I taught myself to cook as my mother's cooking was so dull/hopeless that I didn't want to learn from her! We eat a lot of Indian food, and I am also keen to find low fat/low carb stuff that I LIKE and will actually eat! Poule au riz a la creme was what my kids always chose for their birthday dinners, tho my middle daughter (a chef) pines for my asparagus & new potatoes with oeufs mollet & Hollandaise sauce. And I raised my kids on one dessert only-Bread & Butter Pudding! Almost all of my dinner parties have been very successful. Cooking Indian for Indians was a BIG hit. My first shot at polenta was a bit weird, and now I have moved from a state with excellent lamb to a place where it is not much good I am avoiding it, after a few disappointments