I grew up in good ol Hobbs, middle of no where, NM. My mom was an AWESOME cook! Most of the stuff i learned or should i say aspired to do was an attribute to her "southern" cooking. As life goes on, you tend to do what makes money, so i ended up in the automotive industry for the last 12 years. Last year i decided to do what i love, which is cooking. I attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute and learned soooo much there, which has only enhanced my love of cooking to the next level. My kids love that i cook all the time. Anything new. I love to try new things, it only makes you a better cook. Let's just say, when the family gets together, I do all the cooking ;). Baking! It was never a stong suit with me. The exact measuring and baking and the this and that....cooking was always easier (because you can change the flavor profile), but after culinary school, i found out that i acutally have a knack for it, if i can stick to the recipe :). Baking! Again, you have to follow recipes to the "T". The main reason that most baking tragedies happen to people is because they either don't follow the recipe to the "t" or make an error in the procedure, such as the mixing, baking (not taking in consideration that all ovens are not created equal), etc.