I started cooking by watching my mom and my grandmother. My mom was not a great cook, but my grandmother was a genius. She made the best Crisco pie crust I have ever eaten. Her #1 rule for making a good pie crust is: the less you handle the dough, the flakier the crust. My mom's food was meat and potatoes. I don't know where I developed my gourmet pretentions. From my recipe horde: Easy Tex-Mex Enchiladas; Jim's Apple-Grape & Pecan Chicken Salad; Lisa's Great Frijoles with Bacon, Chorizo, and Jalapeno; Cajun Fruit Cocktail Bread Pudding. I also like to switch around, move from country to country, so to speak: a bit of moussaka today; some chicen korma the next. Family, of course, and the corn kitchens of Mexico; the bayou cooking of Louisiana cajun peoples; the rich variety of curries, from India to Indonesia; Mideastern vegetarian dishes like felafel with sesame and chickpea sauce, garlic and lemon juice. Pastas, pastas, pastas! Favorite is probably baked ziti with Italian sausage, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and Romano. I once made that old standby dessert from the 30's and 40's, baked Alaska, and I've mastered crepes suzette with Grand Marnier. I even made a fair to middlin Black Forest Cake. The time I put too many chilies in a curry and set the whole family on fire.