About me

I am married with no children. My husband has a son and we have two teenage granddaughters. We live in Tucson and both are retired. I come from a family born in Texas with family ties to Louisiana so my cooking roots are Southern.

My cooking experiences started with my grandmother, who made the best biscuits in the universe, no kidding! She was one of those tremendous cooks that used a little of this; a pinch of that, never followed a recipe and certainly didn't measure anything. Once I asked her, teach me how to make your biscuits. So, after failing miserably; they tasted nothing like hers. I asked her to write it down and she just laughed that quiet Southern way.

My experiences continued on with my Dad. When he was quite young he was a "short order" cook in a diner. So, I learned to make sausage gravy; "the blue plate special" which was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. My mother made the best pinto beans, corn bread and fried potatoes. Her baked beans were not to shabby either.

Over the years I have taken some cooking classes; one in New Orleans and one in Santa Fe, NM. My goal is to take some in Paris which Kirk and I visit every other year. Our last adventure there was in the fall of 2009. We rented an apartment for several weeks and our mission was to find the best chocolate, the best wine, and the best bistro food in Paris. We were successful.

Kirk bought and sold fine wines for several years. As a result we have had adventures in Bordeaux, France and the wine country of California. We have two cellars and buy wine quite frequently. We are currently learning more about Burgundies(French is our preference) Chateneuf de Papes and Cote de Rhones. Our love of wine started 35 years ago and has developed as the result of being in two wine groups that meet once a month and once every two or three months. We prepare dishes to complement the wines and most of my knowledge of cooking has come from the wonderful collaboration of cooking skills and recipes from friends, some who are successful chefs in their own right.

New York City will be our next adventure later on in 2010.