I'm a busy lady w/ work, pets, and a boyfriend who loves to try my cooking! I enjoy being with friends as well as taking some time to just enjoy my pets, read, cook, etc. I am also hosting my first foster dog, who is a wonderful, sweet girl. We've been attending casual wine tastings the past few years and I have really learned a lot! If you find it pretentious, try different tastings until you find a group of people & hosts that are informative without any snobbery. It's fun! We've made friends with a great couple from the tastings as well. This year, we expanded our small garden to include cauliflower, zucchini, and corn. They didn't survive but we got a lot of roma tomatoes, herbs, and peppers. I love all baking--especially at Christmastime. I host a cookie baking day and exchange each year at Christmas. I enjoy making homemade meat pasta sauce, chili, chicken & rice soup, meatloaf, baked asparagus parmesan, and lots of veggie dishes. I'm also a fan of the crockpot. Some of my favorite veggie dishes are sauteed spincach w/ garlic, feta, & lemon and blanched broccolini w/ proscuitto and mustard sauce as well as Jasmine's Brussels Sprouts from this site - made with 1/2 the olive oil and I substitute bacon at times. Sometimes we enjoy the Brussels Sprouts recipe as a main meal. My dad's family is mostly Polish & Bohemian and I make Kolacky every Christmas and Easter as a special tradition. I also make the Eggnog Pie from this site every Christmas. My mom's family originates from the South and I also enjoy making Southern food--especially chicken & country-style green beans, and (white)Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. I make great, juicy roasted turkey and great gravy from the drippings mixed with the roasted vegetables I put in the roaster with the turkey. Enjoy that with some veggies and the day-before mashed potato recipe from this site. Finish off with Dutch Apple Oatmeal Streusel pie from this site as well! So yummy! One time, I feel asleep while boiling water for pasta...it boiled away and I burned up my pot. All before I woke up!