With all do respect...

My Grandma Mary has a library of cook books that would rival the resources in a library on a small college campus.  At one time she belonged to every "cook book" book club in the coutry.  In Grandma's defense, she probably read each of them front to back (including the forewords), and could direct you to the right place to find a recipe for anything from cajun stuffed manicotti to beef wellington.  I have my Grandma Mary to thank for passing on the pretend culinarist dream gene, or at least it's pretend for me... Grandma is an extraordinary cook. I think one of the things that makes her such a fantastic chef is her willingness to take risks with her recipes... I'll never forget the time I was home visiting from college and she sent me back to Columbus with tupperwares full of frozen soups, one of which, turned out to be Potato HotDog (talk about risky).  If you're interested in the recipe for Potato HotDog soup message me, and I can have Grams send that along!  It was actually really good! ;-)  Anyhow, she's passed this love of being in the kitchen on to yours truly. Lately, I've been compelled to imiatate restaurant foods and drinks.  Tonight, I decided to take aim at Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte's..... It didn't taste like Starbucks, but it was still delicious!  So, with all do respect Starbucks.... I think I'll save the $4.00 for a subscription to an online recipe club.  :-P