When the calendar flips over each year, people eat special food to bring good luck, and in the U.S. the most traditional New Year's food is Hopping John. This classic Southern dish has many versions, with the most essential ingredient being black-eyed peas. Click this post's title to see the delicious sounding Hopping John created by Julie from A Mingling of Tastes, inspired by Emeril Lagasse. Then make your own version of Hopping John if you want good luck in 2009!

Tick, tock, tock, tick. New Year's Eve is fast approaching. Don't be caught without a collection of appetizer recipes. No party is complete without a cheesy appetizer or two, so here are a few recipe ideas from favorite food bloggers.

In that interesting way where everything that's old becomes new again, fondue is back. In major cities across the U.S., fondue restaurants are trendy, and fondue pots are plentiful in the stores again. I'm old enough to remember fondue cooking the first time around, so I know this type of communal activity is perfect for parties. Most people love cheese, so I'm thinking cheese fondue is a perfect thing to serve for New Year's Eve.

Thanksgiving --> Christmas --> New Years. Whew, it's a three-holiday marathon and the finish line is in sight. But before we can breathe deeply and get back to eating and sleeping normally, there's the way station known as New Year's Eve. Whether you're celebrating quietly at home or heading out for a big party, chances are, there's an appetizer in your future. Here are a few elegant ideas.

It's Christmas vacation and kids are hanging around the house, so master cookie baker Anna of Cookie Madness finds a cookie recipe that's easy enough kids can make it themselves. Just click this post's title to see Anna's daughter in action making the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, then bookmark the recipe for your own kids to make during the holidays.

So you're going to save that Christmas ham bone, right? (Wait, you did get a bone-in ham, right? Right?? If not, next time, okay?) Whatever you do with the meat, once you're down to the bone, it's time to get out your biggest pot. We're gonnna cook and a ham bone, well, it's 100% flavor and it's 100% free.

In three short days I'll be celebrating Christmas with TW and five of our six children. This will involve a lot of noise. A lot of paper. A lot of angsty kids and adults. And an awful lot of laughing. It will also involve more food than TW and I have in a week without children. Seriously. I'm not the cook, thank goodness. I am, however, the person who most often runs to the store when TW discovers we are out of X, Y and Z. This has happened every year, sometimes several times.

Seems like last time I made a cheese ball was in the 70s. Oh wait, I wasn't even old enough to make cheese balls in the 70s! Why is it that cheese balls seem so retro? And yet, they're turning up everywhere in the food blogs. No wonder, they're fast and easy additions to holiday buffets and football feasts both. Yes, cheese balls rock! Still, take note how nearly all the recipes come from someone's aunt, someone's mom, someone's neighbor. Like I said, the 70s. (Read on for recipes.)

It's the holiday season, when many people who normally avoid spending time in the kitchen start making plates of candy and passing them out to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and of course, their child's teacher. I've gotten countless numbers of these holiday candy plates from students, and over the years I've become increasingly committed to appreciating the sentiment while depositing the treats in the faculty room for evening custodians to devour. My willpower at passing up candy is pretty strong, but I have to admit that if the plate includes some fudge, it's the one type of holiday candy I probably won't be able to resist.

Whether you're planning a festive holiday meal, or just trying to make it through December without putting on too many pounds, winter salads can be a great way to enjoy seasonal foods such as beets, winter squash, apples, pears, and cruciferous vegetables.

From hectic to relaxed, this year, of all years, let's make it a make-ahead Christmas morning.

Suppose your best friend is one of those food-obsessed people who love to try making things like Dukkah, Za'atar, or Ras el Hanout. You, on the other hand, are someone who thinks sea salt is highly exotic. You'd like to give your friend some type of appropriately food-themed gift, but haven't a clue about what will be appreciated by a serious foodie. Luckily for anyone with this dilemma, food bloggers are busy this time of year with holiday gift guides for just about every food-related gift you can imagine. I'm going to share some holiday gift guides I've spotted, but truly the season for writing them is just getting started. If you're a food blogger with a gift guide that doesn't get included here, or if you spot one on another blog, please share that link with us in the comments.