Hi. I started on Recipeezaar about two years ago and use it exclusively for new recipes. I love the variety and am thankful for the reviews and tips. I started cooking about 20 years ago (pretty late in life though). My mom did it all -- but with 8 kids pulling on her apron at all times, she never had time to really teach us (the girls) how to cook -- certainly did watch but wasn't what I would consider a cook til I got married (26 then). What a disaster that was! A dear friend helped me plan my first dinner party. She didn't help me cook -- but gave me recipes, tips, etc. It was 3 couples plus my now EX husband and me -- I went all out -- decorated, lighting was perfect, and the food smelled good. As the dinner party was getting seated and I was about to make a toast, our doorbell rang and Pizza Hut showed up -- my now EX husband and his buddy decided that I wouldn't be able to cook anything worth eating and they wanted a back-up plan! Now you can better appreciate the emphasis I've placed on EX husband. Anyway, as a single gal again, I started cooking -- anything and everything I could --through good friends and many cookbooks, I became quite a good cook. (My present and WONDERFUL husband of 14 yrs is living proof of that fact -- his waistline has expanded in these last 14 years.) My passion is to make people happy and one of the ways I do so is through cooking. I uploaded my first recipe post yesterday evening -- was always too scared -- but my husband encouraged me to go for it. Anyway, if y'all find it and give it a try, your feedback is most appreciated -- this forum is full of SUPERIOR chefs, cooks, and great people. Look forward to continuing Recipezaar as my main source for furthering my cooking skills. Take care!! Trixie