The coming weekend is shaping up to be one for entertaining at my house, and as I go through my lists and recipes, I hit on a couple ideas that I wanted to share with you.

Roasting a big batch of root vegetables is something I do quite frequently this time of year. When there are guests in the house, it’s a wonderful thing to have a big container of ready-to-heat veggies available. Just mix and match the ones you like, then combine with greens for a salad as in the recipe below, or add to a frittata, an omelet or just serve under fried or poached eggs with runny yolks.

A festive, easy meal for the weekend between Christmas and New Year’s. Karen Schneider photo

For instance, I made the salad last weekend for a gathering and had enough leftover vegetables (including kale) along with a leftover baked potato and a few strips of cooked bacon to make a yummy frittata. The following day, I chopped up the last few slices of leftover pork roast and added that to the last two cups of vegetables to make a colorful, nutritious hash that served three people.

I’m sure you have lots of ideas of your own, so I urge you to take advantage of those fabulous winter vegetables at the farmers markets and the produce department, drizzle them with olive oil, season them up with your favorite herbs and spices, and see what you can come up with.

While you’ve got the oven turned on and the sheet pans out, try this quick method that makes for plump, buttery garlic shrimp. They are equally delicious served as an appetizer with dipping sauce, tossed into pasta (with extra melted butter, of course) or served alongside your root vegetable salad and a favorite crusty baguette.

Easy enough for a busy weeknight and sophisticated enough for a special holiday supper, including New Year’s Eve dinner, this classic seafood recipe will make you want to stock up on frozen shrimp so you can jazz up your meal rotation. Let me know how you include all these ingredient combinations into your winter menu.

Winter Root Vegetables and Greens

• 2 large beets
• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large red onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1-2 (5-ounce each) containers baby kale, destemmed
• 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
• 1 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop all vegetables (except kale) into 2-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast about 40 minutes, or until tender and caramelized, stirring and flipping halfway through roasting time.

Toss vegetables in a large salad bowl with kale, cranberries and cheese. Serve with vinaigrette and crumble. Yield: 6-8 servings

Maple Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Yield: 1/3 cup

Salad Crumble

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted in the oven at 300 degrees for 8 minutes
• 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the ingredients in a mini-food processor and process until crumbly. Yield: 1 cup crumble

Sheet Pan Garlic Shrimp

• 2 pounds extra-large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• Pinch freshly chopped parsley
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Roast for about 8 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through. Immediately add the butter directly on the hot baking sheet and stir until melted. Transfer the shrimp and butter sauce to a serving dish or dinner plates and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. Yield: 6 servings

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.