Micki Takac of Squirrel Hill loved making brownies and giving them to friends and colleagues. Now she makes them for sale on the Internet.

Brownies on the Brain is the name, and gourmet brownies are her game. Flavors are Double Chocolate Caramel, Butterscotch Caramel and Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.

With a background in visual arts, Takac decided to package her creations in hand-painted, original art boxes.

A dozen brownies (almost 3 pounds) in your choice of flavors, nestled in a distinctive art box, is $41.50. In an unpainted papier-mache box with tissue and ribbon, the cost is $24.

Check them out atwww.browniesonthebrain.com.

Gourmet-style getaway

Chefs Brad Walter and Tom Hambor, owners of Food Glorious Food in Highland Park, will kick off the annual gourmet getaway Food Fest, Jan. 14-16 at Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa, Morgantown, W.Va.

Their Friday evening cooking class is themed "An Italian Feast"; on the menu are Grappa D'Uva, Bolognese Lasagne and Panna Cotta.

On Saturday Tom Johnson, instructor at Western Reserve School of Cooking in Hudson, Ohio, will make "Simple South Asian" foods from a variety of countries.

Also on the teaching roster are Ohio chefs Tom Quick, co-owner of Epiq Bistro & Wine Bar in Concord, on "Slow Cooking," and Christian Hattemer, chef at Bexley's Monk in Columbus, makes "Specialties of the House."

Seminars by pastry chefs, vegetable growers and tea aficionados, a Saturday night banquet and a double room both nights are included for $349 per couple.

Call 1-800-624-8300 for details.

Best-dressed bagels

Bagel face ... You've got the cutest little bagel face.

If you have an imaginative child 17 or younger who could dream up a neat way to decorate a bagel, enter that kid in Lender's "Bagel Face Contest."

Using any Lender's bagel as a base, kids are asked to make a happy face using lox, jelly, cheese, hamburger, cold cuts, macaroni, potato chips, cream cheese or any favorite fun food.

Then, take a photo of the creation and send it, along with the child's name and address, to: Lender's "Bagel Face" Contest, c/o BHG PR, 546 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 or e-mail to pr@bhgpr.com.Grand prize is a trip to New York City. Deadline is May 31.

Popping recipes

Jolly Time Pop Corn has a free color brochure -- Healthy Creations for Tasty Popcorn Temptations -- featuring 12 recipes using Healthy Pop 94% Fat Free Microwave Pop Corn.

Among the contents are Caramel Apple Crunch, Sundae Shoppe Pop Corn Treats, Vanilla Hazelnut Heaven, Crunchy Pop Corn Salad and Zesty Buffalo Style Pop Corn.

For a copy, send three Jolly Time Pop Corn proofs of purchase, your name and address to: Jolly Time Pop Corn, Healthy Pop Recipe Brochure, Box 178, Dept. M4, Sioux City, IA 51102.

Peanut butter goes nuts

Asian Curry Spice peanut butter?

Sure, why not? Peanut butter is breaking out of its shell big time, and manufacturers are going nutty trying to turn this everyday food into haute cuisine.

Minnesota-based P.B. Loco is just one of the companies introducing innovative peanut butters to the market with flavors that include European Cafe Mocha, Sun-Ripened Apricot and Sun-Dried Tomato (it also can be used as a salad dressing).

New York City's Peanut Butter & Co. is in a sweat over The Heat Is On, a spicy peanut butter that doubles as a meat marinade or satay sauce. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl is recommended as an ingredient in Apple Strudel.

Jerry Boy Inc. (PB N'GO products) markets Jalapeno Kick, Caramel-Carmel Crunch and Cinnamon Surprise in kid-friendly squeeze tubes.

California-based Peanut Better Inc. features 10 all-natural flavor-infused options, such as Hickory Smoked (use also as a barbecue sauce) and Sweet Molasses (a topping for waffles).

How are supermarkets going to find room for dozens of new peanut butters on the shelves?

They probably won't -- most will be Internet order only -- but if you want to be hip, the National Peanut Board suggests being the first on your block to have a peanut butter-tasting party.

Free healthful recipes

The American Institute for Cancer Research is offering free recipes using healthful ingredients sent weekly to your e-mail address.

While the recipes aren't strictly vegetarian, the wide array of flavors, textures and colors of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans are stressed.

Log on to www.aicr.org, click on Health-e-Recipes and fill in the blanks.

New on the market

Thai Kitchen -- Roasted Red Chili Paste, Green Curry Paste and Red Curry Paste, to make authentic-tasting Thai food.

Frito-Lay -- Baked Doritos Cooler Ranch tortilla chips. Crunchy, tasty, no cholesterol or trans fat (although it's listed in the ingredients, the amount is considered negligible by the government).

The last word

"The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite." -- A.J. Liebling, American journalist