Lawyer by day Desserts, meats, breads. My favorite tradition is not so much a specific event but how I was raised not to cut corners and not to use synthetic ingredients. Anything worth doing is worth doing right (even if it takes all day) and if recipes call for lard or butter you use lard or butter - no substitutions. Just make your portions smaller. Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve dinner are my favorite meals to cook. I really enjoy the planning and the opportunity to try new things. We have a few dishes that we serve every year and others we rotate through. I only have 1000 characters which isn't nearly enough room. If I had to pick one it would be divinity fudge.