I'm a native Houstonian who's moved all over the Eastern Seaboard and then managed to find my way home again. Thankfully, I've earned quite the appreciation for fine foods - PA Dutch, down-home Kentucky cookin', UP fudge and pasties! I go absolutely ga-ga over true gourmet, ingredient-crazy meals. For me, the whole thing is about the preparation. With a full time job, these are few and far between (Christmas and Thanksgiving) so I really focus on quick-and-easy jobs. I get pretty excited over finding recipes and making my own recipes that are one-dish time-savers that are truly savory. It's always a bonus when that recipe just happens to be healthy too. Every year for Christmas my family has always made my great-grandmother's sugar cookies with powdered sugar icing for Christmas cookies. Since they're just lard/shortening, sugar and flour, they're so sinful we only make one batch a year but they are always a family occasion. My second year to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving and I didn't have quite enough ice in the cooler as I thought I did. Next morning, I open the cooler to add more ice and all the ice from the night before was completely melted. I took the temperature on the 13 lbs bird and ... 70 degrees!! I had to run to Randall's at 10am Thanksgiving Day and grabbed their LAST fresh bird, that someone had neglected to pick up the day before - a whopping 18 lbs for just the two of us. From henceforth, I have brined ALL my turkeys in a **STORAGE ZIPLOC BAG** and left it in the fridge instead of the cooler!