I love to cook, & I love to teach. I am a problem solver, so I love helping others through the new Recipe Exchange on Allrecipes. I used to write a recipe column, but the website was discontinued. I'm currently working on a cookbook for non-cooks & those who hate to cook. I cook so that others can enjoy my food. I love to watch people enjoying my cooking, & I believe that food is the truest & purest way to bring people together. What could be better than time spent w/ friends, a good bottle of wine & great food? I'm a traditionalist at heart. I love to cook traditional meals like Chicken & Dumplings, Beef Pot Roast, Cabbage & Noodles, Irish Stew, Shepherd's Pie, traditional Turkey & Stuffing, Corned Beef & Cabbage, Apple Pie, etc. Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE time of year! Irish cooking runs very strong in my family. My dad would make a batch of Guinness Irish Stew w/ Guinness Beer Bread & I would be in heaven. Everything at Thanksgiving would be made from scratch (I was in charge of the stuffing when I was younger), so my mother & I would be cooking for two days straight. We LOVED it! The first time I made a Standing Rib Roast & it came out perfectly medium-rare. Now I can do it in my sleep! I attempted to make a White Ham & Bean Soup w/o a ham bone, just a chopped ham steak. It was so bland & tasteless that we had to throw it out.