I am a working single mom who is always on the look-out for a healthy, quick and easy, budget friendly meal during the week as we don't eat out. I also enjoy comlicated dishes that challenge my skills to improve and I enjoy new tastes and flavors. I LOVE FOOD...mainly the preparation and the enjoyment I can provide others. My favorites are the southern cajun classics that I grew up with...Gumbo, Jambalaya, Red Bean and Rice, Etoufee and Sauce Piquant. But I love to experiment with Italian and Spanish dishes. Seafood is a favorite as well. As mentioned Red Beans and Rice, Gumbo, Jambalya, my mother was an adventurous cook and a great teacher. She always allowed her children in the kitchen to watch or talk which is still what we all enjoy. We always migrate to the kitchen for coffee to watch her and talk about her ingredients and techniques. Learning to make gumbo from scratch that tastes like my mother's. She has no recipe and, as I learned, has prepared it so many times she cannot remember all of the ingredients! I sat and watched one day and made notes then tried it on my own. Trying to make the gumbo before I observed my mother...yuck! Oh and my first time cooking rice...lets not forget the pan I had to throw away with that.