The winter solstice is right around the corner and with it comes the official start of the season.

Spice up the darkest day of the year – and rest of winter – with cardamom, a warming spice that holds a special place in Sylvia Fountaine’s heart.

In her monthly feature, Fountaine shares her love for cardamom along with several of her favorite recipes that spotlight the fragrant spice, particularly Pulla, or Finnish cardamom rolls.

Former Spokesman-Review columnist Deborah Chan shares her most secret – and sought-after – recipe, too. She had guarded her crowd-pleasing English toffee recipe for nearly 30 years before deciding it was finally time to set it free.

As always, there’s a round-up of food-related briefs in Fresh Sheet, too.

Cheers!