I love the challenge of making something out of whatever is on hand. As weird as it might sound, I'd love to open someone elses fridge and/or pantry and start pulling out ingredients to make something. I love cooking with fresh ingredients. Italian food is my favorite to cook. I've been trying different cuisines and love mastering new dishes I can cook anytime. Each Thanksgiving my daughter and I would bake pumpkin pies together. She made the crust and I made the puree from locally grown pumpkins. We live across the country from each other now, but still make the pies together in spirit. My tragedies usually turn into my triumphs. I'll mess up a dish then try to save it. In the process I discover a new way of making something and often times it's more tasty! I made a chocolate souffle for company. As two guests took their first bite I could tell something was very wrong. I must have used salted instead of unsalted butter because the souffle was salty and awful! I collected all the dessert servings and promptly threw them away. Fortunately the guests were understanding.