Right now I cook mainly out of necessity, we need to eat right? I work a full-time job, and so while I love trying new dishes and going all out, I don't have time to put into it right now except on weekends and special occasions. Growing up my Mom mainly was a stay-at-home Mom. She cooked for us most of the time, we rarely ate fast food, only eating out of occasion. I basically remember a collection of dishes, she made really good food, but generally wasn't experimental in the kitchen. I learned the basics from her by watching and helping in the kitchen. Mostly I learn from cookbooks, and occasionally I get a little creative. Casseroles, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, stir-fry, breads, desserts. Licking out the cake and frosting mixing bowls. Meals with the extended family, BBQ or other. Not much so far, my best experiment has been changing a Tuna-Pasta Casserole into a delicious Ham-Pasta Casserole. The recipe is in a Betty Crocker cookbook. Trade Ham for Tuna, Peas for Broccoli, and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese for the 1c Cheddar. Delicious! I have a tendency to get distracted and sometimes things burn. The worst though, was I was trying to make some apple muffins. Followed the recipe, but for some reason they never cooked all the way through, they stayed doughy in the middle even after an hour of cooking. I have yet to try it again.