Compiled by Chuck Martin

Leftover thoughts: Just how long can you serve those Thanksgiving leftovers?

If it's refrigerated properly, serve cooked turkey, other poultry and cooked leftovers within three to four days of cooking, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline (888-674-6854). Cooked ham will keep longer - up to five days. But today's the day to throw out leftover gravy and any food containing poultry broth.

Cookie time: Gear up for Christmas baking with this stackable set of three cooling racks ($7.99), which require minimal storage space. Available at Target, the racks are rustproof and dishwasher-safe.

By the book: Know your cut-outs from your bar cookies by studying the new Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies (Harvard Common Press; $14.95).

Shipping tips: When mailing cookies, The Food Lover's Tiptionary (Hearst; $15) recommends:

• Sending bar cookies and other soft cookies that withstand crumbling and breakage. Avoid shipping fragile, thin cookies and those with frostings and pointed edges.

• Wrapping cookies in pairs (flat sides together) in foil.

• Packing cookies tightly in sturdy containers such as cookie tins, plastic or cardboard boxes, or coffee cans.

• Tucking the packed cookies into another container filled with crumpled newspaper, Styrofoam pellets or bubble wrap.

Cooking kids: Children ages 8-11 cook for their mothers during "Holiday Afternoon Tea," a cooking class 4:30-7 p.m. Monday at Dorothy Lane Market in Washington Township near Dayton. Cost: $45. To register: (937) 434-1294.