CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- For 8News’ Spirit of the Season series, StormTracker8 Meteorologist Matt DiNardo is sharing a special family recipe for manicotti. A Family Tradition DiNardo said his memories of the Italian dish come from times when it was made by his grandmother on his father's side, Edith. "She used to make this many, many years at Christmas. There'd be braciole, all kinds of stuff. But I thought I would take it simple," DiNardo said. Nowadays, DiNardo said he makes manicotti for the family and neighbors every year, whether for Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. The Recipe Ingredients: (Photo: Matt DiNardo/8News) For 16 crepes: 1 cup water 1 cup flour 4 eggs Alternatively, for 12 pasta shells: 3/4 cup water 3/4 cup flour 3 eggs Cheese filling for about 30 crepes: 32 oz whole milk ricotta 1 lb whole milk mozzarella 1/4 tablespoon of parmesan cheese 3 eggs Folks can make manicotti with either crepes or tubular pasta. DiNardo explained that he made fresh tomato sauce for the recipe, which he first uses to line a thin layer at the bottom of a baking dish. Next, DiNardo said he takes a simple crepe batter which has the consistency of a very thin pancake batter, measures a scoop out, then pours the batter into a frying pan. Next, DiNardo said you should tilt the frying pan so that the batter spreads out into a thin layer, forming a crepe. Continue until you run out of batter. Once your crepes are made, you spread a mixture of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella onto the center of each one, then roll each crepes' edges together to form a boat or tube shape. When your crepes are filled, you can set them into the fridge, perhaps a day ahead, to sit before you continue cooking. Once your filled crepes have rested, DiNardo explained that you then place them into your sauce-lined baking dish, then drizzle a bit of tomato sauce on top. You then top your dish with more shredded cheese and bake while covered until the big reveal.