I'm 24 years old, teaching myself to be a great cook! I'm not married yet, so I'm enjoying this time in my life as an amateur home-maker, building an archive of delicious recipes for my future family and for hosting friends and family now. I don't want my food to just taste good though...I mainly want it to be wholesome and full of nutrition! I believe that food can be every bit as delicious without compromising the integrity of what goes into it. It requires a lot of education to know what is truly good for you. The media isn't always right. This is a hobby for me as well as a lifestyle. I'm contemplating opening my own restaurant someday. Zesty and flavorful foods! I like anything ethnic, especially Asian. Anything fresh, especially fish. Most importantly, I'm trying to cook and bake with "real ingredients". That means I steer away from processed, pre-made or chemically treated foods as well as hormone-induced animals and farm-raised fish. I'm not fully organic yet, but my goal is to get back to the basics (fruit & veggies grown and animals bred as God intended them to be!) :) My favorite item to make lately are veggie wraps. I toss together cut up romaine, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, walnuts, raisins and fresh basil with a thai red chili sauce and sour cream. It's wonderful!!! Mom would do hardy American meals like beef stews, lasagna, pot pies, sweet breads, pasta salads, etc...probably the most memorable thing she would make was taco salad. But as a young homemaker in the 21st century, I'm enjoying a broader scope that ties in menus from around the world. I like using spices and ingredients that are uncommon, incorporating more fish and all kinds of FRESH foods that are truly healthy and nourishing! I'm big on the use of honey and butter in cooking (as opposed to sugar and shortening). The best thing my mom did as a tradition and way to save money was she had her own garden and she did a lot of canning and cooking from scratch. Very earthy of her...I liked that :) Latest triumph was the "Tuna Broccoli Roll-up Casserole" and "Blueberry Banana Salad" that I got from this website. Mmm-mmm good!! Oh man....cookies would have to be the worst. They are so easy to burn!