It’s usually the time of year where I’m baking up a storm, but I admit I’m not super-inspired yet. I did make some thumbprint cookies the other day out of Mexican wedding cake dough (which, conveniently, is also useful for almond crescents). I used walnuts instead of almonds (had way too many in the house), so technically it was Russian tea cake dough. There are a bunch of bananas getting overripe on the counter as I speak, so I’ll probably make some mini banana breads soon. (I like the recipe in the second Joy of Cooking, where you beat the butter and flour together and then add the eggs. It seems totally backward, but the bread doesn’t toughen as easily.) I usually stash everything in the freezer (which looks like the National Carbs Monument), but things are starting to fall out when I put new stuff in. At any rate, I’d love some new ideas! (I’m definitely a cookie person, though I admit I lose patience when I’m portioning out a gigantic batch of dough. I like baking cakes, too, though I usually have to pretend to have an occasion to make one of those. I really enjoy making ice cream, but it’s just cold enough right now that it doesn’t appeal to me as much as usual. How do you Easterners out there cope with that? Ben and Jerry always had a theory that eating ice cream made you feel warmer, since your body temperature is closer to the one outside and you don’t notice the difference. Sounds suspect scientifically, but if it lets me eat more ice cream, I’m for it!)

As for the holiday meal, it varies on who’s hosting and what we’ve had recently. Usually, the carnivores in the family insist on roast beef, and I’ll do some popovers. Frankly, what I love best are the homemade tamales some family friends bring on Christmas Eve. Many years I wish I could curl up in a corner with the pan, and eat them all myself! I need to take the family up on their offer to teach me how to make them sometime, though my household’s pretty small, and it sounds exhausting. On the other hand, even though I’m lucky to live in an area with amazing Mexican food, restaurant tamales aren’t a fraction as delicious as the homemade ones! How about you? What do you crave each year?