My granddaughter called me Grandma Shakey when she was two...? Hhmmmnnn...maybe I should start going back to the Y...? She's turned 5 and just says Grammy now. She's only one of the picky eaters in our family. Of course, I don't happen to be one of them. I really enjoy cooking something new and unusual. Not exotic, just different from the norm. I'm not into escargo or anything of that type, and although I'm living in Missouri, I have never eaten possum or raccoon, though I know those who have. When my youngest daughter was in grade school, her class project was a Myan dinner. Together we created a meal for her class (from recipes found on the net) that just surprised me. Wonderful food! Of course there were a few subsitutions... Some things you just can't find in Missouri... go figure. I really like to take a dish and remake it my way. I love using spices and when I find one I like, it usually goes into everything! You wouldn't believe how a can of spinach, drained, with ACCENT on it tastes right from the can. We don't heat it or green beans anymore, just drain and add ACCENT...wonderful. When I hear of a food cooked differently, I seldom get a recipe, I just do what I 'think' they did and go for it. There is a few ways I like green beans other than straight from the can, such as rolled in egg and my chicken flour mix and fried... Who knew?! In the winter, I love to cook what I call 'comfort' food. The smells of roasts and soups and such in the winter remind me so much of 'home' when I was growing up. Summer calls for cooking outdoors and chilled fruits. Long days leave little time or inclination for all day at the oven or stovetop. I could live on chilled cantaloupe and big crisp seedless grapes when it's hot outside. Oyster soup on Christmas Eve! One of my favorite memories as a child. Fried Chicken on Sunday... another childhood memory. I have never entered a contest, although I'd like to. But I am known as a good cook at work, where co-workers wanted me to bring in food for their lunches which they would buy and didn't care what I brought. I did this for a summer and made some extra money, which off set what I spent bringing in food for free...lol Once when I brought in a couple loaves of stuffed bread, one woman wanted to know if a were a gourmet cook... My lord, no, I just enjoy doing something different from the ordinary. A few years after I started bringing in 'breakfast' bread, the stores started selling those hot pocket type snacks... Again, who knew? Too many to name... Just brag on something you'll know what I'm talking about.