I was born in Canada but I grew up in an Italian household, and now I am living in Germany with my German husband and our two little boys. Another one on it's way. I learned to cook at a very young age from my Mom and Nonne (Italian grandmas). They not only taught me the traditional dishes from the old country, but they also passed down their passion for cooking. I enjoy cooking for my family and friends and am always looking for new recipes to try. I've been using allrecipes.com since 2000 but only became a member in 2007. I have found lots of fantastic recipes on this site that I have added into my regular rotation (and a couple doozies as well), so when I rate a recipe I try to be fair and honest. I also try to include as much detail as possible for future reference for myself and for others who might find the tips useful. I love to cook anything Italian and German ... or whatever peeks my interest. Cooking along side my mom and grandmothers on Sundays and holidays. Now my little ones help almost on a daily basis and watch what I do. I'm thankful that they have the same interest as I had when I was a little girl. Some of my Italian big hitters are homemade lasagna, gnocchi, tiramisu, and cheesecake; and some of my German big hitters are Koenigsberger Kloepse and Spiegelei mit Rahmspinat. I had one of my biggest tragedies shortly after moving to Germany. I made a casserole with grated potatoes, ground meat mixed with some German onion mix, and milk. My husband said it was the worst thing he ever tasted but we still ate it because we were really hungry. My husband won't ever let me live this one down, but I'm happy to say that I haven't had too many tragedies like that since then.