Raised by an excellent Mom who was a GREAT cook! Learned all the basics from her, then developed a major interest in it in my 40's. I don't have enough patience for some of the more intricate recipes out there, but I sure love trying new things! Crockpot recipes; chicken any way, ribs, pork shoulder, tacos, salads of any kind... Pure, down-home comfort food from my Mom who was raised on a ranch on the Sacramento River. A beautiful trifle I attempted and actually succeeded at. A miserable attempt at making Chile Relleno from scratch and turned my kitchen into a disaster zone and had nothing left to eat after the destruction was over!!