I am 55 years old and have been cooking since I got out of the Navy. When I was single I used to cook a ham, roast beef or turkey on Sunday and then eat on it the rest of the week. My wife can't cook at all. When we first got married I would not let her touch a piece of meat that cost more than $5. That was a lot of money 32 years ago. Now I do 99.9% of the cooking. I enjoy it she does not and that makes a big difference in the end product. The deal is that she cleans up and I can live with that. Ethnic! I love to experiment with recipes from different cultures. I have been pretty successful. I can make most things better than I can can get in a restaurant. I am lucky to live in Rochester where there are many ethnic grocery's.I have traveled to Asia and some parts of Europe for my job and have learned a lot. Leg of Lamb on Christmas and Easter. I do turkey many times during the year. I don't quite understand why people wait for a holiday to cook one. They are cheap and if you don't go crazy on the sides, are very easy to cook for a Sunday dinner. Not to mention the left overs. I really don't have many food traditions because my parents and grand parents used to cook the flavor right out of food. Did you ever smell cauliflower or Brussel sprouts cooked for hours???? But they did leave me with recipes for many comfort foods. Leg of Lamb with roasted red potatoes, green beans with oyster sauce and red peppers for my son's new inlaws from Nepal. Too many to count. If one is going to experiment and try different things you will have failures,don't give up. Do not experiment when you have quests, try it on your own family first. FYI silence from your family means it sucks.