Apples

It's starting to get chilly out there! Over the holidays, warm drinks and cocktails like eggnog, Tom and Jerrys, and hot buttered rum are in abundance. The problem is that these drinks are stacked with sugar and saturated fat.

Spiked mulled cider is a great alternative to these holiday favorites. Hot cider is satisfying on a cold Winter's night, and its spices are reminiscent of the season. I love that the sweetness of the drink comes from using all-natural apple cider and just a hint of brown sugar. And unlike most warm holiday cocktails, there's not a single gram of fat in the recipe.

To see the recipe after the break!

Although they are traditionally associated with Hanukkah, latkes or potato pancakes, make a delicious appetizer even after the holiday. The thin, crispy shredded potatoes can act as a scrumptious base for everything from sour cream and smoked salmon to spicy apple chutney — as is the case with this recipe. When making latkes, it's important to squeeze the excess water out of the potatoes. It's a tedious job that normally ruins a kitchen towel, but it's essential to creating a cake that has a crunchy texture. These savory bites would be welcome on a spread of appetizers on New Year's Eve, so get the method now.

When I was young, my favorite part of Christmas Eve was leaving Santa a big plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk, a tradition that I think a lot of kids still do. But long after the Santa myth was busted for me, I kept on eating "Santa's snacks." While I'm not suggesting that you have a cookie-less Christmas — everyone needs a little gingerbread and sugar cookie love! — it might be a little better on your waistline to include a little reindeer fare in your holiday diet.

Reindeer, or caribou, are primarily plant eaters that love feeding on leafy greens and mushrooms, and on occasion, bird eggs and arctic char. And though they're not available to them in their natural habitat, they also love carrots and apples as a little sweet treat. This Christmas, when setting out your plate of cookies and milk, be sure to include some healthy treats, too. Everyone needs a little leafy green goodness!

If you liked the unexpected pairing of butternut squash and panettone in a rustic Italian bread salad, then you'll love this unpredictable combination of squash with tart, bright green apples.

Skip the heavier, savory squash bread pudding or butternut-blended mac and cheese for a hearty meatless dish that also happens to be light.

Top the Winter produce pairing with pecans for added protein and a generous topping of bread crumbs to achieve a crisp crust. Want the recipe? Then read more.

Since Thanksgiving is a celebration that brings together all ages, consider serving a nonalcoholic signature cocktail like these apple-ginger sparklers. Kids and adults who don't drink will enjoy the festive flavors of this fizzy concoction. It's a mixture of ginger syrup and sparkling apple cider with a cinnamon stick for garnish! To make it spiked, simply stir in a shot of whiskey or Absolut's new apple-ginger vodka. Interested in the recipe? Keep reading.

During the holidays, stock your fridge with puff pastries for quick appetizers that can be thrown together in a pinch. The flaky, easy-to-thaw, simple-to-slice dough is irresistible, whether it's stuffed with something sweet like ginger and holiday spice or savory like sliced prosciutto. Wow guests with minimal work by serving two types of puff pastry spirals — one sweet, filled with diced green apples and dusted with pecans and powdered sugar; the other savory and infused with the Roman flavors of sharp parmesan cheese and black pepper. Everyone will be raving at both the beginning and the end of the meal. Want the recipes? Then click to read more.

When it comes to choosing apple varieties for desserts, everyone, it seems, can agree to disagree. While some laud the Fuji's firmness, others find it too firm for pie. The popular Granny Smith has been described as "toothsome" to some, but others reject the green apple for breaking open during baking. The list goes on and on. In fact, there seems to be only one apple that everyone consents to being horrible for cooking: the Red Delicious variety, which tastes mealy when eaten out of hand and even mushier after it's baked.

My personal favorite apple pie apples are Jonagolds, Rome Beauties, and Pink Ladies, which have a nice blend of sweetness, tartness, juiciness, and slight crunch. Which apple varieties are you partial to using when you bake?

After the turkey, nothing says Thanksgiving quite like stuffing. The delicious combination of moist bread and seasoned vegetables is unlike any other dish around. The fact that most people only enjoy it once a year makes it even more addictive.

Although some hate on Rachael Ray for giving her dishes wacky names, I've always been a fan of her "stuffing muffins." The individual sized portions of stuffing have a crispy exterior and succulent inside. Unlike some stuffings, this one doesn't include any meat; instead it pairs apples with onions to create a flavorful base.

Cook them in the muffin tins, or for a fun alternative, do what I did and bake them in mini muffin tins. The resulting stuffing bite pops in your mouth and is great served as an appetizer. Learn Ray's method after the break.