I love my family and I love to entertain. Nothing pleases me more than when someone asks me for the recipe! Sweets! God help me! (smile) My preference is to cook from scratch. I find that I enjoy the flavor and the richness of the food much more. I have a sensitive palate and often, I can taste preservatives etc. in processed foods. My husband's side of the family loves to roast a pig for New Year's. Last year, I started Thanksgiving dinner several days in advance. So, by Turkey day, my family and I just enjoyed eachother! I rarely used box mixes, and if I do, I NEVER follow the instructions exactly. However, last Dec. I had one on hand and I decided to make my daughter's birthday cake with it. I followed the directions to a "T" and that was the WORSE cake ever! I had even made whipped cream frosting and whipped it by hand! That ended up being about the only part that got eaten! My husband and I still joke about it from time to time!