MamaJ

about me

I am the mother of four boys--two sons and two stepsons. I am also the grandmother of one very sweet and precocious 3 yr old boy. I was once a healthcare administrator but quit a few years ago to stay home with my youngest. Since he has started to school, I am back to working part time.
Next to my family, cooking is my passion. I have a wonderful husband who will try anything. He is my biggest fan and a discerning critic. A couple of years ago, we started a dinner club with friends who enjoy our passion for good food. We have shared many wonderful meals together.
My favorite cookbook would have to be a family cookbook that my mom and cousin and I put together a couple of years ago. We shared all the favorites that had been passed down through the generations as well as new favorites.
My biggest pet peeve is picky eaters who refuse to try anything new. It bothers me more with adults than with kids, but I love that my six year old will eat just about anything I put in front of him. There is something very gratifying about "grooming" the next generation of foodies.

Favorite Foods:

If I had to pick favorite cuisine, it would probably be Italian, but there are very few foods I don't like. I definitely prefer savory to sweet and would much rather have second helpings than dessert.
I am known for my soups. Every year from September through March I have "soup night" every Friday. I make two big pots of soup and homemade bread. Family and friends gather at my house and catch up with one another. Sometimes, depending on schedules I may have as few as five people and the next week I may have as many as 30 people. I just finished my fourth year and I plan on doing it until I can no longer stir a pot.
I like to cook everything from simple comfort foods to gourmet meals. I bake bread often, but rarely bake sweets (actually I'm not very good at it). I have quite a collection of cookbooks and I am just as likely to be found reading one of them as I am the latest bestseller. Since I discovered recipezaar I think I've beome an addict--my husband is looking for a rehab program for cooking site junkies.....

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