FOODIE HOTTIE TOO: Several months back, we declared TV superstar Rachael Ray as the Favorite “Foodie Hottie.” A member of the Foodie gang protests and sends us to the Food Network site and channel to meet Giada De Laurentiis, host of Everyday Italian. Growing up in Italy, the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis, her passion for food was sparked as a child as she learned to prepare recipes for frequent family gatherings. She is the author of The New York Times best-selling cookbook Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes. But she and Rachael Ray are also the subject of a somewhat raunchy online blog competition where one strange blogster fantasizes about his favorite chef and asks: “Rachael Ray will teach how to cook 30 minute meals and eat for $40 a day while Giada De Laurentiis will teach you about Everyday Italian. Don’t deny that you don’t spend hours watching the Food Network; we all do!!! So it makes me wonder….who do the readers fancy more?”

CULINARY MAGIC: On Tuesday evening, December 5, Mac’s Steakhouse (12 Gerard Street, Huntington) welcomes Tony May, owner of Manhattan’s legendary San Domenico restaurant and his cuisine and wines of Northern Italy. Expect the highest level of quality in a Northern Italy extravaganza of fine food and wine, with each of the four courses selected by May. The white truffle will be arriving at Mac’s straight from Piedmont, Italy, in time for this special dinner — a rare opportunity to sample some of the world’s finest foods and wine in the presence of a restaurant legend. The experience is priced at $175 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For reservations and info, call Mac’s: 631 549-5300.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE: The Smithtown Township Arts Council’s ever-popular Make Your Own Gingerbread House workshop will be held Sunday, December 3, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Tuesday December 12, 6-9 p.m., at the Mills Pond House (660 Route 25A, St. James). Includes gingerbread house, icing, and all the decorations to make a truly tasty work of art and a baking coach too! Limited to 30 participants. Reserve early! (children ages 5-12 must be accompanied by adult; 13 & up, no adult required). $15 per gingerbread house. Call 631-862-6575.

WINE HOMEWORK: The American Society of Appraisers informs us that a Gallup poll has shown that wine had tied with beer as America’s most preferred alcoholic beverage. They offer the following tips to consumers: Research – Find a wine retailer that understands your interests and is reasonably informed; Read – educate yourself on understanding wine; Storage – keep wine in a cool place; Taste – develop words to use for the flavors you find in wine so you will be able to make a specific statement; Value – if you’re researching retail values, try www.winesearcher.com. Because of weather and growing conditions vintage dates are important. Once you find a wine you like in a retail store, buy more of it right away. Take notes on what you liked and dislike. With 50,000 new wines from all over the world each year, wine collectors need to do their homework.

CAN IT! A metal can for preserving food was invented by Peter Durand, of London, England in 1810. Metal cans called tins back then because of the metal used, could preserve food for a long period of time. However, a hammer and chisel was needed to open them. It wasn’t until almost half a century later in 1858, that Ezra Warner of Waterbury, Connecticut, invented the can opener – a device that used a lever and chisel. It was improved in 1870 by William Lyman of West Meridian, Connecticut, with a rotating wheel and a sharp edge. The modern-day non-electric type can opener was invented in 1925.

WINE SCHOOL: An intimate, educational and fun evening of wine tasting, and food on Thursday, Dec 7, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. awaits you at Maxwell & Dunne’s Steakhouse (1600 Round Swamp Rd, Farmingdale, www.mdsteakhouse.com), where Ted Egan of Bourassa Vineyards in Napa Valley will discuss the handcrafted, small batch wines and the food pairings. You’ll be able to make your own personal wine blends from actual samples. $49 per person plus tax and tip. Reservations required, 516-694-6200.

QUESTION: What do you call a stolen yam? Answer: A hot potato.

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