I am a stay at home mom of 4 that loves to bake and cook the "old fashioned way" I detest using mixes but I do when I have no choice. I am becoming a highly requested baker among my friends and might just start charging them for it. I love to make cakes and cookies, and at christmas time I love making my homemade chocolates. As far as main dishes, I love making my home made spaghetti sauce and shepheards pie. My main family cooking traditions are to do things from scratch, never mind mixes, mixes are not the same as the real love and time you put into baking our way. I made my first batch of cookies from the Sesame Street encyclopedia books that my parents got me. I was 8 years old. About 8 years ago I figured out the secret to my family's chocolate recipe. I am completely self taught. I have a heck of a time with home made bread,I just can't get it right. I will someday tho. I have really bad luck with the simple stuff. I always manage to mess up the simplest things, but give me something complicated and I will get it right almost every time.