Back in mid-October, I was a guest of Bodil and Patrick Barrington in their home in Weymouth, UK, near the Atlantic about 120 miles southwest of London.

I received word that Bodil Barrington, a charming Danish lass, is an excellent cook with a flair for desserts. I also picked up that her special area of expertise is anything made using almond paste, i.e. marzipan.

A business owner and chef brings her fine dining expertise to a high school hospitality and food service class.

Twice as many wannabe chefs are cultivating their cooking skills at the Saginaw Career Complex, 2102 Weiss, thanks to the addition of a second instructor.

Award-winning chef and restaurant owner Shari Smith of Auburn has teamed with longtime food service instructor Julie Ivan to train high school student in the restaurant business. There's still a waiting list of 40 to 50 students eager to get into the hospitality and food service curriculum.

David A. Sommers | The Saginaw NewsTeacher Julie Ivan, 47, left, of Freeland and Chef Shari Smith, 49, of Auburn, work with Saginaw Career Opportunities Center student Cherish Nichols, 17, of Thomas Township. They are part of the culinary program at the school.

The scale was good to me this morning because I used everything I have learned from diet experts about how to get through Thanksgiving without bingeing! So good I lost 3 1/2 pounds since last Monday.

In fact, I'm only one pound away from my third reward, the gift we give ourselves after losing 5 pounds.

Ryan Garza | The Flint JournalWestside Diner, 2336 S. Ballenger Highway in Flint Township, offers burgers, malts and shakes made with hand-dipped ice cream and hearty dinners.

Cy Leder's area restaurant reviews run in this space every other week. On the alternating Fridays, we boil down his most recent reviews in capsule form. Share your opinions of the restaurants in the comments below.

• CANADIAN STEAK, FISH & SANDWICH CO., 3235 Thompson Road (at U.S. 23), Fenton Township; (810) 714-9655. Big breakfast menu until 2 p.m., very good steaks, burgers and sandwiches. Fish is emphasized, from shrimp and frog legs to walleye and Alaskan crab. Good fried bread and sides like housemade onion rings. Reviewed May 23.

• CASTAWAYS OF LAKE NEPESSING, 4058 Hunt Road, Elba Township in Lapeer County; (810) 245-8500. A beautiful setting with a nice variety of food, including two meals for $20 Sunday. New Orleans-style and traditional American food, as well as unusual dishes such as flatiron steak, Cajun prime rib on weekends and Southwestern-spicy crusted salmon. Reviewed Nov. 7. Continue reading "Restaurant reviews: Fandangles, Hollywood Diner, Steady Eddy's and others reviewed" »

Press Photo/Emily ZoladzCurtis Smith, Grand Valley State University professor of Chinese language and literature, demonstrates a traditional southern Chinese tea ceremony recently.

Curtis Smith, associate professor of Chinese language and literature at Grand Valley State University, cradles the unglazed clay teapot from the Yixing village in Jiangsu province near Shanghai -- a recent purchase from Taipai, Taiwan, this summer.

Smith neatly arranges the 8-ounce tea pot and another tea pot pitcher on a bamboo tea tray with three itty-bitty tea cups. He readies a kettle with nearly boiling water and sets up his tea paraphernalia -- a set of beautiful bamboo tea spoons, a tea scoop, long-handled tweezers, a tea strainer and a tea poke to clear leaves from the spout. He keeps a cloth nearby for spills.

"This is called Kung Fu tea. Kung Fu actually doesn't mean martial arts. It means 'hard work,' so Kung Fu tea is a more labor-intensive way to make tea," says Smith, who holds a doctorate from National Taiwan Normal University.

Press Photo/Paul L. Newby IIBreakfast bread pudding

Even in tough economic times, you may entertain overnight guests during the holidays. A cold kitchen full of hungry guests in the early morning could topple your inner grace.

So, develop your plan. A lovely breakfast bread pudding with cranberries, sausage and chevre bundles the best ingredients for a showy, one-pot holiday meal.

As supermarkets advertise seasonal sales, now is the time to stock up on the key ingredients, including eggs, butter, breakfast sausage, fresh cranberries and unsliced bread (which can be frozen until needed). Seasonings and spices -- cinnamon, grated orange zest and brown sugar -- should be stocked in your pantry.

Press Photo/Paul L. Newby IIVenison tacos seasoned with cumin, coriander, chili powder and smoked paprika, deglazed with tequila and served with apple-peach salsa

ACME -- The call of the wild cannot be ignored by Ted Cizma, executive chef at Grand Traverse Bay and Spa.

A meal of wild game, venison, duck and pheasant is stimulating food, boldly prepared and ridiculously good when field-dressed by Cizma.

"It represents American food at its best, said Cizma, an accomplished wild game cook and bow hunter.

From the start, Cizma's cooking style championed meat and wild game. Anointed Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chef in 2000, Cizma drew a flood of honors and awards in Chicago, including winning Chicago Magazine's "Best New Restaurant" three times, Walt Disney World consultant and chef for ESPN's Winter Games in Aspen.

"Back in the day when I had my restaurants in Chicago, our menus were intensely regional-American focused," Cizma said. "My cooking style was described as aggressively seasoned, boldly flavored, so I naturally gravitated toward using game products, because they fit the style of food that I wanted to cook. Plus, I was young and brash and wanted to cook outside of the box."

Ted Cizma is executive chef at Aerie restaurant at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

ACME -- Pairing big-game dishes with the perfect beers is something chef Ted Cizma knows a lot about, as he demonstrated during this year's Traverse City Epicurean Classic.

Executive chef at Aerie Restaurant at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Cizma, along with Chris Turano, Chicago's Crowne Metro Plaza Hotel executive chef, came up with deliciously sophisticated but playful combinations paired with New Holland Brewing Company brews.

Cizma and his protege, started out like gangbusters with crisp pork with roasted red haven peach and veal jus with chile pepper and fresh basil matched with New Holland's Golden Cap Saison Ale 2008, a Belgium farmhouse-style ale.

Press Photo/Lori Niedenfuer CoolLeonardo Tombelli's Tuscan bean and vegetable soup.

Infused with the fundamental flavors of Italian cooking -- olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary -- Leonardo Tombelli's Tuscan bean and vegetable soup is thick, robust and delicious.

Born in Florence, Italy, Leonardo immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was a child. The recipe comes from his mom, Giulianna, who lives near Lansing.

"It's a great winter soup," Leonardo said, adding in Italy, beans are staples in many dishes.

Thickened with pureed great northern beans, the soup can be adapted to individual taste.

"You can either have it really thick by using less liquid, or add more for a thinner soup," Leonardo said.

Are beets OK to eat on the diabetic diet? I have a running argument going with my husband, who says we shouldn't eat beets because people make sugar out of beets.
-- L.S., Grand Rapids

Several types of beets are grown throughout the world. The most common type for eating is called a garden beet (or beetroot in the United Kingdom).