I was raised in a warm, loving family, though we had our share of issues, too! I am the eldest of three children and did a lot of cooking and caring for my two younger brothers while we were growing up. My father recently retired from baking, due to some health problems. Baking has always been a part of our lives, but I have to say I prefer cooking to baking, because I can experiment more with cooking. I love to be adventurous and try different tastes. Have many food allergies, but this doesn't hold me back too much! I love to try new recipes. With a toddler at home, and only my husband bringing in our income, I have recently learned to stretch dollars by making tortillas and beans, casseroles, and baked goods from scratch. Our daughter loves the torillas and beans! My father was raised in a family of nine children (he's the eighth). My grandmother baked for years and took her baked goods and breads and quilts and things "to market" for years. I remember making pies with her when I was young; she would put an apron on me and help me to make my own little pies. I also have wonderful memories of "snapping beans" with her while visiting, whether at the kitchen table or outside in a chair at their farm. I really enjoy improvising with recipes. It's nice to have a recipe from which to begin, but then I have fun throwing in different spices, etc. When I was a teenager, I decided I would surprise my family with some no-bake cookies on my own, but I didn't know what "oleo" was. I figured it must not be an important ingredient, since I had not heard of it. Well, I soon discovered why oleo (margarine) is a necessary part of making cookies. Now I always check if I don't know what something is!!