I live in a little suburb of Houston with my husband and my kitty cat. I teach preschool at my church, where I have an adorable class of 8 little 3-year-olds. I also teach piano privately from my home, and occasionally tutor reading on the side. When I'm not working, I love to read (anything and everything), exercise (yoga, tai chi and modern dance mostly), play the piano, and, of course, cook for myself, my husband and our friends.

My favorite cookbook right now was an anniversary gift from my husband, "365 Easy Ways to Cook Chicken." It sounds kind of bland and repetitive, but we've already tried several recipes and they're really good.

However, I haven't used too many cookbooks since I became addicted to 'Zaar. I find way too many interesting things on here to try, and it's great to have the reviews already there, too, to give some other ideas of additions or changes.
I have also become a big fan of making my own spice rubs and sauces. I generally pull out 10 or 12 things from my cabinet, start smelling them, and then dumping them in as I feel the urge. Then I have to ask my poor husband to try my creations. He's a brave one, though. He'll eat just about anything and usually enjoy it.

I like Rachael Ray, and was generally a FoodNetwork junkie when we had cable, but frequently found that the chefs on the FoodNetwork don't always operate under the assumption that you are on a tight budget. I have lots of the 30-minute-meals cookbooks, but don't often use them because they require so many ingredients I can't afford the recipes. That is frequently my main objection to trying new things. I just can't afford it! Bah!

I love potlucks, church suppers, anything where food is shared. I just joined a group at church called Dynamic Dinners. We have four couples in each group, and we rotate houses and courses to bring, with the host house providing the main course. I love the people in my group, and can't wait to get started with the first dinner!

I don't really have a favorite dish to cook, though one of my new personal favorites is my Strawberry Pork Tenderloin. I just love when I get to be in the kitchen all day. I have an iPod shuffle that I clip to my apron, and I frequently sing and dance in the kitchen while I cook!

I am becoming famous at church for my desserts. I have made several for our Lenten Soup Supper gatherings, and find that they get devoured fairly quickly, usually before I've had a chance to finish off my soup and head to the dessert table! I also have a pretty awesome queso dip that I should post, that I usually bring to choir parties.

We have a restaurant here in Houston called Raffa's, and they are absolutely fab. They make a pork dish with fresh rosemary and a raspberry sauce that was largely inspiration for the Strawberry Pork Tenderloin I love to make. Other than that, I love Chinese take-out in any form, and also a little Italian chain called Hasta La Pasta. I'll have to try to recreate some of their dishes soon.

The more I read of people on this site, the bolder I get at trying my own things in the kitchen. I used to be a "recipe only" gal, and followed them to the letter, but am finding it can be much more fun to create your own. The worst that can happen is you make the occasional flop, right?

Here are some pics of my little family. DH gets all the fruits of my effort in the kitchen. Kitten occasionally gets scraps!!!

These are of me with DH at our wedding. (I wish I still looked like that! Sadly, I grew fond of cooking, and grew bigger than a stick!)

This is our cat, Felix.

He loves to get in the way when I cook. He thinks all water is his water, especially when it is running straight from the sink, so he frequently tries to climb in our sinks while we are using them. We try to discourage him from this. Note: We did not actually buy him on Amazon! He just likes boxes!

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