I'm twenty one, live in New York City, and get weird looks for reading cooking and restaurant magazines and eagerly anticipating holiday issues with tons of recipes. Sometimes I can't decide which I cherish more; my Tolkein books or my vintage Gourmet's. I'm Irish, Italian, and German, and am appropriately enamored of Irish brown oatmeal bread, great tomato sauce, and good stew. I love baking cookies and cakes, although I haven't tried my hand at pies yet. Soups are a close second, and I'm always interested in good bread and biscuit recipes. My parents were always interested in trying new cuisines and cooking techniques, despite their young age. Gourmet magazine was a fixture of my childhood, I can still remember my favorite ads. Beef stews, lard-based biscuits, and noodles and gravy make up the ultimate traditional dinner, although corned beef and cabbage are just as beloved, and my Sicilian grandmother taught me everything I know about baking breads. I make a mean Snickerdoodle. :) I once completely destroyed a microwave with a package of microwaveable popcorn. I've knocked over a pan with onions sauteeing in olive oil and nicely splattered the rug. And much to my chagrin, I learned the hard way not to add cocoa powder into a batter while the mixer is still running.