Ever since I was a kid I've loved to cook. I think I was in 10th grade when I started making French chocolate cakes for church suppers. Mixes didn't exist at the time and these were made-from-scratch. Needless to say, the cakes disappeared in record time. A church friend gave us the "Good Housekeeping Cookbook" for a wedding gift and I learned to cook from it. A good thing, too, because my husband was in medical school and my meager teaching salary was stretched to the limit. I watched every penny and every calorie. In the process, I became familiar with many recipes and many techniques. Though I still love to cook, I have a problem: I'm my own best customer. If I make it, I will eat it, so these days I have to resist the urge to bake. I have to make smaller servings as well. For over the years, I've put on weight and now I have to lose it. Instead of fixing recipes, I will read them and write about them. I will also remember all of the cozy meals I've shared with my family.