For Cindy Langelier of Leeds, cooking is all about family. “When it was just me and my husband, I didn’t have to worry much about it,” she notes. “However, once you have kids, you have to try hard to find things that taste good and that they like.”

When Cindy started cooking, one of her favorite ways to get ideas and recipes was from friends. “We’d go over to a friend’s house to eat, and I’d have something I really enjoyed. Then I’d just ask for the recipe, so I could give it a try.” Through those first attempts at cooking a new dish, Cindy learned that the recipe is not always an insurance policy for success. “Sometimes I’d make it at home and it didn’t taste right at all, nothing like we had at the friend’s house. But I’d just keep trying it until I got it right.”

Cindy is constantly on the lookout for good recipes, whether it’s from her friends, family or other publications. “I really like Taste of Home,” she says.

“Dottie’s Cooking Corner in the Country Courier also has some good recipes. I just tried one for fudge, and it is great! Fudge sometimes has a problem setting, but this recipe works every time.”

Sweets are a specialty in Cindy’s home. “We love making cookies, fudge and other goodies. The family loves them, and it’s nice to bake for them. It tastes better than store-bought, and you get a bigger bang for your buck, too. Many times, we’ll even bake a bunch of things and give them out as gifts near the holidays. It’s fun, and people love it!”

Cindy can’t live without her KitchenAid mixer that her husband bought her last Christmas. “You can just throw everything in there, and you’re set!” She also has a collection of platters that she finds indispensable. “I call myself ‘The Platter Girl,'” she says with a laugh. “We love having people over, so I never can have enough. Anytime friends need one, they know who to come to.”

When not cooking or working at UPS, Cindy loves spending time with her husband, Randy, and their daughters, Cassidy, age 10, and Randi-Anne, 2. She also enjoys cheering on her favorite football team, the New York Giants.

Pumpkin bread
Ingredients:
4 eggs

2/3 cup water

1 cup Crisco oil

1 can One-Pie pumpkin

3½ cups flour

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of cloves
Nuts or raisins (optional)
Method:
Beat eggs, oil, water and pumpkin. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Cook in greased pans. Bake in 350 -degree oven for 1 hour. Makes two large loaves and one small loaf.
Cindy’s potato salad
Ingredients:
3 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, cooked and cooled

6 hard-boiled eggs

1 teaspoon garlic

¼ cup bacon bits

¼ cup chopped onions

1½ to 2 cups mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika (for top of salad only)
Method:
Cut potatoes in large cubes. Add eggs, cut into large pieces. Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bacon bits. Add mayonnaise. Mix evenly. Shake some on some paprika. Ready to serve! Serves 4.
Stuffed mushroom caps
Ingredients:
2½ packages of Toll House crackers

¼ cup chopped celery

1 six-ounce can crabmeat

Dash of garlic powder

6 to 8 large mushroom caps

1½ sticks butter (salted kind), melted

Cooking spray
Shredded Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese for topping
Method:
Crush crackers. Add celery, crabmeat and some of crabmeat juice. Add garlic and melted butter. Mix until moistened. Clean mushroom caps. Stuff with stuffing. Place in 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Top with some mozzarella cheese to your liking. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
Cindy’s note:
Toll House crackers have a buttery flavor. Use some of the crabmeat juice for flavor.