Just in case you missed this treat tucked in to Sunday's paper, we're rounding-up the best of this special supplement to The Times. There's a fun blend of the fantastic and the practical in this issue.

• Preheat Oven...: A review of the top new baking cookbooks with recipes for Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies and Apple and Quince Tart.

• The New Staples: My staple supplies aren't nearly this sexy, but this story has me convinced I should re-consider. Any rose petal jam fans here?

• Room With Ado: Look around some high-end kitchens in an online tour.

• Mystery Meat: Find out what happens when you try to cook a quarter of a cow over the course of a summer. "Eating our cow — and entreating our friends to eat our cow — became our mission."

• Pot Thai: Beautiful kitchen gadgets from Thailand. There's some affordable gifts for the cooks we love here. Can the $14 Miracle Zig-Zag really work as well as they claim?

• Food for Art’s Sake: Artists inspired by food, jell-o and donuts. You're going to love their work and laugh too.

• Thank You for Smoking: Don't let the cloying title stop you from reading the article. Toby Cecchni take us to Schaller & Weber, an old-world style butcher in the Upper East Side. He says you can't beat their bacon. Has anyone tried it? He says the smoky bacon won't work with eggs, but shares a recipe for Linguine With Smoked Bacon, Leeks and Clams.

• Mood Music: Must we have a customized soundtrack for every meal? "Many believe it to be an essential aspect of party decor, and — unlike with flowers or candles — most heterosexual men have no qualms about arranging it."