My husband Dave and I absolutely cherish our holidays spent in San Diego with our daughter Theresa, her husband Craig, our 4 grandkids, and our son, Nicholas, and his wife, Romi.

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On Christmas Eve, I love to make my Stuffed Shells and Meatballs. We all dress up, 4 grandkids included, and attend the Children's Mass at 4 pm.  We head back to a festive dinner and the kids open their gifts from us, and Uncle Nicholas and Aunt Romi. The children leave a carrot and homemade Christmas cookies right by the fireplace, for Santa and his reindeer (even the 13-year-old). They finally go to bed after many Christmas stories and then the adults play card games and cajole! This evening is filled with tons of laughter, so much so that the children have come down the hall to 'shush' us up because Santa will not come if we are having too much fun! 

I begin cooking at around 7 am (breakfast casserole, coffee cake, Turkey and Ham in the oven) We hear the pitter-patter of little feet coming out from their sleepiness and we all settle in with our mugs of coffee to witness the sheer happiness unfold! Some gifts are from Santa others from Mom and Dad. The rest of the day is filled with lots of food, games, laughter, and maybe a nap or two! Here are a couple of our favorite holiday recipes I'm happy to share with you all.  

3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

3 cups Crispix cereal 

*Put them on a cookie sheet with Parchment paper or stick-less foil. 

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons Karol Syrup 

Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. 

Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda to the mixture. 

Microwave for 2 minutes covered with a paper towel. 

Be careful taking it out of the microwave as it gets very hot as it caramelizes.

Put it in the oven for 4 minutes, checking for bubbling and not burning. 

Cool on the counter with wax paper or parchment baking paper. 

Place into decorative holiday bags or a large bowl. 

Store in a ziploc bag for 1 to 2 weeks. 

1 bottle of sweet red wine

Granulated sugar

Triple Sec 

Decorative fruit for garnish (cranberries for Christmas season). 

Tonic Water 

Save a juice container with the lid. 

In the juice container pour in ½ cup sugar. 

Add the wine. 

Add ½ cup Triple Sec. 

*Put the lid on and tip upside down and shake. 

Refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Pour into a decorative pitcher and add your fruit. In different seasons you may want to cut up strawberries, apples, or sliced oranges. 

*You may also make this with a white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Chablis. 

*The Sangria can be made any time of year.