I am SO lucky to have my husband who is just as active in taking care of our household and raising our incredible daughter, as I am. I am also lucky that both of our families are so close, as well as a long list of very close friends that we also consider family. I'm inspired by my dad as a cook. He isn't afraid to try something new. I love cooking anything that requires a hodgpodge of ingredients that I can eyeball and say "Yeah. That looks good!". I do however, enjoy baking, even though I can't guesstimate those ingredients. I just love having something come warm from the oven!! Pies, cookies, casseroles, lasagna... You can't beat it when someone comes to your house and says "Mmmmm. Something smells good!". After my husband and I bought our house, we decided to start hosting some of the major holiday meals. I love having both families together for Christmas dinner, and eating different dishes that I've made, my mom has made, and my mother in law has made all in one meal. My mom has always made a million different Christmas cookies each year, and now I've begun to help her. I love baking with my mom. I think I'll eventually take over the Christmas cookie baking and hopefully I'll get to share that with my daughter! Any time I try something new and it works- that's a triumph! I still feel like a "beginner" cook, because there's so much out there I've never attempted to make! I love having a huge group of friends over, and laying out a big meal, and hearing them all enjoy with grunts and delightful exclamations of how dinner was "so good!!". Every time I make a meal that people enjoy, that is a triumph! I have to say, the hardest thing I've ever tried to make is pie crust, and I'm getting good at that! The first pie I made on my own was a triumph. There are too many burnt dishes, uncooked centers and mushy messes to count. Half the fun of cooking is learning and experimenting. Maybe I experiment too much, but when something comes out DELICIOUS it's just all the more exciting!!!