I work part time as a graphic artist and full time as a mom to my two children. My latest hobby is crocheting cute little characters such as the flower I made for my niece. A lot of my cooking from necessity is about preparing healthy & quick foods that my husband & children will like without getting boring. I really like to try new recipes & experiment with different ethnic cuisines, asian, mexican, I just bought an Indian cookbook but I have not made anything from it yet. The area in which I live provides access to all sorts of ethnic neighborhoods to explore for new ingredients. I like to bake & use my bread machine & slow cooker. Italian - my grandmother made her own pasta, pizza & breads. My Ricotta and Fennel-seed bread is well loved. My stromboli gets raves whenever I make it. I experimented until I could make a chicken kung pao that duplicates the one my husband loved from a long-closed restaurant. Oh I've made my share of Banana Bricks and deadly Rumballs! Don't substitute yogurt for sour cream in mashed potatoes, yucch!