12140295 74875b0ab67cd790ee2df0a6b292e3ed thehungryartist http://gravatar.com/thehungryartist thehungryartist http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/74875b0ab67cd790ee2df0a6b292e3ed http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/74875b0ab67cd790ee2df0a6b292e3ed thumbnail Melissa Iwai Melissa Iwai thehungryartist Welcome to my blog! Though I work as a children's book illustrator (see www.melissaiwai.com to view my site), I also love to cook and bake. Painting and cooking are my two creative passions. Both have an element of surprise and unpredictability that resides within a logical structure borne out of practice and experience. I've been baking since I was a child, but only started cooking after getting married. Then after gaining about ten pounds after a few years of making and enjoying rich, home cooked meals and desserts, I realized I needed to make a few changes in our diets -- decreasing saturated fats and processed food and increasing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Living with two very picky eaters (my husband and son) makes getting healthy meals on the table a challenge. I'm trying to foster an appreciation for cooking and baking in my son by letting him help me in the kitchen and see what a magical process it can be. Since he was a baby, my son has kept me company at the kitchen counter top while I cook dinner, and now he gets into the act once in awhile. He's even developed some of his own recipes. :) Thanks for stopping by! Comments are welcome!