Friends and family are what inspire me most in the kitchen. I once tried going vegan in college and loved how creative it forced me to be when adapting recipes. But after several holiday gatherings of passing up Mom's standby recipes and eating my own separate plate, I realized tradition and togetherness in the kitchen mean more to me personally than anything else. I love making my grandmother's and great grandmother's recipes most and I love wowing my husband with a successful meal. I really like to try new recipes in the hopes that I'll find one that sticks and becomes a new favorite. There's something really exciting about seeing how a recipe you read about or saw on TV will come out. On the other hand, sometimes I just like the comfort of a recipe I know well and it's satisfying when you can say, okay, last time I messed this up, but this time I learned from my mistake it worked! My Nana makes an Italian fish dinner every Christmas Eve. I have so many memories of sitting at her long dining room table along with aunts, uncles and cousins. It's been a long time since the stars aligned and I was able to make it for that meal but I still think about it often. It occurred to me recently that I need to ask her to show me how to make it for future generations. Recently my sister came for a visit and we spent several days cooking up storm- it was a blast. Even when we botched something, I took a deep breath and let it roll. It was definitely a success. Thanksgiving turkey 2008 was pretty sad. I had a great recipe for a salt rub and I used sage with it which is my favorite holiday herb. Unfortunately, I purchased a turkey from the store that, once home I noticed read "enhanced with flavorings" on the label. I then failed to make the connection that this meant I really didn't need to add any more salt to it. It was so salty we could barely choke it down. It was perfect in turkey pot pie the next day though.