Someone was not having a very Merry Christmas Eve at the airport a couple weeks ago. Rebecca Hains of Massachusetts tried to fly home from Las Vegas with a vanilla-bourbon-frosted cupcake stored in a jar. But airport security agents confiscated the cupcake, claiming they suspected the frosting of harboring dangerous weapons-grade terrorism gel, or something like that.

Point is, they said her "container" of "gel" -- more than the 3 ounces allowed by airline rules -- posed a security risk. The Internets laughed at the idea back when the story first broke in December. But just today, TSA had the gall to post about the incident on their blog, and get this: They still defend their decision! Is this the Federal agency that killed Christmas, or should we be bribing TSA agents with cupcakes?

We were just sitting around writing away in the office this week, lamenting the End of the Holiday Treats. Doesn't it feel like there should be cake, say, around 2:00? What happened to after-dinner dessert? Where are the cookies?!? Well, I have good news for you all. For unto you on this day ... there shall be King Cake!

Today is Three Kings Day, the holiday celebrated throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. And guess what? We can haz cake! The cake is also known as Rosca de Reyes, and it's kind of more like bread. But-but-but! There's sugar and icing and candied fruit -- and also a little plastic baby Jesus hidden inside. Check out these Dia de Reyes recipes and ideas.  

Pigs in a blanket are the party app just about everybody loves -- kids and grown-ups. They're cute, little, savory, crunchy, and don't you love saying that silly name out loud? It's the snack that says "party!"

They're also incredibly easy to make -- remove from box and heat, if you can find them pre-made and frozen. If you can't find frozen pigs in a blanket, just cut up hot dogs (or buy cocktail wieners) and wrap them in triangles of puff pastry dough. Now that you know the basics, why not dress them up a little for the New Year? Rachael Ray's twist on the classic gives them extra crunch and three zingy dipping sauces for your guests to choose.

Hangover-curing hydrotherapyOh Goop. I don't know whether to avoid you or give you a wet, slobbery, commoner's hug. Sometimes Gwyneth Paltrow's weekly newsletter dazzles me with its usefulness and sparkles. Other times it just makes me feel resentful and 99-percenty. This week's newsletter actually puts me somewhere in the middle. It's all about to recover from a hangover -- and how to prevent one. Useful!

And yet...as I scanned through the newsletter something jumped out at me: All Gwynnie's gurus are making this hangover business way more complicated than it needs to be! Are there any hidden gems of that a broke, regular person like me can use? Let's review the highlights.

For many families, especially Italian-Americans, Christmas Eve is the Night of 7 Fishes. That's 7 different fish dishes for dinner, if you follow tradition strictly! Or maybe just one as the main course. Either way, the idea is you celebrate the night Jesus was born by refraining from eating meat. But that doesn't mean the dinner can't be extra special!

So many fishes in the sea, so many different ways to cook them. You've probably had the baked cod and the pasta in clam sauce, the fried calamari, and the anchovies. Maybe you're even brave enough for the octopus salad. But why not try something unique this year? I've found 5 festive fish dishes to spice up your Christmas Eve dinner.

Don't you just love whoopie pies? They're like the love child of a sandwich cookie and a cupcake. Not to mention the name -- whoopie! And this recipe has a sweet holiday touch -- a frosty peppermint filling.

Even better, it's a recipe by Dawn Casale of Brooklyn's own One Girl Cookies -- from her new book, titled One Girl Cookies Cookbook. I've been biking over to that bakery for years for Dawn's delectable little cookies. She's known for her whoopie pies, so I know this recipe is going to be a knock-out. This month's Country Living has more of Dawn's recipes if you love this one.

"You know what would be great?" said my husband last summer. "One of those heavy grill press things that keeps meat and bacon from curling up when you're cooking it." You know what he's getting for Christmas? A heavy grill press thing that keeps bacon from curling up when you cook it. He never bothered to put it on his wish list, I just made a mental note and bought one, and I plan to pat myself on the back every time he uses it.

This, I like to think, exemplifies a crucial aspect of skillful gift-giving: listening. Another crucial aspect: remembering. Also crucial: time, money, and feeling some affection for the person you're buying for.

But what if it's December 22 and none of those aspects are in place, and suddenly you need to pick up a little something for the person in your office who invited you to cocktails Friday night? Or your husband's step-sister who suddenly decided to fly in from Norway? Or the sitter who's coming. over. right. now?

I've always thought of the Yule Log as sort of the Mount Everest of holiday baking. Otherwise known as a Buche de Noel, it looks fabulous and tastes even better -- but I never thought I could pull it off. (It's the whole cake-rolling thing that intimidates me.)

But this year, I'm determined. So what if the end result isn't perfect? After an exhaustive search to find the most, uh, do-able Yule Log recipe out there, I chose this one (mmm, mocha!).

I figure you can never go too terribly wrong with chocolate, and it'll give me a great excuse to talk like Julia Childs while I bake: And now we will make the classic Buuuuche! De Noel ...