I have been cooking ever since I was a teenager. My mom taught me everything I know, although she will say that I have far exceeded what she taught me. I love to experiment with new recipes, and usually try a new one about once a week. I've learned a lot over the years about cooking techniques and what ingredients taste good together. I've become pretty well known now for my cooking, which is very rewarding. I love to keep trying to find the next best recipe that my family will love. It's a great pastime! One time, not long after I had gotten married, I was making sloppy joes. The recipe called for vinegar. I was talking on the phone at the same time that I was cooking, which apparently distracted me, because I made a rather irreparable mistake. I kept my vinegar in the cabinet under the sink, since I didn't have a pantry at the time. Unfortunately, I also kept my cleaning supplies down there. So, in my distracted state, I reached down and grabbed the AMMONIA instead of the vinegar, and poured it right into the sloppy joes! I started stirring the mixture, then noticed the very strong odor of ammonia! Needless to say, my sloppy joes were ruined and I had to start all over. Even at the time, I had to just laugh at myself. It taught me a valuable lesson to PAY ATTENTION when adding your ingredients!