My mother never let me near the kitchen, so I am basically self-taught. The easiest thing for me is to find recipes off of the net. I tend to only use "Taste of Home" or "Simple and Delicious" for cookbooks. I love to cook- it is my therapy at the end of a stressful day. My favorite things are dessert. I love to use my Kitchen-Aid mixer (the best invention EVER) and my silicon bakeware and make tons of cookies, muffins, and brownies for family get-togethers. My mother's macaroni and cheese (delicious!), my grandmother's gumbo (she unfortunately took the recipe with her when she passed away last year- so it has not been replicated since), my mother's italian cookies (wedding balls, sesame seed cookies, fig cookies) and my dad's fried turkey (YUM!!) Really anything...the fact that I am cooking at all is a triumph since I have had to teach myself everything. Many...I tried this cornbread-encrusted chicken the other day...completely bland and tasteless. I should have listened to my gut and added garlic powder to the batter...but I didn't. YUCK! I did take-out instead.