I am a homemaker and mother of two. Cooking, fashion, and decorating are my obsessions. My home and my garden are my passion. I studied English in college and I love to read and write. I study many recipes, cross reference them, then read the reviews before I settle on what and how I am going to cook. I love to bake first and foremost. If I could I would bake everyday. Growing up in a shipping town with a large Greek population, I learned to appreciate Mediterranean cuisine and it is one of my favorite ways to cook. I recently bought a pressure cooker and it is my new favorite toy. My Grandmother nearly died of malnutrition during the depression consequentially she pretty much lived to eat and to cook. ( Because of her vanity I have to add that was never overweight.) She lived with us on and off in my childhood and my favorite memories are of me, my mother and my grandmother in the kitchen together. Born and raised in North Carolina my mother and grandmother were traditional southern cooks but we experimented with recipes from Ladies Home Journal, McCalls, Woman's Day and countless other magazines. I will never forget the night my grandmother said to my mother, "How are we going to cook them tonight?" My mother was puzzled and asked her, "How are we going to cook what? " My grandmother answered, "The potatoes." Until then we didn't realize that we made them everyday. My grandmother's enthusiasm for cooking and eating was contagious and because of her when I walk through the grocery store I literally marvel at all the amazing possibilities. My greatest cooking triumph was when I was a little girl under 10. My mother bought a devil's food bundt cake mix with a white cream filling and a white glaze topping. It seemed to me that she would never get around to making that cake. I begged her to let me make it but she said that I was too young to use the oven. The directions were long and I read them and reread them until I committed them to memory and one day when my parents were out temptation overcame me and I made that cake. It turned out perfectly just like the picture on the box. We had a dishwasher but I hand washed everything and put it away. The only evidence that I had baked was the cake on the counter. I was a little sheepish and afraid that she would be mad but she was so surprised that she did not get angry. I will never forget their amazement. I remember saying to my mother, "All I did was follow the directions." And she said, "Kathy that is how you cook" About ten years ago I was working out with a trainer who wanted me to eat more protein. I started sneaking egg white powder into my recipes. I put egg whites in fish cakes, muffins, meat loaf, cookies....you name it. I tried to keep it a secret but my family was suspicious. In the oven the food would swell and everything looked bloated, tough and rubberized, and had a smooth shiny texture of unparalleled uniformity as if it had all been carved out of some kind of gelatinous space food. To this day I can taste egg whites in anything. I know where they go and where they don't.