I've moved around a bit in my life. During my highschool years I lived in North Pole, Alaska but moved back to the 'lower 48' for college where I met my husband and have been living ever since. It was hard to decide when asked about hometown on this profile because I feel that each of the places I've lived are a little bit of "hometown" to me: North Dakota, Alaska, and Minnesota. I love to cook just about anything; whenever the mood strikes me to try something new, I don't hesitate. I have a hard time following recipes to a 'T', though, and almost always have to add my own touches. I take after my dad. I remember coming home as a kid to a new recipe--or at least a new variation to an old standard. My Grandma died a couple of years ago, but one of the last times I saw her she passed on some of her first cookbooks including the first cookbook she got after she was married--you know the ones, the church cookbook where each woman contributed her 'famous' recipe. I love leafing through them to see the notations she made over the years... A couple of weeks ago I made a lasagna from scratch that was pronounced the best ever by my taste-testers. What could be more triumphant than that? Can't say that I ever remember having a tragedy: I've been cooking all my life and remember making Campbell's soup on my own when I was in kindergarten. That's not to say that I'm perfect--I know that when my husband and I first began living together I still had not perfected the timing involved in making sure all parts of the meal were ready at the same time.