While searching for the next big trend, my sources tell me butter sales are on the rise… More requests not only for traditional butter, but for more exotic types including goat milk butter and ghee, aka clarified butter…

My guess is it has something to do with the return of comfort foods which in my experience always go heavy on the butter…

I have to be honest, until today I had never heard of goat milk butter, but a little research turned up more than a few makers of the stuff…

So why goats milk?

According to several sites it not a problem for those with lactose issues, contains 13% more calcium than cow’s milk, 47% more vitamin A, 134% more potassium, 350% more niacin and never contains BGH…

Have a favorite butter, a fan of goat milk or some insight into where this is all headed, let us know in the comments section….

Some ideas just seem bad on the surface… But if airlines giving away free booze is the start of a new trend, no better occasion than Valentines Day…

Southwest Airlines has announced that in conjunction with Finlandia Vodka they’ll be giving away free Finlandia and juice cocktails on February 14th… Because what really says I love you like a free cocktail at 8 AM….

But better yet, on St. Patrick’s Day it’s complimentary beer day…

The insert in my Southwest seat pocket read…

“At Southwest Airlines we enjoy spending the holidays with you. When you’re onboard during festivals, enjoy one of our spirited selects on the house.”

For the first time in a long time it appears I was on the cutting edge of a food trend… Many years ago I lived in the South of France in a very small apartment without a fridge… It wasn’t by choice, but now it appears the fridge free live style is what a very few of us are doing to reduce our carbon footprint…

One of the fridge free livers told the NY Times they were surprised how,” easy it’s been.”

Here’s the NY Times’ version of events…

By Steve Kurutz
For the last two years, Rachel Muston, a 32-year-old information-technology worker for the Canadian government in Ottawa, has been taking steps to reduce her carbon
footprint — composting, line-drying clothes, installing an efficient furnace in her three-story house downtown.

About a year ago, though, she decided to “go big” in her effort to be more environmentally responsible, she said. After mulling the idea over for several weeks, she and her husband, Scott Young, did something many would find unthinkable: they unplugged their refrigerator. For good.

“It’s been a while, and we’re pretty happy,” Ms. Muston said recently. “We’re surprised at how easy it’s been.”

As drastic as the move might seem, a small segment of the green movement has come to regard the refrigerator as an unacceptable drain on energy, and is choosing to live without it. In spite of its ubiquity — 99.5 percent of American homes have one — these advocates say the refrigerator is unnecessary, as long as one is careful about shopping choices and food storage.

Ms. Muston estimated that her own fridge, which was in the house when they bought it five years ago and most likely dates back much longer, used 1,300 kilowatt-hours per year, or produced roughly 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide — the same amount from burning 105 gallons of gasoline. And even a newer, more efficient model, which could have cut that figure in half, would have used too much energy in her view.

Click here for the complete story

More predictions for the food new year, these courtesy of the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, California…

Their list includes cooking at home, chinese food and comfort food.

On the Press Democrat out list, silly martinis and fusion anything.

I’ve always been a fan of these sorts of lists and how they compare to other lists… One thing I noticed missing was more fresh food…

If you have any predictions for the new year, leave them in the comments section… I’m planing to put our reader predictions…

If you want to see the complete list, click here….

If you’re looking for further proof the big trend in 2009 is going to be affordable wines, look no further than the local drug store… Just back from Longs Drugs, one of the big chain stores and the place is teeming with wines listed as $10 and under… Only a few months ago it was packed with award-winning wines starting at $20…

Trader Joes, the grocery chain best know for two buck Chuck, (their private label of wines costing $2) now offers more wines than ever under $10…

The New York Times is reporting consultants and wine shops across America are seeing the same trend… We all seem to be looking for a less expensive bottle of wine…

If you’re interested in what the NY Times had to say, click here…

If you know the name of a good wine under $10, leave it in the comments section.

And if you’re looking for great wine advice and an outstanding podcast, check out Wine Library TV by clicking here…