As a wife and mom of 3 daughters, my goal is to be realistic in the kitchen. I like cooking but hate it's evil companion- cleaning. Some nights it's as simple as beanie-wienies, once in a while it is Shrimp Ceviche or Salmon Croquettes, but I am mostly a tuna casserole and chocolate chip cookie type. I love to bake cookies without recipes or measuring because it's a challenge to see if I can get the right texture and taste. I also love making soups, stews and chilis because there is something awesome about stirring a huge pot of boiling yumminess with a big wooden spoon. All of my siblings have a different version of my Mom's green chile which we all think is the best. When I was a kid, the BEST alarm to wake up to was the roaring wheat grinder because it meant fresh, hot, whole wheat pancakes were coming. Now I have my own wheat grinder and the tradition lives on. My husband brags that I can whip up a nice dinner out of thin air but the best compliments I have recieved are from my young daughters. "Mom, you are the best cook in the world." and "Can you make this again tomorrow night?" I joined a recipe club back in October and the monthly theme was apples. A few years ago I had won an apple bake off with my Apple Raisin Oat Bars and thought the recipe and story would make a great impression. One problem: I couldn't find the recipe. Nevertheless, I recreated them at the last minute and bragged about the winning recipe to the club. I spoke too soon. The bars did not turn out right and were underbaked. I bet the lovely ladies in the club were a little underwhelmed. This is not so much a cooking tragedy as it is an ego tragedy. Anyhow, I still go to the recipe club and absolutely love it. I especially enjoyed the month we chose chocolate as our theme. Imagine sampling more than a dozen of the chocolatiest of chocolatey recipes. Talk about a buzz. It was just like the outdoor dinner party scene from the movie "Chocolat" where they are laughing and eating in slow motion. We all enjoyed it but we voted to never do desserts exclusively again.