Throughout my life, I enjoyed baking but I was not interested in cooking. A gift that the pandemic gave me was the realization that it just had not been my time yet! During my down time in 2020, I began venturing into the kitchen to make something new! I am known within my family and friends for my "365 day a year salad", a simple but powerful concoction that has somehow left us all eating it for 20 plus years and continues to be a staple at meals.  The new found time gave me the opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone regarding culinary skills. My youngest daughter had become vegan 2 years before and she was once again living at home for quite sometime. Putting two and two together, I decided to try some vegan cooking, and much to my surprise, I found out I was a pretty darn good cook. I enjoyed the challenge as well as the results.  Christmas just came to a close, and with it, my third holiday making a full-vegan meal-- not just because my daughter is vegan, but we all love the recipes! To turn all curious minds onto the holy grail of vegan cooking, I want to shout out"Nora Cooks", a fellow blogger whose recipes never fail me! Stay tuned for more cooking anecdotes.