My partner, Sylvan, and I love to cook. Every week we have people over for informal dinners. We especially like Spanish, Thai, Indian and Chinese food. I love salads with fresh vegetables. Also, I like the comforting smells of a roast with root vegetables. Every week we invite friends over to cook and eat with us. Best of all, my friends clean up afterward so it's really nice and relaxing for me. Last month Syl and I cooked for a friend's wedding. Our food was the hit of the party. Although I'd admit to all of them, they are too numerous to select just one. With each meal, there are challenges and small emergencies. That's what makes it fun. Thankfully, I structure my meals in such a way that one error or small tragedy won't blow the whole event out of the water. Life is too short and food is too plentiful to pin the success of a gathering on one thing.