"My children are the best cooks in the world!" Taking a line from a popular movie and replacing a word or two with something of my own I made this exclamation just last night after sampling some tender morsels from the grill one of my sons was standing in front of. It could be an exaggeration, but it does seem that way sometimes. They never fail to amaze me! I told my daughter recently, "You come from a long line of good cooks!" She had just described something to me that she had put together for dinner a few nights before. Family is very important to me!

Mealtimes and Memories is more than a collection of recipes. It's a family history book that shares recipes spanning four generations. Almost every recipe is accompanied by a story or comment that gives a little history of its origin.

By the time you have gone through the book reading comments and trying the recipes I hope you will feel that you know my family on a personal level. From my grandmothers to my three children cooking and serving good food has been and will always be an important part of life. We have decided to share our love of food because others have asked us so many times, "How did you make that? Can I have the recipe for that?"

Whether you go to the index and pull recipes randomly to try or read it like a novel, I hope you enjoy Mealtimes and Memories. I have loved composing it!