What's on the table for today's recipe feast?

If you click on over to The Observer's food page, www.charlotteobserver.com/food, here's what you can pile onto your pre-holiday plate today:

Cookies, cookies, cookies. Yes, we have the four winners - the grand prize and three runners-up - in our Family Holiday Cookie Contest. But wait, there's more: We also have a slide show with the winners and 13 more finalists, with their stories, recipes and pictures of the cookies. That's 17 cookies, folks. Even Santa couldn't finish a plate like that.

It's the spirited season, so we have lots of news on spirits this week: A new locally made rum, Queen Charlotte's Reserve, hits the stores, Daniel Hartis shares ideas for beer-related gifts, and I answer a question on whether bourbon has gluten. 

Suzanne Havala Hobbs says you can help yourself and the environment if you skip the bottled water.

Yes, you can make your own soft pretzels: Here's how.

And there's more:
Shrimp and coconut stew.
A stream-lined version of spinach and artichoke dip.
A yellow dal from Raghavan Iyer's new book on Indian cooking.