mother. writer. artist. poet. homeschooler. autodidact. animal lover. student of hula, Hawaiian language and culture. Dad's Shrimp Creole, Corned Beef Cabbage, Meatloaf, Chunky Potato Ham Soup, Southern Fried Pork Chops, Lemon-Shoyu Chicken, Banana Bread Eating! I'm 100% self-taught and launched into cooking out of necessity; my five kids got sick of eating prepared foods, and I was very ashamed to be living in the South without a lick of cooking talent! Since I love eating Southern food the most, I decided to start there. First goals were learning to fry up chicken and pork chops. I learned to make homemade creamed potatoes and gravy. And I've learned to make cooked vegetables with a decent Southern flavor! My dad was an expert Asian/Hawaiian cook, but he passed before I had a chance to learn from him. My second cooking goal was to learn to make local Hawai'i staples, like Lemon-Shoyu Chicken, Musubi, Banana Bread, Haupia, and Teriyaki Wings. My latest goal is to learn to cook some decent Cajun food, which could be a lifelong endeavor, depending on who you ask. I've got Shrimp Creole down to an art, but I'd really like to learn to make a decent Gumbo!