so the clementine cake sounds wonderful, and something that i would like to give out as treats, but the link to the actual recipe is not working... help!

I've eaten so many of my mom's caramel brownies over the years that they now disgust me. They're fantastic brownies, so my friends all think I'm crazy. They're probably right.

Smoked Sausage Cassoulet from Bon Appetit. It's not a traditional cassoulet, but it's absolutely delicious, and I like to make it at least once every winter. It's great for a crowd.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Smoked-Sausage-Cassoulet-101039

My mom's persimmon cookies, mexican wedding cookies and chocolate crinkles; my sister's anise cookies and spicy, fennel-laced Italian sausage served with my sister's potato salad, and an assortment of Italian cold-cuts and cheeses. Look forward to that meal every year. Simple but oh so good.

I'll be making this pepitas brittle to give as gifts:

http://paintedpeach.blogspot.com/2009/12/pepitas-brittle.html

Also, Cranberry Pecan Cake and Mini Pumpkin Maple Bourbon Pies!

akay. i know the feeling. I can't eat fried chicken or pizza from this pizza place my parents had their first date at because we ate it so much as a kid, i can no longer stomach either.

Cream cheese cookies are a family favorite.
Simple recipe, and you make them in the same manner as peanutbutter cookies (with the fork crisscross action) then top with a maraschino cherry. Yum! And they are such a pretty addition to any Christmas plate with their festive white and red.

@konar here's a link to the Clementine cake recipe:
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=20002

My friend gave me her Cinnamon babka recipe and my family will disown me if I don't make it at least once this time of year!

Madrid twists (a lemon cookie you twist up to sort of look like a shepard's crook) are strictly Christmas cookies for me. I love them. Peppermint ice cream, too. And it's just not Christmas without my Mom's sweet and sour pork.

Sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla bean ice cream

Plum cake, with cream cheese frosting. And peppermint things, though I don't like full-size candy canes. (The chocolate peppermint candy canes, though, are delicious.) Um, and broccoli casserole, and pecan pie (or black walnut).

Also, since this is my birthday, I really miss getting cake from the Gingerbread House bakery that used to be in town. It was a number of older ladies that made really good cakes and things. Long gone now, but lots of memories of birthday cake when I was younger.

My grandmas bread which only I know how to make =) it's a sweet bread with a cinnamon sugar crust!

Also the 7 layer cookies!! I can't wait to make them!

Scotcheroos are essential, and breakfast Christmas Morning MUST include Riskengrits (essentially a thick, cold rice pudding with almonds - finding whole almonds is good luck!) and now sticky buns. And Christmas Eve dinner is Dumpta Greeta - ham, corned beef, and sausage, all cooked in the same broth, with rye bread to dip into the broth. And saurkraut, although I pass that up... Oh, and root beer. That is Christmas!

Peanut butter balls - my all time favourite Christmas sweet!

Russian tea cookies, fudge, Russian tea cookies, twice baked potatoes, Russian tea cookies, Lasagna, Russian tea cookies, breakfast casserole with eggs and sausage and potatoes.

Oh, and Russian tea cookies.

Well, they are sumer holiday treats but I still love gingerbread, pineapple fruit cake, pavlova and fresh sliced cold ham. Oh, and trifle.

konar,

I tracked down the link!
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=20002

It's all in metric and by weight! GAH!

I hunted down this
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/cooking-faq

which helped with the conversions.

I'm gonna attempt tonight!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle is delicious, easy and beautiful. Here is the recipe: http://bit.ly/6CReTb

It's mince pies all the way until the christmas pudding on the day.. homemade, including the mincemeat. What can I say, I'm a gorger.

Trifle (traditional, with raspberries and a caramel lace dome), apple strudel (homemade stretched dough...), Christmas cookies (checkerboard cookies, vanilla crescents, linzer hearts with raspberry jam, 3-dimensional walnut cookies stuck together with buttercream)...

Bread sauce and cranberry relish... Oh, and can't forget crispy roast potatoes (made with duck fat and floury potatoes)...

Kentucky cream candy, meringues, Linzer torte made by our German friend, bourbon on the rocks, antipasti by the fire.

marshmallow whip based fudge that we only make at christmas, and doesn't have any exact measurements (just plops of this, a sprinkle of that)

Chocolate crinkles and Martha Stewart's chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies! Also, I love rainbow cookies and panettone this time of year but I've never made them.

@thatmeggirl & konar: Nigella's Clementine recipe is based on a pretty old recipe that James Beard (Orange Almond Cake), Claudia Roden (Orange Almond Cake as well), and Stephanie Alexander (Middle Eastern Orange Cake) have written versions of. Try searching with those names for measurements by volume. And it is quite a delicious cake! Sometimes I make Nigella's chocolate version too.

the clementine cake recipe requires the use of a springform pan, which i don't have. (i know, i know.) would a regular cake pan work, or perhaps a loaf or muffin tin? anyone have experience w/ different pans?

My mom makes these cream cheese nut fruit loaves for casual gifts to neighbors and everyone loves them. But what I really look forward to is the chex mix. Recipe from the box. She's been making it since I was little and I love it super greasy and worcestershire saucy and peanuty.

bEST tomato soup ever. winter fav...plus it adds to that christmas RED.
http://exclusivegenerator.blogspot.com/2009/12/soul-food.html

This time every year I start craving my Grandmother's Finnish sweet bread (Nisu). And, every year, I pull out this recipe and bake a loaf (or three!). The braided cardamom bread is so great toasted and buttered in the morning I always wonder why I don't bake this special treat more often.

Growing up, my Mom would always invite people over after Christmas Eve service for nibbles. Her "yummy bars" always made an appearance.

The ingredients are melted milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, butter, nuts, and mini marshmallows. I make them every year.