I am a wife and mother of two boys and a girl. My husband and I enjoy spending time with our children and families, who all live nearby. I have a B.A. in Social Studies Education and a Masters in Education. I am the Director of Youth Ministry at a local church. I teach classes and plan events for kids in grades 6 - 12. It is a wonderful job! I love to cook and the memories that are made in and around the kitchen. My Grandma Shirley is a fantastic cook - a farm wife who devoted her life to her family. I strive to be as good a cook as she was. She put so much love into all of her creations. Right now, we are working on a family cookbook in honor of her. So far, we have 300 recipes! I collect cookbooks, recipes, and am always looking for ideas for my dream kitchen. I love to bake cookies, cakes and pies. At Christmas, I make over 500 cookies (8 different kinds). I also make candies, different truffles and biscotti! I also specialize in Italian cooking! I love making manicotti, because it's my mom's favorite! My dad and I compete over who can come up with the best soup concoctions! I guess, overall, I would say my cooking interest would be "homecooked." Making Lefse with my sister-in-law every fall. And, cooking with my grandma and learning her secrets. Someday, I hope my cooking brings such sweet memories, like hers does. Also, holidays are a big occasion, so preparing all of the food for Christmas is something I look forward to every year! It isn't a holiday without a table full of cookies and treats, lefse, krumkake, Grandma's popcorn balls and lots of other goodies! I've also become the soup queen of Lenten Dinners, for my youth group! 1) My Alfredo sauce. There is no other recipe out there like it (I've looked!), and my brothers say its the best they've ever had. 2) I decorate my kids' birthday cakes every year. 3) Whenever my dad says he likes a soup I made. 4) Any time my husband, a very picky eater, says to make something again! The chocolate torte disaster! I found a recipe in an easy cooking magazine for a chocolate torte with frosting. I don't know what happened, but the torte part was like a chocolate mousse and the frosting, which should have had a whipped, fluffy texture was so runny, it was like water! It was awful, and really the only total flop I have ever seen or experienced!