Mrs. Mortensens' Fresh Apple Spice Cake

<p>I live in an interesting area that is a mix of cultures and has great grocery stores.The stores here are stocked with items that used to be difficult to find and even health food.There are Asian markets,Mexican grocery and Indian markets. I love ethnic foods of all sorts and love to try all sorts of new tastes.We try to eat light and healthy most of the time but once in awhile... <br />I began my love for cooking and eating good quality foods as a young child. My mom loved to cook for us and since she came down with juvenile diabetes when I was 4 years old,she taught us all about nutrition. Both of my older brothers have a passion for great food as well and are terrific cooks.She never taught me to cook though! She said since she had to learn it on her own so should I.I started with baking and mastered it pretty well. I also made my first Thanksgiving dinner at 17. <br />I became obsessed with nutrition and healthy eating as a teenager and managed to teach my mom a thing or two. As her tastes and cooking techniques changed so did mine. We spent a lot of our time together talking about food, trading recipes or eating.My parents always encouraged us to broaden our horizons and try any new food that came our way.I now have her recipe collection and plan on posting them here soon. I always told her they should be published! <br />My other passions are gardening/landscaping, home improvement, decorating, antique collecting,fitness, my pets and my family to name just a few. I recently became fascinated with orchids much to my husband's dismay. The picture here is of one of my cats, Grady, and a phaleanopsis. I'm always working on a project for our home and my New Years resolution is to finish some of them. A little more paint and a little more fabric and I'll just about be there. Unfortunatly, working full time gets in the way of having more fun with this.</p>