Have been a single mother of 3 for 15 yrs now. My kids are half German, half American and they just love American food. That's how I stumpled over this site yrs ago, looking for authentic recipes. With a full time job and very long working hours, I relax with cooking, knitting, books, music, biking. My recipes to experiment with I look up here. Just suscribed as a member now, cause I think it's about time to review some of the fantastic recipes found in this community. And may be, some day, I can contribute with a German recipe not found here :-) Just love this site. Lots of ingredients I can't get in Germany, so have to find a substitution, but since I seldom go to the t of a recipe, that's not a problem. And with the converter to metric it's so easy. Anything in the slow cooker. Could get a hand on the first slow cookers that were sold here in Germany some like 3 yrs ago, and use it all the time. It's just fantastic for a fulltime working woman. Last yr. was the first time in my life, I tried my hand on fresh pumpkin - it's not a tradition in Germany to cook or bake with it and canned pumpkin we can't get. My kids wanted real pumpkin pie, so I had to start with the real ones, encouraged from recipes from this site. It's great, that with Halloween really starting to become a habit even in smaller towns here, the local veggie markets on Saturdays are full with pumpkins and squashes now. Every weekend now you can find me there bringing home loads of these goodies. Got my freezer full with puree, enough to last at least during the Holiday season for anything the kids and their friends could rave for. Yes, they're hooked. No more talking about Americans and fast food only :-) We didn't have any so far. But since I discovered the beef-stuffed squash here 4 weeks ago, this is our favorite now. Goulash for a crowd - can't provide a certain recipe, since it's different every time I make it, just using what's on hand. Lately: Beef-stuffed squash from this side, altered to what's in the fridge - my guests are in heaven. My first pumpkin pie (the crust) served on Xmas. Oh what a mess! But everyone loved the filling though. And, oh yes, my very first roast. Was 17, tried to roast a still frozen piece of meat. Hahaha, the darned thing jumped up to the ceiling. And of course, it still happens now and then, that my cake breaks, once I bake for a very special occasion, just for the matter of being impatient or being in a hurry.