Born in New England, lived much of my life in California, retired in Florida. Raised 4 children and received a law degree. Had a very, busy, hectic life and now (can't believe I made it to retirement!) I have more time to search for and try new recipes. I miss California terribly and trying Mexican dishes brings me back to those days! I have two sons in the entertainment business in Los Angeles, and a daughter who is a food critic in Boston....and life goes on and on.... My first love is making desserts. I never met a chocolate ANYTHING that I didn't love. I have a recipe for chocolate cake that is hands down the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted, so I seldom try other recipes for this as nothing has come close. I love Mexican food, but I am a wimp and it can't be too spicy (my kids make fun of me over this)..... My mother worked when I was growing up, so quick and easy was her cooking motto. But she made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. I continue that tradition, having tweaked the recipe a little over the years. Now my daughter has friends begging her for the recipe! I worked in a busy office and every couple of weeks I would bring in some extra special treat to share with my co-workers. Again, my chocolate cake blew their minds! I think my biggest triump of all is my strawberry pie. This one comes out looking like expensive bake shop fare and tastes 100% better. This one is an absolute knock-out! When I was first married, I was looking to cook things beyond the usual. I came across a recipe that was for carrots dipped in a crunchy crumb crust. I HATE carrots so I thought this might make them palatable and my husband would be so proud of my accomplishment. WRONG....he looked at them and politely asked, "Honey, WHAT is this??" It looked and tasted just awful!