I have enjoyed cooking all my life, my first experience was when I was 10 years old and my dad proudly ate the burnt eggs and toast I made him, and then showed me how to cook properly. I learned while watching my parents and grandmothers as they cooked. One grandmother used a recipe every time while my other grandmother seemed to wing it and never quite made the same cookies twice. I am now somewhere in between. I will follow a recipe a couple of times to get an idea of how it is supposed to be, then all bets are off after that as I find ways to make the recipe my own.

A few years back I developed gluten intolerance, thanks to another autoimmune disorder I have (Graves' Disease) and life has been interesting since, especially since my husband has no issues. So the search was on to make our favorite recipes gluten-free for me and still yummy for him.

Retirement has opened the door for me to embrace my passions fully! Now I'm a full-time photographer, writer, and artist. There's always a furry supervisor on my lap (my cat!), and I love tending to my garden. I'm thoroughly enjoying this creative freedom, I can't wait to travel again and capture new places through my lens.