Hey ladies!

Allow us to introduce you to your second finalist, Cathy Hazzard. You've all been so supportive about Jacqui and Cathy being selected as finalists for the Side Dish category; we love to see that.

Please get to know Cathy a little bit more here.

CATHY HAZZARD

Cathy Hazzard is a yoga inspired, Harley-riding, one-handed cook who loves to travel! There's a lot to say about this sassy wife, travel agent and mother of 2, but she says it so well, we'd like for you to take the trip into Cathy's world.

If you could cook only one dish, what would it be?

I'm thinking comfort food, so it has to be my mother's Maryland Style Vegetable Crab Soup. It's her recipe with a few variable touches I've added along the way and incorporated a bit of my sisters version of this recipe, as well. It's not a cream soup. It s a pretty healthy soup and I often crave it! Hence, almost always you can find a quart of it some where in my freezer.

Why is cooking so important to you?

It has to be the fact that cooking and sharing a meal together with family promotes harmony, and it brings the family together for discussions about our day and always discussions about the meal I prepared. My kids are always interested in how I put it together the meal and, what flavors their tasting. It is a great sense of sharing as a cook! It is how I show my love for family and friends and share my passion. It's tradition, like my Mom before me and her parents before her. My kids carry on this family tradition. Each of them calls me to discuss recipes and ask questions. It's a wonderful, warm and comforting feeling to be able to cook well, and share my creations. It gives me a sense of pride. Did I mention it also feeds my self-esteem and ego?

Do you follow recipes to the number and step, or do you improvise and use your judgment on measurements and ingredients?

Sometimes I'll follow a recipe to the letter, but 95% of the time, I improvise! For instance, If you want to have the "stretchy cheese effect" in Mac and Cheese, do not blend all your cheese into the Bechemel by just dumping the noodles in with all the cheese added to the Bechamel..that's not a good thing!. Just try using 1/2 your cheese into the Bechamel, then layer the balance of your cheese in handfuls between the noodles and Bechamel, then you will get the s t r e t c h! Another foodie "ahhh" moment!

Who do you most often cook for at home?

It varies. The kids are grown and moved out of the Nest. So usually it's for myself, my husband, and two dogs. However, my daughter Kate lives close by and pops in often just in time for dinner! My son Jonathan lives in Savannah, so when he visits - I'm cooking for him. Then there is my husband John who inhales ANYTHING I make and thinks its wonderful - he is a stomach on two feet!! For the past two years he has been out of the country working 60 days at a time, with 30 days back here in the States. Don't think the cooking ever stops,though! I just continue on storing it up like a squirrel, in my freezer! When I get to "overload amounts" I often ship my creations out to my"adopted foodies" a.k.a - family and friends, and neighbors or those that just happen to stop by my door during my cooking moment trying to "sell me a product...I slip them a container of my "whatever" I'm creating! That's for Real...