This book has a lot of recipes from family and friends. Some of them date back to the 1600s, and in those days, people lived on farms or ranches; my grandmother's family was always in the kitchen, cooking. In this book, I give credit to the people who, through the years, have given us some of their own recipes, ones that have been passed through their family. My own recipes, the ones I've come up with, are usually easy to prepare, since I don't have a lot of time to spend cooking. I only let the family think cooking is a lot of trouble. I am always looking for an easier way to do things. That includes cooking; if I can make it easier and keep the same taste, I will try it at least once. As I'm sure you have, I have had a few, shall we say, "disasters" in the kitchen; that is how we learn, from our mistakes.