Originally from Georgia, I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. My dad was a cotton farmer turned Merchant Marine, and he met my mom while on shore leave in Boston.

Dad taught me to bake. He baked a pie, or something else, almost every day. I could make a pie from scratch by the time I was 12.

Mom was a great cook but didn’t use many recipes. Before she passed away a few years ago, I asked her to write down some of her recipes for me. That notebook is one of my most cherished possessions, even though some of her measurements call for a “golf ball-size” amount of whatever ingredient. We never used prepackaged mixes.

Nowadays, I do use some convenience products and am the queen of speedy weeknight dinners. But I like to cook from scratch when I have the time.

Most of my youth was spent in Massachusetts, where I met Tom while we were in college. He’s a print manager for a plastics company, and our oldest son works for the same firm.

I’ve been an in-home child-care provider for the past 23 years. I love working with babies and toddlers! I started watching children when James was a baby, thinking it would be a temporary thing. But I’ve pretty much made a career out of it.

Richard’s in college, and Holly is a sixth grader. You’ll often find me at the skating rink watching Holly practice for figure skating competitions. She works with a coach 3 or 4 days a week.

Richard, who is a very good cook, often helps me out in the kitchen and occasionally makes a gourmet meal for the whole family. While in high school, he got a job as a dishwasher at a local country club and worked his way up to being a cook. He’s thinking about going out to Colorado this summer to cook at a guest ranch.

One of my community activities is the Kent Junior Mothers organization. We run a summer Safety School program for about 100 children who will be entering kindergarten…and sponsor a children’s play area at Kent’s Heritage Festival in July.

Our whole family also gets involved in Tom’s stained glass side business. He makes gorgeous freestanding pieces, lamps, picture frames, panels, sun catchers, windows and cabinet doors.

We help him out with craft shows and around the holidays, when he is swamped with orders for Christmas gifts. In addition, he restores antique lamps for several area dealers.

I love to entertain. In fact, we’re having a small dinner party soon, and I’m planning to serve the meal I’ve shared with you here.

Hopefully, the menu will be a hit with our guests—and with you, too, if you decide to try my recipes.