I just ALMOST made it on The Food Network's Next Food Network Star!!! I love to cook because I love gratification... enjoying my own food and enjoying other people enjoying it!!! I love anything with fresh herbs (cilantro and rosemary are favorites)... I like really good cheese, garlic, onions, olive oil, a great glass of wine... and I really like a perfectly cooked cut of meat! My Grandma Rose made a killer "Seven Cheese Macaroni..." and I loved her Rumaki (did I spell that right?) I loved my Papa's southern breakfasts (always with sliced tomatoes) and my mama's pot roast and peach pies. Cooking with five kids running around is quite a feat... bringing them into the kitchen and having them beg to cook with me is one of my greatest joys in life. I also love when someone from our Bible study says they LOVE something I have made! Running a successful photogaphy business and homeschooling our kids through recent years has made having "all hands on deck" really important. Luckily, we've trained our kids to cook and they enjoy it, so working as a team is a true blessing! Not making it onto the Food Network's Next Food Network Star... and of course my little food catastrophes!(Of which I have quite a few funny stories... like the time I cooked chicken breasts in the crockpot with nothing but white vinegar and sour cream! Just one week into marriage with a $30 grocery budget, I was devastated when my new husband didn't LOVE the "treat!")