Quirky, spirited, adventurous, & interested in just about everything. Mother of 2 small boys & stepmom to an adult daughter. Married almost 7 yrs, to her father who is the "meat and potatoes" man of the family. Love to experiment but I try to keep it simple & nutritious - I never have enough time in my day so it's all about being practical. When the kids are older (& I have a bigger kitchen) I would like to take a gourmet cooking class since I've been inspired by my friend Stephanie, winner of Top Chef season 4! My mom made the BEST mac & cheese and pot roast. I wish I had learned more about her favorite recipes from her before she died; I was only 17 and thought we'd have forever. Among my best food memories are her "tuna burgers" and other homemade lunches, her best crock-pot creations including a kind of ratatouille she named "Slumgullion Stew", & of course the kids' table at Thanksgiving. I've had quite a few over the years, usually times I surprised myself by trying a new food or a new recipe. Most of my "triumphs" have been modest ones, like meals that my family loved when I hoped they would just eat it & not whine about it. My biggest triumphs would have to be (a) the amazing chocolate cake I made for my husband's 50th birthday (1st recipe I ever tried from this site), and (b) every dish I make where I successfully sneak veggies into it & the boys (sons & hubby) don't know it & love it anyway. I should have written that cookbook ("Deceptively Delicious") before Jessica Seinfeld got around to it! 1st Thanksgiving turkey still frozen that morning - used a blow dryer to speed thawing time (??!!) and finally ate around 11 pm I think? My husband would say the 1st time I made chocolate pudding cake for him was the single WORST thing I have ever cooked. I searched online for a heart-healthy recipe (my 1st mistake, thinking such a recipe would exist), and finding one somewhere I must have made some mistakes executing it. It was a sloppy, tasteless, formless pan of brown stuff even the dogs wouldn't eat. Now THAT'S pathetic!