I love to cook most anything, but my passion is baking. My goal is to retire in Mexico and open a bakery. People ask me all the time to create something special for them, and I think I have a pretty good sense for flavors. Maple truffles are my Dad's favorite, but I think I'm most proud of my Chocolate Ganache Raspberry Cake. My mom has tons of recipes that I alter or improve on. I think my favorite tradition is baking cookies at Christmas. It has been a tradition in my family for decades, and we only bake the "normal" cookies. We do add one special type of cookie, but it changes yearly! My best triumph is in baking; I made a chocolate tiered cake for a work party and it was wonderful. It was a 3-tier chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream filling and frosting. I decorated it with white icing and strawberries. People were impressed...I was impressed!!! The worst cooking experience of my life...had to be when I was trying to cook authentic Chile Rellenos. The recipe is super easy, but my first time was terrible. Long story short...I smelled like burnt oil for a week!!