Animal crackers, black licorice, IKEA hotdogs—yes, we’ve been pregnant too.

The B.C. author of the new Gourmet Pregnancy writes this amusing recipe book that acknowledges cravings (recipes for tempura pickles and M&M granola bars) and morning sickness (plain potato chips) while providing recipes with needed nutrients for the baby bump (vitamin K, for example).

Now if only it came with the recipes for post-baby meals that can be eaten with one hand in under 30 seconds.

http://gourmetpregnancy.com

$18.77 at Amazon.ca

Beware: Do not show up to see Julie & Julia on an empty stomach or you may run out in search of beef bourguignon before the second act.

Nora Ephron’s feel-good film seamlessly jumps between two stories: Julia Child learning to cook in randy post-war Paris, and Julie Powell, a hapless pencil pusher who decides to cook all 524 recipes from Child’s iconic book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Meryl Streep’s turn as the late chef is perfect enough to make us forget the unfortunate Mamma Mia, but the real star is French food, prepared and eaten with gusto. Watching Ms. Child fry butter with great erotic fervor made us commit grave diet crimes on our way home from the theatre. 

Guilty as charged, and bon appetit!

Julie & Julia, opens today at the Scotiabank cinema, 977 Ste-Catherine St. W., Montreal, 514-842-5828, www.julieandjulia.com

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it feels awfully long and gloomy.

We’re channelling balmy summer nights with a Nigella-inspired black olive and watermelon mint salad recipe we picked up at Appetite for Books. This charming shop boasts its own kitchen and roster of cooking workshops.

Quick witted chef/owner Jonathan Cheung is a favourite among Westmount ladies-who-lunch, and his food is divine. Sip chardonnay while he demonstrates impressive knife skills and offers tips on cooking like Oliver, Jaffrey or Ramsay. 

Classes from $75 at Appetite for Books, 388 Victoria Ave., Westmount, 514-369-2002. In April, look out for world famous pastry chef (and Julia Child's former baking buddy) Nick Malgieri's soirée.

www.appetitebooks.ca

We’ve had enough of smug TV chefs so we’ve been turning to Nadia Gosia’s Montreal-made BitchinKitchin.tv. Now the saucy foodie has released a cookbook filled with titillating recipes like Get-Famous Frittatas, Brain-Dead Borscht, and Lock Down French Toast for breakfast in bed with your beau:

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 vanilla bean
Brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
Sea salt
4 thick slices bread
1 Tbls unsalted butter
1 cup rasberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Maple syrup

Method
Beat eggs, seeds of vanilla bean, pinch of brown sugar, splash of milk, pinch of salt.
Drown bread in egg mixture.
Melt butter in large pan on medium heat. Fry bread until golden brown on both sides.
Pile the toast high, throw on rasberries, toasted walnuts and serve with a shot glass of maple syrup.

Nadia G’s Bitchin Kitchen ($19.95) at Paragraphe Bookstore, 2220 McGill College Ave., Montreal, 514-845-5811. Book signing at 7 p.m. on February 19.

You’ve steamed it, peeled it, and covered it in goop. If your nightly ritual is starting to feel like a gourmet recipe gone bad, it might be time for mindful advice.

For gleaming skin, we’re gleaning tips from Dr. Amy Wechsler’s book, The Mind-Beauty Connection.

This psychiatrist-turned-dermatologist offers great advice on ways to combat what she calls stress aging:
• Take a Breath: Deep breathing oxygenates skin
• Get Busy: Exercise boosts circulation and gives a healthy glow
• Get your zzz’s: Sleep is free cosmetic medicine!
• Pucker Up: Kissing releases soothing oxytocin

Available at Amazon.ca, $18.89.