3 cups water

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3 ounces dark chocolate, 60 percent cocoa content or higher

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces

1. In a heavy medium saucepot, combine water, corn syrup and sugar over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in cocoa, and simmer until cocoa dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 2 more minutes.

When Matt brought home a couple of Wallaby yogurts last week, I had two questions: what exactly is Australian style yogurt, and why is a company in Napa County, California, producing it?

After tasting it, I had a third question: what took us so long to discover this wonderful yogurt? Wallaby's been making small batches of lowfat organic yogurt for more than a decade. Their yogurts have a subtle sweetness and delicate flavor unlike any yogurt I've ever had. Wallaby's smooth, creamy texture comes from being slow cooked instead of thickened with gelatins or starches.

You gotta have fat, on that we all agree. Our bodies need a certain amount of fat in order to function properly. But how much? And what kind? That's where the consensus breaks down.

Studies that focus on the benefits of low fat versus high fat diets are outdated, because we now know that there are good fats and bad. But the perplexed layperson (i.e., me) has a hard time getting a straight answer when it comes to how much fat is really good for us, and which fats are the most beneficial.

Horizon's eggnog is about as good as any low-fat eggnog could be; with only 3 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving, it's got less than half the fat of most standard eggnogs. and

Homemade ice cream is a piece of cake to make if you’ve got the right machine. We lucked out a few years back and found a secondhand Italian gelato machine with a built-in compressor; you don’t have to keep it in the freezer, and it makes perfect ice cream every time. Best $60 we ever spent (they cost about $400 new, unfortunately; it will be a tragic day if I ever burn out the motor with my incessant ice-cream making.)