The month of January always finds me poring over as many food magazines as I can find, even more than the three or four that I subscribe to.

My fascination? Every year each of the “big” food magazines runs an article telling us what is going to be the “in” food ingredient, drink or dessert for the year. Usually armed with a glass of wine, I read these and make notes all over them and put them away until the end of the year to see if they were right or wrong. This year I thought I would share some of these things and my feelings about them with you and then you can be on the lookout for some of them.

A biggie this year as they have been now for several years are cocktails. Like clothes and accessories, what was old is new again and in this category, people are making Tom Collins, Manhattans, Sloe Gin Fizzes and whiskey sours as if they never went out of request. Martinis continue to be the rage, as long you want it in a fruity or herbal flavor and prefer a bright color. During the summer I love a fruity, colorful cocktail as much as anyone, but there are some things that just aren’t meant to be messed with, and a good martini is one of them.

First of all, when I order a martini, I shouldn’t get asked gin or vodka? A martini has gin in it and a vodka martini has, well, you get the picture. It should be very cold and I prefer mine to be dirty (with a little olive juice). And of course, any drink with pomegranate juice in it is considered new. Sorry, the addition of one ingredient does not a food rage make, in my opinion.

Fish with a twist is on the to-do list this year, and although I usually don’t like conditions placed on my food, in this case I have to agree. It seems that there is a big argument brewing over farmed fish or wild fish, the idea being that many species are being fished to the point of extinction and with farmed you can limit the exposure to contaminants. Also, there are many sites available that will tell what fish are considered to be on the endangered list and if you can restrain yourself from ordering them they might have a chance at surviving.

A fine line divides this subject for me, and it will require you to do a little detective work. For example, perhaps a fish isn’t in danger of diminishing, so you would rather have wild than farmed. Just do yourself a favor and check and see if the wild fish was shipped here from a different country instead of farmed here in the United States. In this case, extinction or not, it is best to support our own economy. Or pick a new fish.

Organic products are becoming more and more common in our super markets. Organically grown means that the producers followed USDA rules and were inspected to make sure they did so. Vegetables can’t be grown with chemical pesticide or fertilizers, they can’t be fertilized with sewage sludge and they can’t be genetically modified. Organic animals have to be fed organic feed, cannot be treated with antibiotics or hormones and must be allowed access to the outdoors. Sounds great doesnt it, but to everything there is a down side and the price here is exactly that, a higher price. Again, as noted Bon Appetit, there is the spirit of the rule to be considered. Is it better to buy an organic apple shipped to the U.S. or just wait and buy apples from the United States when they are in season? The answer to this, for me, is threefold. Buy U.S. organic whenever possible, buy your fruits and vegetables in season and wash every thing you buy.

Other items that we are supposed to be watching on the hot food list are Artesian chocolates, wild game and wine from small U.S. wineries.

Personally, here is what I think are the hot new food ingredients, dishes, techniques for this year. New technique ˆ cook it any way you want, in a crock pot, in the oven or on the grill, just cook. New ingredient ˆ your family. Cook for your family and if possible include them in the cooking process. So what if the roasted chicken came from the Piggly Wiggly Deli. Grab a few yellowneck squash and zucchini, slice them up, sprinkle them with olive oil and salt, maybe a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and pop them in the oven to roast while you pouring the tea in the glasses. New dish ˆ just that. Introduce yourself and your family to something new food wise at least once a month, or least something old prepared a new way. Follow these few new ideas and I promise 2007 can be a hot food year at your house too.