I come from a long line of great cooks...and great eaters! Coming from an Irish/Italian household means there is never a shortage of scrumptious homecooked meals. The center of the house is, of course- the kitchen! My mother and Grandmother are my biggest inspiration for homecooking. Italian, Gourmet, Indian, Asian, Seafood, homemade chocolate candies, etc. ..well, just about everything! Christmas is by far my most favorite cooking holiday. My family plans/cooks for days in advance. We have a huge family, and when we get together each of us brings a dish. The feast keeps getting bigger and better every year! Oh, and Christmas is homemade chocolate candymaking time! Homemade sponge candy! Finally after years of making it with my parents; I can make a pretty good batch myself. Red sauce from scratch, and chili...2 dishes I learned and mastered from a young age. Ummm...most of my baking from scratch. If the mix doesn't come from a box chances are that it won't turn out right. I don't know what it is..perhaps my refusal to follow a recipe to the letter? I always change things up, delete something, substitute something. Great experiments... but mostly not so edible!