Food is a core value in my household - my husband and I love food, love trying new things, love splurging on a great meal, and we eat together as a family almost every night. Dinner is our family's time to talk about the day, to dream, to share. It's a safe place to be and an opportunity to connect. Anything to bake is fun - especially delicious desserts! At Christmas the whole family bakes traditional Christmas sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. We have a decorating contest. It's something that signals in the joy of family around the holidays. Hmmm ... one night, a long, long time ago, I prepared a Christmas meal for special friends from an old Sunset paperback book that included seafood stuffed manicotti, spinach salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, homemade eggnog, and a chocolate eggnog cheesecake - ALL from scratch, mind you. It took ALL DAY and I was exhausted, but it was probably the best meal I have ever put together! Early in my marriage I tried to go vegetarian for some time, and one night I attempted to make "eggplant burgers." O my gosh!! It was awful, and my husband still laughs about it after 19 years!