Having a family to take care of kinda thrust me into the cooking world. I remember being a new mom, we ordered out pizza at least twice a week. Today, I really enjoy getting in the kitchen and creating a meal. We really love pizza and you can make all types of pizza. Last night I made a barbque chicken pizza with bacon...homemade crust and homemade barbque sauce mmm. My next pizza endeavor will be smoked salmon with goat cheese and field greens. (We still order out pizza on those busy days.) My motivation for cooking is 1)controlling the quality of ingredients in our meals 2)creating a savory atomosphere in our home 3)serving family and friends I used to bake quite a bit until my oven failed. I haven't had an oven for about a year and my wasteline is seemingly getting smaller :) I enjoy different herbs and spices, lots of garlic. I cook mostly American, Asain, and French fair. I will try anything once. I am known for making an African dish years ago. It was a chicken stew with peanut butter. I enjoy cooking/baking "from scratch" I buy most items at the store that are organically and/or minimally processed. I did just submit a recipe for chowder that used potato flakes because hubby bought them. You should have seen the ingredients list for these flakes! My favorite recipes come from all recipes and cooking light. Oprah's, in the kitchen with Rosie cookbook has some good sauce recipes too, low-fat. I made a beautiful cake for my mom's last birthday with the chocolate ganache icing and chocolate covered cherries mmmm. see posted picture Remember the cookbook titled Butter Busters popular about twelve years ago? I used a Butter Buster recipe for one of my first attempts at a homemade dinner and after all the ingredients, time, and effort I was very disappointed to say the least. Butter is always welcome in my recipes today!