My mother was a wonderful cook.  She taught me the way you show your family you love them is through food.  As my children were growing up, sometimes dinnertime was the only time we spent together as a family before going our separate ways to various forms of work and play.  Even though I have worked at several jobs over these years, every day I would come home and prepare a meal for my family to enjoy.

Some women like to shop in department stores or specialty shops. My favorite shopping place is the grocery store.  And a highlight of my week is planning what we will be eating in the coming week, putting together the grocery list, shopping for all the ingredients and knowing that each day when I arrive home from work I will be ready to prepare a delicious meal.  Whether these meals are just for Bill and me or for a gathering of family or friends it is a joy for me to provide a well-stocked table   

I must say, over the years I have made changes in what I cook and the way I cook it.  My style has gone from Chicken Kiev deep-fried and filled with butter to Pork au Poivre, sautéed in a tasty, low fat sauce.  Many of these changes happened when I joined Weight Watchers and my daughter April got me a subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Now I substitute low fat and no fat alternatives whenever I can and eat a lot more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  I have also experimented with a lot of new recipes.