I am a early-onset type II diabetic determined to eat well *with* my disease, rather than in spite of it. I am constantly trying to retool recipes with low carb and low sugar cooking in mind. I am a stress baker! Luckily, I'd rather bake it than eat it, so it hasn't compromised my diabetic control at all. I make the best scones this side of the pond, and I am just beginning to dabble in cakes and bars. My family is Cajun/Creole, so I grew up learning that gumbos are made with the following philosophy, according to my grandmother: "Well, I had a pork chop, two chicken legs, and some roast left, so I put those in the gumbo, too." I am a firm believer in a loose hand in cooking; I rarely write recipes down, and I often look at 5-6 recipes and pick and choose ingredients and methods from there. Learning how to make scones, perfecting my grandmother's gumbo (just don't tell her!), and getting requests from random strangers for foods of mine they've tasted from my friends. Cakes fail me. Utterly.