I'm a Mom to a beautiful 12 year old son. We love the mountains, coast and everything else about living in Oregon. He's really into Easy Mac, Crepes and pasta and not so much into veggies and fruit. It's a challenge to get him to try new things or to eat enough of the "good foods." I get a lot of great ideas from this site. Cooking is my number 1 hobby next to working out. I guess they kind of go together. My co-workers know that when I'm having a bad day I'll go to the gym and then go home and bake. They know when to expect me to bring treats! I love to bake. Cookies are my specialty and bread is my downfall. Soups/Stews have become a favorite meal for me to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. Anything with lots of veggies, beans and barley. My family loves soup days at my house! I've gotten pretty good at grilling and think the secret is the marinade - especially with chicken. I'm a big holiday person. I love to plan weeks ahead for the perfect holiday meal. I remember my Grandma making green jello and tortillas for every holiday meal. My sister is carrying on that tradition now. I work in a small office with people who love to eat as much as I love to bake so every holiday is a guarantee that I'll be bringing in something good to eat. I've entered baking contests with cheese cakes, cranberry cookies and various bar cookies over the years. Anything that turns out edible is a triumph. I think I've almost mastered my grandma's flour tortillas - this is a huge accomplishment! I was baking some holiday trailmix in my oven and the oven died with four trays of mix only half cooked. Also, my first attempt at grilling on a gas grill was very bad. Flames shooting out all over and the chicken was burned beyond recognition. The neighbors wanted to call the fire department.