I was lucky enough to meet Julia Child twice. She will always be my cooking hero. Love to make Philadelphia sticky buns and minestrone soup on cold rainy winter weekend afternoons. My mother made the best pies and cakes. I don't make as many desserts as she did, but I always think of her when I am baking. Another tradition was making applesauce and preserves on what seemed like the hottest day of south Jersey summers. A multi-course gourmet dinner for a wonderful woman who turned 85. Everything turned out including the Grand Marnier souffle at the end. Pancakes - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.