I also lived in SW MO for 30 years. I have 2 grown daughters. I was a widow after 25 years of marriage, then divorced after 6 yrs. Now single for 2 years. I moved to AZ a year ago to be closer to my 91-years-young mom. I find the people east of Tucson to be very friendly. I am a red-hatter and a member of a book review club. I swap books on 3 web sites and music on 2 sites. I love to try new recipes, mainly main dishes, but being single, don't cook as much as I like. My specialty is banana bread with sour cream, baked turkey and dressing, and cocktail sauce. The latter 2 are from Better Homes and Gardens, but they always receive raves. I love to cook what my mom and dad cooked when I was growing up. This includes beef heart and beef tongue. I had a couple of gourmet recipes I was proud of, but lost them. Never try a new recipe on company. I can't remember any tragedies because no one else knew about it.