I love food plus I like cooking for other people and I love trying new things - plus I do like to make thing a bit healthier - i.e. less fat, less sodium, or less carbs - but most important, it must taste good - ideally will tasted great! Something new that turns out to be so good that other people end up asking for the recipe. I love my slow cookers (have 6, and absolutly love the new liners for them) easy clean up is right up at the top of my list. What works and foods that people remember and want to have again. Easy is always good. My pineapple upside down cake and the spagetti sauce for our family reunion. I was was pretty poor, but one of the smartest thing I ever did was to make desserts for each of the departments I had contact with at my job - I just used mixes and doctored them some and took in cakes - boy, even tho they had always been nice, you can not believe how much nicer they were after I said thank you. It is a lesson I have never forgotten - I started it at Christmas time, but have found out it is even nicer when there is no special reason (just to say thank you, and random times are easy on the budget). I made a spinach soup for a family Thanksgiving dinner, that turned out so nasty looking (but it did taste good) that no one wanted to try it - can't say that I blame them and a cake I baked for my son's co-workers - the cherries ended up having a pit ( I always check now) and my son's boss broke a tooth.