I'm a foodie. I go out to eat often and I like to cook from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. Gourmet is my favorite cooking magazine and I'm not intimidated by complicated recipes. I am, however, a scatterbrained host. Cooking and talking can lead to comic omissions. I love to roast. Slow cooked fresh wild salmon, pot roast, stews and roasted chicken. It's also fun to improvise using ingredients on hand. I'll make pretty much anything from The Herbal Kitchen by Jerry Traunfeld. I'm best known among friends for hosting Thanksgiving. Have started a few traditions using recipes found here, such as Beets and Sweets. Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Botched a cheese fondue recipe recently. It was dreadful.