It is so fun to cook and bake in the winter when it's cold and the days are shorter. In northern California where I live, our temperature ranges from 35 to 105 (more or less). The seasons change abruptly; and sometimes, it's physically challenging to keep up with the climate changes.

Every Fall, I renew my love for cooking. I love to find new recipes to add to my repertoire. Last year, I learned a new Coffee-Ginger Cookie recipe and a Coleslaw recipe, and they are definitely keepers! This year, I have already learned how to make Chicken Soup for the first time. I view the art of cooking as another art form. In fact, I have found that preparing food can be a true art experience. Have you ever made flower buds out of radishes? Have you ever tried to color co-ordinate your meals? Okay, that may be a bit extreme, but I bet you color coordinate frostings to the cakes you make!

For those who like photography, do you ever photograph food for the love of photography? It's fun, you should try it. Actually, have you ever thought of designing and illustrating your favorite recipes just for yourself? Start by photographing the food and write down the recipe for it. Paste each photograph into a Word document where the recipe is written out. Print it and start a collection. Later, you can scrapbook the information together.

Most definitely, it's the time of year when old recipes come new again. Warm yourself up and express yourself in the kitchen! Your family will not only love you for it, but you will find, the cold winter days seem a bit brighter as your family enjoys all your home cooked meals. (Revised 2/16/2006)