Christmas

Here is a fantastic coffee cake that tastes like gingerbread: perfect for cold days or nights.

This is truly the anti-vegetarian dish. Prime rib is one of those classics you can pull out that will always blow people away. It’s a good special occasion dish, so good that the occasion may be nothing at all. When ordering the rib roast from a butcher, be sure to request a “top choice” roast cut from the small loin end, the best being ribs 12 through 10. Have the butcher cut off the chine (backbone) to make carving easier. The rib bones look best if they are shortened and frenched (the butcher will be happy to do this for you as well, unless he’s a sourpuss, in which case get a new butcher). The wild mushrooms alone make a great all-purpose side dish.

Pumpkin pie is a custard-type pie that bakes most easily in the convection oven at a steady temperature. Because ovens can vary, if your pie gets too dark too soon, reduce the oven temperature by another 25 degrees. The pie is done when a knife inserted just off center comes out clean and the center of the pie still jiggles but is not liquid. This will be in 10 to 15 minutes less time than if baked in a conventional oven. I prefer pumpkin pie chilled rather than hot from the oven, which allows me to bake it a day in advance.

In the convection oven, the baking temperature is reduced from 375°F to 350°F, and the baking time from 12 to 9 minutes. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you to turn on the convection bake mode, I bake three sheets of cookies at one time, which is what the recipe yields, reducing the total baking time from 36 to 9 minutes.

This simple recipe might well replace a turkey for a special holiday meal. The even browning that the convection oven offers and repeated basting with the slightly spicy glaze guarantee beautifully burnished, succulent little birds.

This treatment is a great way to dress up a precooked smoked ham for a holiday table.

This is definitely a special-occasion cut of meat, but there is absolutely no better way to cook it than in the convection oven. Cooking time will be reduced by one-third to one-half to achieve the doneness you prefer. Use the probe that comes with your oven, or follow the timing and check doneness with a meat thermometer inserted into the roast or with an instant-read thermometer.

Nothing smacks of the holidays quite like one of these peppermint marshmallows melting in a cup of hot chocolate!

A cobbler is the easiest way to get to something similar to a pie—meltingly tender and juicy fruit with a crusty topping—without having to make, roll out, and crimp pie dough. Biscuit dough, in general, is easy and fast to assemble, but the cream dough below is a real cinch because you don't even have to blend butter into the flour mixture; you just pour in heavy cream and stir, then pat it out with your hands. A round cutter is your default shape but feel free to rummage through your cookie cutter collection for something fun, such as a leaf or diamond.

Give your loved ones a sniffle-free holiday season. Pecans deliver ample magnesium, a mineral that helps strengthen the immune system.

The monounsaturated fats in this dessert's hazelnuts are super satiating. Trust us: You'll want seconds—but maybe not until tomorrow.

Chocolaty almonds are better than a gift certificate for a facial. Vitamin E in the nuts gives skin a healthy glow, and chocolate— well, do we really need to sell you on that?

Savoring dark chocolate daily is linked to lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to excess belly fat. Chocolate and flat abs? Fab.

Offer your pals an excuse to snack and relax. Pistachios' potassium can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Get ready to hear "Mmm…ahhh."

This recipe makes enough to serve at the party and to send home with guests. Put them in small boxes or cellophane bags, tie with pretty ribbon, and hand them out as friends and family head out the door.

Deputy food editor Janet McCracken adds fresh ginger to a family recipe to create this moist spice cake.

Pack this stunning beef roast with a savory stuffing. It helps keep the meat juicy and makes a fine accompaniment on the plate.

Upgrade the old-school party staple with this colorful 2011 mix. It can be made up to 1 week ahead.

Press this festive and chewy nougat between 2 sheets of edible rice paper to create a polished look.