Mom taught me how to bake at a young age. My landlady/catering boss in college taught me how to cook from scratch. I love to cook! Most of the meals I make are done 20-40 mins & healthy! Hardly anything from a box. Its all about time management, knowing what's in season, & mixing it up. I get inspiration from everywhere. ...is dinner 5 nights a week for my family! I take 1 night off for school, which is FYOD(Find Your Own Dinner, pronounced fOOd)night & my darling will usually "cook" (takeout/out to eat/grill something) one day a week. They are getting really good at FYOD night, either cooking or cleaning out the leftovers. Theme dinner nights are my favorite! Usually its a holiday, American or another country/religion/ethnicity, time of the year/season, sports season, music, art, what the kid is studying in school(world history, English reading assignment) or just for fun. Toned down Thanksgiving din din on an unseasonably cold day during the summer. Jambalaya on Mardi gras. American Chinese food on Chinese new year. I keep it simple, maybe music or a game or story to tie in with the occasion. I do not go crazy with matching table linens & all that. Everything except chili. Chili. Can't explain it. Don't know why it happens. I am absolutely terrible at making chili.