I'm an avid fan of cooking and the preparation of food. I love pairing whatever I've cooked with good wines or microbrews. I don't use recipes much, but do often look at them to get ideas for what to do with what's in my fridge. I worked as a cook for two months in Germany and have worked in a catering company prepping food. After these different experiences, I've decided that I could not pursue a cooking degree and be a professional chef - too much stress for me, so I'd rather keep it as a hobby. New things - I've recently learned the art of curries and have been working on Russian cuisine for the past 6 months or so. My grandmother makes a swedish coffee cake every year at Christmas time that is just so light, delicate, and not heavy on flavor, but hints at it. It's delicious and we've been making them together for the past couple years so that I can take on the tradition one day. Cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for over a hundred people! I did have a small kitchen staff helping - impossible to do by one's self! We had the full spread and it was delicious and satisfying. I remember the first time I tried to make a cherry pie. I was about 12 or so and had tried to surprise my mom. I had watched her make one before and was sure it was easily copied. I opened a can of unsweetened cherries and poured them over my crust, which i had made with yeast and oil (oil crusts take practice and patience to get right) and which I hadn't mixed very well. Basically, it was terrible and I cried because I had wasted so much and had made a big mess in the kitchen.