I recently got into cooking once I became close to a man that could eat the entire house clean! It gave me the opportunity to try out new recipes, and is a new hobby of mine that I consider an "art." Most of my other hobbies (horseback riding, motorcycling, hiking, playing with my dogs) are outdoorsy activities, so cooking is nice for me to do when I want to do something active in the quiet of my own house. I love baking desserts, but also enjoy ethnic dishes. I like anything difficult and different, so I can challenge myself and say I really did it! A big favorite of our family is beef stroganoff and stir fry. Additionally, we always have pork and saurerkraut on New Years. I'm not sure why, it was just something my father always stated was a tradition! There were two first's for me: my first homemade cheesecake and my first pie. Both ended up a HUGE success, tasted great, and looked bakery quality. I was so proud! I haven't had any HUGE tragedies, just things came out differently than I expected. I seem to have problems getting the sauce/frosting consistancies the thickness I'd like, but that comes with practice.