Hi there! I'm a full time mother to 2 year old Isabella and really enjoy getting her involved in my passion for cooking and eating good healthy food. So far, so good and she loves fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts, pretty much whatever I make her - as long as she can decifer the individual ingredients! She's the reason I'm so determined to make things from scratch and avoid ready-made or boxed foods which contain artificial ingredients, flavor enhancers and chemicals. I'm a much smarter shopper since she's been born and always read the labels. I'm a master at making all kinds of salads - so my friends tell me - and am going through a 'Mediterranian food phase'. I just love all the fresh ingredients, herbs, fish, and spices many recipes call for. Last night I made simple but delicious Italian Tuna and Bean salad and some homemade hummous that was to die for. Making tamales around Christmas. It's a painstaking 3 day process, but some of my best childhood memories include sitting around the table with my late Grandma and aunts and listening to them gossip while filling the masa spread corn husks with that yummy spicy pork filling. I allow myself to indulge in my favorite Tex-Mex recipes on the holiday! Hmm, I'm pretty happy when my husband - who must eat out in some of London's finest restaraunts several times a month with clients - comes home and tells me that my cooking is far better than most places he's been. Oh gosh, have had too many to count. I do remember, however, about 8 years ago when I first started trying to cook in earnest, that my then boyfriend brought one of his friends home for dinner after he had raved about my skills in the kitchen. I had no clue what to make and had nothing in the fridge but porkchops. I made pan fried pork chops with canned green beans and mashed potatoes. Fair enough, it was short notice, but then I found a can of cherry pie filling in the cupboard and remembed seeing a recipe for Pork Chops with a cherry sauce. I simply heated up the pie filling and put a dollop on everyone's plate. It was disgusting! My boyfriend's friend said nothing throughout the whole meal, but I could tell he was choking his food down!