Seasonal staples offer taste of the holidays for festive palates

by volume) than a big, bold Cabernet, and won’t leave your holiday guests passed out on the sofa in front of the sixth viewing of “A Christmas Story.”

While you may find this in the wine section at some stores right now, most area grocery stores will have it stocked in the seasonal foods aisle as well.

Hanukkah cookies

While the best-known Hanukkah foods include latkes, sufganiyot ( jelly doughnuts) and other oil-fried fare, you probably won’t find those on the shelf in many area grocery stores. What you will find, however, is a wide range of iced sugar cookies.

Options at H-E-B include iced or sugar-sprinkled cookies from national bakery brands such as Oberlander and Greene’s. Hit up Central Market for DIY kits complete with blank cookies and icing you can pipe on at the last second.

Hickory Farms gift baskets

Hickory Farms has become

a national juggernaut with more than 500 kiosks and pop-up stores around the country during the holiday season since its debut in 1951. While this brand’s flagship offering is summer sausage, if you really want to impress, consider one of the gift baskets loaded with multiple meats, cheeses, crackers and condiments.

In San Antonio, you can find Hickory Farms products inside the North Star Mall at 7400 San Pedro Ave. and at the Bandera Pointe Shopping Center at 11643 Bandera Road, Suite 101.

Panettone

This sweet Italian bread hails from Milan, and it is a staple in many ItalianAmerican households during the holiday season. While technically a yeastleavened bread, this towering loaf is typically studded with ingredients such as candied orange peel, raisins, lemon zest and more, giving it a sweeter, cakelike appeal.

Look in the bakery section and seasonal foods aisle at most San Antonioarea grocery stores to find a loaf of this bread packaged in a distinctive tall box.

Peppermint bark

This festive confection probably owes much of its current celebrity status to a legion of fans who fell for culinary retailer Williams Sonoma’s upscale version of the stuff, which it unleashed on the world more than 20 years ago. Today, it’s more popular than candy canes and gingerbread as a holiday treat, according to a recent survey conducted by the marketing outfit nationaltoday.com.

Fortunately, you can find more affordable versions (Williams Sonoma sells it for $30 per pound) from Ghirardelli Chocolate at H-E-B stores and a festive 12-ounce tin by the confectioner Nancy Adams at Central Market.

Paul Stephen / Staff Panettone is a sweet Italian bread.

Peppermint bark is among top holiday treats.