The 84th Annual Academy Awards are quickly approaching, and for those of us in the food business, especially in Los Angeles, Oscar time is party time. No Oscar party would be complete without the perfect drink for a celebratory toast, or two. Each year an official cocktail is poured that best represents the trends and flavors of spirits. This year, the honor goes to our friend, mixologist Adam Seger.

Adam’s cocktail, called Red Carpet Glamour, is created with Moet & Chandon Champagne and Hum, his own botanical spirit of pot still rhum infused with fair trade hibiscus, ginger root, cardamom and kaffir lime. It’s sweeping the nation! Moet & Chandon announced Adam’s selection this way:

Life has been so super busy these days. I mean, crazy busy to the point that I have not read a book that wasn’t food-related, nor have I had time to go to the movies.

Actually, forget about recreational activities. I barely have had time to pay my bills or keep up personal hygiene, such as getting the laundry done or taking a long bath....

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as all that! I somehow stumble into the shower each morning and muster up a respectable-looking outfit. At least I have not noticed any snickering or laughter when I walk by. Or maybe I’m just too tired to notice. So at least I am managing for now.

A recent unearthing of my great-grandmother’s acclaimed Sloppy Joe recipe got me thinking about the nostalgic loose meat sandwich. I admit, the soupy sando has never been on my list of faves. Perhaps it’s the association to the commercially canned sauce, or maybe it has to do with the way it’s served – on fluffy white buns that begin to disintegrate the moment they come into contact with the saucy filling. The whole mess really puts the slop into Sloppy Joe.

Joining Twitter is like being the new kid at school. Everyone else already has friends, everyone is chattering away in their little cliques, and you are standing alone on the sidelines, trying to find a way to break in.

You begin to follow people and start commenting – tentatively, at first – looking for common ground. Like any in-person conversation, you try to engage in the conversation going on around you. Someone tweets that they are cooking a certain dish. You tweet back, “How do you make it?” Someone is back from vacation. You ask, “How was your trip?” And you hope these strangers will respond and follow you back.

I’m always trying to eat more veggies but most of the time they’re really an afterthought. There are only so many times you can steam or sauté vegetables before they get boring.

Today’s recipe is a carrot salad which can be enjoyed year-round because carrots are always available in the market. This dish has a great burst of flavor that comes from sweet-tart dried plums and Moroccan spices, and the salad will add some nice, vibrant colors to your meal.

When my niece first told us she was coming to L.A. for a visit last summer, the boys and I quickly made a list of things to do and places to eat. There’s certainly no shortage of tourist attractions or dining experiences in the City of Angels but the boys wanted to find the perfect spot to please their Southern cousin. They decided on The Ivy, not because it’s a paparazzi-heavy celebrity hangout, but because they have great fried chicken.

Fried chicken is a dish that has well stood the test of time…through generations of change and tradition. There’s a reason this comfort food can be found on menus from roadside diners to fine dining, and for a Southerner, it’s a dish that celebrates mothers, grandmothers and generations of cast-iron cooks.

My Nana…I wish I could say that I got my love of baking while sitting in the kitchen at the side of my Nana. But in fact, the opposite is true.

You see, she used to bake a long time ago but that was before she had a fire in the oven. So, as the story goes, that was the end of her baking career and my chance of ever making a cake or brownie alongside her.

However, my Nana was a marvel cooking on top of the range. I like to think that at least that part rubbed off on me.

This Valentine’s day, I’d like to celebrate the union of two New York icons, pastrami and smoked salmon.

When I lived in the East Village, bagels and lox from the appetizing institution Russ & Daughters became a Sunday ritual. Providing everything you’d eat with a bagel to finicky New Yorkers since 1914, no one shows lox more love than Russ.

Among the catalog of cured fish, I found myself particularly smitten with the Pastrami-Cured Salmon, which Russ describes as “salmon smoked to perfection and then covered in a special pastrami rub of 14 different herbs and spices.”

Years ago, when Steve and I were newly married and money was tight, we’d spend an occasional Saturday making a fancy dinner for ourselves (Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking was our favorite resource.). We’d set the table with our good wedding china, arrange flowers, light candles and enjoy a special meal together. Before dessert, we’d get up from the table and do all the dishes, so they weren’t waiting for us when the meal was done. Once the kitchen was cleaned, we’d sit back again and enjoy dessert and coffee, feeling as pampered as if we had dined at an expensive New York restaurant.

I’m on Twitter every weekday afternoon as @specialforksndy trying to help people with their most pressing need of the evening: what to cook for dinner. One of my favorite ideas for cooks in a hurry is couscous salad.

Here’s the couscous recipe in a tweet, under the 140 character limit: “Boil 1 ½ c broth; add 1c couscous. Off heat, cover & stand 5 mins. Fluff w/fork; add chick peas+g onions+feta cheese+olives+Ital dressing.”