Rutabaga Soup With Chive-Basil Oil

This wholesome soup will warm you up on chilly evenings, and it's especially satisfying when served with the herbed oil topping. Use the leftover oil in a salad dressing or drizzle it over pasta, a roast or steamed vegetables.

Lemon Sunshine Loaf

Light, lemony and lickety-split easy, this is one loaf that you'll find yourself making over and over during the holidays and well into the new year. It's perfect for laid-back, as well as formal, events. For a twist, substitute an orange for the lemon.

Japanese Calamari with Wasabi Mayo

This calamari is speckled with flecks of sweet nori and served with a tasty dipping sauce that packs a punch. Add the wasabi paste to the mayo a little at a time so you can adjust the amount to suit your taste. Deep-frying is best done in batches for the most consistent results; adding too much calamari at once will bring down the temperature of the oil.

Asparagus Soup with Thick Cream

This silky soup is a cinch to pull together and can be served as a light lunch or a starter. Lightly whipped cream makes a smooth and airy garnish. To keep it from melting into the soup too quickly, serve it in a small bowl and have your guests spoon it onto their soup just before digging in. If you can't find fresh peas, substitute with frozen, adding them to the soup along with the spinach. 

Dark Christmas Cake (nut-free)

This recipe is an adaptation of the Canadian Living Dark Christmas Cake from their 2004 Holiday Cookbook. Due to allergies in my husband's family, I had to remove the nuts from the original recipe, and substituted the dates instead. As well, I am not a fan of a lot of candied fruit, so substituted dried fruit for a lot of the candied stuff. It took three tries to come up with the recipe below (which is simply Dark Christmas Cake, 2006 recipe in my cookbook), but my family, in-laws, and coworkers certainly like this one. Hope you do too.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS WITH SALTED HERB PANGRATTATO

Sugar Cookie Carollers

Have fun with these cookies by modelling them after your favourite aunt, uncle or cousin.

Oatmeal Raisin Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Store a log of this oatmeal raisin dough in your freezer so you can enjoy freshly baked cookies at a moment's notice.

Roast Turkey with Herb Stuffing and Gravy

This stuffing is dark and aromatic with a generous amount of herbs.

Shortbread Rounds With Butter Icing

Get your shortbread fix with these festive cookies that are topped with butter icing and red nonpareil sprinkles.