmont , the towering emblem of Old Hollywood that has sat perched above Sunset since 1929, has had its ups and downs through the years. It was up -- way up -- when Mohammad Islam was the chef. Now he's gone (back to Chicago), and Carolynn Spence, former chef de cuisine of the New York gastropub the Spotted Pig, is responsible for Chateau Marmont's kitchen as well as Bar Marmont's down the hill. She began the revamp at Bar Marmont, and since I enjoyed her food there so much, I wanted to see what was up with the new menu at the Chateau.

Quick sip

Big Sky, the leading brewery of Missoula, Mont., often apologizes for calling its brown ale Moose Drool. But the name clearly does it no harm -- it's by far the bestselling Montana beer.

Quick swirl

Francois Villard makes one of the northern Rhone's most stunning Condrieus, but this talented young vintner also makes a haunting wine called "Les Contours de Deponcins," which is made from the Viognier grape but doesn't carry the Condrieu appellation. A vin de pays made from younger Condrieu vines, it is a little less rich than his official Condrieu, yet beautifully balanced, floral and elegant. I absolutely love this wine.