Married and mother of 2 boys. Stay at home mom after a 20 year career. Moved quite a bit before I married. Living on an island now which is a challenge sometimes. Winter is a good time for hobbies. Just getting some free time now. Both boys will be out of high school next year, but can't retire yet. anything with chicken that is healthy. Husband has high cholesterol, so I cringe when I add cream or butter to recipes. Sometimes you just need to. I like to do stirfrys occassionally. Cooking is a challenge for me because my family are all very fussy eaters. Texture seems to be an issue. My favorite dishes are one dish recipes that everyone will like. I love meatloaf and shepherds pie but my family hates meals like that. It is difficult to experiment too much with them. Someone is always not happy. Too bad. My mother was a great cook and my father was a baker. Baking not my thing. I love italian and french dishes and homestyle cooking. family traditions are mostly meat and potato dishes in all variations. Homestyle meals. My triumphs is that I do sauces well. I am the one who volunteers to bring the appetizers, because I love to make them and I really love to eat them. I have found a lasagna recipe that surpasses my italian relatives' lasagnas. I triumph when I follow a recipe and add all the butter and cream suggested. I have a terrific pot roast recipe that is fabulous and I make a great boiled dinner. I can not bake. If it calls for flour I am lost. I am still looking for the perfect turkey gravy made from scratch.