Mostly I like following recipes by the book. I will alter them, but not many, I'm not that creative and don't desire to be a chef. Most times I want quick and easy (less than 90 minutes), but I will have occasional moods of madness where I'll actually stand in the kitchen chopping, sauteeing, prepping something more gourmet for more than 4 hours...that's unusual for me. Beef stew Potato Salad Fried Rice Wonton Balls California Sushi Rolls I think I didn't carry any family cooking traditions to my family. When I was young, my parents, siblings and I ate rich foods and lots of it...but my family now is into minimal sauces and dressings, healthy less fattening dishes, more baking and grilling, less frying and drenching.. which don't require the preparations that old traditions took. Huge fortune cookies...the first batches didn't turn out...but once I got the hang of it, they were folded quickly and tasted light and crispy. Also a friend taught me how to make a chicken & sausage swirl log baked in its natural juices. This involved deboning an entire chicken, flattening it, covering it with raw sausage meat and rolling it up like a log and baking it...for someone who doesn't make much cooking effort, friends were impressed.... Hahaha..got lots of those...nothing specific...burnt sauces on the stove, sauteeing things like garlic and onions too long on too high heat and then burning them. Usually happens if I'm not paying attention...