If you haven’t done so yet, read Olivia Judson’s New York Times piece about the dangers of too much sitting and feel the fear. Then do something about it.

Oh, and yes, we have the book: The Step Diet, by James O. Hill, John C. Peters and Bonnie T. Jortberg.

Aren’t we prescient?

–Associate Editor Savannah Ashour is twitchy and proud of it.

Because I edit so many cookbooks, you most likely think I’d blog a new favorite recipe, say, from Steven Raichlen’s forthcoming Planet Barbecue, or maybe something dessertish from Anne Byrn’s The Cake Mix Doctor Returns. Nope—because when I get over-reciped, I turn to knitting. I can’t pass a yarn store without going in (knitters—you know what I mean). I can’t go in without buying something (knitters—you really know what I mean). I have a great big yarn stash that makes me happy (knitters with great big yarn stashes are very happy). But I don’t only like to look at my stash. I actually love to knit.  And what better place to find the perfect pattern than—where else?—Stitch ’N Bitch, by Debbie Stoller.  In fact, there’s a pattern I like so much (the Big Sack Sweater on page 203), I knit it twice.  Actually, I’m considering taking orders (okay, not really). Below are both sweaters, as worn by America’s Next Top Models (aka myself and my assistant, Erin).

–Cookbook Director Suzanne Rafer just won’t put the needles down.

You finally arrive in Italy- a little jetlagged, tired of airplane snacks, and burnt out on the three barely tolerable romantic comedies you endured on your flight over – and you can’t wait to dig into that transcendent Italian food you’ve been dreaming of….Then you’re foiled. The pizzeria doesn’t have seats?  The caffè won’t serve a sandwich? I can’t get wine by the glass? Like most European countries, Italy has it’s own unique system of eating establishments, and they rarely deviate from the rules. So how do you get the food you want?  Biba’s Italy, by Biba Caggiano, provides a decoder list to what exactly you can expect in the wide variety of food venues in Italy – a rundown, which may prove invaluable to both your wallet and stomach next time you’re abroad.

Ristorante: Italian restaurants are as diverse as the Italian landscape. Some elegant, expensive restaurants are the domains of celebrity chefs who specialize in creative cooking. Others are simpler establishments that serve the traditional food of the area. Restaurants will provide the customer with a printed menu and a wine list.

Trattoria: A small, unassuming restaurant, generally family owned, that serves traditional homestyle food at reasonable prices. Usually serving a limited number of dishes with less polished service, the trattoria is often a home away from home for many. Stay away places that offer a “a menù turistico,” which is a set meal for tourists that offers very standard, often uninspired food.

Osteria or Hostaria: Generally a tavern or a wine shop that serves wine by the glass and offers a limited number of homey dishes. Soups, cheeses, cold cuts, savory breads and pickled vegetables may be among the offerings.

Enoteca: An urban, more gentrified wine bar than the humble osteria. Enoteche serve wine by the bottle and by the glass, and many have added more ambitious dishes to their menus.

Tavola Calda: An informal eatery that serves a selection of hot dishes to eat informally, standing up or to take out.

Rosticceria: A shop the sells food to go, primarily roasted and spit-roasted meats, roasted potatoes, and sautéed vegetables at reasonable prices.

Pizzeria: Pizzerias are divided into two categories: shops that make pizza and sell it by the slice or by square pieces, and regular pizzerias where you can sit at a table and choose from the many toppings. Today these informal establishments often serve a small selection of pasta, salads, calzone, and savory pies as well.

Paninoteca: A sandwich shop. Panini stuffed with seafood, ham, vegetables, and cheeses, alone or in appetizing combinations can be bought there.

Gelateria: An ice cream parlor. Italians rarely make gelato at home, nor do they regularly order it in restaurants or trattorie, for they prefer to walk to any gelateria or caffè and choose from a large number of flavors.

Pasticceria: A pastry shop where pastries can be purchased to eat there or take away. Often it will have a bar area that serves espresso, cappuccino, tea and so on.

Bars and Caffès: A bar is a place to stop for a quick espresso, cappuccino, tea, pastry or aperitivo, which are generally consumed standing at the counter. (An Italian bar has nothing in common with an American bar.) A caffè is a bar that has the addition of inside and possibly outside tables and has waiter service.

“The footprints you leave behind will influence others.
There is no person who at some time, somewhere, somehow,
does not lead another.”

By mid-February, with winter completely over-staying its welcome (in the Northeast, at least), great comfort can be had in thinking about the first stirrings of spring training. It’s one of baseball’s most enduring charms, how it follows the arc of the seasons.

This time a half-century ago, Yogi Berra, one of baseball’s greatest, would be showing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, warming up Whitey Ford, horsing around with Phil Rizzuto, welcoming, with the rest of the team, Joe Dimaggio after his injury-shortened 1949 season. Eight months later the Yankees will win their 13^th World Championship, defeating the Phillies in four games and earning Yogi one of his record-holding ten World Series rings.

Today Yogi is as famous for his quotations as he is for his superstar career. Later this spring Workman will be publishing a revised edition of The New York Times bestseller, The Yogi Book, which collects all of his famously quotable quotes. A favorite: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” This is Yogi giving driving directions to his childhood pal, Joe Garagiola.

"A Fork in the Road"

Just as we were preparing to get the new edition off to the printer, this turned up in the middle of Downing Street, across from Workman’s offices:

A good omen for Yogi, right?

Going out to dinner should be fun, relaxing and social, so don’t sit at the table wracked with guilt over possibly ruining the diet you’ve been carefully following. There are ways to enjoy yourself out on the town without sending yourself into a shame spiral because you over-consumed. The Big Breakfast Diet by Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., explains that with a little planning and awareness about portion size and food preparation, you can easily sidestep any roadblocks you may encounter when dining out.

Here are 10 tips for a diet-friendly night:

1. Review the menu from home: If you’re dining at a chain restaurant, check its website, where many post the nutritional information for their menus. Decide on your meal before leaving home, or figure out how you will ask your server to prepare your entrée for you.

2. Start with an appetizer: Start you meal with something healthy like shrimp cocktail – hold the cocktail sauce and squeeze on a bit of fresh lemon. Or opt to have your dessert first, such as a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

3. Ignore the bread basket: Unless you’re at a restaurant that serves crusty artisanal bread, most bread isn’t worth the carbs.

4. Speak up for substitutions: If your entrée comes with fries or cole slaw, request a salad, dressing on the side, or grilled veggies instead and pay extra if you have to. Or if you get three sides with your entrée, ask your waiter for a triple order of steamed, grilled or roasted veggies.

5. Practice preventative portion control: The majority of restaurants offer gigantic portions, so ask your server to box half your entrée (except for the veggies) and serve the other half.

6. Use the dip-and-spear method for salads: When you order a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing, then spear a forkful of greens.

7. Treat yourself to seafood: Since fewer people tend to cook seafood at home, treat yourself when you go out. Request that your fish or shellfish be baked, broiled, sautéed, poached, steamed, or grilled, and that it be prepared without extra oil or butter. Nix sauces or ask for them on the side.

8. Tempt yourself with lean meat or poultry: Your best bets include skinless chicken breasts, pork loin, and beef sirloin. Request that it be baked, broiled, grilled, poached or roasted without extra butter or oil.

9. Have dessert raw: For a sweet ending to your meal, order a dish of fresh-fruit compote.

10. Menu Reading 101:
Here are some common menu descriptions that suggest lower and higher fat content:

Lower Fat Content:
Grilled
Poached
Broiled
Braised
Baked
Roasted
Boiled
Steamed
Au jus
Stir-fried
Dry (boiled in wine)

Higher Fat Content:
Fried
Buttered
Breaded
Au Gratin
Crispy
Rich
Creamed, creamy
Béarnaise or Hollandaise sauce
Parmesan

“Some think that love is all flowers and good times, but I think that love is more than just that.
Love is the bad, as well as the better, not lived alone, but a journey together.”
–D.H. Lawrence

To get every recipe perfect the first time around, try these tips from Andrea Chesman and Fran Raboff’s 250 Treasured Country Desserts.

•    If you have them, use nonstick pans except for angel food and sponge cakes. With those cakes you want the batter to cling to the sides of the pan and rise as high as possible.

•    Milk, yogurt, and sour cream combine best at room temperature.

•    Pieces of fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips are less likely to sink in a batter if they are tossed with flour.

•    If a recipe calls for cake flour and you have only all-purpose flour, don’t despair. Substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every cup of cake flour.

•    To allow enough room for the cake to rise, do not fill baking pans more than two-thirds to three-quarters full.

•    Don’t open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking or your cake may not rise properly.

•    Oven temperatures can vary. Start testing a cake for doneness 5 to 15 minutes before the recipe says it should be done.

•    To prevent a wire rack from leaving an imprint on the cake surface, cover the rack with a double thickness of paper towel. Place the covered rack over the top of the cake, then invert the cake and rack. Remove the pan.

•    Cool the cake out of the pan for at least 1 hour before decorating. Then brush loose crumbs off the cake.

•    Apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake, then refrigerate until it is set before applying the final, heavier layer of frosting. This will seal in the crumbs, ensuring a clean final appearance.

My friends are always asking me for recipe advice. It’s not because I’m a brilliant cook, (I’m not) it’s because I have access to the latest Workman cookbooks and love to share the recipes!

But a recent recipe request had me stumped. My friend Anita had volunteered to bake cupcakes for her office’s Haiti earthquake relief bake sale fundraiser and asked for a recipe that would be unique enough to grab the attention of her officemates but simple enough to put together after work one night. I immediately thought of the adorable cupcakes in Anne Byrn’s Cupcakes! from the Cake Mix Doctor, but cringed at the thought of beautifully decorated icing on the bumpy New York City transit.

Luckily I was able to get advice Cake Mix Doctor herself, Anne Byrn! She immediately suggested the Bake Sale Caramel Cupcakes from her newest book, The Cake Mix Doctor Returns. Well, why didn’t I think of that? The caramel icing is cooked and it hardens slightly as it cools on the cupcake, keeping it from getting messy in transit, and the classic flavor is perfect for a bake sale.

Anita’s cupcakes were a huge hit at the bake sale, which raised over $2000 in just one lunch hour! Anne shared the recipe, as well as some other bake sale tips, over on her blog at CakeMixDoctor.com.

While running errands on 7th avenue in Brooklyn yesterday, I saw something in a store window that made me stop dead in my tracks. Could it be? A 2010 Page-A-Day Gallery Calendar?

It was! Though the 2010 Gallery Calendars have been sold out at many retailers (including our own online store) for months, I spotted multiple copies of the 2010 New York Gallery Calendar and Cat Gallery Calendar, as well as a lone copy of the Art Gallery Calendar at the Lion in the Sun Paperie in Park Slope.

So, if you missed out on your 2010 calendar and live in the Park Slope area, hightail it over there before they’re all gone! If you happen to have your own calendar spotting at a local retailer, let us know in the comments.