Whatever your holiday traditions are I'm sure they involve good food.

Our traditions are to have our family Christmas at our house, then travel to Scott's parent's house, all of three houses away. There we exchange gifts and have a wonderful and beautiful brunch. Later in the day we travel to my parent's house to exchange gifts and have Christmas dinner.

And of course I can't forget the Christmas Eve food emporium at my parent's house. Every year we say we will not fix so much and it seems like it gets bigger each year.

Imagine the wonderful aroma of fresh baked coffee cake. Whether it be on Christmas Eve as you finish last minute details or early Christmas morning, there's nothing like warm coffee cake. I hope you enjoy these personal selections I share with you today.

Banana creamcoffee cake

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

13 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

12 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

12 cup butter, softened

112 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons hot water

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 teaspoon salt

12 teaspoon nutmeg

12 teaspoon cinnamon

13 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 bananas, mashed

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine the first four ingredients, beat till smooth. Add one egg, mix well. Set aside to use as the filling.

Cream12 cup butter. Gradually add 112 cups sugar, beating well. Add two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine soda and water and add to this creamed mixture. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture alternately with juice. Stir in vanilla, bananas and pecans.

Spoon 112 cups banana batter mixture into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over batter. Spoon remaining batter over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

12 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

12 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups blueberries

12 cup brown sugar

12 cup chopped pecans

12 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sour cream. Stir in flour, soda, salt and vanilla. Fold in blueberries.

Combine the brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon, set aside for the filling.

Layer half of the batter in the bottom of a prepared 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle half of the filling over this layer. Add the remaining batter and the remaining filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You may drizzle a thin powdered sugar icing over all.

Heath Brunch Coffee Cake

14 pound butter or margarine

2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

12 cup white sugar

1 cup buttermilk or soured milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

2 or 3 Heath candy bars, crushed

14 cup pecans

Blend flour, butter and sugar. Remove12 cup of mixture. To the rest add buttermilk, soda, egg and vanilla. Blend well. Pour into greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. For the topping, combine crushed candy bars, pecans and add to the12 cup of reserved mixture. Sprinkle over top of batter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Although it is not really a coffee cake, it is one of our favorite early morning favorites.

Overnight Gooey Rolls

24 frozen white dinner roll balls

12 cup dry butterscotch pudding mix, not instant

12 cup brown sugar

1 stick margarine, melted

12 cup pecan pieces

14 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Spray a Bundt pan well, or use a 1-piece tube pan. Place the 24 frozen roll balls evenly around in the pan. Mix the dry pudding mix with the brown sugar and pour over rolls. Pour margarine over, then top with a mixture of the nuts, white sugar and cinnamon. Cover with waxed paper and a cloth. Put in a cold oven to raise overnight.

In the morning, remove the pan from the oven. Remove the paper and the cloth. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, shielding the last 10 minutes with foil. Cool in pan about 15 minutes, then invert onto the serving platter. Pour the gooey mixture over the rolls. They may take longer than 30 minutes to bake, check for doneness.

Easy Coffee Cake, Altenburg Style

1 package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup (8 ounce carton) sour cream

13 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

23 cup chopped pecans

13 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

12 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

Combine the first six ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Pour into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Combine pecans, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter. Cut through with a knife to swirl. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Combine the powdered sugar and juice. Drizzle over warm coffee cake.

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We have one request this week. It comes from Naomi Adkisson of Cape Girardeau. She would like to have the recipe for Peg's Sweet Nuts that once appeared in an Oran, Mo., cookbook some 20 years ago. It was a dough with pecans, she thinks. It would be great if someone could in the Oran area could find that recipe to help Naomi out.

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I leave you this week wishing you a very blessed and meaningful Christmas. Take time to imagine in your own mind that you are kneeling at the side of a manger that holds a tiny baby that would someday be the Lord and Savior of all the world. It an awesome miracle and I hope it adds meaning to your Christmas holiday.

Merry Christmas and happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan, an administrator at Cape Senior Center, can be reached at Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699. Recipes published are not kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.