I'm the mom of five kids (4 boys & 1 girl.) I'm grandmom to 8 and greatgrandmom to 3! I love to garden and cook. Living in Florida is wonderful because we can grow year round. To me it's paradise! I grew up in the sw corner of Virginia/West Virginia in the Appalachian Mts. Very cold! So, I moved here at age 36 and have spent the years growing exotic plants, veggies and fruits. I'm retired from the real estate business and my life is rich in family, friends, gardening and cooking. I love to cook, so I'm not sure I have favorites. Mostly, I enjoy cooking for others. My grandmother was a great cook, especially baking, and I grew up at her knee. My kids are all good cooks, so when we get together in the kitchen it's a lot of fun. My most requested dishes are spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. I like to cook (and eat) jam cake, which was also a favorite of my grandmother. It has a caramel icing that's divine. My family and I are big on holidays and birthdays and with a large family there are plenty of occasions. We gather at different homes for the occasion(s) and everyone brings a special or "requested" dish. I won a couple of contests back in my home state. But, my triumphs are serving dinner to 30+ people on a rather regular basis when my kids were growing up. They always had to invite friends to holiday or other special occasions meals. Actually, they still do, but it's easier now that they can cook too! I lived in Atlanta in 1963 and '64 and had natual gas for heating and cooking. I had never cooked on a gas range, so for the first few months everything was a fiasco. We had to eat a lot of Krystals (small, cheap hamburgers) and my ex was always mad at me!