Around Christmas time every year, my dad gets a panettone cake from his work. That is one of the few things I have ever eaten that contains candied orange peel.

Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year, is practically here. Christmas is such a special time, a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus with many treasured traditions. Advent wreaths, Nativity scenes, Christmas carols, Christmas decorations and, of course, Christmas trees make the cold month of December seem much cozier.

Cinnamon rolls are a sweet addition to any breakfast, and, in fact, are great to eat at any time of day. Although I enjoy the traditional cinnamon rolls served warm with a glaze, sometimes I also enjoy them cold with cream cheese frosting.

Thanksgiving, a day to be grateful to God for the good things in life, is just around the corner. Thanksgiving for my family means a huge meal for supper with my grandpa. We make all the staples, turkey (or sometimes chicken), mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy, cranberry sauce and sometimes we try new things, too.

Now that it’s November, it feels like fall is finally here. The days and nights are colder, the leaves on the trees are thinning out, the garden produce is almost done, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

October, among other things, is both National Apple Month and National Dessert Month.

Apple pie, a treasured fall desert, is both. Apple pie, while thought to have originated in medieval England, quickly became a favorite American treat, as memorialized in the saying, “as American as apple pie.”

There are many different ways to make apple pie — different apples, different crusts, and different additions.