A quick read, a just-before-Christmas edition filled with last-minute ideas for appetizers, Christmas morning and a not-to-miss winter salad. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy Holidays to All!

May we talk about family holiday traditions? Plus this week, a seasonal showcase of shortbread plus recipes and ideas for these often-hectic last few days before Christmas.

A special granola just for the holidays: scented with orange and molasses; sweetened with captivating gingerbread spices like cardamom, star anise, nutmeg and cloves – and just a tiny pinch of white pepper. This is no ordinary granola, it's Christmas granola! Real Food, Fresh & Family-Tested. A Christmas Take on Granola, Fresh & Seasonal. Homemade Granola Made from Scratch with Lower Sugar, Bigger Flavor. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Great for Meal Prep & Homemade Food Gifts.

A quick read, December recipes plus a seasonal showcase of cranberry recipes from a cranberry fiend plus quick 'n' easy food gifts plus ... ideas and inspiration for these busy short weeks before Christmas.

Special for the holidays, a European-style, barely sweet yeast bread studded with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts for Christmas. It's like cinnamon bread, all dressed up for Christmas with cranberries and walnuts! My recipe makes three loaves (one for yourself, one for a food gift or one for the freezer, perhaps?) or two loaves plus dinner-size rolls with a slightly chewy crust and a good crumb. It's my take on the seasonal cherry walnut bread from the bakery Great Harvest. Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Makes Excellent Toast! Perfect for Neighborly Food Gifts.

A quick read! Easy December recipes plus a seasonal showcase of cut-out cookie recipes plus ideas for home and life and seeking out joy in the season...

And so Thanksgiving is upon us, the lists, the shopping, the recipes, the cooking, the table setting, the pie baking, the turkey carving, the gravy making, the potato mashing, the gathering, the praying, the eating, the talk-talking, the going back for seconds-ing, the cleaning up, the big sighing of relief. It's a lot. Might it be sacred work, this?

What first attracted me to this recipe shared by a long-time Kitchen Parade reader: the convenience of cooking whole cranberry sauce in a slow cooker. What keeps me coming back: it fills the house with a sweet aroma of cranberries, fresh ginger and orange zest! More good news: for anyone who wonders about sweetening cranberry sauce with maple syrup (my favorite natural sweetener), the answer is yes, it works beautifully, just as well as regular sugar. Cranberry Sauce Made from Scratch. Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Thanksgiving and Winter's Cranberry Season. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Budget Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. Great for Meal Prep.

My favorite Thanksgiving vegetable dish for many years, a savory butternut squash casserole with beautiful color, just roasted butternut squash stirred with gently cooked onion, a few spices and a little cream. That topping? Buttery toasted pumpkin seeds! Squash Puff is easy to make and a welcome savory side dish to the Thanksgiving table where "sweet" and "rich" seem to preside. Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Thanksgiving & Other Fall Meals. Easy to Make Ahead. Vegetarian. Weight Watchers Friendly. Rave Reviews.

It's Thanksgiving crunch time, right? I'm here to help with an entire "pick one" Thanksgiving menu plus lots of insider tips from someone who cooked her first Thanksgiving dinner at age 16! Plus ... the new Weight Watchers program, MyWW.