My biggest life change ever

My biggest life change ever is represented by, of all things, a gallon jug of mayonaise.

Let me explain. Six years ago I was a 41-year-old, single, hard-working professional. I traveled a lot, cooked a little, and ate very little mayonaise. If I bought mayonaise at all, it was in 8-ounce jars. It was light mayonaise. And I usually threw the bottle away when it was still half full because it was long past its expiration date.

In 2003, everything changed. I quit my job, started my own business, and married Bob. Bob was no ordinary middle-aged single guy. He was a widower with seven children. And seven children (make that seven skinny children) eat a lot of mayonaise.

From a food perspective (as from almost all other perspectives), life for me is much richer these days. We are lucky that the seven children like food as much as we do. Food is a big part of our family's culture. Birthdays revolve around favorite breakfasts, dinners, desserts. We have a unique menu for our Christmas Eve appetizer parties. To my knowledge, we never dispose of expired mayonaise.

I was a good cook when I was single. I liked inviting friends and family over for a party or a meal. With nine of us around the dinner table, every night is like a party.