A baker’s dozen:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Japanese Food & Drink Commercials: Your State Of California Ad Here – VIDEO (LA WEEKLY)
2. Bread of heaven: A curry house diner was amazed after spotting what appears to be face of Jesus on a naan bread (TELEGRAPH)
3. Fake Gatorade labels show Woods, say ‘unfaithful’ (AP)
4. ‘Drunk girl’ passes out, left locked inside Bombers restaurant (CBS 6)
5. The drinking man’s case for smaller servings (THE ATLANTIC)
6. The Specialist: Oyster Evangelists Rise Up (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
7. Cakeland – PHOTOS (TELEGRAPH)
8. Chocolate and Lobster? (NBC 40)
9. Poutine making culinary inroads in U.S. (THE STAR)
10. Elderly US couple marry in supermarket (9 NEWS)
11. Jane and Michael Stern talk Roadfood (SEATTLE TIMES)
12. Awesome Soft Drink Commercials From Around the World (INVENTOR SPOT)
13. Cupcake Maker makes mini cupcakes fast (COOLEST GADGETS)

On the pantry shelf…

1. Bringing Sophistication to the Kitchen: A profile of Williams Sonoma’s Founder – VIDEO (CBS)
2. Cultivating Failure: Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard Program (THE ATLANTIC)
3. Chicken fight is on at KFC (NEW YORK POST)
4. A more mellow Bourdain: With young daughter in his life, bad-boy chef, author, TV host ‘less angry’ these days (PRESS DEMOCRAT)
   
5. Sushi fashion (SUSHI LIFE)
6. Michael Pollan Forages for Chanterelles, Doesn’t Sweat Unsustainable Sushi (GRUB STREET)
7. Obsessives: Cookbook peddler Nach Waxman is the owner of Manhattan’s Kitchen Arts & Letters – VIDEO (CHOW)
8. Revenge of the mistresses: Ramsay’s hooks up with Tiger’s (NEW YORK POST)
9. German chef jailed for butchering colleague (9 NEWS)
10. Filmed in Dominica, this clip demonstrates how to make a Creole, rum-pumpkin cocktail – VIDEO (FOOD TUBE)
11. Coke-powered Nokia cellphone concept by Daizi Zheng (THE DESIGN BLOG)
12. The Harper’s Index: Food (HARPERS)

On tonight’s menu:

1. Anyone can be a cooking show star — even Barbie! (SLASH FOOD)
2. Martha Stewart and Sandals Resorts International Team to Offer Destination Weddings (LUXIST)
3. Artie Lange used 13-inch Wolfgang Puck kitchen knife in violent suicide try; released from hospital after surgery (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
4. Snow storm creates food shortages in Scotland – VIDEO (CNN)
5. Evian Teams Up with Designer Paul Smith (GAYOT)
6. Tooth and nail meet over McDonald’s burger (THE LOCAL)
7. Gatorade bottles filled with honey delay flights (JOURNAL & COURIER)
8. Winemakers to watch: Arnot-Roberts (SF GATE)
9. Target Launches Giada De Laurentiis for Target Kitchen Gear and Specialty Food Collection (PR NEWSWIRE)
10. A wacky week in NYC Celebrity Dining (GRUB STREET)
11. San Francisco’s Mayes Oyster House Reopens (SF WEEKLY)
12. Enemies unite for world record hummus (NEWS.COM.AU)

IT’S THE HEIGHT OF THE winter holiday season and many restaurants and take-out shops are selling special treats bursting with seasonal flavors.

Picking up a ready-to-go holiday special is an easy way to add cheer to your diet without slaving over the stove.

In Los Angeles, MILK Ice Cream Parlor & Bakeshop has a selection of charming holiday specials including Gingerbread Ice Cream and Candy Cane Cupcakes.

The shop also offers gift baskets laden with white chocolate-walnut crumbles, iced spiced molasses and oatmeal-cherry cookies.

In always-festive New Orleans, Cochon Butcher has a holiday season take-out menu including healthy Brined Whole Turkey.

If a holiday splurge is more to your taste, Butcher also offers super fatty Whole Grade A Foie Gras and Peppermint Ice Cream.

Krispy Kreme Doughnut stores throughout North America have several holiday products to choose from.

In addition to charmingly plump Snowman shapes, the chain offers seasonal holiday-colored sprinkles and a spiced Gingerbread Crunch doughnut glazed with white icing.

Chicago’s House of Fine Chocolates creates desserts to celebrate every season.

At Christmas you’ll find snowmen, Santa, nutcracker soldiers and entire houses made of fine chocolate — as well as European style pastries and an assortment of tortes.

In New York, Manhattan’s chic Payard is the perfect place to pick up a hostess gift.

The shop sells cookies, Kosher truffles and chocolates, and a classic Buches de Noel. Another elegant offering is this Sablé Breton, Manjari Chocolate Mousse, Berries Crèmeux and Black Chocolate Sponge.

If you’re the hostess, Payard also sells pre-made mini-Hors d’oeuvres.

Back in California, Willow Glen’s Bertucelli’s La Villa Italian Deli makes their cannoli fresh each day. During the winter holiday season, La Villa’s spectacular cannolis are topped with festive green and red sprinkles.

The deli also offers a homemade cheesecake assortment and homemade biscotti (plain and chocolate flavors).

HAVE YOU SEEN other special holiday treats? Please add a link to what you’ve found by posting a comment!

I HAVE A COUPLE chocoholics on my holiday gift list — the type of people who literally swoon when encountering a chocolate truffle.

This year I’ve found a number of interesting products that will probably send these chocolate lovers into a cocoa-dazed coma.

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Hotel Chocolat has a Liquid Chocolat Selection Gift Box full of drinking chocolate in flavors including Aztec Chili ($25).

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Endangered Species Chocolate offers decadent and delectable gift boxed collections (including a vegan option for $25) — but that isn’t all that’s good.

The company donates 10% of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity — so you can have your candy and feel good about it too.

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Ghiradelli Chocolate is offering 12 Days of Christmas specials including a four pack of blue ornaments filled with premium Ghirardelli Squares™ Chocolates ($23.80).

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CocoaMill Chocolates makes hand crafted St. Nicholas sculptures to order ($75.95).

Sculpted in White, Milk or Bittersweet Chocolate, each piece is over 20-inches tall and weighs 4-and-a-half pounds!

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Neiman Marcus’ Chocolate Hanukkah Candy Set features specialty chocolates, handcrafted by Golda & I, in the shape of dreidels, the Star of David and a menorah ($55).

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La Maison du Chocolat by Robert Linxe — 176 pages of chocolate recipes and beautiful photos of the chocolates of La Maison du Chocolat ($55).

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Recchiuti’s Chocolate Obsession Club sends monthly shipments of the company’s renowned handmade candies.

Available at three levels: three-months ($155), six-months ($305) and twelve-months ($605).