By CHINA MILLMAN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Paula Deen, the butter queen, has had a tough few days.

Restaurants depend on earning the good will of diners -- they're in the hospitality business, after all. Sometimes, diners forget that restaurants are businesses and that they have to make decisions based on the bottom line, as well as the feelings of their guests. The customer is not always right, but restaurants don't always act in their own best interests either.

There's nothing wrong with a little indulgence, but much of the eating we do each holiday season is born of obligation or boredom, rather than actual enjoyment. It's uncomfortable to turn down dessert at a dinner party, or be the only one at the meeting who doesn't take a cookie. All those extra treats add up.

I always look forward to reading nutritionist Ellie Krieger's column in Fine Cooking magazine, so I was excited to look through her new cookbook, "Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy."

In her trademark style, Krieger makes recipes healthier by adding flavorful fruits, vegetables and whole grains and cutting out unnecessary sugar and fat.

Whether they're dressed up as Lady Gaga or a vampire, kids in the midst of trick-or-treating quickly morph into zombies caught up in a feeding frenzy -- only their meal of choice is sugar rather than brains.

Dressing up, carving pumpkins and scaring people are all fun, but for most children, the point of Halloween is to amass as much candy as physically possible.

I first made this lentil soup just days after receiving the December 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine. It came from a recipe diary that cookbook author Eugenia Bone kept the previous December, documenting a month's worth of delicious homemade meals.

Even though the season is on the wane, there's still time for a summer potluck. In fact, consider having one over the Labor Day weekend.

One small pitfall, even of the most casual get-together, is that potlucks often feel like unofficial cook-offs, with every attendee acting as judge. This only bothers me when I go home with leftovers -- the unmistakable sign of potluck failure.

Vegetarian and vegan diets have gained mainstream acceptance in recent years. While the percentage of the population that strictly follows such diets is small, a growing number of Americans are reducing the amount of meat in their diet to improve their health.

This is the government's new dietary recommendation: Eat more fruits and vegetables.

We've heard this advice for years, with little effect on our diets. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, hope that a new educational campaign and a simplified message will make the difference.

For those who love farmers markets, bargains from the produce aisle and seasonal eating, there's a great new book to guide you through the year's bounty.