I do IT consulting for a living, and cook as a hobby. I love to read recipes online, in cookbooks, and talk with other people who cook. I eat out a lot, especially at ethnic restaurants. I am a world traveler, and the number of foreign countries I've visited is 18, so it's no wonder I like to eat ethnic food! I have a silly habit of rarely repeating a dish. That in itself has made me a more diverse cook, and in turn, a better cook. There aren't many foods out there that I haven't cooked in some form or fashion! I also like to change up fattening recipes to more healthy ones, and that's how I write most of my online reviews. I really benefit from (and enjoy!) reading other cooks' reviews, and hope that mine have helped in the same way. My signature on this site is "Thanks for the recipe!" You will see it all over! I love to bake! I love to give baked goodies at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Not many people these days have time to bake, so it makes me feel especially good when someone really enjoys my homemade things. I like to make entire meals for someone who is sick. To me, nothing says love more than a home-cooked meal! I also love to entertain - doing everything from the appetizer all the way down to the dessert is my passion. I love to coordinate meals and make a 'theme' for all the courses - all Asian, all Mexican, all Greek, all Italian, etc. My favorite meal to cook is Thanksgiving dinner, and I follow my family's recipes (along with some I've added of my own). Turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, cranberry-orange relish, green salad with cranberry vinaigrette, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, broccoli-rice casserole, homemade rye rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin bread. I also like to make a homemade cornucopia out of refrigerator rolls as the centerpiece on the table. My favorite part is bringing out my grandma's china, crystal, and silver that was handed down to me to serve all the wonderful food on. I guess making the entire Thanksgiving dinner was quite an accomplishment. I was most intimidated by the turkey, but my very first one turned out terrific! My mom gave me her secrets, and it's really not as hard as I thought. Another thing I'm proud of is making homemade pie crust. Hardly anyone I know still does it, and I thought, if my *brother* can do it, so can I! I can finally say that I can make my own pie crust. Each one I make comes out a little better than the last. I like it that I have made so many different things that no matter what someone is looking for, I've got a recipe, and chances are, I've already tried it and made good notes. I don't believe I've made something that was totally inedible. Sometimes my dishes aren't as good as I had hoped, but it's always easier to blame it on the recipe. ;-)