I am a 24 year old newlywed living in Prague, Czech Republic with my husband. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in December 2005 with a BBA in International Business. I am now working with a global language services provider in Prague as a marketing manager. Desserts! I love to make cakes, cookies, bars, and breads. I also love making Mexican food, as it makes me feel closer to my native San Antonio, Texas. I love eating hearty Czech food cooked by my husband's mother, father, and grandmothers: pork, duck, lamb, dumplings, sauerkraut, gulas, and STRUDEL! My own grandmother's Polish heritage shines through in her cooking. Though she's in her mid-80's, her strong Polish stock keeps her at the stove, dishing out things like polish sausage and sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, potato pancakes and cabbage filled crepes. Living in Prague, I'm far away from the familiar tastes of home. I feel triumphant every time I successfully recreate a food that reminds me of the USA. Sometimes it means I have to go to great lengths to find a rare ingredient, like cilantro for Mexican or a substitue for cream cheese for cheesecake. Or I have to get creative, like creating brown sugar for my chocolate chip cookies with molasses and white sugar! I once made an elaborate dinner for an old boyfriend's mother (a woman who terrified me). I was baking a French Chocolate Cake for dessert, and in my anxiety I forgot to add the small but necessary 1/4 cup of flour. The whole thing caved in when I took it out of the oven! Luckily my roommate whipped up a chocolate-cake-from-a-box for me and we baked it in a beautiful flower-shaped bundt pan and sprinkled it with powdered sugar. It was gorgeous, and my hard-to-please guest was very impressed and none-the-wiser!