I just got to love cooking about 3 1/2 years ago. I'm so thankful to my mom for teaching me everything she knew about cooking and letting me experiment in her kitchen... and always encouraging me even when I feel like I've messed up! Cookies & cakes; soups; casseroles; quick breads Coming upstairs Sunday mornings and seeing Dad working hard on his delicious omelets, and spending two days in December baking all kinds of goodies with Mom. Taking a baked ricotta cheesecake with no cracks out of the oven and seeing my brother polish off 5 small squares of it without noticing that it wasn't "real" cheesecake! Trying to make plain cookies and ending up with cookies that spread ridiculously and turn crunchy... over and over, with many different recipes, whether raisin, chocolate chip, or plain.