To 48-year-old Maria Stephenson, family is all about children and food.

As a matter of fact, she's passionate about both. She often shares her love of preparing food with the neighborhood children.

She can often be found in her Butler kitchen teaching a 4-year-old how to properly crack an egg or to sift flour.

She doesn't see working with the little ones as a hassle, she sees it as preparing another generation to appreciate food.

"I think it's so important to teach children to bake and cook," she said, "so they know everything doesn't come out of a box.

"When you're baking with them, they have all those sensations. It teaches them reading, math, patience, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment."

To Stephenson, teaching the neighborhood kids comes naturally. It's just passing on her own heritage. Her earliest memories are of being in the kitchen right alongside an aunt, learning the secrets of olive oil or the recipe to another scrumptious cookie.

Her early learning has been an inspiration for her in many ways. Five years ago, she thought she might like to try entering some of her recipes in the Butler Farm Show. That year, she won Best of Show for one of the variations she does on her White Party Cake.

Since that time, she's won a total of three Best of Shows. This past year she took a first prize and a second-place prize for her entries.

Stephenson's neighbor, Paulette Ward, is amazed at what Stephenson does with food, and is tickled when Stephenson is trying to perfect a new recipe.

Stephenson often shows up at Ward's door asking her to taste what Stephenson thinks is a failure. Ward hasn't found any of the practice food unpalatable.

"What's fantastic about being (her) neighbor, we reap all the benefits," she said. "It's fantastic. Her sharing with the different things she does is whole-hearted."

To Stephenson, cooking her favorite meals is part of who she is. Sharing those meals with the people she cares about, and watching them enjoy it, is the best reward she could ask for.

"This is a product of my upbringing," she said. "You get out what you put into it. It definitely goes beyond food!"

The following recipes are part of a typical Italian meal Stephenson prepares for her family. A tossed salad on the side is all that's needed to complete the meal.

6 eggs, room temperature1¾ cups water1¾ cups flour, measured, then sifted¼ tsp. saltolive oiltomato sauceRicotta filling½ large carton Lamagna ricotta½ cup shredded mozzarella2 eggssalt and pepper to tasteRomano cheeseTo prepare shells, use a mixer with a whisk attachment to combine eggs and water in a mixing bowl.Add flour and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.Heat a few drops of olive oil in a small, non-stick sauté pan.Pour 4 tablespoons of mixture into the pan, and swirl to evenly coat bottom.Cook until lightly browned, and flip to brown the other side.Repeat the procedure, beginning with the olive oil, to create 15 shells.Place cooked shells onto a cooling rack.For the Ricotta filling, mix ricotta, mozzarella and eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste.Coat bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce.Fill each shell with some Ricotta mixture, turn in sides, and roll to close.Place shells in baking dish and cover with sauce. Sprinkle Romano Cheese over top.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes prior to serving.Makes about 15 manicotti.

1 tablespoon shortening1 tablespoon sugar1 tablespoon salt1 cup boiling water1 cup cold watercake household yeast5-6 cups sifted flourolive oilegg wash (one egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)Combine shortening, sugar, salt, and boiling water in a large mixing bowl.Add cold water and cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and let rest for five minutes.Add enough flour to make dough malleable and knead for 10 minutes by hand or by using dough hook on mixer. Coat lightly with olive oil, and place in a large bowl.Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 1½ hours in a warm area.Punch down dough, and let rest for 10 minutes.Divide into six equal amounts and roll each into eight-inch ropes.Use three ropes for each loaf and shape into a braid. Dough can also be divided into two or three portions for long loaves of bread.Place on prepared baking sheet (greased and lightly coated with ground corn meal).Cover with dishtowel, and let rise for an hour. Gently pat egg wash over loaves.Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Cool on rack.Makes 2 loaves.

¾ cup shortening1½ cup sifted sugar2¼ cup cake flour, sifted1 tablespoon baking powder¾ teaspoon saltl cup whole milk1 teaspoon real vanilla extract½ teaspoon real almond extract5 jumbo egg whitesCream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in extracts.In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter, and pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Frost as desired.Makes 1 two-layer cake.

semi-sweet chocolatewhite baking chocolateclean, fresh rose leaves, various sizesMelt chocolate in separate bowls.With an offset spatula, coat back of leaves with chocolate, and marble if desired.Place on parchment paper and freeze at least 20 minutes.Remove from freezer, and let stand five minutes in a cool area.Carefully peel off leaves.Use to decorate pastries, fruit platters, and buffets.Recipes submitted by Maria Stephenson