Acknowledgments

Without some very special men in my life, this book would not of been possible. I am so thankful that my "common folk" healthy recipes have please my guys, from my two-year old grandson to my seventy-something father-in-law. Every time I serve "my men" a dish prepared in The Healthy Exchanges Way, they smack their lips in satisfaction. No other compliment will ever mean as much. For both tasting and encouraging, I want to publicly express my thanks.

     To Cliff Lund, my "truck-drivin' man." It takes a really special husband to leave his long-haul trucking profession of more than twenty years to work full-time with his wife in her business, whatever it is. But then, to have that business be healthy recipes? Cliff has lost more than thirty pounds just coming alone for the ride as the "official taste tester" of Healthy Exchanges.

     To James Dierickx and Thomas Dierckx, my two "guinea pig" sons. Many a recipe has been created with their taste buds in mind. James is fond of spicy Mexican food, and Tommy loves anything with "hamburger milk gravy" as the starting point.

     To John Taylor, my son-in-law. He had the good taste to marry my daughter and has gladly shared in tasting duties--especially desserts--whenever back in Iowa visiting.

     To Zachary James Dierickx and Joshua Michael Dierickx, my precious grandsons. Their squeals of delight over Grandma's healthy food, especially for "pie, Grandma, pie," is music to my ears.

     To Cleland Lund, my father-in law. He's a willing taster whenever I ask for his opinion, especially if the recipe includes macaroni and tomatoes.

     To Charlie Tonn, my business guardian angel from the Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC). He never makes decisions for me, but he surely taught me how to think things through. The fact that he loves my desserts doesn't hurt anything.

     To John Volkman, my friendly hometown lender. When I visited with him back in 1991 about borrowing money to finance the printing of a self-published cookbook, he immediately saw my vision with me. And after I served him a piece of cheesecake, the loan was a sure thing.

     To John McEwen, my visionary dream facilitator. After just one visit to "The House That Recipes Built" (my nickname for our Healthy Exchanges office in DeWitt, Iowa) and one "man-pleasing" meal, he chose to help me share my recipes with the rest of the world.

     To John Duff, my editor. From that first tasting of Triple Layer Party Pie in 1994, he continues to encourage me to create my "common folk" healthy recipes and write in my "Grandma Moses"--style of writing.

     I also must give praise to God for giving me the talent tp create recipes. I gladly take credit for the chopping of the onions and even the washing of the dishes, but not for the recipes that flow like water from my mind. Creating recipes is every bit as much fun today as it was back in 1991 when I began my personal quest for "man-pleasing" recipes. With God's blessings, I'll still be stirring up new ones for "my men" and everyone else for many years to come.