I've been cooking since I was in high school and have always enjoyed it. My mom taught me the basics and I've been trying to learn more and more ever since. I grew up in New Orleans but cajun food is not my favorite; I guess I take it for granted down here. I love foods with flavor and spice though, and rarely cook anything without at least 4 spices. My husband and I enjoy cooking indian and asian food together. This is a learning experience for sure. We also like to try to make a lot of different dishes on the grill and experiment with a good bit of baking--especially for gifts. We have a special family recipe for "Yankee Stuffing" that's a must every year, and I plan to carry on this tradition even though I'll be staying down south. I would also like to start a new tradition of Christmas cookie baking for friends and family. I rarely have to measure items out anymore and am able to cook most things from scratch. I'm still in my 20s so I think that's a pretty good accomplishment. I tried dabbling in "whole foods" and whole grains. I tried some of the more rare varieties such as buckwheat, rice flour, and soy flour. I just don't seem to have the gift for it or gist of it and have had to throw away and waste lots of food... :(