I love to work in the kitchen, whether it's mixing drinks or baking cookies. I think I'm a pretty good cook and most people compliment my cooking, but there's always room for improvement. Someday I'm gonna be able to whip up some great gourmet cuisine! Appetizers and party foods are my favorite things to make. I also like to make pasta dishes (especially shrimp fra diavolo), anything with mushrooms, and chicken....it's just so versatile! Chex Mix during the holidays... Every Christmas since I can remember, my dad and my uncle make a HUGE batch of their famous home made Chex mix. It's become one of the highlights of our time together. Everyone gathers in the kitchen awaiting their first handful while the mix bakes in the oven. I'm still not exactly sure what ingredients are in the sauce, and I've been watching them make it for 24 years now. Somehow my dad and my uncle have kept it all secret. My hot Spinach and Artichoke dip. After browsing a bunch of recipes for the dip, I took what I liked from each one and made my own version. I never thought it would be so popular...I am constantly asked to bring my dip to parties, gatherings and holiday dinners. I've made it so many times I don't even measure the ingredients anymore....I just eyeball everything and it seems to come out perfect every time. Teriyaki stir fry....my boyfriend and I were in the mood for some good stir fry. I went to the store and bought all kinds of really good veggies and some boneless chicken. I started cooking and everything was going really well. Then came time to add some teriyaki sauce. I dumped it onto the veggies and chicken and heard a really big sizzle and almost instantly everything in the pan turned black. I guess I had the heat up too high and the sugar in the teriyaki sauce burnt to a crisp. I was so upset. My boyfriend still managed to stomach a plate of it. He claims it didn't taste bad, but I know he was just trying to make me feel better. I haven't tried to make stir fry since.