I am a high school English teacher and have been cooking my whole life. I love to try new and challenging recipes and to taste what others have made. Going out to eat is my way of coming up with new ideas and taking food risks. I love to read and collect cookbooks. Anything for my husband, family, and friends. Pizzells at Christmas. I have my grandmother's recipe - it calls for a dozen eggs! When I smell that first batch, it is like I am right there in her kitchen with her again. This year, for my husband's birthday, I made a chocolate walnut praline cake that I'd been wanting to bake since I was 13. I first saw it in Chocolatier magazine in 1987. It took me 7 hours to bake and was worth every minute! I once made a batch of my famous chocolate chip cookies for my dad, but accidentally left out the eggs - yuck!