It's not so much that I love to cook - I love to feed people. Making my kids' favorite things for their birthdays or special occasions, or bringing a really great contribution for a family get-together gives me much joy. My favorite things are dishes that have great flavor and taste like you worked all day but are easy to put together, like flan or vodka sauce. For regular days, I make a lot of one-pot meals or soup with bread for dipping, or pasta salads during hot weather. I was born to a family of great cooks and learned a lot by just watching. My sisters and I have each developed our own styles, and our family holidays and birthdays are events to remember. There's always way more food than we can finish. I'm known for my penne ala Vodka. Not only is it easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd, but I make it while the pasta is cooking - the ultimate fast food. Its rich and delicious and tastes like something from a nice restaurant. Very early in my marriage, I tried a recipe for soup that was from a self-published local co-op cookbook. I questioned some of the ingredients, such as the combination of sage and curry powder, but went ahead anyway. It turned out SO bad - it tasted like soap. I had a similar incident where I mistook cayenne for chili powder. Ouch.