I love to experience life, and my favorite ways to do it are being outside, using my imagination, or trying new food experiences, flavors and textures. My favorite things to cook are Penne in Creamy Tomato Vodka sauce, or Chicken Gravy over Red Mashed Potatos. My mother always made the best recipes from the most simple ingredients and put them on colorful pages in cookbooks so my brother and I could have fun in the kitchen without so many failures. I have had many great reviews from friends and family about my meals I make entirely from scratch off the top of my head. I am good at making do with whatever I have in my kitchen. Once I made a Tamale pie but didn't realize the corn masa that I had purchased was self rising. I had 1/5 filling to 4/5 crust. Big Bummer!!!