Icebox butter cookies. Photo: Little Miss Amanda, Flickr.
- An easy slice-and-bake variety perfect for last-minute holiday gatherings and as gifts for friends, icebox cookies are "a boon to busy holiday bakers."
- Milagro's Dominican Cuisine in South Beach is "Caribbean comfort food at its homemade, belly-filling best."
- In the "Desperation Dinners" column, spiced nuts -- particularly, Pumpkin-Spiced Whiskey Walnuts -- make excellent stocking stuffers.
- Writer Fred Tasker provides a list of vino libations for the holiday celebrations.
- Ratatouille from the South of France and cornmeal-crusted chicken make an easy meal during the busy holiday season.

The pumpkins that are the best for carving are not the best pumpkins 


