Well, hello (to anyone that happens to read this)! My name is Autumn, and like most people, I like food. :P Sadly, food doesn't always like me. I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, which is an auto-immune inflammatory disease of the digestive system. I now have intolerance to a lot of food, which makes tasty food a challenge, at times. I have a goal to learn and create recipes that are safe for myself and others with this condition, while remaining delicious. I've always had a strong liking for southern food. You know, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread and what not. I make some pretty good fried chicken! But I also like trying new things, and cooking for other people. So their taste is always taken into consideration. I also really enjoy slow cooking dishes, like soups, stews, and chili, it's laid back, and makes the house smell great! My family doesn't have a whole lot in the way of cooking traditions, with the exception of the holidays. I remember as a child, my older sisters would stay up late, making desserts and anything that needed done in advance. I would stay up as late as I could to hang out and watch them. Now that I am older, I usually do a lot of the cooking. With everyone living apart now, the traditions have kind of faded (which makes me sad), but we still all get together for a big meal. I hope to start a family of my own one day, and with that, continue and add to family traditions. The first Thanksgiving that I cooked more than one thing, I cooked all of the staples (with the exception of the turkey), which included mashed potatoes, stuffing, and an apple tart (I know I did more than that, but I can't recall what). The mashed potatoes were made with sour cream, cream cheese, and sprinkled with parsley. The stuffing was made from scratch. And the apple tart, drizzled with honey, was a hit. In addition, when trying various types of chicken to top off Alfredo for my significant other, I concocted a Parmesan-encrusted chicken that everyone loves. My first Thanksgiving out on my own, I was preparing a traditional meal for myself and my significant other of the time. I had purchased a turkey, of course, and thawed it according to the instructions. Knowing that I needed to remove the little bad of gizzards and what not from the cavity, I reached in to do so. I felt a plastic bag of some kind, and tried to pull it out. But it was still a bit frozen in there. So I decided I would use something sharp to try and pry or cut it out. Well, in the process, I cut the bag, and out gushed a thick brown liquid. Being the first time I had done anything with the turkey, I called my mother during this whole process, for help. Well, I had no idea what the liquid was, and started panicking, thinking it was turkey blood! LOL! Turns out, the turkey had come with a gravy pouch :P