"I currently work part time conducting food and beverage product demos in local grocery stores. But, for the most part, I'm a homemaker and happy mom to Kaia, my budding 7-year-old gymnast and Marlee, my super sweet (and loud!) 10-1/2 month old. The two of them are foodies in the making and, luckily for me, there isn't much they won't eat.

I've been a fan of Taste of Home magazine for a while now and have learned so much from my fellow home cooks. I have a huge passion for creating recipes and entering them in contests like those at tasteofhome.com/contests. My daughter Kaia has the bug, too, and enjoys entering contests just like her momma.

I'd say my most favorite cuisines are Italian and Mexican, so I often create dishes that most reflect those flavors and cooking styles. There's nothing more satisfying than making homemade Italian pasta and upping the flavor ante with the addition of fresh herbs, spices and grated citrus peel. How can you go wrong? Cooking healthy for my family is important to me as well, so I make sure to create dishes that are well balanced and include lots of vegetables and fruit whenever I can."