I am a retired school library media specialist living in southern Indiana. I spent a number of years working in schools around the world and have lived in Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. I enjoy travelling, reading, and eating great food. I especially enjoy the challenge of re-creating dishes that I discover when I read a book. My last creation based on a book was a “Waves of the Danube” cake which was mentioned in "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks. It was absolutely decadent and delicious. I have always been in love with cooking and pie baking comes easy to me. I find that baking soothes me in times of stress. The first time I bake something I always follow the recipe exactly to see how it turns out. Afterwards, I will analyze it and make changes if I feel that the recipe could use some tweaking before I make it again. My cooking skills come from my Polish American family roots in Detroit, Michigan and its suburbs. My brother and sisters are all great cooks and they absorbed many of the lessons learned while they were growing up. Check out my blog. Find it at http://apolishkitchen.blogspot.com