My "Who are you? What do you do?" post got a good number of replies...

I'm not a very good poster but I have good intentions.....

I live in Raleigh, NC and travel most of the time with my work, for the US Dept of Public Health, and pleasure, to see my children in Boston, SF, and Geneva. I love to cook for my children when I visit them and they, hard working, appreciate it. I also entertain my friends the small amount of time I am home. They love it too. None of them like to cook so I can make anything and it is a hit. My mother was considered a good cook when we were growing up in the 40's and 50's. My brothers still have this fantasy that I learned to cook from her. I can't think of anything that I make that she made other than great clam chowder. In that era they made great "roast" meals. Lamb or turkey or beef with oven browned potatoes, good veggies and excellent gravy. They were also excellent cake bakers. My mothers cook book is filled with chiffon cake recipies. She also used to make angel cakes from scratch, whipping the egg whites with a whisk in a bowl. We lived on the coast in Mass. then and I remember her making these glorious angel cakes that we would trudge out to the coast guard boys in the towers with. I'm sure they were the best thing they had ever eaten but who does this anymore? Otherwise I enjoy reading, mostly non fiction and The New Yorker, knitting and swimming. I have been lurking and sporadically posting, at the Swap for several years. I feel like I know all of you and quite enjoy the friendship. I'll try to do better about posting and thanking people for their good recipies.

 
I found this site when I was a lurker on Gail's

I live in Southern NJ about 5 miles from the beach. Come from a large family 11 brothers 4 sisters. Started cooking at an early age. My first creation, ketchup sandwhich. My brothers and I loved them. I've been married for 18 years to a wonderful man. Between us (blended family) we have 4 children 26 23 22 and 21 and 1 grandchild. We have a family run business all but 3 of our workers are family. Landscaping. I'm the flower planter and weed puller. We love our job and one of the benefits is the time off in the winter. We love to cruise. Mostly Carribean and Bermuda. I'm an avid reader, like to do counted cross stich and enjoy baking pies and cookies. I appreciate this site!

 
I've been away for a couple of days and missed the post!.....

I live in northern Virginia, just outside DC, and love the area for its great cultural diversities.

My passion is eating! Since I can not afford to go to a nice restaurant every night I decided to learn to cook. While I really love to cook, search for good recipes and try new things my ability is only average. Another hugh reason why I want to cook my own meals is that I want to know what is in the food I am eating.

I am close to the half century mark but certainly don't feel like it! I work in an office sitting in front of a computer all day so, regular exercise is VERY necessary. I live to go to the Farmers Markets in the summer. I have become much more aware of seasonal foods, regional foods and organic foods and tend to cook more with these foods.

I am mostly a lurker here because I have so little to offer to the scads of "real cooks" who post here. I love to read the board, usually several times a day, and feel I really have a great group of friends here---Thanks Mimi!

 
Like Barb in Va., I don't have much to offer but I LOVE this board and try to check in once a day>

We live in Houston, but I was born and raised in California where I grew to love mexican food and it's my favorite food to prepare. Many days of my youth were spent at Olivera Street, in Los Angeles where we used to go to eat good mexican food and enjoy the festivities. I have two grown children, and 5 grandchildren, and our favorite activities are having the family over here to try new recipes, usually recommendations from y'all here at FinerKitchens. I started lurking at Gails and quickly realized I was to become a student, practicing under some very experienced and accommodating people. You all have been wonderful to me and I appreciate your help and patience throughout the past several years as I climbed out of my comfort zone and broadened my culinary horizons. I love it!!

 
Barbara, your Oatmeal Loaf is my new "go to" quick bread. Love it and variations. TX for posting.

I would post the link, but can't find it in search right now.

 
here is i (or "ere abraham was i wasn't").

the rvb is for Rick von Behren or more accurately Frederick von Behren (my father got the Fred part). when i want to be ostentatious, i whip out the whole Frederick William von Behren IV.

i’m 59 ½ and i’ll soon be 60. you couldn’t pay me to be 30 again – i like where and who i am.

i tune, repair, rebuild and refinish pianos professionally and specialize in old instruments. the oldest piano i tune was built in 1806, and the oldest i’ve rebuilt was born in about 1860. i love my work.

i’m an active Episcopalian and keep busy in the choir (i sing alto) and as a lay licensed minister, which means i read lessons and prayers, and serve the chalice at communion. the last is to me an honor i cannot express.

i have a passion for cooking and love creative cooking. unfortunately the process of creating a recipe is far more enjoyable than taking the time to write it down so i’ve lost a few very nice recipes. (oh well, i can always think up another one.)

i was a regular poster on GRS since December of 1996 (3 days after i went online and i never looked for another home until i got fed up with the nastiness of that board. i gave up internet cooking until Michael reached me with exactly the right amount of entreaty and rebuke (plus the information that the magnificent mimi had creating a parallel board where there was no weeping nor crying (an obscure reference to the revelation of john (in case you haven’t noticed, obscure is one of my favorite subjects)).

as some of you know, i’m painfully shy and i thank all of you for drawing me a bit out of my shell.

 
Here I am...........

Way back in December, 1995 Gail’s Recipe Swap and the Gail’s Swaptalk were among the very first sites I found when we first connected to the internet. My moniker was Sylvia of Montreal; it has now changed to Sylvia of Ottawa after DH and I retired to the Nation’s Capital in 2001. I had been a teacher for 35 years. Among the first people I chatted with were Richard of Cincinnati, Judy of Mass and Moyn. Through Gail’s I have met and made friends with many chatters.

My culinary career began when I was 12 when it was my responsibility to prepare the veggies for our nightly dinners. Although my dad was a chef he never cooked at home except on feast days when he took charge of the turkey. But he offered much sideline encouragement and advice. My mom was a very basic cook, excelling in making wonderful soups and stews which I’ve come to appreciate only now. I enjoy trying out new recipes and preparing menus for dinner parties.

FinerKitchens has now filled the void since Gail’s went sour. Daily I enjoy checking out everyone’s contributions, recipes and discussions too. Whenever I frequent “the Kitchen” I feel I’m getting together with friends.

Cheers!

 
Nice to get to know you all...

I've been an infrequent lurker lately but hope to stop in more when the garden slows down!

I'm a mid-40s mother of two boys, married to their dad for 15 years this month. We live in the Willamette valley in Oregon. We're Christians (Lutheran, specifically, but I don't think that matters much in eternity) though I didn't grow up with any religion.

I'm a nerdy statistics professor who enjoys gardening, cooking, and Bach. I cook mostly simple stuff and love casual entertaining. Like Mimi, my husband prefers plain food, but he tolerates my curries and actually enjoys my lasagna.

 
I've been around since January of 1996>>>

when I first found Epicurious and lurked for a while, before contributing. I guess you could say I was a "bit" intimidated, altho, I had previously considered myself a better than OK cook, once I was thrust in the midst of what seemed to me were "pros", I cringed! LOL

In real life, I am a housewife and am in business with my daughter, Dana, where we design & manufacture costume and silver fashion jewelry.

I have been married to Teddy, for 42 years, and we are transplanted New Yorkers...... to Miami Beach. But, since we've been here since 1972, we can almost be considered natives!

I have made many friends, both cyber and real life from the Swap, and it is definitely an integral part of my life. And I must admit I have come a looooooooong way, in my cooking abilities due to the advice & offerings from all of you.

One thing you can always count on from me.... easy, time saving and uncomplicated delicious recipes. (Lazy is my middle name, LOL!)

 
Here goes...

I'm Theresa from Cincinnati which is where Tessie in Cincy comes from. 38, married 10 years now to a man who prefers to leave the cooking to me but is a great dishes-guy.

Found Gail's years ago and was so relieved to find Mimi's place when it all went to pot over there.

I wish I had more time to try all the great recipes I come across here but with three kids running I'm more of a lurker than a poster.

 
I always feel I'm not as interesting as everyone else... but I'll give it a stab

My name is Carianna, I'm 39 and live in the NW corner of Washington State. We're about 45 minutes south of the Canadian border and about an hour and a half-ish north of Seattle. It's a beautiful area.

I've been married for 13 years to my hubby and we have 2 daughters, aged 10 and 7. All 3 of them are pretty good about trying new foods and we all like our food tangy or spicy. My husband's mother is the person who got me interested in cooking. She's a fabulous cook, and when we were first married always used ingredients I had never even heard of. My own mother was raised in Nebraska, and is a very casserole-y, cook the meat till it's shriveled and the veggies till they're limp kind of cook.

I came to Gail's in the fall of 1999 after lurking for awhile. I had started doing big parties for friends, and the swapsters were so helpful in giving me advice on cooking things ahead and adding to my menus. I'm still grateful after all these years.

I catered (using that term loosely, because I never was nor will be licensed) for several years while I was a stay-at-home mom, and while I love catering, it's not something I want to pursue full time. So 3 years ago I went back to college to become a teacher. This spring I FINALLY finished all my classes, and I will student teach in the fall. I'd like to continue catering a little bit in the summers even after I'm teaching.

Thanks so much to all of you for all you've helped me with over the years, and a special thank you to Mimi for creating a cooking haven here on the net.

 
I've been mostly a lurker since 1996 or 1997...

I'm a 43-year-old stay-at-home mom with two kids, a 7-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, neither of which is very adventureous when it comes to trying new foods. I have been married for almost 20 years to a wonderful man who has only hated one of the hundreds of new recipes that I have tried out on him (bleu cheese chicken). We live in Hudsonville, Michigan, which is in southwest MI near Grand Rapids. I usually only post in order to ask a question. My friends and family tell me I'm a good cook, but really, I'm just average. The only thing that perhaps makes me a better cook than average is that I love to try new recipes, I know where to find them (here, of course), and I can follow directions. I do feel intimidated by all the great cooks on this board, but because of all of you, my family has eaten some fantastic food. I loved the old Gail's Recipe Swap and couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams that a new swap would be created that was even better. Thanks, Mimi!

 
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