I'm an attorney from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I'm newly married so cooking has become a much bigger focus in my life than it has been in years past, but it's always been an interest of mine. My grandmother was an excellent baker and really should have opened a shop (she owned her own beauty salon instead). I have inherited her fabulous recipes and she's still around at 91 to give me pointers. I'm a better baker than cook, but love to do both. My mom has always been one of those cooks who somehow knows a little of this and that will make something taste just right; I'm watching and learning; hope to cook as effortlessly as she does some day. I make a mean chocolate frosting thanks to this site, and my baked goods are usually my strong point. My husband's mom died a few years before we met, leaving just "the boys" (him, his brother and father). Their mom never wrote down her chocolate cake and icing recipe, so I'm afraid it may be lost forever. They miss their mom's cake/frosting recipe and other dishes, so I enjoy cooking for them whenever I can and trying dishes that remind them of hers. I find it fulfilling to make dishes that people have an emotional connection to, or just making a favorite meal for someone. There is nothing more personally gratifying than cooking for someone I love. Knowing something as simple as a meal or dessert made someone's day a little better, or sparked a memory, is a great feeling. My mom has a recipe for stuffing from my paternal grandmother who came to the U.S. directly from Ireland, as did much of my family. Mom's stuffing holds the title "best I've ever tasted" for anyone who has shared a holiday dinner with our family. My mom also makes wonderful sticky pecan rolls for Easter. My grandmother makes the softest, most wonderful iced cut outs for holidays. Now that I'm making my grandmother's cookies, my brother from L.A. starts calling right around Thanksgiving to make sure I plan on sending him a few dozen of "grandma's cookies" before the holidays. Hearty stews, mid-western and Amish cooking are always favorites in our family. Comfort food, good old-fashioned cooking and special dishes that take us back in time are really special. I tend to pull off a dinner party well -- made an excellent lemon rosemary pork tenderloin that I served with a sweet corn and bacon relish and white cheddar whipped potatoes. I make a great homemade spaghetti sauce (recipe from a Sicilian woman I know)and appetizers such as fried ravioli, fondue, dips, etc. And of course, baking -- most recent triumph were blueberry muffins, a sour cream coffee cake and the best ever chocolate chip cookies. I need to be more adventurous and try things that look fantastic in the pictures but scare me (like standing rib roasts and rack of lamb, etc.) I really appreciate people on this site who take the time to share their cooking experiences with recipes listed; it helps so much. Too numerous to count... but usually at least edible. :)