I am a stay at home mom to four children. I used to hate cooking and was actually afraid of cooking. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. After I married I found that I needed to cook at least some of the time. I started with a few basic and had success. I just decided to not be afraid of cooking anymore. That freed me to experiment and that is where the best food came from. People used to tease me that the best thing I made was cold cereal. Now people love my cooking and are always asking for my recipes. I now love to cook! I love to make desserts and candy. I also really enjoy cooking different types of ethnic cuisine. Right now I am really enjoying experimenting with Thai and Indian food. I think my favorite traditions would have to be making cookies and candy for Christmas. I loved making Sugar Cookie sleighs for Christmas and filling them with treats as a child and it is something I enjoy sharing with my children now. I think finally deciding to not be afraid to make mistakes in the kitchen. As I allowed myself to experiment and take the time to learn how cooking techniques changed food and how different flavors reacted with each other that is when I really became a cook. I would have to say the first meal I made for my husband. When I say I didn't know how to cook when I first got married I really mean I didn't know how to cook. I added spaghetti and water in a bowl and microwaved it to make spaghetti. Needless to say, it turned into a paste concoction which after I covered it with sauce, I served it to my husband. As he was sawing into his spaghetti he looked me in the eye and said,"Honey, I love you but I have tried and I just cannot eat this." We laugh about this today and marvel at how far I have come.