I grew up with a mother and 2 grandmothers who were great cooks and more importantly.... not too busy to teach a child to cook. I was a state winner in 4-H (Bread) and studied Home Economics in college. I am a homeschool mom of two and enjoy teaching my children our family favorites. We have lots of animals - cats, dogs, and horses. Life is full and fun! I enjoy collecting recipes from friends. Most of my recipe are "Julie's Caramel Icing" and making the item brings fond memories of the person who shared the recipe. I love to bake - I make bread frequently and grind my own whole wheat flour. I love trying new recipes and can often tell from reading a recipe if my family will like it. This is my favorite online site. Christmas - baking cakes. We bake a homemade Coconut cake using a real coconut that we grate (nothing better than the real, fresh thing!! We also make a Japanese Fruit Cake, A Caramel Cake and about 8 different types of cookies and bars. Christmas morning is always the same - fresh sausage with homemade biscuits, fresh squeezed orange juice, and homemade cinnamon rolls. I used to cook for large groups and get many compliments. I guess having friends call whenever they have a cooking question - and having people ask for recipes for things I take to gatherings. My most requested recipe is my Poppyseed Bread - there is a similar recipe on this site. It uses a glaze with almond, butter and vanilla flavorings in orange juice/sugar. I think of two - a cheesecake that completely fell apart when I removed the collar...and a chocolate pound cake I made with soft (Martha White) wheat flour and the gluten wasn't strong enough to hold the cake together - it fell off in huge hunks - but still tasted great!