I'm a plain old American living in Israel. I live with my boyfriend and our two cats. I am studying towards my BA, so I have a lot of time at home when I should be studying. I tend to bake a lot, but lately we are trying to cut down the cost of food by eating in, so I am trying out new entrees. I really miss American sweets, so I tend to bake a lot. Cupcakes, steak, soups, Italian food; also anything to satisfy my sweet cravings. Whenever there is a big holiday like Passover or Thanksgiving, my father always cooks a big gourmet meal. I learned to cook from my father who is the "chef" in the family. Now that I'm across the world in my own kitchen, I try to pay attention to presentation as well as taste :) My first lemon meringue pie came out very well - my boyfriend devoured it and he doesn't like sweets! There have been many, but one that really sticks out is when I tried to make pumpkin pie using the crust instructions but missed the part that said to bake it, and it came out like goop. I had made it for American friends of ours, and I was mortified! I