My husband and i are newly weds, and we both work. with working in retail, i get to have some weekdays off which allows me to play with dinner foods and that's when i attempt gourmet foods. I'm not to good with them just yet, but i like to experiment. I'm constantly looking for new recipes and new things to try! ITALIAN! any sort of pasta. I have tried chinese for the first time and liked it, and would like to try it some more. I just got a slow cooker, and am looking for some of those as well. most of my family cooking is more baking. my mom LOVED baking more than cooking, and so cookies, cakes, and pies are what i grew up with. My cooking traditions are some that i'm getting from my sister, who is about 9 years older than me. some of the basics are grilled cheese, mashed potato cakes, taco salads/pie. these are my favorites! As a new wife, any triumph is making something that your husband looks at you and says, "this is better than my moms!" i've had that with a couple of dishes: lasagna, stuffed shells. but the ONE triupmh would have to be using the recipe that i cannot give out from my husband's great grandmother: Rum cake. it came out perfectly! i've never had something be so tragic that it was unedible. however, the first sign of something not going well, and i freak out. which is why i will never be able to be a chef.