My husband and I retired in 2001 and moved from the Portland, Oregon area to Hemet, CA, about half way between Palm Springs and San Diego. We love it here, especially the weather. More sunshine than we ever dreamed of. Portland is beautiful, but we don't miss the rain. I enjoy cooking almost everything, but believe in the KISS theory of keeping it simple...and healthy. I love trying new and interesting recipes and this site provides some of the best recipes ever! My grandmother made the best sour cream cookies every Christmas. It was fun to "help" her when I was a child. My first true triumph was a cheesecake that I made for company. When I took it out of the oven I was sure it was a disaster, but somehow it came together and everyone raved about it. Macaroni and cheese with leftover turkey. It was so bad I tossed it out.