So I quit my job and went to the New England Culinary Institute for the full two years and worked in the restaurant industry after that until finally I thought I had a grasp on what I needed to do what I do.

I'm grateful my teenaged daughter is healthy and well and for the work I do to make a living.

Jeff Smith was the Julia Child of my generation. When his television show, 'The Frugal Gourmet,' made its debut on PBS in the 1980s, it conveyed such genuine enthusiasm for cooking that I was moved for the first time to slap down cold cash for a collection of recipes.

There are no bad foods, only bad food habits.

Molecular gastronomy is not bad... but without sound, basic culinary technique, it is useless.

My advice: write down everything you eat. It's amazing what that "self honesty" can do for you. (Do you really want to have to confess that doughnut? I thought not.)

Believe me, a grain is a terrible thing to waste.