The product of a large family in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, I've moved around a bit and now live on my own in Providence, RI. Learning to cook happened out of necessity, but becoming good at it is the result of my passion for entertaining. I love dinner parties, cocktail parties, picnic parties, beach parties... and I think great company deserves great food! I enjoy cooking/grilling red meat and seafood and like things spicy (even veggies)! This year, my container garden was really abundant and I've enjoyed salads made of home grown ingredients. Also, it insures that I have TONS of fresh herbs. Though I've never made these dishes: Mimi's (grandma) creamed onions, cole slaw and steamed turnips (all separate) are a critical part of the holiday table setting. I'm also a huge fan of the olive boat. My seasoned, seared tuna left my brother awestruck. Introducing my family to bacon wrapped filet mignon with gorgonzola crumbles made me a hero. Mastering a clams Sicilian recipe from a favourite RI restaurant made me a legend. I tried a recipe I found for using day old mashed potatoes and adding cheese and milk to make kind of a potato souffle. I'll never live it down. It was directly responsible for the revoking of both hero and legend status mentioned above.