I met this amazing mother of three before I met her son. She was kind and quiet. The second time I saw her she brought along her son because she already knew that she had found someone for him.

My amazing mother in law is not a woman of many words but a woman that loves deeply and passionately. She is a model mother to her children and is the true meaning of the term “mother bear”—don’t mess with her children.

I owe my Caribbean cooking skills to this woman. From the moment I had a taste of her food I knew that I wanted to learn to cook like her—she was my Puerto Rican Barefoot Cantessa! You never leave her side hungry or even just right, if you are not wobbling out of her presence from eating so much food she is not happy. My daughters used to spend the summer with her and come back 10-15lbs heavier and so happy that grandma did their treats several times a day.

I am blessed beyond words to have her today in my life. She may not be a woman of many words but she will be sure that you know how she feels about something.

We lovingly call her “Abuela Tomasa” and there is no one else like her!