I am a wannabe chef who loves to make people happy (and full!) with my cooking. I have a wonderful family, a great hubby and two gifted teens who love to cook as well. My daughter (15) is an accomplished chef with 2 contest wins under her belt and a cookbook of her own in the making. Since I now work nights, my daughter has taken over the cooking for the whole family. She makes the most amazing meals!!! When I am not working, I sing in my church choir and sew costumes for my kids' shows and local community theater. I love sweets...cakes, cookies, and other home-baked treats. Nothing is more fun for me than taking a family recipe and "playing scientist" by altering and dressing up to make it even better! My doctored-up cheesecakes are getting to be a much-requested item for birthdays in our home. The recipes here are so much fun to "tweak"!!! I come from a Sicilian background, and we always had comfort foods as a centerpiece for our holiday celebrations. I learned to make Italian cookies (pizzelles are my favorite, another recipe I found here!)and pastries like my Nonnie loved, and my lasagna and meatballs are coming along nicely. I must say though, my daughter makes a better lasagna and tomato sauce than I do. Making a wonderful deep chocolate cake and white chocolate icing that was the hit of a surprise bridal shower AND won a bake-off was a real thrill. I hope to someday go to culinary school and hone my skills. Until then, seeing the happy faces of the people I make treats for is all the triumph I need. I learned a few years ago that I am diabetic, so my sweet tooth had to make some serious adjustments. I still make the decadent sweets, I just have to rely on others to taste them for me! Ah well, I still have fun and I get to make all my thin friends happier...what more can a baker ask for?