I've been cooking since I was a kid. I went to cooking school in Sonoma County after my children started school. I became a caterer and enjoyed being a part of the food and wine scene in the wine country of Sonoma and Napa. I have since retired but enjoy the sharing that food brings to family and friends. My husband is not one to cook but I have a dear friend, Debbie, who shares my passion. Debbie is in my all recipes photo...she's the tall one. We team up in the kitchen with a little wine and music and cook to our hearts content. I absolutely love friends in the kitchen. Recipes I discover are always shared. My son is a fire fighter so my recipes show up at the local fire house often. This recipe site is fantastic and plays a big roll in my over-stuffed recipe collection that I will be passing on to my children and their families. I cook a lot of everything! One section of my family recipe collection is stuffed full of cookie recipes. That is the largest section of my collection so I guess cookies are my favorite thing to cook/bake. My mother was raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I love cooking the country recipes of my youth. I see Southern cooking is getting noticed here in California... it's about time!! My cooking triumphs are actually the triumphs of others. I have taught cooking to various groups. Some have gone on to become excellent chefs and home cooks. I think cooking and caring for one's family and friends is very important. 'Breaking bread' brings people together...good food is a bonus. I was hired to bake a cake for a baby shower. I had busied myself for hours making royal icing roses, daisies, and violets. I set them on baking sheets to dry. I left one of the trays on a kitchen chair. My Golden Retriever devoured an entire tray. I was so mad when I realized what happened!! All I could do was rant about hoping it all went to his hips...then went on to make more roses, daisies and violets. My dog was burping for days!!