I own a small catering business and am a wife and mom. Cooking is my passion - it's in most every area of my life - with and for the kids, for my business, heck - even most of my friends share the same "foodie" tendancies! I love love love to make homemade slow cooked soups - they're comforting beyond belief and we eat them two or three times a week in the winter months - it helps that there's always leftovers to share with neighbors and family! My other favorite is appetizers - finding new and creative ways to pack huge flavor into a bite sized morsel. I cater dinners for a few groups once a month and my dad pointed out that the guys "hover" around the kitchen door, waiting for me to bring out the next tray! y mom is an awesome cook - basic, hearty dishes taht fed her family of 9 on a tight budget - chicken and dumplings, stewed tomatoes, macaroni and cheese... and passing these down to my 10 yr old daughter (who is developing into quite a cook kerself!) is awesome! Having my daughter tell her kindergarten teacher that the english muffin pizzas they made were "vile" and then ask if her mom "the chef" could come in to class and show them "the right way to be a cooker". I have to admit I'm not much of a baker - I take LOTS of help from the local shops to bring desserts to my dinners.