I'm a professional southern girl who learned from the best cooks I know. Both my grandmothers, and my own Mama. I grew up with 3 older, football playing brothers, and we were brought up on a working livestock/personal vegetation farm, so I got used to having fresh ingredients, and, to this day, the majority of my cooking is done with the same. That said, I don't look for "low fat(carb or sodium)" recipes. I don't pretend to cook what might be considered "healthy", yet we all remain nutritionally healthy, thanks to an active lifestyle, and, I believe, the use of those home raised, fresh ingredients. Someone else can keep all the unnecessary additives and preservatives in the packaged meals, fast foods and plastic covered goodies, but you will find fried foods, cream soups, cheesy casseroles and red meats and heat, heat HEAT on my table! By the way, my email is kenih1975@yahoo.com so if anyone has any questions that I am missing on the exchange, please feel free to email me. Whether for myself or for any number of members of my large family, I just love to cook. I also love adapting their "favorite" recipes to a crock pot or just an easier version for them to make. I love this site for the ideas it gives me and I have a great time tweaking and adjusting the recipes to suit. One of my pet peeves, however, is rating a recipe(whether high or low), after altering it drastically. I'm first to admit I rarely follow a recipe exactly, but I'm happy to give kudos to the original ideas. When I do review, it's for the recipes as written or very minor changes, then I may add a note as to what I would change next time. I just usually can't make myself follow a recipe exactly! :) My criteria for a review is 5=wonderful dish, as is, with very minor changes, if any 4=very good dish as is, or with slightly bigger changes 3=good dish or one needing fairly major changes(cooking times, fresh vs frozen, etc) 2=so many changes it's not even the same dish 1=inedible as written Thanksgiving is our biggest "food day". All the southern traditions, along with our own favorites and additions. Also, summer BBQs and large gatherings. We are big sports fans, especially football(GO STEELERS! :)...and weekends around here, especially during football season, are just filled stupid with food! :) Any time my boyfriend is impressed by a dish or suggestion, is a triumph for me. After 5 years, he's yet to dislike anything he's tried, so my goal is to hold that record. Brownies from a box while in college. Never even bothered to try, again. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so baking isn't what I enjoy, most, but using a mix for cookies or brownies just seems wrong to me.