I'm more of a baker vs. a cook. I love to write about food without being the all-knowing "foodie." I never had an Easy Bake Oven because I was too busy fooling with my mom's and grandma's. The first dinner I remember making for my family is something I would never fix today: steak, salad, green beans and chocolate pudding with chocolate chips. I think I was 12 when I made this meal; now, I don't eat red meat and I have a small urban garden of basil, chives, sage, mint and rosemary. I'm a work in progress. Spinach and Ricotta Calzones, Spinach Pesto Lasagna, Veggie Chili, Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits, Pecan Shortbread Bars, Maple Spice Cake, Grilled Shrimp dusted in Cumin with Roasted Veggies, Chocolate Chip Cookies Real butter. I think it's important to be heart-healthy, but sometimes I get annoyed at all of these crazy, artificial substitutions. A little bit of butter goes a long way, and a diet devoid of fat is not a healthy diet. Learning how to cook with fresh, local produce in a way that's healthy and yummy. I still have tons to learn here, but I'm doing it "poco a poco." (little by little) There are so many. When I invited my boyfriend Dave over for dinner while I was in grad school, I completely botched the meal. My famed calzones were not done baking, and yet I served him the gooey mess. Oh, this same famed recipe, Spinach and Ricotta Calzones, I made for my host family in Costa Rica. The calzones were wonderful, but in Spanish calzones do not mean what Italian-Americans like myself are trying to say. "Calzones" in espanol equals "panties." Oops.