Hi! I am 35 years old, single never married, and the proud mother of two German Shepherds. I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio but transferred with my company to Fredericksburg, VA in 2002. There has never been a more highly valued member of any Baker family than the cook :) No kidding, that's the family name! I am more of a cook than a baker I must admit. I love to travel and have done a lot of it so far...My next destination is Egypt in December! Can't wait to try the local cuisine... My specialties (and most often requested)are Italian, especially Primavera and Lasagna. The other requests I most often receive are Gumbo, broccoli casserole, sauteed Italian style spinach, chili and chicken noodle soup. The road gets a little bumpy here. I grew up with magnificently tasty and terribly fatty foods. I have an Aunt who puts two POUNDS of butter in her chicken and dumpling recipe (I quit eating them once I discovered that). I live in an age of health food awareness, so things had to change when I began to cook. The cooks in my family didn't seem to know how to make things taste good without heavy amounts of fat and cholesterol. I, on the other hand, discovered fresh herbs very early on. The food I cook is much healthier (except perhaps for my very rich lasagna)than my elders. I even grow my own herbs. They sometimes ask me how I made something, so hopefully my cooking healthier recipes will lead to healthier lives for everyone in my family. Definately my Primavera and Chili have been triumphs! My brother and sister-in-law have seven children, so you can imagine what it's like at dinner time! There's always at least one or two crying "I don't like it!" When I go home to visit I usually cook at least two or three meals. My brother always wants my Gumbo... The first time I cooked my Primavera my brother and sister-in-law couldn't believe it...NO COMPLAINTS! Only requests for more. I think they were in shock. Now, of course, I have to make it whenever I go home, but the best part is now they're making it! My second triumph involves the same situation, except they came to Virginia to visit me instead of me going to Ohio. We were going to be in D.C. all day, it was their first trip here, so I tossed all my ingredients for chili in the crock pot and we hit the road. For the second time, no complaints, and the crockpot was scraped clean. I have a terrible time glazing! I haven't researched it in a while, so hopefully there's a better description of what to do for the perfect glaze, out there for me. I never seem to get it right. ALL I EVER WANTED WAS A NICE PIECE OF HONEY GLAZED SALMON!!!