I'm a young wife and I love to cook and bake. I like to try at least one new recipe a week for dinner. My husband and I love Mexican food so I end up making that several times a week. Recently I've been trying more authentic recipes, which require venturing to the Mexican grocery store. I also make standard northern Mexican and tex-mex dishes frequently. And I love to bake, but unfortunately my husband doesn't like much bakery so I feed it to my friends and family instead. My mom made great pies, cookies, and breads for the holidays. I remember decorating cut-outs every year with her. Now I make many of the same recipes. She also makes great pizza and calzones, which I made when I was in high school from a recipe she dictated over the phone when she couldn't get home in time. Foccacia bread, potato bread, florentine stuffed chicken breast, delmonico steak (without a grill), Thai spring rolls, pesto, homemade salsa and guacamole, tiramisu layer cake, and baklava. And getting dinner on the table most nights during my first year of teaching. Last time I tried to make yeast bread, it didn't rise or bake at all. I once got home from work to find my slow cooker barbeque chicken burned beyond recognition. Also, I tried to make phyllo dough before I'd seen what it's supposed to look like. Needless to say, it was way too thick!