I'll be the first to admit that the name kind of makes me wince. It brings to mind McDonald's ill-fated attempt to lighten up their menu in the early 90's with the McSalad Shaker. And yet, when I saw the Fit and Fresh Salad Shaker while browsing Bed, Bath, and Beyond several weeks ago, I was struck by how clever it was.

One of the stands at my local farmers' market sells some of my favorite olives and I always try to keep a container of them in my refrigerator.

The Eliki Olive Oil Company specializes gourmet olive oils, vinegars and other delicious foods imported from Greece. Their olive oil is organic and comes in interesting flavors such as Sun dried Tomato and Garlic, Rosemary, Chili Pepper, Orange Tarragon, and Lavender with Thyme. Their balsamic vinegar is sweetened with figs and comes in pretty, thick-glassed decorative bottles.

What was once a shabby liquor store on a nondescript street is now arguably one of the best little boutiques on the East side of town.

Founded by a furniture designer and his hat-making wife, Clover specializes in impeccable modern design with a slight bohemian twist, from local as well as international designers. The store boasts a bountiful and well-chosen selection of men and women's clothing, books, toys, and other clever accessories, but what I love most are the house wares.

Only six chefs remain and things are getting pretty dramatic.

For the Quickfire Challenge the chefs are asked to create a snack incorporating one of three Kraft (not to be confused with Tom Colicchio's Craft) products - Kraft Original Barbeque Sauce, Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing or Kraft Real Mayo. Here's what they came up with:

• Lamb Kebab with Curried Kraft Mayo, Endive and Tomatoes
• Steak Tartare with Kraft Mayo, Cornichons and plums
• Sandwich of Tempura Shrimp, pickled peaches and BBQ Aioli
• Brie and Crab Quesadilla with Chipotle Salas and Kraft Mayo Salad
• Fig Raisin Toast with Yogurt, Honey, Almonds, Grapes and BBQ Sauce
• Smoked Salmon Napoleon with Zest Italian Dressing (Why are there so many Napoleons this season?)

Alex Karpanos, the lead singer/guitarist for Franz Ferdinand, it turns out, is a bit of a foodie.

In the February 2007 issue of Bon Appétit, the Scottish musician gives a brief interview, talking about some of his favorite cities in which to eat (Melbourne, Sydney and Mexico City), his addiction to kimchi, and the therapeutic qualities he gets from cooking. What's more, he's recently published a book called Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand. The book is a collection of essays and columns he wrote for The Guardian about his culinary adventures whilst on tour with his band. Sounds tasty.

I know there is no shortage of antique stoves for sale on Craigslist, but here's a particularly nice one.

This Wedgewood from the 30's has been completely restored to its original condition. It has four burners, a center griddle, two ovens and a double broiler. The owner says it works perfectly. It's being sold for $750.

And don't forget to post your own listings at The Kitchen's classifieds by clicking that pretty yellow button to the right.

OTHER COOKS' STUFF
• Electric Rice Cooker for $20
• Assorted Kitchen Items for $200
• Brand New Moen Faucet for $50
• Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for $40
• Le Creuset Cookware for $75
• Knife Block for $10

Thanks, Craig!

• Chefs, Inc. is offering an Indian Cooking class taught by Neela Paniz, the former owner of Bombay Cafe. Among the dishes students will learn to prepare are Sindhi Cornish Hens Poached with whole Spices and finished with Coriander, Cayenne and Green Mango Powder, a Green Mung Bean Dal with Fried Onions and Cumin, and Railway Station Potato Curry. The class is at 7 pm on Friday, January 12 and the cost is $95.

• The Epicurean School is offering a workshop on gluten free baking. Recipes will include hearth breads, sweet breads as well as gluten free cakes and pastries, all using ingredients you can find at your local Whole Foods. The class is Saturday, January 13 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm and the cost is $90.

• The Wine Hotel hosts wine tastings every Saturday from 4 to 6 pm, where for $20 you can taste five different wines. Call 323.937.9463 to make reservations.

Perhaps you've read a recipe that calls specifically for canned San Marzano tomatoes. But what's so great about these particular tomatoes anyway?

San Marzano tomatoes are the most famous plum tomato to come out of Italy. They are grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius, which gives them a sweet flavor and low acidity and they are coveted for their firm pulp, deep red color, easy to remove skin and low seed count. In fact while regular round tomatoes usually have four or five locules or seed pockets, plum tomatoes like those from San Marzano have only two.

In San Marzano, the tomato harvest begins in August and runs through September. The crops are very delicate and all the tomatoes are picked by hand at the peak of their ripeness. Because of the close attention to quality, many cooks consider San Marzano tomatoes to be among the best in the world to use in a sauce.

Recently I was browsing through the cookware selection at Anthropologie and this rather interesting piece caught my eye.

The box referred to it as a "measuring scoop," for obvious reasons, although I think it looks nice enough to use maybe as a gravy or sauceboat. I just love the elegant, modern shape and for just $15 it's quite a bargain. For those of us who don't know, apparently Gary Rhodes is an English restauranteur, cookbook author, and celebrity chef, sort of along the same lines as Gordon Ramsey. And like most celebrity chefs these days, he has a line of kitchen tools. His is put out by Typhoon and also includes a beautiful mortar and pestle ($24.00), this lovely salad bowl with servers ($50), and a funny little egg separator ($10).

Tuesday on Emeril Live, Emeril makes shrimp four different ways - Italian, Indian, Spanish and Greek.

Wednesday on Molto Mario, Mario throws together some Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage and Fennel as well as some Lamb with Olives.

Thursday on The Martha Stewart Show, Martha joins a woman from Cincinnati known as "Aunt Flora" and together they make some soul food, including a Savory Vegetable Cobbler.

Friday Giada's Weekend Getaways premieres on Food Network with back to back episodes in which Giada explores the foods of Seattle and Miami.

Saturday on Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, Ellie gives a couple classic family dishes, Chop Suey and Sloppy Joes, a bit of a modern makeover.