For years I was a working wife and mom who used the kitched to sling family meals togeter while doing other home chores. Now, I'm retired and I love planning and preparing our meals. I'm a foodie who loves kitchen gadgets, tv cooking shows, and learning new ways to prepare dishes of all kinds. My first cooking lessons were from my mom and grandmother. Being from the Texas Panhandle, our meals ranged from chicken fried steak to mustard greens with ham. We had lots of southern dishes with a southwest touch. I now live on the Texas Gulf coast and enjoy the fresh seafood and long vegetable growing seasons. I'm not much of a sweet eater but give me something hot and spicy and I'm good to go.