Born and raised in New England, learned cooking under my Italian mom who could make something out of nothing, she was very creative and successful at it. That rubbed off, I have to force myself to follow a recipe. Very often create my own. Moved to TN, husband born/raised in the South. Had to learn cooking all over again--cornbread, white/brown beans, turnip greens, fried catfish, hush puppies, creamed corn, fried okra, grn fried tomatoes, buttermilk biscuits--an endless list of delightful culinary southern delights. I still prepare authentic Italian meals, but not as often as I would like. Humungus 3 - 4 course meals that take precise planning and execution--exhausting, but thrilling. But I do have my light moments. Utilizing Chicken and Steak to whip up fast, healthy meals (especially when the garden is in) to accommodate our lifestyle. Italian almond cookies at Christmas, my favorite. Christmas Eve, once-a-year specialty foods (things we never cook because of price or time constraints) and egg nog! for opening one gift, saving the rest for Christmas morning. Standing Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pudding (roast set on oven rack with fat dripping directly into pudding pan and puffing up to perfection), with traditional English side dishes (too boring to mention). Set Fondue pot of oil on fire on stove, lukilly, we were at sea at the time--Smoke in the galley for days!