Both cherries and strawberries are in season and juicy-sweet delicious right now. Since they won't be this perfect for long, I can't help but buy bunches of both every time I go to the market. But if given the choice to eat just one for the rest of my life, I'd definitely choose strawberries.

Have you ever heard of the miracle berry. This exotic West African fruit, has the astonishing ability to make bitter and sour foods taste sweet. The berry contains an active molecule that binds to the tongue's taste buds causing certain foods — like limes or lemons — to seem sweet.

Do you prefer strawberries or raspberries. If you can't decide then let me introduce you to
strasberries, the fruit that falls somewhere between strawberries and raspberries. The fruit was "born" in the early 1900s, but disappeared from markets until Dutch farmers rediscovered them several years ago.

My elegant
Christmas dinner calls for equally-sophisticated cocktails. I'll have distinct wine pairings for each course and one festive signature cocktail to get the night started right.
With the
oysters and crab crostini, pour a sparkling Prosecco; it's a lovely and affordable varietal.

Juniper Berry
A black-blue colored berry that resembles black peppercorns. These berries are native to Europe and America and have a very astringent flavor. Although they are too bitter to eat raw, the crushed dried berry is used to flavor meats, sauces, and stuffings.