MMMMMMMMM....sounds great! I've sort of begun thinking about it but haven't decided yet.

Well, I just made peanut butter fugdge yesterday and tom. I hope to make Coconut Almond Balls Candy. It is a new recipe I am trying.

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
3 C powdered sugar Use mixer to combine
add 12 ozs. melted chocolate bits
and 2 tsp. vanilla
pour into 8x8 pan and chill

I like to have thanksgiving all over again. MY mom will probally have a ham or something. I will probally make a tradition thanksgiving style meal for christmas as well. I may make some fudge. I just use the basic recipe on the back of a marshmellow cream jar. I am also itching to make oatmeal scotchies again just the regular recipe on the back of the nestle chips bag. And also some pumpkin bread maybe for breakfast for christmas morning.... I buy this kit they put out at thanksgiving time by ummmm I wanna say libby but any ways its one of the makers of the stuff you use for pumpkin pie mix.

I guess Looking at the things I make I make pretty basic and simple things but very classic and yummy. Even my 'famous' yams are pretty simple. But I think its the time and care I Put into them that makes them soo good I dont rushthe food I make. Like with my yams I really take the time to simmer the sauce to make sure it will candie up and taste right.

We're planning on spaghetti, some deserts, a casserole or two, nothing very special. For some odd reason - we've always had spaghetti at christmas...but our family is Scots-Irish, not Italian... Weird...I'd never considered that. :P

The spaghetti sauce is absolutely delicious - its about a lb of ground round/beef browned and crumbled, with 3 or 4 cans of Del Monte Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce, an extra 2 tsp of garlic powder in a crock pot for about 5 or 6 hours. Yum!

*lots of hugs*

Calistal, that sounds really delich!!! mmmm!

and ouchy, i L-O-V-E cream cheese!!!!! oohhhh i've GOTTA try that recipe!! thanks!

I would love to make a cherry cream cheese cake, now only if I can find the recipe, who knows where the heck it put it. Could be any where in this messed up house. LOL

We're having a South Texas Christmas with Chicken Enchiladas, Fried rice, Refried Beans, Pumpkin Pie, Fudge, and who knows what else.

Thank goodness, I'll have help!

What I love is the prime rib baking in the oven, so slowly, almost all of Christmas eve day -- the smells and the anticipation of it all build toward the evening when we have the mashed potatoes and gravy kind of midwestern fare....then head off to church for the Christmas eve service.

but ~ my most favorite tradition/tip to share is this:
on Christmas day we have another meal, usually a honey-baked ham that is pretty simple to prepare but still helps make a special meal -- in the center of the table is a centerpiece of gifts! I collect something special for each person at the meal, and wrap them all the night before to coordinate package colors and table cloth colors - and tie each with it's own ribbon -- with a very long tail!

the trick is to wind the ribbons around and through and have them end up at a place setting -- so that after all the other celebrations have happened, (Santa and his gifts and all under the tree and stockings - this is the grand finale :) there will be one more gift to be opened by all - but you cannot tell which gift is yours by looking! Oh you can try following the trail of ribbons - but usually no one knows til after the dinner.

We enjoy this one more feast - and when the meal is over, we each take hold of our ribbon at our place setting and begin to pull gently -- until we have each pulled our own gift from the pile to open. It is a grand finale to a very important and wonderful celebration.

Merry Christmas, All!!