Photo: Bordecia34/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Planning to Eat Chinese this Saturday?
Then dine in good company with the New Center for Arts and Culture at the comedic Moo Shu Jew Show. It’s an evening of Jewish-inspired stand-up comedy, centered around a five-course meal. Where? Where else but at a Chinese restaurant, “where Jews feel most at home” at Christmas time (their words, not ours). Catch it all, starting at 6pm, at the Hei La Moon restaurant, Boston. Tickets purchased in advance cost $5 less.

Getting out on Christmas Eve, Berkshires-style
Turn the indoor marathon of holidays preparations (all that shopping, wrapping, cooking, holiday-partying, etc.) into an outdoor breath of fresh air. Join The Trustees of Reservations at Bartholomew’s Cobble all day on Saturday for a walk about and a cup of hot chocolate.

Local Foods Gift Basket
Here’s a clutch, last-minute gift idea. It’s edible, it supports local food producers and it’s a click away: four different “Taste of Massachusetts” gourmet gift baskets offered by the Mass Specialty Foods Association, in conjunction with Pemberton Farms of Cambridge.
Need some menu ideas for the holiday week, right into New Year’s?

Plan ahead for New Year’s
If you’re still crazy busy this week but know your New Year’s party is looming, book mark this site: how2heroes has an entire section devoted to holiday recipes that will keep you plenty busy and inspired, plus earn you the title “this year’s host/hostess-with-the-most-est.”

Raising a Good-Food Eater
Earlier this week, Boston tasted the fruits of a new partnership between ChopChop magazine and Mass in Motion. A free monthly recipe will soon be distributed to encourage parents in preparing fresh healthy, meals with their children. Each recipe features Mass-grown produce and will be sent out via email to pediatricians, school nurses, community health centers, community partners and parents. Spread the word! Let’s raise a generation of good-food eaters.

NATIONAL TREATS

Bah, Hum Bug!
If you’re baking holiday cookies and hoping that maybe, just maybe, that raw cookie dough might be safe to eat, read this report from NPR’s The Salt. In a word, it’s not. But the suspect ingredient may surprise you.

‘Wanna a Beer with that Latke?
Again from The Salt. A report on where Jewish brewers fit in the holiday craft brewing scene. The 8 Malty Nights brew from Lompoc Brewing (Portland, OR) pairs well with Hanukkah latkes.

Aim to Maintain
During these tasty holidays, the most realistic goal you can set regarding your waistline is not to reduce it, but maintain it. Here are some tips, in a report by Karen Fernau of Chicago’s Sun-Times, on how not to pack on the pounds.

Eating on the Fly
If you’re traveling by air this week and looking for a healthy meal to-go, Detroit should be your destination. The eateries at DTW, one the nation’s busiest airports, apparently ranks #1 for nutritious offerings — i.e., food labeled as “low-fat” or “high-fiber,” etc., according to a report by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Where does Boston’s Logan Airport rank? Well, you’ll have to look beyond the top 5.

GLOBAL TASTINGS

Creating a Cheeseboard
UK food blogger Fiona Beckett of The Cheeselover blog offers these tips on how to assemble and serve a Christmas Cheeseboard.