i am married and reside in Reno, Nv for the past 7 years. i hail from Cali and learned most of my cooking skills through watching my mother. most of the rest of my technique is through trial and error and from several hours of studying cook books and recipes. allrecipes is without a doubt the leader for me in recipes for almost anything. i enjoy new things and trying new spices. i have my favorites though. asian stir fry, tamale pie, spagehetti with homemade sauce, chili, roasts, corned beef and cabbage, sirloin tips, stroganoff, etc. etc. a nice xmas dinner is my favorite. just like my mom did 40 years ago. its the time to give and enjoy and just try and be happy if you aren't a xmas person. a wonderful meal with all the trimmings and a warm roof with joyus people is what its all about. OH ! a wonderful key lime cheesecake.. anytime that a new recipe is enjoyed by the 2 food critics that reside with me. (niether of which cook). my first attemp at putting together an east indian cusine. i had no idea that you should not use to much tumeric and curry in your rice. i did not taste the dish before presenting it in the interest of time. needless to say, people were sneezeing, turning red, and drinking water. we had lots of rice leftover but no water in the 2 48 oz pitchers that were set out.