I'm a 24 year-old quirky, Southern girl, studying to be a nurse. I would never call myself a "great cook," but whenever my dishes turn out superb, I always have allrecipes.com to thank! I love love LOVE trying new recipes! I currently love making pies, cakes, and (being from the South) casseroles! My favorite family cooking traditions revolve around Thanksgiving. When I was younger, I would observe all the women in the kitchen, making all the heavenly dishes from scratch (they always gave me a little something to do-like filling the cups with ice [lol]- while they taught me little tricks in cooking). Luckily today, I get to participate, and I only hope that someday, I will have learned enough cooking wisdom (if you will) to produce a delightful Thanksgiving meal on my own! My first really big cooking challenge was lasagna ... and I tell you, having your family members begging for it inflates your ego a little bit. :-D I don't think I have enough characters to list all of my cooking tragedies. :-D I'm still learning, and I keep on cooking!