5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

This Christmas Eve, tiny tots will probably know that Santa is on his way because they are tracking him with their iPhone app at the dinner table.

For better or worse, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. It may seem hard to not play Angry Birds while your great-uncle tells for the umpteenth time how he used to walk 10 miles in the snow to school everyday (uphill...both ways, no less!) - but trust us, you can unplug for a few hours in order to get back to the root of the holiday season: time with friends and family.

Here to help you enjoy the holiday meals without the distractions of technology is Elizabeth Anne Winters, National Director of the National League of Junior Cotillions and author of the Official Book of Electronic Etiquette.

Now please, silence your phones.

Five Electronic Etiquette Tips at the Holiday Table: Elizabeth Anne Winters
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The former host of the Food Network's "Calorie Commando" was sentenced Monday to nine years in a California prison after pleading no contest to soliciting two homeless men to kill his wife, Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman Elizabeth Martinez said.

Juan-Carlos Cruz's wife was also in court during the sentencing, Martinez said.

Fertility issues were at the center of the murder-for-hire plot, according to sources close to the couple.

Authorities alleged that Cruz offered the two homeless men $500 to kill his wife, Shiara Davila-Morales of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Read Former Food Network chef sentenced in murder plot

Susan Candiotti is a New York-based CNN national correspondent.

Pay a farmer to have fresh vegetables and fruit boxed up and delivered to your house or neighborhood drop off point once a week? It sounds enticing. Truth be told, I’d heard of them, but didn’t realize the concept called Community Supported Agriculture has been around for about 20 years. I suppose I’m so used to going to a grocery store or occasionally, a farmers market, that I never investigated any other option. CSA devotees swear by the personalized farmer to home service and it’s growing in popularity. The LocalHarvest directory alone lists more than 2500 CSAs.

The price varies, but buying a share of the farmer’s crops runs about $500 for the growing season.

(I haven’t figured out how much I pay my local grocer.)
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President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of child nutrition standards Monday, enacting a law meant to encourage better eating habits in part by giving the federal government more authority to set standards for food sold in vending machines and elsewhere on school grounds.

Among other things, the $4.5 billion measure provides more money to poor areas to subsidize free meals and requires schools to abide by health guidelines drafted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To help offset the higher cost of including more fruits and vegetables, the bill increases the reimbursement rate for school lunches.

The bill is about "giving our kids the healthy futures they deserve," the president said during a bill signing ceremony at a Washington elementary school. "Right now across the country too many kids don't have access to school meals."
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Nights are long, there's a chill in the air, seasonal cheer (and stress) is in high gear and at a seemingly endless string of holiday parties, the booze is flowing freely. Punch bowls and open bars abound at this time of year, and it seems a festive (or, again, stress-relieving) tipple is rarely more than a ladle away.

Per the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the distilled spirits industry makes a quarter of its yearly profits in the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year. How much are you helping 'em top that off?

Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• Just when you think you've seen it all, a man robs a convenience store with hot chocolate as his weapon of choice. - KXLH

• Walking on, walking on, walking on broken glass ... Jell-O. - The Food Librarian

• Heat up the kitchen with Red Hots. - NPR

• Top Chef: It's all kosher. - New York Times

• President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 into law. - Office of the Press Secretary

• Talk about a silver lining: All the prepared food affected by the Metrodome roof collapse is being donated to the hungry. - Bloomberg

Lawrenceville, Georgia (CNN) - Come Christmas dinner, Rolanda McCarty, a 36-year-old single mother, usually goes all out.

Her table last year featured a rosemary-and-oil rubbed turkey and a sweet ham. She prepared fresh collard greens according to her grandmother's recipe. The dessert - a rich butter pound cake - was made from scratch.

But after being laid off from her technical recruiting job in January because of the struggling economy, there will be no fancy holiday feast, no family members pouring into her downsized one-bedroom apartment. She will rely on what she has: canned vegetables and microwavable meals from her community food bank.

Read The new hungry: College-educated, middle-class cope with food insecurity and take our Hungry at the holidays poll

Fame Bites goes inside the belly of the entertainment beast. We're dishing out where the celebrities are eating, what they're eating and who they're eating with.

Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif, and DJ Virman, better known as Far East Movement, all grew up together and got their start in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood. Now, the group's hit single "Like a G6" from their debut album "Free Wired" has topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart and reached double-platinum status.

They recently took a break from "sippin' sizzurp" to revisit their Koreatown roots and show Eatocracy all the fixings of a successful Korean BBQ.

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Food in the Field gives a sneak peek into what CNN's team is eating, and the food culture they encounter as they travel the globe. Today's contributor is Sr. Supervising Producer Stacia Deshishku. She previously shared a glimpse of Thanksgiving dinner at CNN's D.C. bureau.

Plenty of things go on behind closed doors in our nation's capital: hush-hush international negotiations, grave matters of state, Joe Biden's semi-annual de-gaffeing. This past weekend at a very famous address, a holiday soiree took place and attendees were implored to keep from blogging. Still - party snacks of this caliber cannot go undocumented, so we'll share a few snaps in the gallery above and stay mum on the locale.

Wanna hazard a guess? Cast your vote in the comments below and while we can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy, we'd be oh so delighted to hear your theories.

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday and the most delicious finds on TV.

Come in from the cold to celebrate today’s food holiday - December 13 is National Cocoa Day.

Despite what Negative Nancy says, cocoa actually has some pretty powerful health benefits. The powder form has a high concentration of flavonoids, which improve blood pressure and heart health, as well as protect your skin from the sun. Not to mention that cocoa is delicious and a nice way to warm up after tromping through the snow. Pour yourself a steaming mug and top with marshmallows.

After all, Rico Rodriguez would approve.

What's on TV?
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