I always did enjoy good food but I never needed to nor cared to cook - that is until my wife passed away almost 4 years ago. I knew I had to either learn to cook or suffer the consequences (eating out constantly is a terrible consequence in my book). So, I started getting acquainted with basic cooking skills, how to shop for food, learning where to find simple recipes, etc. At present, with the weather being so unpleasant, I find myself cooking & freezing foods simply to keep myself busy doing something constructive. I do enjoy cooking now and I am constantly honing my skills and trying more and more difficult recipes. However, when I see several ingredients in a recipe that I don't normally have on hand, I usually avoid that recipe. Pork, some ground beef, sweet & regular potatoes, salads, casseroles, slow cooker meals, pumpkin pies & breads, shepherd pies, Thanksgiving turkey & other basic good ole American foods. I don't like to cook for one person. I usually make batches sufficient for an entire family. Then I wind up eating on it until it is gone. It just seems like too much trouble to put everything together & cook & cleanup for one meal and then have to go through the whole routine for the next meal. But, that's just me. Finally feeling comfortable whipping up a meal - even for my daughter and her husband when they come to visit. Recently, a simple pumpkin pie. I was really trying to get the crust thing down but it turned out the main pumpkin ingredient tasted terrible and, I believe I followed the recipe on the can to a tee. I still haven't figured out why it tasted so bad. I threw it in the trash can after a few bites.