I am alternately a dabbler of the cooking arts, an avid reader and a lifelong musician. I enjoy learning and experiencing traditions in music, literature and cooking of all cultures. I also enjoy pets and animals, and have been a vegetarian for 10 years. Spaghetti with wild mushroom sauce, Vegetable curry over Basmati rice and Orange Cream cupcakes with citrus Butter-Cream icing. I like to expand beyond my family's cooking traditions. Living with my grandmother for most of my childhood, I've gained an adequate knowledge of Italian and Home style American cooking and baking. For the past few years though, I have striven to learn to cook Indian, Asian and Mexican cuisine. Finally figuring out how to cook a (good tasing!) Curry sauce! Trying to cook sugar to make butterfly shaped candies! I felt like Lucy in the chocolate factory! I ended up with Badly burned sugar (despite watching the candy thermometer very closely) and a mess in my kitchen. I laughed so hard trying to clean sticky and very quickly hardening sugar off of my stove.... :(