Hello all. I apologize for my long absence. Over the past month or so my mom, who has been living with cancer for almost five years, got much sicker, and died last week.

My mom was a phenomenal woman, whose passion for life provided a great model for me as both a child and an adult.

I had mixed feelings about posting this, but I decided I wanted to share with you all why I haven't been writing recently. Hopefully I will be able to get back into it soon. I'm going to try to share some of the experiences I had growing up and learning to cook with my parents, both of whom provided me with a real passion for food and cooking.

I will miss her.