Painting, drawing, and cooking are high on my list of favorite things to do for relaxation. I love baking bread and preparing meals for family and friends. I find it highly satisfying to share my efforts with others and watch them enjoy a meal that I have prepared. Baking breads and cookies are my favorites. I also love creating warm and inviting southern home-cooked meals. "Tweaking" recipes goes back in my family. I think that cooking should be relaxing and feel that a recipe is simply a guide. Rarely do I follow a recipe exactly as it is written. I made chicken and dumplings for my Mother once and she swore they were every bit as good as my Grandmother (her mother) used to make. Makes sense to me because Granny is the one who taught me to make dumplings. Starting at age 5 I often helped her by rolling out the dough that she would make. She would then let me cut the dumplings into strips. I would watch as she dropped them into the boiling broth. Those are some of my favorite childhood memories. Recently attempted a potato & rosemary foccacia that turned out absolutely horrible. Tasteless and dry.(The local birds enjoyed it though.)