Grew up learning 1000 ways to cook hamburger meat, using powdered milk, for good home cooking we went to Great Aunts' houses where they did everything from scratch and used fresh produce and real milk (YUM!). As an adult, I have taught myself how to cook and have assembled a very large collection of cook books and recipes. I like to try recipes the way they are written first, then I experiment based on what I liked or didn't like. Baked goods, homemade bread, meat and potatoes for my husband and the boys, veggies, Southern cooking, and native american type dishes (with chili's and seasonings to give a suprising kick) Special birthday cake for all persons in the family, they get to choose what they want (cake, icing, pie, whatever they desire). First tragedy... first turkey cooked on Thanksgiving many years ago... I had never cooked one or helped to cook one. How did I know that it was still going to be frozen? I learned the hard way. Most recent... this month to celebrate Dad's birthday, my husband and I spent the entire evening baking and grounding, chopping and stewing... to make special seasonings and spices for the different dishes in the meal that next day. When I was carrying the enchilada's to the table, the dish slipped out of pot holders and onto the carpet. Besides embarrassing, I felt horrible for the amount of effort that laid on the carpet. My husband was stunned for days in disbelief that it happened (after all that we didn't get a bite). Needless to say I am "carrying" shy right now.