The mother of four grown sons, I take pride in producing healthy, satisfying meals. Everyone is welcome at our table. I love to bake cookies and cakes. Most of my best recipes came to me from my mother who was a great baker, but hated cooking meals. That job belonged to my grandmother. When she died, my sibs and I thought we would starve because we thought our mother could only bake! For me, making soup is the most satisfying process in the kitchen. It is so forgiving. My boys love "pink cake" for their birthdays and "Buche de Noel" - otherwise known as "log" - for Christmas. Chili cheese dip served with Fritos is their favorite snack food and my most requested recipe next to my gingersnap recipe. I used to host a faculty Christmas party every year and make all the appetizers and desserts from scratch. Thanksgiving has always been a big event at our house. My late father-in-law would drive 800 miles from Masschusetts to Ohio just to eat my dinner. He was certainly the most appreciative audience I ever had. One year our boxer, Rosie, climbed up onto the picnic table on our porch and ate the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie that I had left to cool there.