Well, I'm a Pastry Chef by trade, sometimes a Sous Chef too. My life is an adventure, traipsing around the world with my DH and 2 kids. Currently we're in Tokyo, which is a sometimes overwhelming, but always amazing, city- and we're loving it! Geez, I love to cook just about everything and anything...but getting the kids to eat it is the hard part! The only real tradition we have is that everyone gets a rainbow cake for their birthday. My mom, God love her, was not a very good cook; however, she made me a rainbow cake every year for my birthday, and now I do it for my family. Any time I can decipher a messed-up recipe or recreate a taste or texture from something I've eaten, I consider that a win. But my biggest triumphs are getting the kids to try something they hate, and get them to love it. I was braising a couple of briskets once, and I fell asleep. My roomie cranked the heat in the oven to high (why? who knows?)and I awoke to my neighbor poundimg on my door to rescue me from the fire! Needless to say, I wasn't able to serve that for St. Patty's day!