Christmas candy and latkes were the themes this week as local newspapers gear up for Christmas and Hanukkah. Here's a taste!

In California the San Francisco Chronicle dishes up some holiday baking with recipes for Cashew Turtle Tart and Molasses & Brown Butter Cream Sandwich Cookies. Also inside: the return of Chilean sea bass, a taste-off to determine the best European-style butters, and fried Hanukkah goodies.

The Chicago Tribune features some of the best food books of the year, giving the top honors to Marcus Samuelsson's Soul of A New Cuisine, a food tour of his native Ethiopia. They also look at Dorie Greenspan, Jamie Oliver and many others. Great source for last minute gift ideas!

In Tennessee they're getting down to practicals for the holidays. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has a set of great candy recipes, sources for edible gifts, and tips for deep frying, including recipes for Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fried Chicken and deep-fried Oreos.

The Washington Times serves up a great holiday food section, with a mix of cultural and practical stories. They look at the Italian tradition of the feast of seven fishes, soups for tree trimming time, and a recipe for cranberry oatmeal cookies, which are both easy and good-looking!