I've raised a family of four and created meals out of little or nothing in the lean years. I pride myself on being able to pull together a satisfying meal in a pinch when guests drop in. Baking is my true love. Always certain recipes my family looks for - at Christmas, gingerbread men, cheese straws,plum pudding recipe my mother made, and now this year, I've added pumpkin soup. I like to take a recipe and alter it to fit my family's tastes. I have a "jambalaya" that has no shrimp, but instead, turkey kielbasa and chicken. Only real "tragedy" was a chicken/cheese baked dish that I had doubled for a large family gathering, that I had failed to allow extra time for the additional thickness of the doubling. With everyone seated at the table, it put the meal on hold until the dish could be put back in the oven and finished cooking.