I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Central Wisconsin. My mother was a fabulous cook and even processed her own meats, vegetables and fruits. However, she didn't have much patience for teaching, so I pretty much had to learn everything about cooking by experience after I got married. I love to cook, but HATE the grocery-getting and prep. I love to bake, although I shouldn't bake anymore as my husband and I are both about 30 pounds overweight. I also like to make casseroles, crock-pot dishes, and other easy-to-make things. I won first place in the dessert catagory three years in a row at our local Christmas cooking contest. I stopped entering after that because I knew the "winning streak" couldn't go on forever, and I wanted to quit while I was Champion. When I was first married, I didn't know ANYTHING about cooking. I tried to FRY a beef roast in a cast iron fry pay, then tried to make gravy out of the massive amount of grease in the pan. Now I can make such a good roast and gravy that my family says I should process it and sell it.