Jeanine Arpin is unafraid to experiment, preferring daring trial and error to simply following a recipe. Her bold culinary explorations paid off with Grilled Lemon Chicken, which earned rave reviews from fellow members when it was originally published in the August/September 2000 issue. It received so much acclaim, it was also featured as a special “Favorites from the Past” in the June/July 2008 Recipe Box department.

Jeanine isn’t new to the challenges and rewards of cooking. At 12, she decided to help her parents by fixing dinner one night. “The first meal I made was a pork loin roast, and I didn’t cook it long enough, so it wasn’t all the way done,” Jeanine says. “My mother said she really appreciated me trying to have dinner ready, but I should just wait and she’d fix dinner when she got off work. That was the only time I didn’t listen. I fixed dinner the next night, and it turned out great. After that, I fixed dinner every night during the week.”

Of course, experience doesn’t always equal perfection. “One time I made broccoli-cheese casserole and by mistake I put in coconut instead of rice,” Jeanine admits.

Jeanine has now been cooking for more than 42 years. Starting with her parents and progressing to her grandchildren, four generations of family members have enjoyed her talent. “My granddaughter really likes the homemade chop suey I make,” she says.